FIND OUT WHAT MAKES STEW LEONARD’S A FUN PLACE TO SHOP

"Stew Leonard’s is the kind of grocery store where kids want to go
– and if you aren’t a kid, it’s likely to make you one again."… CNN.com Travel Pursuits

From its humble beginnings as a small dairy store founded in 1969, Stew Leonard’s has grown to become not only the World’s Largest Dairy Store, but one of the most renowned grocery stores, with annual sales of nearly $300 million. More than 300,000 shoppers visit Stew Leonard’s each week for the farm fresh foods combined in a country fair atmosphere, complete with costumed characters, entertainment, free samples throughout the store and unsurpassed customer service.

Stew Leonard’s Unique Store Design

• A unique feature at Stew Leonard’s is that the store only has one aisle – albeit one that winds through the more than 100,000 square feet of each of the company’s three stores.
• 80 percent of the products sold in store are fresh – that is, brought in daily or prepared directly in-store. Just some of the products Stew’s makes on the premises daily in front of the customers:
• Bagels, artisan breads, croissants, muffins, cakes and cookies
• Fresh mozzarella, sushi, soups, smoked salmon
• Fresh-squeezed juice and roasted coffee
• Custom-cut and trimmed meat by one of our expertly trained butchers
• There are free samples of best selling items in every department. New products are also showcased with in-store demonstrations and sampling.
• When a customer spends $100 or more on groceries, the register “Moos” and the customer is rewarded with a free ice cream or cup of coffee.
• Little ones who stop by the baker’s window can ask for a piece of dough to play with.
• Customers looking for the restroom need only follow the duck feet on the floor, which will lead them directly there.

The Customer is Always Right

• Stew Leonard’s is so passionate about customer service that carved into a three-ton granite rock at each store entrance are two simple rules that make up the foundation of our company’s philosophy:
  
  Rule #1--The Customer is Always Right
  
  Rule #2--If the Customer is Ever Wrong, Re-Read Rule #1

From Clover the Cow to Chiquita Banana – Costumed Characters and Animatronics

• The Stew Leonard’s mascots are Clover the Cow, Daphne Duck and Cynthia Chick. They greet customers and bring smiles and hugs to the children in the store.
• Children can dance in the aisle to the songs performed by Stew Leonard’s realistic, state-of-the-art audio animatronics characters:
• The Farm Fresh Five: Milk and juice cartons, eggs and butter perform on a stage suspended above customers in the dairy section. (Norwalk)
• Murray the Boar’s Head Man: Sings songs in his Italian accent from his 1960’s delivery truck overhead customers walking through the deli. (Norwalk and Yonkers)
• Clover the Cow: Kids press a button to hear Clover talk and pull a rope to hear her Moo. They can even ring the cow bell that hangs around her neck. (All locations)
• Cindy Celery and Larry Lettuce: Cindy, a 2-foot stalk of celery, accompanied by Larry Lettuce, play in a band in the produce section singing about the advantages of eating vegetables. (Norwalk)
• Chiquita Banana: Chiquita is an animatronics banana dressed in a “Carmen Miranda” outfit. She sings and dances about the nutritional value of bananas. (All locations)
• Hank & Beau: A six-foot dog and cat dressed in overalls and a colonel uniform, playing the guitar and banjo while crooning original country tunes about Stew’s. (All locations)
• The Poland Spring Tree: This eight-foot tall tree in the produce section talks to customers about the importance of drinking water. (Danbury & Yonkers)
• Twinkie the Kid: He pops up out of his box near the bread display to say “Hi” to passing customers. (Danbury)
• Henrietta the Hen: Henrietta sings from her perch “Stew Leonard’s has a little farm e-i-e-i-o.” (Danbury)
• Holstein Family Singers: Mom, Pop and child sing and play a Stew’s original song. (Yonkers)
• Stew Leonard's Egg-spress: Three chickens laying eggs on the “fresh-o-meter” belt remind children walking by to mind their parents. (Norwalk and Danbury)
• Larry the Lobster: Larry is a huge lobster that waves his claws at entering customers. (Yonkers)
• Trapeze Artists: Various characters throughout the store are suspended from the ceiling and do flips in the bakery, meat, dairy and seafood departments. (All locations)

Stew’s Little Farm

• Since the original store opened in 1969 there has always been a “Stew’s Little Farm” where families could come, enjoy the outdoors, have some ice cream and see baby farm animals, such as sheep, calves and goats.


• It started because the land that Stew Sr. bought to build his new dairy was an actual farm. Stew promised the owner that he would keep part of the land as a farm so she could visit with her sheep every day.

Seasonal Events and Promotions

• At Halloween, “trick-or-treaters” receive a free ice cream and can go on the “haunted” hayride, where friendly ghouls and goblins will help them pick the perfect pumpkin.
• Stew Leonard’s welcomes the community to annual Christmas tree and Menorah lightings.
• The Easter bunny hops around the store to hand out treats to all the little “bunnies.”

“Bags around the World”

• In 1974 a Stew Leonard’s customer, Colleen Blanchard, had her picture taken in front of St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow, holding a Stew Leonard's shopping bag. She showed it to Stew Leonard, Sr. who prominently displayed this photo in the store. Soon, other customers brought in their photos taken on their vacations holding Stew Leonard’s shopping bags.
• Customers, who bring in a “Bags Around the World” photo, receive a $3.00 gift certificate and their photo is displayed in the store and on Stew Leonard’s web site.

“You’d Have to Own A Cow to Get Fresher Milk,” Stew Leonard, Sr.

• Customers can tour the world’s only in-store milk-processing plant at our Norwalk store, where each year more than 10 million half-gallon cartons of milk are packaged from our dairy farm.
  
• Children can even watch milk caps fly through the tubes before they land on the milk cartons.

Spare Change Adds Up

• Customers began throwing their spare change into a pond located outside the store on
  "Stew's Little Farm." Stew Leonard, Sr. thought it would be a great idea to collect the money and donate it to local charities.
• The concept became so popular with customers that Stew built Wishing Wells inside each store. A local charity is spotlighted every month and customers (and their children) are invited to toss in their spare change as they exit the store.

To receive a free copy of Stew Leonard’s Visitors Guide brochure, please send a self-addressed, stamped 6” x 9” envelope to:

Click here to view the brochure as a pdf file.