From knockouts to cookouts: How George Foreman’s grill became a huge money maker

The month of March brought us some terrible news. George Foreman, the legendary two-time world heavyweight champion and Olympic gold medalist, passed away on March 21, leaving a terrible void among the living legends of boxing. His life filled with success in the ring is well known, but many may not remember his great personal success upon his retirement. In the 1990s, he was the commercial face of a grill, a mass phenomenon that amassed a fortune far greater than when he was fighting Muhammad Ali and company.

The Story Behind the George Foreman Grill, the Best-Selling Home Appliance of the 90s and 2000s

The George Foreman grill has a curious story behind it. Long before the boxer put his name on the appliance, an inventor named Tsann Kuen imagined a cooking grill concept that would remove fat from food during cooking. It was very simple to use. Both sides were covered with stainless steel; the top lid opened and closed, pressing the meat or fish onto the hot surface. The product came with a rectangular bowl to collect all the dripping liquid.

Kuen’s patent fell into the hands of a company called Salton Inc., which contacted Foreman’s friends to gauge his interest in having his own brand. For months, he rejected offers because there was no upfront payment. In fact, they sent a grill to his house for him to try out for himself. Seeing her husband’s lack of interest, it was his wife, Joan Foreman, who decided to try it at home. And he loved it. George was a burger lover, and when Joan invited him to try one cooked on the grill, he was ecstatic about the result. He accepted the latter offer and embarked on the adventure.

It’s estimated that during the 1990s, he managed to make around $200 million. In the first stage, he got 40 percent of the price of each sale. A staggering amount that quickly tripled thanks to his popular success. He sold his image rights to Salton Inc. in 1999 for almost $140 million. By the early 2000s, he surpassed the 100 million-unit sales mark worldwide. If he earned just over $5 million while boxing, it was a fluke that allowed him to live like a king in retirement. A phenomenon from another era that makes us smile back at good old Foreman.

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