The weekend is usually the time to break out the grill and invite your friends to hang out. But the days of the little, portable charcoal grill are in the past, says Matt Boettger, owner of WerEver Products Inc. on South 50th Street.

“At one point, it used to be just pull out the grill,” he said. “The outdoor living space was the shrine to the grill. You get your expensive grill and build some cabinets around it, or a countertop, and there it was. ‘Hey, everyone, come and look at my grill.’”

Boettger’s company provides weatherproof outdoor cabinetry and specializes in building custom outdoor kitchens that bring a unique excitement. Boettger contends that the outdoor kitchen is part of a new age in luxury.

“This is just not a Tampa phenomenon — it’s going on everywhere. If you look at the evolution of ‘the outdoor kitchen,’ there was a time when the word didn’t exist.”

Boettger said the backyard has become more of a hangout spot. And with that in mind, coupled with a lackluster economy, most homeowners have made an effort to recreate the area in a different light.

At the end of the day, Boettger said, the move toward custom outdoor kitchens is growing in popularity.

WerEver Products Inc., (813) 241-9701, www.werever.com