Disneyland of Dairy debuts on Long Island

One-way aisle

Family-owned and operated Stew Leonard’s, nicknamed the Disneyland of Dairy Stores, opened its first Long Island location in a 60,000-square-foot space in Farmingdale, N.Y., last week.

“My family and I have been looking forward to coming to Long Island for over ten years. The day is finally here and I can’t wait to open our doors!” said president and CEO Stew Leonard Jr. of the five-store retailer that is known for its farm fresh food and fun atmosphere. “The new store in Farmingdale is going to have so many food demos that we’re going to weigh our customers on their way into the store and on their way out of the store, and charge them the difference!”

Stew Leonard’s newest location offers award-winning dairy, a full service butcher, an in-store bakery, 250 varieties of just picked fresh fruits and vegetables, more than 30 varieties of fresh caught seafood and a cheese shop and deli. Its open concept kitchen features a sushi bar, Mongolian grill, hearth pizza oven, wok, BBQ station and hot/cold buffet bar. New features include designated #selfiespots located throughout the store, and old staples like The Customer Service Rock of Commitment, animatronic shows, a one-way aisle, the Stew Leonard’s Wishing Well, and a free ice cream with every $100 spent.

Family-owned and operated

The Leonard family’s roots date back to the 1920s when Charles Leo Leonard started Clover Farms Dairy in Norwalk, Conn. In 1969, Stew Leonard Sr. opened Stew Leonard’s as a dairy store carrying just seven items. Since then, Stew Leonard's has taken the fresh dairy concept and expanded into meat and seafood, produce, bakery, cheese and private label.

Ripley's Believe it or Not

Ripley's Believe it or Not deemed Stew Leonard's "The world's largest dairy."

Farm Fresh Five

The Farmingdale store features a number of animatronic shows including the Farm Fresh Five Band.

Chiquita Banana

The singing Chiquita Banana delighted shoppers during last week's grand opening.

On the farm

The produce section takes on a barns and farmhouse feel and features 250 varieties of fresh picked fruits and vegetables.

100 best companies

Stew Leonard's was included for 10 consecutive years on Fortune's list of the 100 best companies to work for. The store employs twice the number of team members as a traditional grocery store due to the number of products it prepares fresh daily and to ensure its adherence to high customer service standards.

Hot pizza

The store's open concept kitchen features a sushi bar, Mongolian grill, hearth pizza oven, wok, BBQ station and hot/cold buffet bar.

Mrs. Leonard's kitchen

According to the retailer, the heart of Stew Leonard’s gourmet kitchen is a hearth-like stone wall surrounded by ovens, grills, a wok, a rotisserie and an open prep area for Stew’s chefs as they prepare 100-plus foods to-go.

Fresh fish

The fish department features more than 30 varieties of fresh caught seafood and a selection of locally caught fish.