Stew Leonard's is considered by many to be the Disneyland of grocery stores.
If you've ever dreamed of buying fresh milk and cheese while watching animatronic bananas dance and sing under the same roof — welcome to Stew Leonard's, America's most delightfully bizarre supermarket chain. What began as a modest dairy in Norwalk, Connecticut, in the 1920s transformed into a psychedelic retail wonderland in 1969, when the store filled its aisles with whimsical animatronics and interactive attractions.
The chain has expanded throughout Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey, with its newest location opening in Clifton, NJ, in May 2024. Each store is part supermarket, part fever dream: animatronic cows belt out tunes, dancing fruit promotes healthy eating, and a 3,500-pound cheddar cheese sculpture once graced these legendary dairy aisles. One location even earned a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records for generating the highest sales per square foot of any grocery store.
Stew Leonard's takes customer service seriously — so seriously that they've engraved their philosophy into a three-ton rock at each store entrance: Rule #1: The customer is always right. Rule #2: If the customer is ever wrong, reread Rule #1. I can't believe I'm just now discovering this magical grocery store filled with dancing fruits and vegetables. Can one please open near me?
See also: Life-size animatronic T-Rex bursts into flames at dinosaur theme park
