Four friends gathered around an outdoor dining table, the Hickory Summit hibachi grill at the centre with skewers, grilled asparagus and vegetables on its grates and flattop, wine glasses and plates around it.
Case Study · In Market

Hickory Summit

A modular hibachi and yakitori grill built to replace three separate cookout setups with one.

Problem

The problem

The client came to us with the concept already worked out: a small-format grill that could do everything a full propane setup does, without the bulk or the hassle of hauling it to a tailgate. He wanted one system that could run yakitori skewers, sear a steak on open grates, and cook breakfast on a flattop griddle, all from a footprint small enough for a truck bed, an apartment balcony, or a dining table. The category was already full of cheap folding hibachi grills, so the brief was to make that concept feel considered, not just small.

Line-art illustration of a tailgate scene: an oversized propane grill barely fitting beside a pickup truck, with the compact Hickory Summit grill on the tailgate rendered in warm colour
Product

One grill, three ways to cook

Hickory Summit's grill splits into three interchangeable tops, two open grates, a flattop griddle, and a set of twelve skewers, that all share the same footprint. Swap between them depending on what's on the menu: grates for a steak, the flattop for breakfast or stir-fried vegetables, skewers for yakitori-style kebabs. Nothing needs extra tools or hardware to switch, each piece just lifts in and out of the same rim.

Hickory Summit grill body empty, ready to accept any combination of grates, flattop or skewers Both stainless grill grates installed side by side One grill grate and the flattop griddle installed together A set of skewers and the flattop griddle installed together A set of skewers and one grill grate installed together Two sets of skewers installed, ready for yakitori-style kebabs

Two steels, two jobs

Every part that gets handled and washed most, the grates, the skewers, the body, is stainless steel: rust-resistant, dishwasher-safe, built to survive being thrown in a truck bed. The flattop is the one exception, cut from raw steel instead, because that's what actually holds and transfers heat well on a griddle surface. It's seasoned and cared for like a cast-iron pan rather than coated, a trade-off made on purpose for better heat, not an oversight.

Close-up CAD render of the seasoned raw steel flattop resting over the brushed stainless grill grate, showing the dark patina and warm sheen of the flattop against the bright, cool-toned stainless
Wide view of the Hickory Summit grill in use at an outdoor dinner, skewers and vegetables on the grates

The system

The Hickory Summit system pairs three interchangeable cooking surfaces with one grill body, so switching between grilling styles takes a lift-and-drop, not a toolkit.

Hickory Summit grill assembling itself: body first, then the legs, then grates, flattop and skewers landing into place

Key Features

  • Two stainless grill grates and a raw-steel flattop griddle, swap freely depending on what's cooking
  • Twelve stainless skewers for yakitori-style kebabs
  • Rim-slot nesting, no clips, screws or tools needed to change tops
  • Heat-resistant silicone mat included for direct use on a dining table
  • Packs down to a single unit, 61 x 20.3 x 14cm, small enough for a cupboard shelf or a truck bed
Partnership

Working with us

We took the client's concept through to a production-ready design for Hickory Summit: material selection, the rim-slot nesting mechanism, and resolving the whole kit into something a factory could actually build.

Every Coffer Studios project runs through the same senior team from first sketch to production handover, no junior handoff once the brief is signed. For a project like this, that means the person who designed the grill is the same person reviewing prototypes and production samples against it.

Impact

Outcome

The grill is in production and selling today, direct through Hickory Summit's own site and on Amazon. The stainless build quality is one of the most repeated compliments in customer reviews.

The full Hickory Summit hibachi kit disassembled on a white background: the stainless grill body, two grill grates, the raw steel flattop, twelve skewers and the storage mat, all laid out separately
Feature Set

What's in the kit

Included

  • 2 stainless grill grates
  • 1 raw-steel flattop griddle
  • 12 stainless skewers
  • Heat-resistant silicone table mat

Materials

  • Stainless steel body, grates and skewers
  • Rust-resistant and dishwasher-safe
  • Raw steel flattop, seasoned like cast iron
  • Hand-wash only for the grill body and flattop

Format

  • 61 x 20.3 x 14cm packed footprint
  • Charcoal-fuelled
  • Rim-slot nesting, no tools required
  • Silicone mat rated for direct tabletop use

Questions About Hickory Summit

A modular tabletop hibachi and yakitori grill designed by Coffer Studios for Hickory Summit. It combines two grill grates, a flattop griddle and twelve skewers in one compact, charcoal-fuelled kit.

Anyone who wants real live-fire grilling without the size or setup of a full propane grill: tailgates, apartment balconies, camping trips, or a dining table at home.

The client brought the concept. Coffer Studios took it through to a production-ready design, including the material selection and the rim-slot nesting mechanism that holds the kit together without hardware.

Stainless steel for the grates, skewers and body, and a raw steel flattop that's seasoned and maintained like a cast-iron pan.

Synthesis

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