Tops to Host Johnsonville's Big Taste Grill

Tops Markets LLC has arranged to bring the 65-foot-long Johnsonville Big Taste Grill to the Northeast grocer’s Fayetteville, N.Y., store in central New York state on Sept. 1.

According to Jim Lane, director of meat and seafood at Williamsville, N.Y.-based Tops,. “This event gives us the opportunity to showcase a delicious product, while having a lot of fun doing it.”

Widely considered the world's biggest, the famous grill tips the scales at nearly 27 tons, or 53,000 pounds; measures at least two basketball hoops high, or 20 feet tall; is longer than the width of an NCAA regulation basketball court; and can cook up to 2,500 brats per hour.

The first Big Taste Grill made its debut in 1995 to mark Johnsonville Sausage’s 50th anniversary. It proved to be such a hit that in 1998, the Sheboygan Falls, Wis.-based company built a second grill, and in 2005 an identical third grill rolled out. The traveling "Big Taste Grill" promotion results in the cooking of almost 1 million brats across the country annually.

During The Big Taste Grill’s stop at Tops, Johnsonville Brats and the grocer’s private label water will be sold on-site, and all proceeds will go to the Jim and Juli Boeheim Foundation, which helps needy kids in the area, as well as providing support for eradicating cancer through research advocacy.

“It is Tops’ mission to help make a lasting and meaningful contribution in the central New York community,” noted Tops director of community relations Andrew Brocato. “The Jim and Juli Boeheim Foundation’s charitable vision is very similar to that of Tops, and we are proud to support such a worthy cause.”

Featuring activities for children, food sampling, live music, prizes and a sidewalk sale, the event will take place from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the Fayetteville Tops parking lot.

Tops operates 131 full-service supermarkets – 126 company-owned and five franchise locations – and employs over 13,000 associates in upstate New York and northern Pennsylvania.