Around The Store With Stew
December 2025
BEN STILLER NEEDS PRACTICE MAKING AN ICE CREAM CONE!
We had the pleasure of hosting him to promote his new “healthy” sodas. What a cool, down-to-earth guy. The sodas are 30 calories a can and low in sugar. We made some ice cream sodas with our ice cream and his soda, and it was delicious. I also had Ben make his own ice cream cone. Let me put it this way: he needs A LOT of practice! We also had him taste a butter dipped ice cream cone and his eyeballs were rolling around. He loved it!
WHAT’S THE MOST POPULAR HOLIDAY MEAL?
If you’re a meat lover, our filet mignon is the king of the holidays. Our butchers will trim it. You just have to add some salt and pepper, sear it, and pop in the oven at 425°F for about an hour and presto, you’re a star. At Thanksgiving we offered a Turkey Dinner for 8 and it was very successful. You can order a Roasted Filet Mignon Dinner for 8 for $299. Easy. And, for Hanukkah, we have a Beef Brisket Dinner for 8 ($215). The first thing my Jewish mom asked me was, “are you including our potato pancakes with the dinner?” Yes, Mom!
WE NOW ARE ON GOLDBELLY!
You can order iconic items on Goldbelly. Want a pastrami on rye from Katz Deli? Just go to Goldbelly. You want a pizza from John’s on Bleeker St.? Just go to Goldbelly. Now, they have included Stew’s Gift center items on their menu. Just go to Goldbelly!
DID TARIFFS AFFECT OUR PRICES?
Things seem to have settled down, and across the board, our prices are about the same as last year. We get very little from outside the USA (other than wine, spirits, bananas, pineapple, mango, NZ lamb, and shrimp from Ecuador). No tariffs on any Canadian (salmon) or Mexico (off season fruits and vegetables) products. We have lowered some prices based on market conditions, including chicken, eggs, butter, and avocados. With herd sizes at a 50-year low, it’s been driving up meat prices. Our filet mignon price will be $22.99/lb., which is still below other stores, but I’ve never seen our filet price this high. The good news is our ranchers are sending us the very best beef.
WHAT’S THE DEAL WITH STEW’S COOKIE MILK?
My grandfather began bottling milk 100 years ago in a half gallon glass bottle. As a tribute to our heritage, we introduced a limited edition “Cookie Milk” in a collectable glass bottle. It has gone viral and we only have a limited supply and have been running out. One of our Team Members was asked about so many times he made his own sign for his back! (Even our ranchers’ kids in Kansas want us to send them a bottle.) Cookie Milk keeps going viral as hundreds of customers post their limited-edition bottles on social media, generating millions of views. Some customers even add it to their coffee! We rushed a smaller quart size to help meet demand. In stores next week.
CHRISTMAS TREES, THE BEST IN YEARS
Our tree grower is in Sherbrook, Canada (just above VT). We’ll sell over 30,000 trees but, don’t worry, our grower Pierre, plants two for every one he cuts. Each tree is trimmed every year during growth to give you that great look. They are fresh cut and arriving daily. We’ll even tie it to the roof of your car! They are hearty trees and should last easily through the New Year. Several years ago, a customer returned a tree in last February and said it died. We refunded their purchase. The customer is always right! But, to our readers………DON’T GET ANY IDEAS!
A BUTTER DIPPED ICE CREAM CONE
Wow! We started selling these at the store after our Instagram post received over 20 million views and is still going viral! They are $5 each and customers are driving miles and miles just to taste one. Major networks covered it (NBC, FOX) and Seth Meyers even mentioned it on his show. I sampled a cone with my 93-year-old Mom and she said, “it’s not my favorite!”
PROTEIN, PROTEIN, PROTEIN
Our customers are craving protein. We started selling Protein Bowls and now, we added a label on the sashimi in our sushi department to let customers know how much protein it has (39 grams!). I bet sales will go up.
CLIFTON SWIM SCHOOL OPENS
With the success of our Norwalk swim school, we opened another in Clifton. This is another not-for-profit swim school and, in 2026, we’ll be able to generate over 100,000 free swim lessons for kids in need (more than double 2025). Believe it or not, some of these kids have never seen the water before. I’d love to adopt them all! They are so happy! Drowning is the #1 cause of death for children under 4 and, I hope our family is making a dent in this statistic. Our mission is to “save a life, one lesson at a time.”
BUY A LESSON, GIVE A LESSON
If you would like to donate $10 a month, you’ll sponsor one child.
THIS HAS NEVER HAPPENED TO ME BEFORE
When I was in Yonkers, a customer came up to me with over 26,000 points on her Stew Leonard’s app. She wanted to treat every worker in the Yonkers store to an ice cream cone for being so nice. We did it and, wow, were our Team Members happy!
WE LOVE MICHELE
We do an editor’s spotlight for our company newsletter and Michele is the star this month. She works in Paramus and manages the Front End with a team over 50 cashiers. She is bubbling with enthusiasm and loves interacting with customers and their children. Michele also donates lots of her time to volunteering in the community. Big heart! Her main job is to make sure her team checks you out quickly and with a smile! We love Michele!