The Grand Champion of ‘Try it Before You Buy it’ in Connecticut

They say that you should never go grocery shopping when you're starving, but there's one place in Connecticut that totally proves that's wrong.

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Free samples and product demos are hard to come by in 2025 with the incredible cost of food, but there's one grocery store that has multiple sampling demos all over their stores, it's Stew Leonard's, Connecticut and the World's Largest Dairy Store. There are 8 Stew Leonard's in all. with three in Connecticut - Danbury, Norwalk, and Newington, and 5 more in New York and New Jersey. Stew's is the Disneyland of grocery stores in the Tri-State Area. Animatronic animals, a petting zoo for the kids, and a seasonal cookout grill that serves burgers, dogs, and lobster rolls. Each visit is an experience.

The best experience you may have at any Stew Leonard's is sampling a wide variety of products while you wander through the unusual maze-like aisles. Sure, BJ's and Costco may have one or two products going on a Saturday, but Stew's sets up multiple stations around the store. Last weekend in Danbury my wife and I spent the better part of an hour making our way through the store, and by the time we got to the registers our GLP1-shrunk stomachs were filled to capacity from the free samples.

Stew Danbury has just announced the upcoming demo lineup for the upcoming Easter weekend, so if you would like to try Stew's cannoli chips n dip, pineapple mango salsa & sweet potato tortilla chips, marinated lamb leg, Parmesan crusted cod, cheese cauliflower crust pizza, or New England clam chowder, get over and start grazing, they'll be available in-store today.