When it comes to summer here on Long Island, few activities quintessentially go with the season – along with heading to the beach – more so than firing up the ol’ BBQ grill in your backyard and throwing down a few delicious steaks, burgers, or hot dogs for a delightful family get-together.
Many people simply take the cleanliness and hygiene of their backyard grills for granted, but over the years an increasingly dirty BBQ can actually present a number of potential health issues for families, such as heightened exposure to carcinogens, corrosion, caked on-buildup of sludge, and even the unsightly presence of rodent droppings.
It often doesn’t occur to people that a professional hand may be required to get their backyard grill back in tip-top condition, but if your barbecue looks like it was just fished out of a fast food deep-fat fryer, it’s a probably a very good idea to give the experts at Renew BBQ Cleaning of Nesconset, NY a call.
Renew BBQ Cleaning owner Maria Esposito and her husband Bobby started the business in 2015 after he had “grown bored” following his recent retirement as a Local 3 union electrician. Maria, a housewife and mother of three, agreed that the two needed a change of pace, and upon seeing an ad for a barbecue cleaning service, they knew exactly what to do.
“I saw an ad in Work From Home Magazine about turning your barbecue into a business. My husband is very mechanical and old-school, and he believes in fixing something before throwing it out and buying a new one,” she said. “Every year he’s always cleaned our grill, and I thought ‘wow, that could be a business?’ We looked more into it and eventually purchased what we needed from a gentleman named Jeff in New Jersey. From him we got all of the cleaning equipment and information we needed, along with a trailer to transport it around in.”
“We didn’t buy into a franchise,” Maria added. “What we essentially did was invest in a ‘business in a box,’ so to speak.”
The new endeavor started out briskly right out of the gate, Maria said, but as time went by Renew BBQ started to build up a truly impressive client list, to the point where they are now considering expanding the family-run organization and taking on new workers in order to address the demand.
“The first season we did this, we had maybe 50 customers, which my husband was very happy with,” she said. “The following season it went from 50 to 250 customers, and we had to have my kids help…nowadays, some customers have to wait several weeks before we can get to them with our workload, so I’d really like us to get another truck so I can send two crews out at a time. It’s a lot of work, but we’re very excited by the response we’ve been getting.”
Depending on the weather, Renew BBQ’s active season typically runs from March to approximately November; however, they’re always willing to do a job as long as the outdoor temperature is not below 45 degrees. And when it comes to the grills themselves, Renew BBQ is qualified and experienced in servicing and cleaning all of the major manufacturers, to the point that many of them actually contact Maria to schedule the company to perform warranty work for them throughout the tri-state area.
She also spoke about the rigorous cleaning that Renew BBQ offers their clients; first, the elements from the grill are given a thorough steam-cleaning and scrubbing by one of their workers, while a second worker handles a head-to-toe scrubbing, de-greasing, disinfecting, and polishing of the actual barbecue itself, using only the finest environmentally-friendly cleaning solutions.
In addition, any functional problems that the grill may be experiencing – such as a clogged line or a defective igniter – can be easily handled and fixed by Maria’s husband Bobby, who is an experienced union electrician and all-around expert handyman.
“Nobody cleans grills the way we do it with our system,” she said. “And nobody’s doing repairs, so if your grill is not working right, there are very few competent people to call to fix it aside from us.”
Renew BBQ also has a propane exchange service, where a client’s empty tank can be exchanged for a brand new, fully-filled one.
Due to the company’s success – and a desire to branch out to appeal to more of the needs of their many clients – Maria noted that Renew BBQ will be adding other services to their repertoire, including mosquito spraying as well as shrink wrapping grills for the off-season.
So far, Renew BBQ has been getting rave reviews from their clients, and word-of-mouth has earned them a steady stream of customers, especially from social media platforms such as Facebook. A referral program that offers discounts to people who recommend Renew BBQ has also been effective, Maria said.
“If a customer refers us to one of their friends, then that customer receives a 10 percent discount on their next cleaning,” she said.
But at the end of the day, Maria said that she and Bobby are very proud and thankful that this small, family-run business – initially started simply because they were bored – has grown into a viable and successful full-time career for them and their children.
“It’s been great. For me, as a stay-at-home mom, it was important that we do something that allowed me to be around for my children, and it’s pretty amazing what we’ve accomplished so far,” she said. “I’m very proud, and I’m looking forward to seeing what the future brings for Renew BBQ Cleaning.”
To find out more about Renew BBQ Cleaning, please call 631-265-WASH or visit https://www.renewbbqcleaning.com.
