Born in Mexico City, Sandoval grew up surrounded by food. Since a very early age, he has been motivated by the challenges inherent in managing a restaurant and its personnel. Sandoval’s vast experience opening and operating restaurants has taken him to numerous cities, enriching his know-how with every new challenge he has faced.
Though his vision continually looks to the future, Sandoval’s roots are firmly planted in the past. His father opened the world-renowned Madeiras restaurant in 1980 in Acapulco, where he was instilled at a very early age with a passion for food and operations. By the age of 11, that enthusiasm was expressed by his involvement in the logistics and operations of his father’s restaurant, where he quickly confirmed his desire to dedicate himself to the field.
Following his ambition, and motivated by the challenge and the constant need to “create,” in 1997 Sandoval moved to New York to help older brother, Richard, open one of the first high-end Mexican restaurants in Manhattan, Maya, which earned a 2-star review from the NY Times. Having worked as its General Manager, he then moved to San Francisco to open the second Maya restaurant in the US, thus becoming the Director of Operations of both restaurants. In March of 2000, due to his persistent motivation and search for perfection, the distinguished restaurant group Sushi Samba recruited him to become their Director of Operations. Joining his brother once again in 2003, he became partner and Director of Operations of Modern Mexican Restaurants, where he successfully managed and operated Maya NY, Maya SF, Tamayo Denver, while Pampano NY, Zengo Denver, and Isla Las Vegas. During this period he also created and oversaw the Modern Mexican Restaurants corporate office.
In 2004 decided to open the first Mercadito in the East Village, with his younger brother Chef Patricio Sandoval, the brothers opened Mercadito Grove in the West Village in June 2005. Bolstered by the demand for Patricio’s modern interpretations of classic Mexican cuisine, Alfredo recognized the time was right to take the Mercadito concept to other regions of the country expanding into Chicago (2009) and Miami (2010).
Alfredo recently put a team of experts together to create Mercadito Hospitality, a hospitality consulting group which currently operated five nationally acclaimed restaurants. Mercadito Hospitality have grown by leaps and bounds thanks to Sandoval’s business acumen and unyielding vision. The success of the restaurants is a testament to lessons learned by an 11-year old boy who dreamed to be like his father.