When you’ve been to as many tailgates as we have, you can spot a bad one from a mile away. Yawning guests, cheap hot dogs, lack of team spirit… it can be tough out there for the college superfan.

At Gridiron, we don’t want bad tailgates to happen to good people. Here’s how to tell if your tailgate needs a helping hand, and how to get it moving back in the right direction.

1. Your grill grate’s over the hill.

Ah, the grill grate. The unsung hero of the tailgate. Through the years it’s seen you through hundreds of games and thousands of burgers and brats. 

But truth is, the grate that came with your grill wasn’t built to last. If yours has been proudly serving your tailgate since your 10-year college reunion, it’s time to put it out to pasture.

Gridiron’s grill grates are made of high-quality carbon or stainless steel, and they’re good to go for years to come. So when it’s time to pass the torch — and the spatula — to your kids, you know their burgers and brats will turn out grate. Er, great.

2. Dinky burgers.

Are you kidding us with that junk? You’re really gonna serve that to your dear old pal Ben? They didn’t call him “Big Ben” for nothing back in Sophomore year. You saw this guy put the dining halls through their paces back in the day!

When Ben’s got a big hunger, Ben needs big burgers — and you need a big spatula to handle the job. That kind of responsibility calls for a Gridiron spatula, laser-cut with your team’s logo. These babies are heavy-duty beasts made with food-grade stainless steel, so they can stand up to the heartiest cuts of meat.

Oh, and we snuck a bottle opener onto the end of the handle. Because nothing goes better with a burger in one hand than a beer in the other. Eat up, Benny boy!

3. No one’s grabbing a cold one.

You know that feeling, when you go into the cooler for a cold one and have to dig way to the bottom? Whether or not you get your drink of choice, you get one soaking wet hand that feels like it’s been to the Arctic and back.

It only gets worse when you have to carry that drink around while you shmooze with your crew. It’s enough to make a man skip a trip to the cooler altogether! But with Gridiron on the case, you’ll fear no frigid digits. Our can koozies have your back, and your hands.

Gridiron can koozies are made from stainless steel, so they keep your cold ones cold and your fingers nice and toasty. It’s time to ditch the sponge-y foam koozies and give your tailgate crew the luxury of warm, dry hands. Cheers to that.

4. Crappy tailgate spot.

Listen, we know you can’t always pick your tailgate spot. Whether it’s in clear view of the stadium or worryingly close to those porta potties by the construction site, you play the hand you’re dealt as long as it means you can set up shop on game day.

Sure, you can’t always pick the best place to tailgate, but you can pick the right Gridiron gear to make your tailgate the best dang place to party. We don’t just do grill grates — we’ve got sturdy decor to crank up the team spirit before the game.

Our desk plaques make a great statement piece for the food table, and they proudly claim your food table for your team with one of our bookends, laser-cut to feature your team’s name. Or sandwich your paper plates and napkins between two stainless steel bookends bearing your team’s logo.

5. Gary’s feeling chilly.

Tailgating is not for the weak. When you all bought season tickets, you agreed that you’d do this thing, rain or shine or sleet or slush. But now that the temps are dipping and mittens are part of your gameday apparel? Wouldn’t you know it, Gary’s got cold feet about showing up come Sunday.

Buck up, Gary! We tailgate whether it’s 120° or 20 below! Thankfully, Gridiron’s got the gear to keep all your campers happy — even when they’re being a wet blanket in the winter.

Gridiron’s chimineas are a 4-foot tall solution to your winter heat needs. They’re available as raw, American-made steel or powder-coated heat-resistant black, so they’ll make a statement for your school no matter the weather. Feeling better now, Gary? Good, because next weekend the high is 3.

No matter where you went to school, odds are we’ve got officially licensed gear for your team, made with good ol’ USA steel. Up your tailgate with Gridiron gear, and never suffer for a wimpy tailgate again.