In his own words, John Mancinelli shares how a family picnic and a grill on the ground turned into The Big John Table.
It started at the campground
The idea for The Big John X-Tend a Table started many years ago. When my wife Sheryl and I were raising our sons, Rocco and Dino, we loved taking them camping throughout New England. They were just toddlers at the time, and some of our greatest family memories were made at those campgrounds.
Most campsites had a picnic table, but there was always one problem. We loved entertaining neighboring campers, and there was never enough table space. Between the food, drinks, plates and everything else that comes with camping, the table was always overcrowded. We just dealt with it, even if it meant everyone was squeezed together trying to eat.
A grill on the ground
Fast forward many years. Rocco and Dino are grown, we have grandchildren, and our family still loves getting together outdoors.
One day we planned a family picnic at our local park. Sheryl and I arrived and started setting everything up on the picnic table, and that's when I realized I had a problem: there was no room for my portable grill. I had no choice but to put it on the ground.
As I bent over cooking our favorite grilled chicken, hot dogs and hamburgers, I got more and more frustrated. It was uncomfortable and completely unnecessary. I remember looking at that picnic table and thinking, why can't there be an extension on the end of the table where I could just set my grill?
From pencil and paper to stainless steel
That thought stayed with me. I lay in bed that night working out how to extend a picnic table whenever you need extra space, and after a nearly sleepless night I had a plan. The next morning I grabbed a pencil and paper and sketched it out. Shortly after, I went to our local lumber yard, bought some materials and started building.
A few weeks later, my wooden table extension was finished. Sheryl and I met the family back at the park, attached it to the table, set the grill on top, and we were off and running. Cooking was suddenly easier, and the picnic table was free for everyone to sit, eat and enjoy themselves.
As we were cleaning up, my son Dino looked at it and said, "Too bad it doesn't fold down." What a great idea. About a week later, I added hinges.
That's when I started thinking this might be more than something I'd built for my own family. Maybe other people needed it too. So I took the idea to the next level and built a true prototype out of stainless steel.
38 years of catering
Sheryl and I were also in the catering business for 38 years. Looking back, we could think of countless times when extra table space would have made our jobs easier: food prep, serving, grilling, drinks, desserts, equipment. We were always looking for more working space.
That's when everything came together. Camping. Picnicking. Catering. Tailgating. Family gatherings. Backyard parties. Outdoor cooking. Extra seating. There are so many times when people suddenly realize they just don't have enough table space.
A simple solution
What started as my frustration with a grill on the ground became an idea, then a wooden table, then a folding table, and finally a stainless steel prototype. Today, The Big John X-Tend a Table has more uses than we ever imagined.
It all came from a simple problem our family lived with for years: not enough table space. Now there's a simple solution.
Don't get caught without enough table space.
John Mancinelli, creator of The Big John Table
The first 100
Our first production run is limited to 100 tables, launching this holiday season. Every table is assembled in the USA, and the design is patent pending.
See The Big John Table and join the waitlist to be first in line. You can also read more on our Our Story page.