Family tradition keeps customers returning to Donnelly’s Deli
Brian Donnelly has deli in his blood.
With a history of family-owned and operated butchers, grocers and delis in his family tree, it was a natural fit when he decided to open Donnelly’s Deli on Mariner Boulevard in 1981.
“I’ve spent 34 summers here,” he said, his smile attesting to the fact that he has indeed adjusted to the climate after moving here from New Jersey.
The deli hasn’t changed much in that time. It’s in the same building that Donnelly leased in 1981 when he left the New Jersey cold to try his hand as a Floridian. He purchased the building in 2001.
Over the years, various businesses have rented the south side. And at one point, Donnelly added a small produce shop. But he reverted to what he does best, making sandwiches that customers can’t seem to get enough of.
Nostalgic memories decorating the walls lend to the shop’s charm. Donnelly showed an old photograph of the original Donnelly’s in Philadelphia dating back to the 1940s.
“That’s why we know how to make a cheese steak,” he said.
There are pictures of his three children, now adults, growing up amid deli counter tops.
The interior is a walking tour down memory lane and tells a tale of family, perseverance and life built on a foundation of small business values.
Donnelly is also a sports enthusiast and has collected memorabilia. Much of it is in support of local youth leagues and high school teams.
But the true character comes out when a customer orders a sub. Then Trevor Stride, who has been with Donnelly’s for 13 years, or on of Donnelly’s sons, begins the methodical technique of slathering a fresh Amoroso roll with condiments, piling it high with fresh Boars Head meats and cheeses and layering it with an array of toppings.
That’s what makes Donnelly’s special.
The sandwiches, salads, deli meats, cheeses and fresh bread keep customers coming back. But each who has made Donnelly’s a regular stop is quick to point out the friendly atmosphere is as much a draw to the comfortable little Deli.
Donnelly is full of animated energy and his son, Brian Jr., a former Disney actor who also played the Prince at Weeki Wachee Springs, inherited that trait . Both of Donnelly’s sons work in some capacity at the Deli. His daughter works at Publix.
When Donnelly learned his wife was pregnant with Brian Jr., he immediately jumped into fatherhood by selling his motorcycle and second car and purchasing the equipment for the deli.
He also supported his children’s endeavors, driving Brian to auditions and coaching sports, his youngest son’s passion.
He has a jovial spirit, centered on his children and his business, and that commitment helps shed some insight into why Donnelly’s has been around so long. But it hasn’t always been smooth.
During the county’s economic struggles, he felt the pinch, he said. He remembered crazy times scrambling to make sandwiches for full construction crews before the industry fell. Customers have streamlined their spending a bit, frequenting Donnelly’s less often.
To do his part, Donnelly hasn’t changed his prices since 2010, despite the fact that his costs have increased. “I don’t want to lose any customers,” he said.
As many as 200 sandwiches leave the Deli each day. The lunch rush can get a bit crazy but they have their system down to a science. Donnelly answers the phones and takes most orders as Stride or Brian Jr. prepare the sandwiches.
Phoning ahead is suggested to save time. Donnelly’s also delivers.
The deli opens weekdays and Saturdays at 8 a.m. for breakfast and remains open until 6 p.m. Sundays it is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
They build to order and strive to meet most requests.
The top seller continues to be the Beast, an overloaded Italian-type sub, named when a longtime customer and friend made a joke years ago about the size of the sandwich.
Ron Schuster from Ron Schuster Pest Control visits Donnelly’s Deli a few times a month.
“They have good food,” he said. “He’s been around this long because he has a good product.”
Email Hernando Today correspondent Kim Dame at [email protected].
Biz at a Glance
Name: Donnelly’s Deli
Address: 2112 Mariner Blvd.; Spring Hill, FL 34609
Phone: (352) 683-4017
