El Mesón Sándwiches

El Mesón Sándwiches was founded by Felipe Pérez Valentín in 1972, with its first restaurant in the beach town of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. The original restaurant was known primarily for two things: home-style sandwiches and a familial atmosphere.[6]

Many of El Mesón's early customers were American surfers who came early in the day asking for big, healthy breakfasts. Their requests prompted Pérez Valentín to create a sandwich dubbed "The Surfer", which comes stuffed with fresh vegetables and soy-based protein. Shortly after Pérez Valentín's son returned from college in Jacksonville in 1987, El Mesón's second location opened and rapid growth followed.[7]

El Mesón's 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.[8]

Felipe Pérez Valentín's son, Felipe Pérez Grajales, is the current president of El Mesón Sándwiches. 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 Mesón 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.[9]

Pérez 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.[10]

He was president of the Organizing Committee for the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games in Mayagüez and is president of the Mayagüez 2010 Foundation.[11]

• Meson Sandwiches Official Website
• Puerto Rican El Meson Sandwiches Website (In Spanish)