Stew Leonard Jr. shares tips to keep holiday grocery costs low

Stew Leonard Jr. used a July 2 appearance on CBS News 24/7 Mornings to press a familiar message for holiday shoppers: stick to a list, lean on store brands and watch the meat case closely as families build July 4 menus in a pricier food market. The Stew Leonard’s president and CEO also spoke about swim safety ahead of the holiday weekend, but the grocery warning landed against a backdrop of still-elevated food costs.

The pressure is showing up in the numbers. The USDA Economic Research Service said grocery-store food prices were 2.7% higher in May 2026 than in May 2025, even after a modest 0.1% increase from April to May. The agency’s Food Price Outlook also showed that seven of the 15 food-at-home categories it tracks were expected to rise faster in 2026 than their 20-year historical average, a sign that price relief remains uneven across the shopping basket.

That unevenness matters most at summer cookouts. Beef remains the sharpest pain point for grilling budgets after CNBC reported in April that live cattle futures hit record highs as herd sizes shrank. For households planning burgers, steaks or other Fourth of July staples, that means the cost of a holiday spread is being shaped as much by supply constraints as by consumer demand.

Stew Leonard’s is leaning into a different retail model to soften the hit. The chain says it works directly with farmers, fishermen, cattle ranchers and vendors to keep prices down without sacrificing quality. It also says each store carries about 2,200 items, compared with roughly 30,000 in a traditional grocery store, a narrower selection the company says helps it focus on freshness, quality and value. Its weekly flyer runs July 1 through July 7, giving shoppers a short window of advertised deals during the holiday stretch.

Leonard has long urged customers to save by choosing private-label goods, which he has said can run 20% to 30% less than national brands. He has also advised shoppers to bring a list and avoid impulse buys, a simple discipline that becomes more important when the food bill is already climbing. The combination of a 2.7% year-over-year rise in food-at-home prices and record cattle costs makes that advice more than a shopping cliché: it is one way families are trying to keep the holiday table full without letting the bill run away.