Hungry for Fiesta, some San Antonians wait hours for chicken on a stick

SAN ANTONIO – Mi Familia at the Rim was overrun this past weekend during the restaurant’s drive-thru Fiesta, where some San Antonians waited hours for classics like chicken on a stick, corn in a cup and gorditas.

Roni Cervantes told KSAT she went to the Northwest Side restaurant on Saturday around 1 p.m. to check it out and said “the line was long but worth it. We waited about 4 hours but as we got closer to the event, we could hear all the music playing.”

“We got gorditas, a hamburger, sausage on a stick, amazing margaritas and, of course, chicken on a stick. The food was delicious, the drinks, of course, were amazing and it was nice to still feel like there was a fiesta with everything going on,” Cervantes said.

One drive-thru hopeful said he initially counted 37 cars in line when he stopped by to get his Fiesta food, but “I got up to a higher vantage point and counted about 80 [cars] total.”

Attendees were carrying on the annual tradition of Fiesta, which was initially slated to start this week but was postponed until November due to the pandemic. (KSAT12 is rebroadcasting last year’s parades on the days they were initially scheduled in 2020, starting Monday with the Texas Cavaliers River Parade.)

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Krystal Encina said in an interview with KSAT that she arrived in line around 2:20 p.m. Saturday and wasn’t told until she got close to the front of the line that “the only item they had left was some type of taco.”

Encina said she didn’t reach the front of the line until nearly 5:30 p.m. but she feels fortunate that she found the coveted chicken on a stick at another local restaurant La Tuna. “I wish they would have said something before," Encina said.

Ultimate at-home Fiesta guide

Officials with Mi Familia commented on Facebook and said the line was averaging 45 minutes to one hour from start to finish on Sunday.

“All of the employees were very friendly and they were going as fast as they good. There was a lot of people but I think Mi Familia handled it the best they could. My husband and kids loved it. We will definitely go again,” said Cervantes.

Mi Familia, which is owned by the Cortez family who also owns Mi Tierra Cafe, plans to continue the drive-thru Fiesta Tuesday through Sunday, according to a Facebook post.

If anyone has questions before heading out to the restaurant, officials appear to be very responsive to Facebook posts.

Mi Familia is located at 18403 IH-10 W at The Rim in San Antonio. The restaurant can be reached at 210-728-4700.