No Stranger to Emergency Situations | Modern Restaurant Management | The Business of Eating & Restaurant Management News

Meson Sandwiches is the largest independently owned chain in Puerto Rico with three locations in the U.S. This is a firsthand account from Meson's President Felipe Perez Grajales on how the company responded to COVID-19.

When COVID hit in March, we felt the impact first in the U.S. as cases were rising. Having survived earthquakes and hurricanes in recent years at our Puerto Rico locations, we were no stranger to emergency situations. We knew we had to keep calm, but act quickly, and that's exactly what we did - getting the right PPE and training for our team. We also knew it was important to think creatively on how we could get customers their orders without having to dine-in.

We ramped up our delivery options with UberEats and Doordash, leveraged our drive-thrus and added a new drive-in service where we brought food to customers' cars. We also shifted some of our offerings to focus on convenience and value - promoting our boxed lunches and our Mesotron which is a…

Felipe Perez Grajales

Felipe Perez Grajales is President of El Meson Sandwiches, which was started in 1972 in the town of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico by his father, Don Felipe Valentín. For 48 years, El Meson Sandwiches has enjoyed strong growth in Puerto Rico, resulting in 40 restaurants and over 1800 employees. The brand has earned the admiration and loyalty of Puerto Ricans, ranking Meson as one of the most well-known brands on the island. Under Felipe Pérez-Grajales’ leadership, the company continues to thrive, as they plan to open two new restaurants in Florida, which brings the total of U.S. stores to five.

Sorry, You've Reached Your Article Limit.

Felipe Perez Grajales