A longtime Hainesport couple is turning a stretch of Route 38 into the township's first specialty coffee house, and they're betting that ping-pong tables and trivia nights will keep customers around long after their lattes go cold. Chris and Lisa Breining founded Creek Turn Coffee Company, an alcohol-free social café planned for 1366 Route 38, with a soft opening targeted for late November or early December and a grand opening set for 2027.
The project has also been part of Hainesport’s land-use review: an application for preliminary and final site-plan approval and related variances appeared on the township board’s agenda. Hainesport’s Joint Land Use Board handles both planning-board and zoning-board responsibilities, putting decisions about site plans and zoning relief before the same municipal body. The application was listed for the Route 38 property.
The Breinings have lived in Hainesport for more than 20 years and raised their four children there, according to the Courier-Post. Their kids now range in age from 11 to 19, with the oldest in college, two in high school and the youngest still in middle school. Chris Breining described the vision behind the project as blending the comforts of a remembered coffee house with a real-life place for neighbors to meet, the outlet reports.
What's Brewing on the Menu
Creek Turn plans to serve specialty coffee, espresso and signature lattes alongside teas served in ceramic mugs. The food side will lean toward grab-and-go and light fare, including Danish, pastries, breakfast sandwiches, bagels, toast, desserts, salads, yogurt and acai-style bowls, per the same report. For those looking for something other than coffee, the café will also pour zero-proof beverages at what's described as a restored antique merchant counter.
That alcohol-free setup is intentional. The café is designed as what Chris Breining calls a true social café, meaning it's meant to function as a gathering place without alcohol on the menu at all, the station's report notes.
Creek Turn’s alcohol-free approach fits a broader shift in how some Americans say they want to socialize. A 2025 consumer survey commissioned by NCSolutions found that 49% of respondents ages 21 and older were trying to drink less, while 22% said they planned to visit a sober bar that year. The survey included 1,131 U.S. adults; it signals interest in alcohol-free venues nationally, though it does not measure demand specifically in Hainesport.
Games, Trivia and a Little Red Schoolhouse
Beyond the counter, Creek Turn is shaping up to be more rec room than reading nook. The business plans to offer tournament-style ping-pong tables, electronic darts, shuffleboard, pool, and board and RPG gaming for customers who want to linger. There will also be four private event spaces available to book, along with live music, open-mic nights, trivia and author talks on the calendar.
A little red schoolhouse already on the property will be used for private events and what the Breinings are calling other surprises, though specifics haven't been detailed. The property sits close to Creek Turn Park and, according to the café's own estimate relayed in the report, is about a seven-minute walk from the Thomas Dambo Big Rusty troll sculpture.
The café’s proximity to Big Rusty also connects it to a countywide public-art attraction. The 20-foot recycled-material troll by Danish artist Thomas Dambo inspired Burlington County’s Troll Trek, an outdoor exhibition that now includes 19 sculptures across the county and remains in place indefinitely. Big Rusty stands at the site of Hainesport’s future Creek Turn Park, giving the café a nearby landmark that county officials say has helped draw visitors to parks and downtowns.
The Couple Behind the Counter
Chris Breining is a Trenton native who has spent most of his career leading technology and health finance companies, a professional background far removed from the coffee business. Lisa Breining, who grew up in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, works as a dialysis nurse and has stayed active in local volunteering, having worked at Hainesport Middle School and coordinated the Healthy Kids Running Series in town twice a year.
Chris Breining has coached youth sports in the area as well, volunteering with Sacred Heart CYO baseball and the Rancocas Valley Soccer Club. The couple's deep roots in Hainesport, built over two decades raising their family there, are central to how they're framing Creek Turn's role in the community as it heads toward its late-fall debut.
