CHILDREN GET
FREE ICE CREAM FOR GOOD GRADES |
Stew Leonard’s
Norwalk Store Starts New Program: “An Ice Cream for Every ‘A’” |
NORWALK, Conn., October 15, 2002 – Receiving an ‘A’ on a report card is an accomplishment in and of itself, but now there is an extra reward waiting for children in first through eighth grades at Stew Leonard’s Norwalk store. From now until December 31, 2002, when children bring in an original copy of their report card, they will receive a free ice cream or frozen yogurt for every ‘A’ (limit one per customer visit.) |
| “We’ve always believed at Stew Leonard’s that ‘what gets rewarded gets repeated’,” said Stew Leonard, Jr., president and CEO of Stew Leonard’s. “Getting a free ice cream for every ‘A’ will hopefully reinforce the importance of education to children.” |
| Stew Leonard’s Ice Cream Parlor opened
in 1974 with three flavors of soft serve ice cream: chocolate, strawberry,
and vanilla. Today, there are still only three ice cream flavors, although
an additional 15 fat-free frozen yogurt flavors have been added, along with
milkshakes, sundaes and smoothies. The ice cream is made fresh every day in Stew Leonard’s in-store dairy plant, straight from the cream Stew’s dairy cows produce. The Ice Cream Parlor is open year-round and sells an average of 7,000 cones and 3,000 cups per week. As a way to thank customers for their patronage, for every $100 a consumer spends, they receive a free ice cream. |
| Stew Leonard’s was dubbed the “Disneyland of Dairy Stores” by the New York Times, because of its own milk processing plant, costumed characters, scheduled entertainment, petting zoo and animatronics throughout the stores. The company was named to FORTUNE magazine’s “100 Best Companies to Work For in America” list in 2002 and is featured in two of management expert Tom Peter’s books: A Passion for Excellence and Thriving on Chaos. In 1992, Stew Leonard’s earned an entry into The Guinness Book of World Records for having “the greatest sales per unit area of any single food store in the United States.” Unlike traditional grocery stores that sell an average 30,000 items, each Stew Leonard’s store carries only 2,000 items, chosen specifically for their freshness, quality and value. |
