industry fast food founded aguadilla puerto rico 1972 founder felipe perez sr. headquarters mayag ez puerto rico key people felipe perez sr. founder felipe p rez grajales president products sandwiches salads breakfast coffee website meson sandwiches.com meson sandwiches is a fast casual restaurant chain that primarily sells sandwiches salads and breakfast items which it serves all day long . based in mayag ez puerto rico el meson sandwiches is puerto rico s largest restaurant chain . 1 in 2012 it was named one of the world s top fast food chains by travel & leisure magazine . 2 el meson sandwiches is family owned and operated . 3 it has 37 locations in puerto rico and one in orlando florida in florida mall which opened in june 2015 . the company plans to open four more locations in orlando by 2017 4 including one in kissimmee at the crossing shopping center which will open by the end of 2015 . 5 el meson plans to begin franchising in 2018 . el meson sandwiches units average 2 million in sales per year . system wide sales in 2015 were just under 80 million . 6 products el meson sandwiches are mostly served on criollo bread a sweet french style bread with a caribbean flavor . most are pressed on a hot grill and served with cabbage tomatoes and mayo . the delicioso sandwich comes with turkey and bacon . the white house is grilled with roast beef turkey and mushrooms . el meson also serves sandwiches on baked potatoes . 7 history the first el meson sandwiches opened in 1972 in the beach town of aguadilla on puerto rico s northwestern tip . the restaurant was started by felipe perez sr. father of the current ceo felipe p rez grajales . the original restaurant was known primarily for two things home style sandwiches and a familial atmosphere . 8 many of el meson s early customers were american surfers who came early in the day asking for big healthy breakfasts . their requests prompted perez sr. to create a sandwich dubbed the surfer which comes stuffed with fresh vegetables and soy based protein . the second puerto rico location opened in 1987 shortly after the younger perez returned from college in jacksonville florida . rapid growth followed . 9 about felipe p rez grajales felipe p rez grajales is the current ceo of el meson sandwiches . he was born in 1965 the eldest of three brothers . from the early 1970s through his high school years grajales worked in the original el meson restaurant in aguadilla . in 1983 he left puerto rico to attend jacksonville university . though he received several offers from companies in the u.s. he returned to puerto rico in 1986 to help expand the family business . 10 grajales has been recognized as an outstanding businessman by ernst & young the puerto rico chamber of commerce the sales & marketing executives sme association and the house of representatives and senate of puerto rico . 11 he was president of the organizing committee for the xxi central american and caribbean games in mayag ez in 2010 and is president of the mayag ez 2010 foundation . 12 references edit bob moser may 18 2015 . puerto rico s largest fast food chain picks orlando to enter u.s. . growthspotter . http orlandosentinel.com growthspotter news gs meson sandwiches enters us market via orlando 20150515 story.html feldmar jamie may 1 2012 . best fast food chains in the world . travel leisure . retrieved may 1 2012 . bob moser may 18 2015 . puerto rico s largest fast food chain picks orlando to enter u.s. . growthspotter . http orlandosentinel.com growthspotter news gs meson sandwiches enters us market via orlando 20150515 story.html bruce horovitz july 2015 . the puerto rican star . qsr . http www.qsrmagazine.com exclusives puerto rican star http www.laprensafl.com el creador de el meson sandwiches trae su sabor a florida bruce horovitz july 2015 . the puerto rican star . qsr . http www.qsrmagazine.com exclusives puerto rican star bruce horovitz july 2015 . the puerto rican star . qsr . http www.qsrmagazine.com exclusives puerto rican star bruce horovitz july 2015 . the puerto rican star . qsr . http www.qsrmagazine.com exclusives puerto rican star bruce horovitz july 2015 . the puerto rican star . qsr . http www.qsrmagazine.com exclusives puerto rican star iza montalvo june 23 2015 . el creador de el mes n sandwiches trae su sabor a florida . la presna . http www.laprensafl.com el creador de el meson sandwiches trae su sabor a florida iza montalvo june 23 2015 . el creador de el mes n sandwiches trae su sabor a florida . la presna . http www.laprensafl.com el creador de el meson sandwiches trae su sabor a florida iza montalvo june 23 2015 . el creador de el mes n sandwiches trae su sabor a florida . la presna . http www.laprensafl.com el creador de el meson sandwiches trae su sabor a florida external links edit sandwiches official website retrieved from https en.wikipedia.org w index.php title el meson sandwiches & oldid 736126359 categories restaurants in puerto ricomayag ez puerto 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