Freshly cooked turkey, stuffing and cranberry mayo served on homemade bread… the ingredients of Breen’s Deli’s popular sandwich are well-known to residents of St. John’s, Newfoundland. Over 40 decades in the making, Breen’s evolved from a simple gas bar into a chain of deli and convenience stores. With the third generation preparing to take over, the future appears bright for the family-owned business.

Fueling up

The story begins on June 2, 1979, when John Breen opened a gas station on Topsail Road, St. John’s, N.L. Operating as Breen’s Gas Bar, it was an Ultramar site Breen managed himself. After seven years in business, an opportunity arose for a second location in Pleasantville that also included a convenience store. John jumped at the chance to expand and handed the reins of his initial gas bar over to his brother.

To help with the new store, John’s mother Joan came to work with him and was pivotal in creating Breen’s turkey sandwich. Instead of ordering sandwiches from a supplier, she suggested they make their own. She soon started making fresh bread (by hand) for the business and said they should also cook their own turkeys. John says the idea for the cranberry mayo came from his sister Debbie. And the Breen’s turkey sandwich as we know it today was born!

Proofing the business

Breen’s sandwiches and homemade bread grew quickly in popularity. Initially, eight to 10 loaves of bread were kneaded by hand each day. But to meet demand, John quickly had to invest in a mixer and bigger oven to increase capacity to 25-30 loaves a day.

Breen’s became a family affair. John’s wife Judy helped manage business operations and his father, siblings, extended family and friends worked at the store over the years. In 1992, he branched out and bought a second deli and convenience store and soon had a handful of locations around St. John’s. At its busiest point, Breen’s was cooking 100 turkeys a week and 300-400 loaves of bread a day.

Sharing success

Over time, as more bakeries and sandwich shops entered the market, business was condensed to two stores—one operated by John on Logy Bay Road and another operated by his brother on Portugal Cove Road. With a positive attitude towards competition, John says he’s helped others over the years, loaning equipment and providing expertise. He commented: “I’m not a greedy person, I’m happy other businesses are doing well, as long as everyone gets a piece of the pie.”

Still in the family

Today, Breen’s Deli & Convenience continues to operate in St. John’s, still serving its popular turkey sandwich and homemade bread, plus soups, pot pies and other hot and ready food. Passionate about the business, John remains involved today, though he has an expert team of long-term employees to help run operations. His daughter Robin and son Matt casually worked at the business as they grew older, and John shared that Matt recently said he’s interested in taking over. “I’ve never pressured him and always let him do his thing,” John commented, but he’s happy to guide him in growing the 45-year-old family business.

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