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Puerto Rican sandwich shop lands in Orlando

Puerto Rico-based El Meson Sandwiches is making its American debut in Orlando, opening the first of five-planned restaurants in June.

May 27, 2015

Puerto Rico-based El Meson Sandwiches is making its American debut in Orlando, opening the first of five-planned restaurants in June. The chain, ranked as one of the best restaurant chains in the world by Travel + Leisure, will serve Caribbean-inspired grilled sandwiches, 100-percent Arabica coffee, all-day breakfast and healthy vegetarian options, said El Meson President Felipe Pérez-Grajales.

“We chose to launch in Orlando because of the deep customer service talent pool that exists thanks to tourism,” saidPérez-Grajales, a graduate from Jacksonville University. “Orlando also gives us access to a diverse local population in addition to a steady stream of tourists, allowing many people to discover our brand.”

El Meson, which currently has 36 locations in Puerto Rico, attributes its ongoing growth to high-quality ingredients prepared fresh in-store, and its “customers are family” approach to service, Pérez-Grajales said.

“While this is our first location in the U.S., we have a long history of serving Americans. Our first restaurant was opened in a Puerto Rican beach town which catered to U.S. military,” said Pérez-Grajales. “We know our flavors have mass appeal and we expect to compete well with all fast casual sandwich chains in the segment.”

The first of five El Meson locations in Orlando will open June 1 in Florida Mall’s new dining pavilion. Two stand-alone locations are slotted to open over the next 12 months.

A mix of service styles
The El Meson service model changes based on the location of each unit, said Pérez-Grajales. For example, A hostess will greet customers at mall locations and give order suggestions, but they will order at the counter. At stand-alone locations, however, customers will order at the counter but servers will deliver their food. There will also be a drive-thru at those units.

"We offer high quality, affordable menu items for each day part, so it's important to provide several service options that meet the convenience and speed that today's consumers' lifestyles demand, Felipe Perez said. "The drive-thru will allow customers to grab and go at busy times in their day, or if they're stopping by in-between meals for coffee or a snack. The sit-down experience with servers allows customers to relax and enjoy their meals whether it's breakfast, lunch or dinner, and the counter service best suits the needs of an environment like a food court."