As we celebrate 75 years, it’s a great time to also shine the light on some of the things we are most passionate about. From our dedication to providing the best customer service and our appreciation of artisans who are masters of their craft, enjoy these 75 Reasons to Love Dorothy Lane Market.

1. Flavor First is a Guiding Philosophy

It means that we use the best ingredients when crafting food that's Made Right Here. This enables us to taste our food every day and constantly assess it, talk about it, and sell it with pride and passion.

2. We Believe in the Golden Rule

We treat you as we would want to be treated. Friendly customer service here is authentic because it’s a natural outgrowth of our culture.

3. Technique Is Key

Each store has its own Kitchen, and our pros understand how to braise, brown, and bake to achieve the best tastes and textures. Our meat cutters are experts at proper trim and artisan bakers are masters of their craft.

4. Sit Down & Unwind

You’ll find gathering spaces throughout each store where you can stop and enjoy the food surrounding you or a glass of wine. In addition, enjoy complimentary WiFi. 

5. Killer Brownie®

Just say its name and you’ll hear a ripple of accolades about the famous Killer Brownie®, oozing with caramel and triplelayered decadence! Killer Brownie® is now a sister company to DLM led by Chimene Mayne Ross, Norman Mayne's daughter. This gourmet brownie has a nationwide presence and is the official brownie of the Cincinnati Bengals!

6. We View Food With A Culinary Lens

Several in-house chefs and experts have formal training, including from the renowned Le Cordon Bleu. This knowledge helps guide our Flavor First mentality and recipes. 

7. Our Suppliers Are Our Friends

Strong relationships ensure the best products in our stores. Longtime friend Edward Hill, chocolatier Ghyslain, coffee roaster Henry Dean, and our lobstering friends in Maine all come to mind.

8. Fresh Equals Less Time Out of Water

We source the highest quality wild and farm raised seafood and buy fresh (rarely frozen) seafood direct from fishermen and fishing co-ops. We choose air-freight to minimize time spent out of water. Our fishmongers highlight wild salmon when it's in season and other prized catches! 

9. Our Good Neighbor Program

Vera Jane Mayne often said “always do the right thing.” DLM has donated over a million dollars through our Good Neighbor Program. Choose a registered nonprofit and use your Club DLM card as you shop. DorothyLane. com/GoodNeighbor

10. A Culture of Experts

It’s our job to know what we sell so we can bring you superb food, drink, flowers, and more with expertise, passion, and authenticity. We never feel we’ve fully arrived—so our quest for that next great find never stops.

11. Restaurant-Quality Sushi

We know that elevated sushi starts with a skilled sushi chef. We make ours fresh daily using sushi-grade fish that meets our meticulous Seafood standards.

12. True Wine Specialists

Several of our DLM wine consultants are Certified Specialists of Wine. They have completed a rigorous exam with a pass rate of only 30%, making it a distinguished title that comes with knowledge.

13. We Are Local. We Are Family. 

DLM first opened its doors as a humble fruit stand in 1948 on the corner of Far Hills Ave. and Dorothy Lane. Founders Frank Sakada and Calvin Mayne cheerfully greeted their customers and shared their love for good food. Calvin’s wife Vera was the majority owner for most of the company’s history. DLM continues to be locally owned and operated by Calvin and Vera’s descendants. Local and family have been at our core since day one.

14. Farmer & Baker Working Together

The DLM Bakehouse is passionate about sourcing grains locally for several of our DLM Artisan Breads, resulting in a local grain movement. 

15. In for the Long Haul

Family is an essential fiber woven in the DLM story. We strive to build a culture that exudes that. It’s not uncommon to meet associates who have happily worked here 20+ or even 40+ years. 

16. The Golden Milk Our local DLM A2

Guernsey Milk, the milk with the golden hue, is rich in flavor and nutrition. Featuring the A2 milk protein found in Guernsey cows, it's also easier to digest, too.

17. Generations of Loyalty Within

It's the greatest honor when someone recommends us to a family member, whether to work or shop. We're proud to have multiple generations of both associates and customers.

18. State-of-the-Art Equipment Is a Must

We’re talking a 5-ton MIWE stone oven used to bake our artisan bread; La Marzocco, the Ferrari of espresso machines; and classic Naples-style ovens, to cook this style of pizza perfectly.

19. We Support Your Health Journey

Food is the star at DLM, but we think there’s a place for high-quality supplements and informed staff to support your goals.

20. The Ultimate Comfort Cookie

Laura's Cookies are hand-rolled and decorated, featuring a unique almond-flavored icing. These whimsical sugar cookies are exclusively available at DLM.

21. The DLM Umbrella Brigade Marches On

DLM associates volunteer to perform a choreographed routine featuring twirling umbrellas during the Holiday at Home Parade in Kettering each year. Look for us on Sept. 4!

22. The First Organic-Certified Produce Department in Dayton

Boasting 150+ organic items every day, our Produce department complies with strict criteria to maintain this organic certification year after year.

23. Sip on This

DLM Coffee Bar baristas craft your drink with Boston Stoker Coffee, ethically sourced and roasted in small batches locally, and Rishi Tea. DLM A2 Guernsey Milk and milk alternatives are available! 

24. It's Good To Be a Kid

Kids are greeted with a cookie from the Bakery, featured fruit in our Produce department, and kids' events throughout the year, like the Mother's Day Cake Decorating, Father's Day Cookie Decorating, and Diaper Derby.

25. We Know a Good Egg When We See It

About 25 years ago, we began the yolk of a friendship with the Filbrun family. We love their organic, local, cage-free eggs so much that we decided to put our name on them. So when you see our DLM Organic Eggs, know that the Morning Sun Organic Farm chickens are freeroaming and fed a highly nutritious diet. You'll find these superb eggs used in our Kitchens, in our Pâtisserie, and also in Deli creations like our classic Egg Salad.

26. Weekly Wine Tastings

Our wine experts host weekly tastings (for a nominal fee), featuring a new selection of wines from across the world. It's a great way to expand your palate in a nonintimidating environment. View details at DorothyLane.com/Events

27. Homemade Soup Daily 

Made Right Here, our Kitchens make soup daily using chef-driven recipes. See what we're serving today! DorothyLane.com/Soup

28. Local Means Local 

When we say that a product is local, we mean that the farmer or producer is within a morning's drive from our stores. Long before it was trendy, when possible, we've supported local products that are a good fit for our stores. It's how founder Calvin D. Mayne did business when DLM opened in 1948 and it's a tradition we hold on to.

29. Brentlinger's Sweet Corn

Ray Brentlinger sells exclusively to DLM, in addition to his family's farm stand, and has for 40 years. The arrival of this local sweet corn is celebrated! 

30. Our Field of Turkey Red Wheat

What started with just a few acres in 2015 has grown to about 50 acres, giving rise to great bread with a meaningful story thanks to our local farming friends.

31. Storemade Sausage

Using natural casings and DLM natural high quality meats, our storemade sausages are always freshly crafted using proper technique. Look for them in our Meat case! 

32. Flower Market and Plant Shop Mentality

We aim to provide a boutique floral & plant selection, featuring pre-styled bouquets and local growers whenever possible.

33. Jack's Grill

At Jack's Grill, we keep it simple. You pick it, we’ll grill it at no extra charge. Choose from any of the fresh meats and seafood in our cases and our grillmasters will season and grill it to perfection. Or, check out the Jack's Grill menu!

34. Craft Beer Hub

The local beer scene is thriving, and our pros are in tune to all things brewed. We taste it, talk to brewmasters, and study the complexities of a great beer. So stop by and see what's in stock and on tap. 

35. Naples-Style Pizza

True Naples-style crust is airy with a charred exterior and chewy interior. To achieve this, we use handmade dough and bake directly on the hearth. Available at DLM Springboro and Washington Square.

36. Vera Jane's Extra - Virgin Olive Oil

This top tier olive oil hails from a beautiful hillside dense with olive groves in Tuscany, Italy, and comes to us thanks to our friends, the Zanettis. We love it so much, we named it after Vera Jane Mayne and the bottle is adorned with her photo.

37. DLM Aged Balsamic Vinegar of Modena

In the food-loving city of Modena lives our friend Maria Livia. Her family produces gorgeous balsamic vinegar, which we sampled from various barrels. It was here that we chose our DLM blend on site. We love its depth, richness, and complexity.

38. Our Parmigiano-Reggiano Is Out of This World

We traveled to Italy to find the Minellis, a family who produces the best Parmigiano-Reggiano. We choose to have ours aged for 24 months, longer than most, and every wheel is scrutinized by the Parmigiano-Reggiano Consortium. 

39. We Travel & Taste 

We know what to look for when tasting any number of products, from wine and olive oil to chocolate and cheese. We meet with producers and experience the world’s greatest food cultures. Pictured: Todd Templin, DLM VP of Center Store, inspects a wheel of Parmigiano-Reggiano in Italy. 

40. We Hand-Stretch Our Mozzarella

Stop by The DLM Cheese Shop to see our cheesemongers rhythmically stretching and shaping warm mozzarella into ovalini. It should be slightly soft and moist, which is why we make it by hand daily.

41. We Celebrate Food With Events

We aim to showcase our passion and expertise with these ticketed experiences, whether you join us for our Pastry Show in the spring, our Local Craft Beer Show in the summer, or our dazzling Champagne Soirée during the holidays. But none compare in scale to the sell-out sensation of the Food & Wine Show (see No. 50).

42. DLM Meats That Are Lifetime Free of Antibiotics & Added Hormones

We understood the importance of this before it was widely known, and have sold it this way for three decades. Why? Because it’s the right thing to do. In addition, rest assured that livestock is humanely raised and vegetarian fed.

43. The DLM Deli Is a Trusted Go-To

Just look at the case and your eyes will dance as they soak in the variety of Deli salads that are all Made Right Here in our Kitchens. Our Deli also is known for carrying the best lunch meats—all natural & no preservatives or added nitrates/nitrites.

44. Fast Food With a Gourmet Twist

You shouldn’t have to sacrifice quality when you choose convenience. Our Gourmet Takeaway case is brimming with ready to heat and eat entrées and side dishes, all made in our state-ofthe-art Kitchens. Order à la carte or choose two sides and an entrée and make it a Dinner Deal! 

45. We Bake Artisan Bread Seven Days a Week

Our Bakehouse is bustling with artisan bakers who are masters of their craft and know how to deal with the finicky behavior of dough. We bake in a massive German hearth oven that yields a crust that’s crispy and chewy, leaving the interior airy and aromatic, and a flavor that’s full and lingering.

46. Fresh, Never Frozen 

We shop our stores for fresh meats to use in our prepared foods, choosing proteins like DLM Natural Beef, DLM Natural Chicken, and duBreton Natural Pork. 

47. Premium Pork 

Our quest for quality extends to our pork selection as well. We choose duBreton Natural Pork for many products, including our DLM Uncured Bacon. We also feature Kurobuta pork, from the famed Heritage Berkshire breed, resulting in flavorful marbling.

48. We Take Smoked Meats Seriously

Our line of smoked meats, including those featured in cookouts, is a full-time endeavor. Our pitmaster aims for a perfectly charred exterior with a tender interior.

49. East Coast Style Bagles

We've long admired this type of bagel, which is why we choose to boil ours, resulting in a chewier crust and dense yet doughy interior, indicative of this style.

50. Food & Wine Show

For one night, DLM Springboro sets the stage for a dazzling food & wine experience, happening Nov. 2, 2023. Tickets go on sale Sept. 11, 8 a.m., online only.

51. DLM Drive-Up

Shop your groceries online and our personal shoppers will attentively select products to your specification. We offer curbside pickup from DLM Washington Square and delivery to select zip codes. DLMDriveUp.com

52. Club DLM 

Our loyalty program has a simple goal: to offer weekly Club Deals to all members and exclusive offers to loyal DLM customers. Earn points as you shop and use them to unlock Club Rewards. Sign up now! DorothyLane.com/ClubDLM

53. We Start Each Day Fresh

As each day closes, we see it as an opportunity to meticulously clean cases, like those in our Deli, Bakery, Meat, Seafood, and Sushi departments. This mentality sets the stage for a clean, fresh setup the next day.

54. Words We Follow

There's a sign with Latin phrasing that appears in all of our stores. Quidvis recte factum quamvis humile praeclarum. It means: Whatever is rightly done, however humble, is noble.

55. DLM Family of Products

You may notice our name on products throughout our store, from our line of grilling sauces to jarred fruits, marinara, tortilla chips, and more. These products meet our strict criteria and we're proud to put our name on them. 

56. Make It a Party With Love Cakes by DLM

We strive to create not just the best tasting cake, but the best looking, too. In fact, our cake designers have won national and international industry awards.

57. Checking Out: Last Impressions Matter 

We strive to provide quick, courteous, and accurate service at this vital stage. Need help to your car or an umbrella on a rainy day? We're happy to assist you to your vehicle rain or shine.

58. We Love To Tell Your Story

Each wedding cake is as unique as the love story it celebrates. We offer consultations with a designer where you can choose either a basic tasting kit or an enhanced tasting board.

59. DLM Famous Deli & New York-Style Sandwiches

The best sandwiches are a sum of all their parts, so it makes perfectly good sense that our Sandwich Stations craft a lot of amazing sandwiches. We’ve got the best bread in town (see No. 45), our meats and cheeses are of the highest quality, and we source many of our fresh toppings right from our store. 

60. Why Is Everybody Smiling Here? 

Company cookouts, lunch specials & discounts, educational classes, tuition reimbursement, 401(k), health benefits, and more. It all starts with a culture of happy associates who want to be here.

61. We Go the Extra Mile for Fresh 

How do you get the freshest orange juice, salsa, and ground nut butters? You do it yourself as you need it. Our Produce associates work hard to keep these products fresh and available to you.

62. DLM Non-GMO Free-Range Turkey

We partner with local Bowman & Landes to raise our turkeys on a non-GMO Project Verified vegetarian diet exclusively for us. Additionally, they're lifetime free of antibiotics, added hormones.

63. Seasonal Stars

We love rolling out the red carpet for produce finds that are the star of the season. From silky Holiday Pears in winter and Hatch Chiles and Prima® Peaches in summer to our local DLM 100% Apple Cider in fall.

64. Local Grass-Fed Beef

We started this program to provide the health benefits of grassfed beef by linking arms with local farming families. All cattle are fed a 100% grass diet and are lifetime free of antibiotics and added hormones. Look for DLM Uncured Grass-Fed Beef Hot Dogs and Ground Beef.

65. We Donate to Food Banks Daily 

We partner with food banks to donate items that are safe for immediate consumption but are past the point that we'd sell in the store. This includes items from our Bakery, Dairy, and Meat departments.

66. We Want To Set Young Associates up for Future Success 

We're proud to employ area teens and aim to give them an early work experience that instills lasting positive work ethics to carry with them to future endeavors.

67. DLM Catering & Box Lunches Can Help

Come together with ease and let us help feed your crowd! From traditional to modern, DLM Catering trays will add elegance to entertaining. Box Lunches feature individually boxed generous sandwiches and salads. DorothyLane.com/Catering

68. Stir Your Passion With a Culinary Class

This stunning facility boasts year-round classes focused on enhancing food and wine knowledge and skills, taught by visiting chefs, local personalities, and our inhouse experts. DorothyLane.com/CulinaryCenter

69. We Are Closed Christmas, Easter, & Thanksgiving Day

Our stores shine during the holidays thanks to our wonderful associates. So on these few days, we close our stores so our associates can rest and spend time with their loved ones.

70. U.S.D.A. Prime Steak

Steaks may boast one of several U.S.D.A. grade shields with U.S.D.A. Prime coming out on top thanks to intrinsic marbling that melts into flavor when cooked. It can be tempting to opt for a lesser grade when selecting a steak, but if you want true steak nirvana, go for U.S.D.A. Prime.

71. Special Events—DLM Style

The Culinary Center space is more than just a venue for classes. Tap into it for your next team-building workshop, business luncheon, or special celebration. A wide variety of private event options are available to fit your needs. In addition, The Loft at DLM Springboro can be reserved by DLM customers during select times.

72. We're Your Panty & an Extension of your Kitchen

For dinner, try our Gourmet Takeaway, Jack’s Grill, or Naples-Style Pizza. For lunch, how about sushi, the best salad bar in town, homemade soups, or DLM Famous Deli Sandwiches. For breakfast, ogle our scones, croissants, and bagels. Or, order a breakfast sandwich, frittata, or enjoy our hot oatmeal bar.

73. World-Class Pâtisserie

Every detail matters when it comes to creating a caliber of pâtisserie that rivals those found in a big city. Technique, ingredients, presentation, and flavor combine with a heaping dose of innovation from our in-house pastry chefs. 

74. Share DLM Nationwide With DLM Mail Order 

Sending gourmet gifts from DLM is easy as we have an entire department dedicated to shipping a taste of DLM, resulting in happy people nationwide. In addition, we offer corporate gifting options that are sure to make your team and clients happy. Get started! DorothyLane.com

75. Growth Is on the Horizon 

We endlessly strive to make the experiences at our existing stores as great as possible, and we can't wait to do the same at our future Mason location!