Original seven family members that started the first El Meson. (Photo by Mark Gilliland)More Info
EL MESONAddress: 248 Northgate Park and 2204 Hamilton Place Blvd.Hours: Sunday-Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday-Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.Phone: 423-710-1201 (Hixson); 423-894-8726 (Hamilton Place)
Twenty-five years ago, Chattanooga was a different place. For one, the Ruiz family hadn’t moved to town yet. Then, in 1993, Raul Ruiz Sr. moved his wife and five sons from California to the Scenic City. There, they opened their first El Meson Mexican Restaurant, located at Hamilton Place mall and celebrating 25 years this April.
“We were the original cooks,” Tony Ruiz said, regarding his father and himself.
His brothers Alberto and Eddie greeted and seated diners; his brother Raul Jr. bused tables; and the youngest brother, 8-year-old Oscar, rolled silverware.
Over the decades, El Meson has remained a family-operated restaurant. As the Ruiz clan has grown, so has business. Tony’s youngest sister Julia, born in 1998, now works as a server.
And Tony’s children also help out. His daughters, ages 19 and 20, are servers and, following his father’s footsteps, 16-year-old Tony Jr. helps cook on the weekends.
On Monday, April 16, the whole family is getting together to celebrate, and the whole city is invited. All day, both El Meson locations are offering 25-cent chicken or beef hard shell tacos, and 12-ounce drafts of domestic beer for $1.25. The Hamilton Place location is also hosting live music.
“Both stores will party, but Hamilton Place will be the really big party,” said Tony, who owns the Hixson location opened in 2009.
A lot can happen in a quarter century, but El Meson is not done growing yet. The goal, said Tony, is for each of the brothers to own a location of the restaurant.