The Texas Bakery That Sells Cinnamon Rolls The Size Of A Small Child

Restaurants often provide not just a meal, but a spectacle. The wow factor of miles of options at the world's biggest buffets or dinner and jousting at Medieval Times is almost as good as the food. But sometimes, all you need to drop jaws is a really, really big cinnamon roll. That's what drove loyal customers and worldwide tourists to Lulu's Bakery & Cafe in San Antonio, Texas. Each bun weighs a whopping three pounds and is as big as a dinner plate. This insanely large treat started as a joke in 1992 between Lulu and her son, Mike Behrend, but the result was delicious and impressive enough to add to the Lulu's menu permanently.

Sadly, the original Lulu's Bakery is no more. The legendary restaurant closed during the Covid-19 pandemic, never to return. However, Lulu's massive cinnamon roll is still sold by Behrend at his Green Vegetarian Cuisine restaurant in San Antonio. Mike added it to the menu after heavy customer demand when Lulu's shut down. They're even available for domestic shipping, so you can feed the masses for breakfast or dessert without making the trip to San Antonio.

Given our cultural fascination with competitive eating, Lulu's massive cinnamon roll became a magnet for those eager for a food challenge. Who so inclined could resist taking on a baked good that needs brute force and a 3-by-8-foot counter to roll out the dough for just one batch? Even Adam Richman, former host of "Man v. Food," visited Lulu's in the show's second season to check out the gargantuan sweet rolls and equally impressive chicken fried steaks.

However, the restaurant became mired in controversy when, in 2017, professional eater Randy Santel arrived to attempt the Texas Ranger Challenge. After the publicity from "Man v. Food," Lulu's added the offering, which involved eating nearly a pound and a half of chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, corn, and queso or gravy in under 12 minutes. After a conflict over filming the event escalated, Lulu's management called the police on Santel and his entourage, and kicked expectant fans out of the restaurant, at least according to a video posted to Santel's YouTube channel. He did say that the majority of the employees he interacted with at Lulu's were great, and that if someone shipped him a cinnamon roll, he would give it a try. Fortunately for Santel (and anyone else with a sweet tooth), the Lulu's cinnamon roll lives on.