A franchise brand born from a frustrated customer experience in Oakville is now planning aggressive expansion across every major North American metropolitan market, capitalizing on what founders call a “huge opportunity” in the underserved grill cleaning and appliance service sector.
Grill Hero, which currently operates 10+ locations across Canada and recently launched its first U.S. territory in Florida, is targeting 100+ locations within five years while diversifying beyond seasonal grill cleaning into year-round oven services, commercial accounts, and appliance repairs.
What started as Michael Sutton‘s solution to his parents’ service problem in 2015 has revealed a significant market gap. “There really wasn’t anyone that was servicing the area, offering the services,” Sutton recalls of his family’s original search for grill cleaning help.
The company gained national attention through a Dragons’ Den appearance in 2018 under its former Canadian BBQ Boys brand, securing a deal with Jim Treliving that ultimately didn’t materialize after due diligence. “People don’t always realize there’s so much that goes on behind the scenes afterwards,” Sutton notes about the Dragons’ Den experience. “We got the deal on the show, we were super excited. It just didn’t really make sense once we got down to the nitty-gritty.”
The rebrand to Grill Hero occurred three years ago, with the full rebrand completed in 2024. “Grill Hero was really us maturing, taking the brand in a different direction,” Sutton explains. “Strategically, it makes a ton of sense with our US expansion. We wanted to have one name across both countries.”
The Florida launch demonstrates the model’s adaptability across different markets. While Canadian operations concentrate business in peak grilling months, the year-round Florida climate creates consistent demand – a template for expansion into other sun-belt markets.
Grill Hero’s growth strategy extends beyond its seasonal origins. The company now offers oven cleaning, appliance repairs, and dedicated commercial services targeting restaurants, property managers, and catering businesses. “When we go for a grill cleaning, one of the things we love to say is find more grease. What else can we clean while we’re here?” explains Sutton. This approach increases average job sizes while building year-round revenue streams that reduce seasonal dependence.
A key strategic hire came recently when Sutton brought on Dave Patterson as Chief Operating Officer to implement EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) principles across the growing franchise network. Patterson brings over 20 years of retail operations experience with major brands including Calendar Club of Canada, Old Navy, WIND Mobile, Best Buy, Mark’s Work Wearhouse and Lowe’s.
“As a younger entrepreneur, I’ve never grown a hundred million dollar business,” admits Sutton. “If that’s the goal, I need to find someone who has the experience, who is a great culture fit and who believes in the mission.” Patterson describes their strategic alignment: “I had no idea seven, eight months ago I was about to meet a person that was so aligned with my professional and personal core values.”
Grill Hero positions itself as more than a cleaning service – it’s about enabling experiences. Patterson explains the stakes: “Could you imagine bringing over your favorite friends that you haven’t seen in a long time and you’ve got that barbecue in the backyard and you go to turn it on and it doesn’t work? That is an epic fail.”
Grill Hero currently services multiple markets across Canada including the Greater Toronto Area, Ottawa, Hamilton, London, Vancouver, and Edmonton North. In the United States, operations have launched in Palm Beach County, Florida. The company reports over 30,000 grills cleaned to date, with 1,500+ five-star Google reviews system-wide and an 80+ Net Promoter Score.
As digital advertising costs rise industry-wide, Grill Hero is developing what Sutton calls a “neighborhoods to national strategy” combining grassroots door-to-door efforts with digital marketing and mass media campaigns. The company has a “celebrity endorsement on the way for 2026,” though details remain undisclosed.
Sutton’s ambitious five-year target of 100+ locations aligns with his comprehensive vision: “I would see us in every major metropolitan across North America, where we’re the strongest brand name across those markets and across both countries, where Grill Hero is really starting to become that household name.”
The expansion includes both geographic growth and service line extensions. Beyond residential services, the company is building commercial relationships while exploring retail partnerships with barbecue dealers and developing e-commerce channels for parts and products.
Rather than being deterred by economic uncertainty, Sutton sees current conditions as advantageous for expansion. “I think there’s an opportunity in any market,” he says. “When you can look at the same marketplace and see opportunities everywhere because people are pulling back, because there’s no big player in the space we’re operating in – I think we have an exceptional opportunity.”
Grill Hero represents a franchise brand with clear expansion momentum in what the company describes as an underserved market, positioning itself as the dominant player in a category that barely existed when Sutton started his student business in Oakville nine years ago.
Dustin Fuhs is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of 6ix Retail, Toronto’s premier source for retail and hospitality industry news. As the former Editor-in-Chief of Retail Insider, Canada’s most-read retail trade publication, Dustin brings over two decades of expertise spanning retail, marketing, entertainment and hospitality sectors. His experience includes leadership roles with industry giants such as The Walt Disney Company, The Hockey Hall of Fame, Starbucks and Blockbuster.
Recognized as a RETHINK Retail Top Retail Expert in 2024 and 2025, Dustin delivers insider perspectives on Toronto’s evolving retail landscape, from emerging brands to established players reshaping the city’s commercial districts.