Weber went one step beyond the Summit Grill Center in their new Grill Center with Social Area. The Summit Grill Center with Social Area is a party waiting to happen. Weber calls this center “the ultimate luxury grilling experience”. Similar in many ways to the smaller Grill Center, the Social Area Center is constructed with an L-shape social area on the right-hand side of the grill.
Width of the Social Area Grill Center is also considerably wider and deeper than the smaller unit. Width from right to left on the Social Area Center is more than 112 inches, and the depth measures more than 42 inches larger at 72.5. The Social Area Center is supported with an additional four adjustable stainless steel legs, for a total of twelve. The adjustable legs are convenient if the Grill Center needs to be placed on uneven ground.
The trash can has a removable door on the back side of the Center. This feature should be considered when choosing the Grill Center’s location in the yard, and not placed against a solid wall. The enlarged Social Area Grill Center has the two storage areas on either side of the grill and an extra large stainless steel serving area on the right-hand side in the L-shape section, for a total of four enclosed storage areas with adjustable wire racks.
Also included on the right-hand side of the grill is Weber’s dual-ring side burner. The smaller ring burner can be used for small sauce pans, but the dual-ring combination burner is great for large pots or the new wok recently manufactured by Weber. This new feature offers more options than ever available by Weber Summit’s outdoor grills. Making use of the additional L-shaped social area, Weber added a handy condiment rail and insulated ice bin, as well as an enclosed removable plastic trash can. All of these new features make it more convenient for you and your guests to remain with the gathering outside and less trips to the house.
The Summit grill portion of the Social Area Grill Center is the same as the grill portion of the smaller unit, with the same grill features offered on the stand-alone 670 gas grill. Being a member of the Summit family of grills, the Social Area Grill Center is also available in a choice of Black enamel or Stainless Steel, and liquid propane or natural gas fueled models. Similarly, the liquid propane version has a storage tank area and precise fuel gauge, but no propane tank. The NG model, as other Summit NG grills supplies the ten-foot flexible hose. Unlike the Summit Grill Center, the Social Area Grill Center has a Grill Cover that is sold separately at Amazon.com.
Although the Social Grill Center is also new on the market, there is a single five-star review on Buzzillians.com. This consumer is thrilled with his new toy, and after finding the user manual confusing and the included cookbook too generic, he is using all of the features by trial and error. At the time of review, this user was enjoying the results of his experiments, but would appreciate recipes specific to the Social Area Grill Center and the features in detail. As expected, due to the size of the unit’s number of sections he had assistance from a handyman, so he considered the assembly simple yet time-consuming.
In short, the user was happy with the following qualities of the grill center:
- Nice modern design
- Easy to use and clean
- Worked perfectly with a Summit S-670
The Weber Summit Social Area Grill Center compares with high-end outdoor kitchens that range in price from twenty to fifty thousand dollars. The new addition to the Summit family of Weber gas grill units is more affordable, in the five thousand dollar range. The Summit Social Center model can be assembled within a day, and does not require a contractor or building permit.
The choice of grill you want eventually comes down to individual preference and needs when selecting a mid-to-high priced family grill. If price is not your biggest consideration, the Weber Summit family of outdoor gas grills gives you plenty of options to choose from. You may need a 6-burner, 60,000 BTU performance on a large scale, or perhaps the 48,000 BTUs on four burners is enough to suit your grilling needs. Many in the Summit family of grills are built with casters, allowing the grill to be mobile.
If you are searching for a built-in gas grill, you may want to consider the larger 600 series models with six burners and 60,000 BTUs available. If your need for a built-in grill runs along the smaller range of use, the 400 series models provides four burners and 48,000 BTU option. If your plan is to go “ultimate entertaining” you might consider one of the two Summit Grill Centers. The Weber Summit series offers anything you need for an ideal outdoor grilling experience.
