A small kitchen. Twelve steady years.
Hay Creek Subs is a family-owned sandwich shop in Hamden, Connecticut. We do one thing — build honest subs from scratch — and we've been doing it in the same building since 2011.
Meet Jorge.
Jorge Martinez grew up in a household where dinner was a conversation and Sunday sauce simmered for eight hours. After ten years working in kitchens around New Haven County, he took a chance on a small storefront near the corner of Mill Rock and Whitney and opened Hay Creek Subs with two things: a used deck oven and his grandmother's marinara recipe.
Twelve years later, the oven's been replaced twice — the recipe hasn't. Jorge is still on the floor most days, still greeting regulars by name, and still stubbornly convinced that the bread is what makes the sub.
Founder & Owner: Jorge Martinez
A dozen years, one block at a time.
Doors open on Mill Rock Road.
Six subs on the menu, three tables, and a chalkboard behind the counter that Jorge still uses today.
The bread program starts.
We stop buying rolls and start baking our own overnight — the single change our regulars still bring up.
First catering tray leaves the shop.
A local elementary school teacher orders lunch for 22 kids. Word spreads. Catering becomes a real business.
Doubled in size.
We take over the storefront next door, add six tables, and put in a proper prep kitchen without changing a single recipe.
Curbside & family meals.
We keep the whole team on payroll and build tray packs for Yale New Haven Hospital staff, at cost.
Twelve years, still small on purpose.
A team of twelve, 18,000+ subs a year, and a 4.8★ average across Google and Yelp.
Four small things we refuse to change.
Bread from scratch
Every roll is mixed, proofed overnight, and baked before we open. If we run out, we run out.
Sliced to order
No pre-sliced meats sitting in a case. Your capicola gets sliced when you order it.
Local when we can
Produce from Cecarelli Farm in Northford, chips from Deep River Snacks, coffee from Willoughby's.
Small on purpose
One shop, one owner on the floor. We're not opening a second location — we're just making this one better.
Come say hi.
Weekdays get busy from noon to 1:30 — come a little before or after if you want a table, or call ahead and we'll have your order ready.
Hours & directions →