May 8, 2026 | 3:00 pm
A longtime symbol of San Antonio’s bygone culinary era has now been reduced to rubble. The iconic Pig Stand building at 1523 Broadway has been leveled as developers look toward the next chapter for the near-downtown plot.
The building was one of the last vestiges of a once-mighty chain that played a pivotal role in U.S. food culture. Founded in Dallas in 1921, it was the nation’s first drive-thru restaurant, credited with inventing now-ubiquitous fast food dishes like Texas toast and onion rings.
The San Antonio outpost arrived a little later, circa 1931, but it proved to have more longevity. Even after the chain went bankrupt in 2006, the Broadway restaurant operated independently, still sporting its nostalgic sign…