If you search Grilla Grills you will quickly hit something alarming: a Better Business Bureau profile for the Holland, Michigan company carrying an Out-of-Business known or suspected alert, and Not Rated.
Grilla Grills is not out of business. It is operating normally, shipping grills, and stocking replacement parts. But it is also no longer the independent Michigan company it was, and both of those facts need explaining before anything else.
Here is what actually happened, five models with real specs, and the one genuine problem that has not been fixed in four years.
Quick verdict
| Status in 2026 | Alive and selling. Owned by American Outdoor Brands (NASDAQ: AOUT) since March 2022, run from Columbia, Missouri |
| What it does well | Temperature stability, stainless steel and double-wall insulation that is unusual at the price |
| What it does badly | The app. Both app stores rate it 1.8 out of 5, and the connectivity problem dates back to 2022 |
| Best value | Silverbac 2.0 XL at $1,799.99 for 1,644 sq in, about $1.09 per square inch |
| Warranty | 4 years on grills, 2 years on the Chimp, 1 year on accessories |
| No trial period | There is no satisfaction guarantee or home trial. Returns are 30 days and defect-based |
What happened to Grilla Grills
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| 2015 | Founded in Holland, Michigan by Dave Shidler and Mark Graham |
| Calendar 2021 | Net sales over $15 million, with 161% growth over the prior two years |
| 10 March 2022 | American Outdoor Brands announces acquisition for $27 million cash, around $24 million net of future tax benefits |
| 8 September 2022 | AOB announces closure of both the founding Holland, MI facility and the Dallas, TX location, consolidating into Columbia, Missouri |
| 2026 | Grilla is named in AOB’s fiscal 2026 10-K as a current brand, and sits in AOB’s Growth Brands cohort with positive year-on-year sales growth |
So why does it look dead? The BBB record was never migrated. That profile is for the legacy Michigan entity and address, which genuinely did close in late 2022. The operating business moved to 1800 N Rt. Z Ste A, Columbia, Missouri. It is a records problem, not a dead business.
Two other things fuel the confusion. The founders are gone, and the warranty phone number is still 616-392-7410, a Holland, Michigan area code. Do not read the area code as evidence of a Michigan operation.
The evidence it is alive
- AOB’s fiscal 2026 10-K, for the year ending 30 April 2026, names Grilla as a current owned brand and lists grillagrills.com as an active direct-to-consumer site. AOB divested UST in FY2026 but not Grilla
- In June 2026 AOB named Grilla among its Growth Brands, which delivered positive year-on-year net sales and point-of-sale growth for fiscal 2026
- grillagrills.com is a functioning store with a working cart, Affirm financing, and support staffed Monday to Friday 8am to 4pm CST
- Replacement augers and auger motors are in stock and shipping in 1 to 2 business days
- The Android app was last updated 28 September 2026, published by AOB Products Company
- Current-generation hardware is on sale: Silverbac 2.0, Chimp 2.0, Alpha Connect 2.0. The line has been refreshed under AOB, not frozen
- Grilla is now also in physical retail at Scheels, which the pre-acquisition owner base predicted and was not thrilled about
Where the grills are made
China. Grilla was US-made for roughly its first three years, then moved manufacturing to China on cost grounds, and has historically said so publicly.
At parent level this is consistent. AOB runs what it calls an asset-light operating model using contract manufacturers primarily in Asia, owning tooling and intellectual property rather than factories. It names tariff exposure from Asian outsourcing as a risk factor, and filed a $15.2 million refund claim on IEEPA tariffs in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2026.
Whether grillagrills.com still states the country of origin on-site in 2026 is unconfirmed.
Five Grilla models, with real specs
1. Silverbac 2.0, $1,099.99
| Spec | Detail |
|---|---|
| Cooking area | 507 sq in main, 692 sq in total |
| Hopper | 33 lb |
| Temperature range | 180 to 500F |
| Controller | Alpha Connect 2.0 with PID and Pro Smoke modes |
| Connectivity | WiFi and smartphone app, two temperature probes |
| Construction | Double-wall insulated stainless, 1/4 inch stainless rod grates |
| Weight | 170 lb |
| Warranty | 4 years |
An All-Terrain cart version lists at $1,299.99 and has been selling at $909.99, which is worth knowing (see the pricing section below). A built-in version is $1,074.99.
2. Silverbac 2.0 XL, $1,799.99
| Spec | Detail |
|---|---|
| Cooking area | 1,644 sq in across three sliding levels |
| Level sizes | Primary 32.75 x 21.3 in, secondary 33.8 x 17.5 in, warming 33.8 x 10.5 in |
| Hopper | 33 lb |
| Temperature range | 180 to 500F |
| Controller | Alpha Connect 2.0, PID and Pro Smoke |
| Construction | Double-wall insulated stainless, 1/4 inch stainless rod grates |
| Weight | 242 lb |
| Warranty | 4 years |
This is the price-per-square-inch winner in the whole category. $1,799.99 for 1,644 sq in works out to about $1.09 per square inch, which beats both Traeger and recteq comfortably. If you need capacity, this is the model to look at.
3. Grilla OG, $1,119.99
| Spec | Detail |
|---|---|
| Shape | The original pod design, the one the brand is known for |
| Cooking area | 346 sq in main, 488 sq in with the extra grate |
| Hopper | 20 lb |
| Temperature range | 180 to 500F |
| Controller | Alpha Connect with PID and PRO modes |
| Construction | Stainless steel, dual-wall insulated, 1/4 inch stainless rod grates |
| Weight | 145 lb |
| Warranty | 4 years |
The smallest hopper in the pellet range at 20 lb, and the smallest cooking area. You are paying for the shape and the insulation rather than capacity.
4. Chimp 2.0 Tailgater, $719.99
| Spec | Detail |
|---|---|
| Cooking area | 340 sq in main (22 x 15.5 in), 460 sq in with extra grate |
| Hopper | 15 lb |
| Temperature range | 180 to 500F |
| Controller | Alpha Connect 2.0, PID and PRO |
| Construction | Stainless, double-wall insulated |
| Weight | 90 lb |
| Warranty | 2 years, the only model not on 4 |
Note the warranty drop. Every other Grilla grill is 4 years. The Chimp is 2. At 90 lb it is also only portable in the tailgating sense, not the carry-it-to-the-park sense.
5. Primate Gas Grill and Griddle, $1,399.99 for the top, $1,729.98 with cart
Correct this one before you shop: the Primate is a four-burner propane gas grill that converts to a flat-top griddle. It is not a kamado and not a pellet grill. This is the single most misreported Grilla spec online.
| Spec | Detail |
|---|---|
| Cooking area | 490 sq in |
| Output | 60,000 BTU across four 15,000 BTU burners |
| Fuel | LP tank, natural gas with an accessory |
| Construction | Heavy stainless, double-wall insulated hood, 5/16 inch stainless rod grates |
| Dimensions | 41.5 H x 62 W x 25 D inches |
| Weight | 190 lb |
| Warranty | 4 years |
There is no standalone griddle in the Grilla range. The griddles category on the site returns nothing. The Primate is the only griddle offering and it is a convertible.
Also in the range
| Model | Price | Cooking area | Max temp | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mammoth vertical pellet smoker | $1,199.95 | 1,660 main, 3,652 total | 450F | 130 lb |
| Kong ceramic kamado | $999.99 | 329 main, 643 total | 700F | 213 lb |
| Medium Kong | $799.99 | 176 main, 353 total | 800F | 121 lb |
Note that Grilla’s own pages give the Medium Kong a higher maximum temperature than the full-size Kong, 800F against 700F. Both figures come from Grilla and are not reconciled anywhere.
The Mammoth also caps at 450F rather than the 500F the pellet grills manage, and comes with 5 racks with room for 10.
The real problem: the app
This is the one thing that would stop us recommending a Grilla to someone who actually wants the connected features.
| iOS | Android | |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | 1.8 out of 5 | 1.8 out of 5 |
| Review count | 52 ratings | 196 reviews |
| Last update seen | Version 1.4.17, 27 March 2025 | 28 September 2026 |
| Publisher | Fahrenheit Technologies, Inc | AOB Products Company |
Two independent rating pools, the same score, nearly 250 combined reviews. The themes repeat across both stores: WiFi drops and will not stay connected, notifications that never fire, repeated login prompts, and frustration that fixes are not shipping. One reviewer: WiFi connectivity is the absolute worst, why sell a WiFi enabled grill when it constantly drops.
This is not a bug that got patched
It started on the first-generation Alpha Connect. A February 2022 owner forum thread documented modules that stopped connecting to WiFi after about a month of normal use. Bluetooth pairing worked and the app showed a connection, but the app could not talk to the grill. Connections also dropped on cooks over 90 minutes. At least two or three owners reported the same, one twice in three months.
In April 2022, owners trying to fix it discovered that 1.2.0.80 was the app version rather than the firmware, that every reported unit was stuck on firmware 1.0.3, and that there was no automatic update option visible in the app. The thread references conversations with Grilla’s external software contractor. No official statement ever appeared.
Four years later the ratings sit at 1.8 on a build updated in late 2026. Also note the publisher split: iOS is still listed under Fahrenheit Technologies while Android is under AOB Products Company, which fits the external contractor detail and suggests an incomplete migration.
Our read: buy a Grilla for how it cooks, not for the app. If app control is the reason you are buying a connected grill, this is the wrong brand.
What the grills actually do well
Temperature stability, independently measured
A hands-on Silverbac 2.0 test published in October 2025 measured only about 10F variance left to right, against the 40 to 50F swings the same reviewer notes on many competitors. Heat-up in P mode took roughly 16 minutes to 250F and 51 minutes to 500F. In Pro mode, roughly 10 minutes and 33 minutes.
That is a genuinely strong result and it is the clearest reason to consider the brand.
Build quality for the price
Stainless lid with double-wall insulation, stainless burn pot, diverter panel and drip tray, with the rest powder-coated. Independent reviewers describe that level of stainless as rare in this price range. The 1/4 inch stainless rod grates are heavier than most competitors ship at this money.
A five-year owner report
A long-term review published in December 2024, after 1,757 days of ownership, found the grill still running well, reaching 500F where some entry-level rivals cap at 375F, and performing at -10F. Failures over five years: a warped heat deflector (cosmetic), and an igniter rod that failed in December 2022 and was replaced free within 24 hours. Criticisms: smoke output described as super mild, and searing well behind charcoal.
Honest caveat on all of this: the independent evidence base for Grilla is thin. Trustpilot has only 4 reviews, BBB has a handful of comments, and most owner forum discussion dates from 2021 and 2022. The two genuinely robust signals are the app ratings and the measured temperature test.
Known issues worth knowing about
- Auger jams, reported in winter 2020-21 by an owner who did receive a replacement unit but learned to avoid cooking above 325F
- One owner could not exceed 275F with excessive ash and minimal smoke, Grilla’s troubleshooting failed, and the case was unresolved as of July 2022
- Forum consensus attributes 80 to 90% of these problems to pellet quality, recommending BBQr’s Delight or Lumberjack and advising against Traeger and Pit Boss pellets
- No removable ash cleanout tray, so cleaning means a shop vac
- A dated hanging grease bucket
- Limited high-heat searing compared to charcoal
- A BBB comment describes a Silverbac lid leaking with Grilla wanting to sell the corrective part
Warranty, shipping and returns
| Item | Terms |
|---|---|
| Grill warranty | 4 years limited on Silverbac, Silverbac XL, Grilla OG, Mammoth, Kong and Primate |
| Chimp warranty | 2 years limited |
| Accessories, thermometers, batteries, inverters | 1 year limited |
| Who it covers | Original owner only, not transferable. Must be bought new from Grilla or an authorised retailer, with dated proof of purchase |
| Excluded | Normal maintenance, wear and tear, commercial use, corrosion, misuse, neglect, intentional damage, unauthorised repairs, cosmetic damage not affecting operation |
| Claims | Call 616-392-7410 or use the customer service portal |
| Shipping | Grills ship free. Shipping applies only to orders below $79 in the contiguous US |
| Lead time | 10 to 12 business days for in-stock products |
| Returns | 30 days from purchase, for manufacturing defects and fulfilment errors. RMA number required first |
| Cancellation fee | 10% if cancelled before shipping, or if the order is refused at delivery |
| Trial period | None |
Two things to flag honestly. First, there is no trial period or satisfaction guarantee, which recteq has historically marketed. Second, we found no 2026-dated warranty claim outcome either way. There is no evidence warranty service has been withdrawn, and no evidence confirming how well it currently performs.
Parts availability, which matters more than people realise
For a pellet grill, this is a bigger deal than the spec sheet. Augers jam, controllers die, igniters burn out. A brand that cannot supply parts is a brand whose grills become scrap.
Grilla lists 84 service parts and the key ones are in stock, shipping in 1 to 2 business days:
| Part | Price |
|---|---|
| Grilla OG auger motor | $83.99 |
| Grilla OG auger (screw) | $19.99 |
| OG Grilla or Silverbac WiFi controller | $179.99 |
| Alpha Smoke control board for Chimp | $155.99 |
| OG Grilla igniter | $29.99 |
| Silverbac main grate | $149.99 |
| OG Grilla stainless drip pan | $149.99 |
Also listed: Primate burners, flame tamers and valves, power cords, Chimp wheels, legs and handles, Mammoth casters. We could not confirm a standalone replacement fire pot or combustion fan listing, but with 84 parts in the catalogue they may well be there.
The pricing pattern, and one genuine oddity
Grilla discounts hard, and it looks like liquidation if you only see it once. It is not. The pattern is rotating promotions with 2 to 4 day expiry dates, cycling through different product groups, plus named seasonal events like Black Friday and Father’s Day. No closeout, last chance, final sale or discontinued language appears anywhere on the site.
But there is one thing worth acting on. The deepest cuts are on the All-Terrain cart configurations, and they invert the price ladder.
| Configuration | List | Price seen |
|---|---|---|
| Silverbac 2.0 XL, standard | $1,799.99 | No discount |
| Silverbac 2.0 XL with All-Terrain cart | $2,099.99 | $1,049.99 |
| Silverbac 2.0 with All-Terrain cart | $1,299.99 | $909.99 |
The All-Terrain XL at $1,049.99 is cheaper than the plain XL at $1,799.99. That reads as SKU-level clearance on the cart variants rather than a brand-wide sale. No discontinuation notice exists, but if you want an All-Terrain Silverbac, that configuration looks like it is being cleared.
Grilla vs recteq vs Traeger
| Grilla Silverbac 2.0 | recteq RT-700 | Traeger Pro 575 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $1,099.99 | About $1,199 | $799.99 |
| Cooking area | 507 main, 692 total | 702, 1,054 with shelf | 575 total |
| Price per sq in | $2.17 main, $1.59 total | $1.71 | $1.39 |
| Controller | PID as a selectable mode | True PID, 5F increments | D2, not marketed as PID |
| Temp range | 180 to 500F | 180 to 700F | 165 to 500F |
| Hopper | 33 lb | 40 lb | 18 lb |
| Warranty | 4 years | 6 years, prepaid parts freight | 3 years |
Three honest conclusions:
1. Warranty: recteq wins outright at 6 years with prepaid parts shipping. Grilla’s 4 years beats Traeger’s 3
2. Controller: recteq is the only one with an unambiguous full-time PID and a 700F ceiling. Grilla’s PID is a selectable mode, and it caps at 500F. Do not let anyone tell you Grilla has a PID controller without that qualifier
3. Price per square inch: the Traeger Pro 575 is cheapest at entry level, but Grilla’s Silverbac XL at $1.09 per square inch beats everything here, and Grilla brings far more stainless and insulation than Traeger at a comparable price
FAQ
Is Grilla Grills still in business?
Yes. It was acquired by American Outdoor Brands in March 2022 for $27 million and now operates from Columbia, Missouri. The BBB listing showing it as out of business refers to the old Holland, Michigan entity, which closed in late 2022 when operations consolidated.
Who owns Grilla Grills now?
American Outdoor Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ: AOUT), since March 2022. Founders Dave Shidler and Mark Graham are no longer running it.
Where are Grilla Grills made?
China. The brand was US-made for roughly its first three years before moving production. Its parent company confirms an asset-light model using contract manufacturers primarily in Asia.
Does the Grilla app actually work?
Poorly. Both app stores rate it 1.8 out of 5 across nearly 250 combined reviews, with WiFi dropouts the dominant complaint. The problem dates back to the first Alpha Connect controller in 2022 and persists on current builds. Buy the grill for how it cooks, not the app.
Does Grilla still sell replacement parts?
Yes, and this is a genuine strength. 84 service parts are listed, with augers, auger motors, controllers, igniters and grates in stock and shipping in 1 to 2 business days.
Is there a trial period on a Grilla grill?
No. There is no satisfaction guarantee and no home trial. Returns are 30 days and limited to manufacturing defects and fulfilment errors, with an RMA number required first.
Bottom line
Grilla makes a well-built grill that holds temperature better than most things at its price, with more stainless steel and double-wall insulation than Traeger gives you for similar money, backed by a 4 year warranty and a genuinely stocked parts catalogue. The Silverbac 2.0 XL at roughly $1.09 per square inch is the best capacity-per-dollar in its class.
The brand is alive and growing inside American Outdoor Brands, whatever the stale BBB listing says. What has not improved is the app, which has been rated 1.8 out of 5 across two platforms for four years running and shows no sign of being fixed.
So the recommendation splits cleanly. If you want a grill that cooks accurately and you will walk out and check it yourself, Grilla is a strong buy. If the whole point is monitoring a brisket from the sofa, buy recteq instead.
