Mera

What Mera does

MERA is a private multinational food and beverage concession company founded in 1991 by Rafael Aguirre, headquartered in Cancún, Mexico. The company operates across five countries — Mexico, the United States, Panama, Colombia, and Ecuador — running 185+ restaurant and food-court venues in 18 airport terminals and 2 cruise ports, serving over 200 million passengers annually. MERA functions as an operator, concept developer, franchise partner, and restaurant owner, combining 50+ proprietary concepts (such as Berry Hill, Guacamole Grill, and Hacienda Montejo) with licensed franchises of major international brands including Starbucks, Panda Express, Domino's, Bubba Gump, Margaritaville, Wolfgang Puck, Panera Bread, TGI Friday's, Johnny Rockets, and Guy Fieri's Flavortown. Its B2B go-to-market is enterprise concession sales: securing multi-year contracts directly with airport operators such as ASUR (Aeropuertos del Sureste) and cruise port authorities to operate F&B outlets in non-traditional high-traffic locations.

MERA's revenue is generated primarily through transaction-based sales at individual restaurant outlets (own and franchised), supplemented by franchise royalties and licensing economics on franchised brands, and advertising/media revenue through its wholly-owned MERA Media division, which operates radio stations LA Z 94.9 FM (Cancún), HITS 96.5 FM, and LA Z 92.9 FM (Chetumal) plus digital content platforms. The company employs approximately 4,356 people across 24 locations and operates three non-revenue support divisions — MERA University (internal continuous learning), MERA Foundation (community/CSR), and MERA Media — alongside its core MERA Restaurants business. Underlying technology is not disclosed; the model is fundamentally a labor-intensive, location-bound hospitality operation with multi-year concession contracts as its primary asset, and no public APIs, software products, or proprietary technology platforms have been disclosed. Pricing is transaction-based at the outlet level and is not publicly reported, consistent with the privately held, founder-led ownership structure (no institutional investors, PE backing, or public listing are referenced).

Name

Mera

Legal name

MERA

Website

https://meracorporation.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

MERA is a private multinational food and beverage concession company operating 185+ restaurant venues across 18 airport terminals and 2 cruise ports in 5 countries, serving over 200 million passengers annually through proprietary concepts and major franchise brands.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Airport and Cruise Port Food & Beverage Concessions

NAICS

Port and Harbor Operations (48831)

akta.pro primary industry

Terminal Retail, Food & Beverage & Concessions (TLAHAEAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Airline / Rail / Cruise Catering (THAFAIAF)

Keywords

• Airport food concessions
• Cruise port dining
• Franchise restaurant operations
• Non-traditional location hospitality
• Concession management services

Headquarters

HQ city

Cancún

HQ country

Mexico

HQ region

Latin America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Food and Beverage Restaurant Operations: Transaction-based revenue from operating restaurant and food court units in airports and cruise ports. The company operates both owned concepts and franchise brands, generating revenue per transaction from individual customer purchases.
2. Franchise Royalty Revenue: As a franchise partner for brands like Panda Express, Starbucks, Domino's, and others, MERA likely pays franchise fees and royalties to brand owners while retaining operational revenue.
3. Media and Advertising: MERA Media operates radio stations (LA Z 94.9 FM, HITS 96.5 FM, La Z 92.9 FM Chetumal) and digital platforms, generating revenue through advertising and content distribution.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

MERA operates food, beverage, and retail concessions in non-traditional high-traffic locations such as airports and cruise ports. The company secures concession contracts with airport operators (e.g., ASUR) and cruise port authorities, then operates 185+ venues across 18 airport terminals and 2 cruise ports in 5 countries under a portfolio of 53+ brands, including international franchises (Starbucks, Panda Express, Domino's, TGI Friday's) and own concepts. It also runs a media division (MERA Media) operating radio stations and digital platforms.

Product overview

MERA Corporation is a private multinational company focused on food and beverage concessions operating in non-traditional locations such as airports and cruise ports. The company operates through four main divisions: MERA Restaurants (core food/beverage/retail operations with 160+ units and 50+ brands), MERA Media (radio stations and digital platforms), MERA University (internal training program), and MERA Foundation (community support). The restaurant portfolio includes both franchise brands (Bubba Gump, Margaritaville, Panda Express, Starbucks, Domino's Pizza, Wolfgang Puck, Guy Fieri, TGI Friday's, Johnny Rocket's) and proprietary concepts (Berry Hill, Guacamole Grill, Hacienda Montejo). The media division operates radio stations including LA Z 94.9 FM and HITS 96.5 FM.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MERA Restaurants: Food, beverage, and retail operations in non-traditional locations such as airports and cruise ports. Operates as operators, concept developers, franchise partners, strategic allies, and restaurant owners.
• MERA Media
• MERA University
• MERA Foundation

Products and services

• MERA Restaurants Food, beverage, and retail operations in non-traditional high-traffic locations such as airports and cruise ports. Operates as operators, concept developers, franchise partners, and restaurant owners, serving over 110 million passengers across more than 160 units with over 50 brands.
• MERA Media Media services including strategy development, content creation, distribution, advertising, marketing, broadcasting, and audience engagement through radio stations (LA Z 94.9 FM Cancun, HITS 96.5 FM, LA Z 92.9 FM Chetumal), online platforms, and social media.

Quantifiable outcome

• Serves over 200,000,000 guests annually
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ASUR (Aeropuertos del Sureste)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerASUR operates airports in southeastern Mexico. MERA participates in ASUR's Employee Recognition Week at JFK Airport and operates F&B concessions at ASUR-controlled airports.
• Panda ExpresscoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerMERA operates Panda Express franchise locations in Mexico and the US, maintaining brand standards and operational protocols including NSF food safety audits.
• Starbucks CoffeecoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerMERA operates Starbucks locations at airports in Mexico (Cancún) and potentially other locations within their operational footprint.
• Domino's PizzacoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerMERA operates Domino's Pizza franchise at airports in Mexico (Cancún) and Tijuana.
• TGI Friday'scoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerMERA operates TGI Friday's franchise locations, including locations in Dallas, Texas.
• Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.coreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerMERA operates Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. locations in Cancun and Puerto Vallarta, receiving environmental commitment recognition.
• MargaritavillecoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerMERA operates Margaritaville locations in Cancun and Cozumel, participating in volunteer programs.
• Guy Fieri (Flavortown)coreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerMERA operates Guy Fieri Flavortown locations at JFK Airport in New York.
• Wolfgang PuckcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerMERA operates Wolfgang Puck branded restaurants in airport locations including Cancun.
• Panera BreadcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerMERA operates Panera Bread franchise locations within their restaurant portfolio.
• Carlos VivesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCelebrity chef partner associated with restaurant concepts under MERA operations.
• Erik KayserminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCelebrity chef partner (Maison Kayser) associated with MERA restaurant operations.
• Jimmy BuffettminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMargaritaville brand creator, partnered with MERA for Margaritaville restaurant operations.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• SSP Group: UK-listed travel food and beverage operator with airports, train stations, and other travel hub locations across 35+ countries. Directly comparable as a global travel-location F&B concession specialist competing for similar airport and station contracts.
• Paradies Lagardère: North American travel retail and dining operator in airports, operating both F&B outlets and retail stores across 100+ airports. Directly comparable to MERA's airport F&B and travel retail concession model.
• Areas (Areas Worldwide): Global travel hospitality and concession operator with strong presence in airports, motorway service stations, and railway stations across Europe, the Americas, and beyond. Directly comparable as a multi-country F&B concession operator serving captive travel audiences.
• Delaware North: US-based hospitality and food service company operating at airports, sports venues, national parks, and gaming facilities. Comparable to MERA's airport F&B concession operations and shares a focus on franchise brand partnerships in travel hubs.
• HMSHost (Avolta): North America's largest airport food and beverage concessionaire, operating thousands of venues across major US airports including JFK. Directly comparable to MERA's core airport F&B concession model, though at meaningfully larger scale and geographic breadth.
• OTG Experience: Airport hospitality operator known for tech-enabled dining concepts and franchise partnerships in major US airports including JFK. Comparable to MERA's JFK operations and shared franchise brand partnerships.

Broad incumbents

• Elior Group: International contract food services company operating in concessions, corporate catering, and public sector food across multiple continents. Broader incumbent with comparable contract food service capabilities but spread across non-travel verticals.
• Sodexo: Global contract food services and facilities management giant with significant airport and travel hub food service operations. Broader incumbent that overlaps with MERA's airport F&B concession business alongside many other verticals.
• Avolta (formerly Dufry/Autogrill): Global travel retail and F&B operator formed from the merger of Dufry and Autogrill, with dominant duty-free and food concession operations across airports worldwide. Broader incumbent serving overlapping captive passenger markets at scale.

Emerging players

• Gate Group (Gategroup): Global airline catering and hospitality services provider serving airline clients at airports. Adjacent emerging player with overlap in airport-captive passenger food service, though focused on in-flight rather than terminal concessions.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/mera_verified
• Facebookfacebook.com/MERACorporation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mera-corporation
• Instagraminstagram.com/mera_verified

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Mera