Byrne Dairy is a Central and Western New York institution, and its presence in the FLX Finest awards — Silver for Best Convenience Store in 2024 — says less about novelty than about deep-rooted trust. The chain operates dozens of locations across the region, and what sets it apart from the national convenience store brands is the dairy heritage: the milk is produced and processed by the Byrne family's own dairy operation, and the ice cream is made in-house. You can get a gallon of milk at a Byrne Dairy that is fresher than anything at the supermarket, and the soft-serve window is a summer ritual for families across the Finger Lakes.

Byrne Dairy stores are cleaner, better-lit, and more thoughtfully stocked than the competition, and the staff tends to be friendlier — small things that add up when you are stopping in every other day. The made-on-site ice cream and milkshakes are genuinely good, not just good-for-a-gas-station good. For visitors driving the wine trails or heading between lakes, Byrne Dairy is the reliable pit stop where you can fuel up the car, grab a coffee that does not taste like it has been sitting for four hours, and treat the kids to a cone. It is not glamorous, but it is exactly the kind of local chain that makes a region feel like it has its act together.