SAN ANTONIO – Thousands woke up early Friday to stand in line for some free coffee and breakfast tacos for a San Antonio tradition 38 years in the making.
It may have been 4:30 in the morning, but the griddles were hot and the kitchen staff was busy at the annual Cowboy Breakfast. They cooked up large batches of eggs, bacon, chorizo and sausage to serve to the hungry crowd.
The hungry people waiting in line said the food makes waking up before sunrise completely worth it.
"The tacos, of course," said one attendee.
"Just the food. It’s so good," added another.
The Cowboy Breakfast was recognized in 2001 as the World's Largest Cooked Breakfast by the Guinness Book of Records, and with tens of thousands attending this year’s event, they're hoping to break another record.
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"We're going for the Guinness world record (for) most tacos served. I'm here to help the cause," Crystal Martinez said.
The family event had something for just about everyone, from live music to a mechanical bull ride.
"Here we go,” said one woman as she danced in line waiting for a breakfast taco. “This is the best place to be at six o’clock in the morning. That'll get us going, baby!"
The festivities and company are why people say they continue to return year after year.
"Kind of like a little tradition. We always come out here every year. It’s pretty fun to be with the family," said one woman.
"I've been here a few times before and it’s always fun, so I decided to come out again," said another waiting in line.
The fun-filled event is free and open to the public, but it’s also for a good cause. The Cowboy Breakfast Foundation presented a check in July for $15,000, which provided 17 scholarships for students attending St. Phillip's College's Tourism, Hospitality and Culinary Arts Department.
"It’s a great tradition for San Antonio. It’s great that the proceeds go to help out students and the money comes back and the community grows," Juan Lopez said.