The Best Grocery Store in America Is Stew Leonard’s | Eater
"This original Norwalk grocery doubled as a working dairy and an amusement-park–like spectacle: animatronic performers (notably Cindy Celery and Larry Lettuce, plus a singing Chiquita Banana and Clover the Cow) entertain children while parents shop, and a petting zoo sits in the parking lot. The rustic, barn-like building uses a single one-way aisle—about 103,000 square feet in the Norwalk store—so shoppers pass every baked good, demo and production window, including views into the on-site dairy where milk is bottled and transformed into mozzarella, ice cream and butter. Everything from popcorn and made-to-order pizza to butchered-to-order meats and prepared foods (sushi, poke, rotisserie chicken, soups) is produced on-site, and Bethy’s Bakery turns out croissants, half pies and other fresh pastries each morning. The store leans heavily on “show and sell” demos (a whole tuna carved in the aisle) and plentiful samples, rewards shoppers with a free soft-serve cone for every $100 spent, and proclaims customer service via a prominent granite engraving reading Rule 1: The Customer Is Always Right. Founded from a 1920s milk-delivery business and expanded section by section beginning in 1969, the family-owned chain grew despite an early IRS fraud scandal involving the founder; it now operates multiple locations and supports emerging brands through initiatives like an in-house “Tank” pitching competition and a no-slotting-fee policy, all of which reinforce its reputation for homemade food, good deals, and nostalgic Americana charm." - Morgan Goldberg
