Stew Leonard's

Stew Leonard'sis an American regional chain of eightsupermarketsinConnecticut,New York, andNew Jersey, whichRipley's Believe It or Not!deemed "The World's Largest Dairy"andFortunemagazine listed as one of the "100 Best Companies to work for" in 2011.
Opened in 1969 with seven employeesinNorwalk, Connecticut, the chain includes six stores in Connecticut and New York.The seventh location opened inParamus, New Jerseyin 2019 and the eighth on May 17, 2024 inClifton, New Jersey.
The store has a customer service policy which greets shoppers at each store's entrance, etched into a three-ton rock:
Charles Leonard, ahatterin asweatshop,founded Clover Farms Dairy in Norwalk, Connecticut, in the early 1920s.
Stew Leonard acquired land for a second store inDanbury, Connecticut, in the mid-1980s. The store opened in 1991.
In 1993, Stew Leonard Sr. was convicted of having committed tax fraud via an elaborate scheme to divert more than $17.1 million in cash register receipts over a 10-year period.The fraud, which involved a computer program designed toskimoff sales, was directed by Stew Leonard Sr. in concert with the company's CFO and store manager. Skimmed cash was placed in bundles in Leonard Sr.'s office fireplace, to be later moved offshore or disguised as gifts.Leonard Sr. was caught in June 1991 while he was carrying $80,000 cash to the Caribbean island ofSaint Martin.
Stew Leonard's announced plans to open a store inYonkers, New York, in 1997.The store opened in September 1999.
In 2002, the Leonard family began working to open a store onLong Island.However, plans to open a store across from theRepublic AirportinFarmingdalefell through.In 2015, Stew Leonard's announced plans to open a store in Farmingdale in early 2016;the store opened in January 2016.
A store inNewington, Connecticutwas announced in February 2006 and opened in April 2007.
The original Stew Leonard's store earned a position in theGuinness Book of World Recordsfor having the highest dollar of sales per square foot of selling spaceand for a 3,500-pound sculpture made of sharp cheddar cheese.
Stew Leonard Sr., the founder of the Stew Leonard's chain, died on April 26, 2023, at the age of 93.
On January 11, 2024, New York City resident Órla Baxendale died fromanaphylactic shockshortly after eating a mislabeled cookie product sold under Stew Leonard's brand name.The label did not show that peanuts were a key ingredient in the recipe. Stew Leonard's claimed that the manufacturer, Cookies United inIslip, New York, changed the recipe without notifying retailers. Cookies United came forward with multiple emails proving that they did inform retailers about the change, and they pointed out that Stew Leonard's packages the cookies themselves.
The New York Timescalled Stew Leonard's the "Disneylandof Dairy Stores."The stores are not set up like traditional grocery stores. The aisles guide customers to walk through the entire store (although there are short cuts). As customers walk through the aisles, they are greeted by employees dressed up in costumes and by animatronic characters, called the "Farm Fresh Five", that perform songs and dance. Perhaps their most famous animatronic is Clover, the head of a Jersey cow known for her bloodcurdling moos. Stew Leonard's famous "Stew Burger", the nickname given to the store's hamburger, is often displayed by the entrance of each location. The stores also featurepetting zoosand outdoor cafes in the warmer months, and offer tasting booths and a variety of prepared meals year round.
As of 2025, there are currently 8 locations: