This is an interesting question!
In order to answer this question, we need to first understand what were cleaning.
What is the difference between a BBQ and a grill? How do we define them?
In it’s most simplistic form, a BBQ is using charcoal, wood or an open pit. Think of the old Weber kettles you dumped charcoal into.
Grills, in their most simplistic form would be something connected to a gas or fuel source. Think of a propane gas grill like a Weber Genesis you see at the big box stores.
Most people will use both “Grills” and “BBQ” interchangeably but there is a distinct difference.
When I first started back in 2012, most grill cleaning services referred to themselves as “BBQ Cleaners” or a “BBQ Cleaning Service” since that was the most common way to associate ourselves. That’s why I named my business Prestige BBQ and Oven Cleaning instead of Prestige Grill and Oven Cleaning or just Prestige Grill Cleaning because it was the most common way to name what service we were offering. Most companies were calling themselves “BBQ Cleaners and it simply didn’t sound right to be calling myself a “Grill Cleaner”.
But, that was the old way…
When someone types into Google to search for a cleaning service, they are more likely going to type in “BBQ Cleaning” as that’s a more natural term used to describe what one is looking for. But, in reality, what they are looking for is a grill cleaning.
I once saw a review on someone elses website in Houston way back in the day. The company is no longer in business but I never forgot this review. I can’t remember it word for word but it essentially said something like she had a difficult time finding someone in her area to clean her grill and stumbled upon this company. She made a complaint that their name “Houston BBQ Cleaning” didn’t represent what people in the area were using. In her area, they were using grills, not BBQ’s and if they had used “grill cleaning” in their name or website they might get more business.
I thought this was a pretty telling review. If were going to use one of these two words in our logo, name or website content, we need to be aware of who we are trying to speak to. If we name or company using a word like “BBQ Cleaning” like I did (because that’s what everyone else was using), are we missing out on potential opportunity because were trying to speak to the wrong audience?
For what we do, we really want to be considered “Grill Cleaners” because we will clean mostly gas grills. Unless you are in an area where there is a heavier use of BBQ’s and smokers than gas grills, for the most part, you will mainly clean gas grills.
There is one disadvantage of using the word “grill cleaner” though. “Grill cleaning” can also refer to the act of cleaning a commercial grill in a restaurant. You very well might get a confused restaurant owner calling you to clean their grill not realizing you are referring to a residential gas grill.
Find out which is used more in your area and tailor your message around that.
