Today we’d like to introduce you to Saji George.
Hi Saji, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
It was always a dream of mine to open a restaurant. I had been looking at spaces for many years and when I would call, normally the landlords would ask if you ever owned a restaurant before and when I would say no, they would hang up the phone. However, we found a vacant shop on Herschel St. in May of 2021 when many places were closing due to COVID-19 and the real estate agent did not ask us if we ever owned a restaurant before, all he asked us was “can you pay the rent?” and we were so excited, we said yes and we got to work.
after months of hard work, many setbacks, and patiently waiting for our furniture to arrive (due to shipping issues as a result of COVID) – we finally opened our doors for our soft opening tasting menus in september of 2021. the first nights were slow but word quickly spread and we became the hole-in-the-wall spot for those in the know.
it was a long, arduous journey filled with ups and downs but 4 years later, we are still standing and continue to innovate and improve with our unique style of hospitality and our own version of south indian cuisine.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
We have had all manner of struggles, from building issues, to staffing issues, but we always persevered. We knew what we were signing up for, and every failure was an opportunity to learn and grow!
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We are a small family-owned and operated Indian restaurant known for providing high quality South indian food with a Southern American flair. We are unique in that we are seed-oil free and we do not compromise on this. Our food in unique and truly made with love.
What does success mean to you?
Success is creating a vision, staying steadfast in your beliefs, and constantly working to improve 1% every single day. There is no end point, the journey is the destination.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://mesajax.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mesajax/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mesajax/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/mesa-jacksonville
