Breakfast News

San Antonio's Whataburger honors heroic teachers with free breakfasts

Whataburger honey butter chicken biscuit, in all its glory.

Photo courtesy of Whataburger

San Antonio-based burger chain Whataburger is honoring the heroes of education with free food and some possible funds. During National Teacher Appreciation Week, the brand is rewarding the hard work of all school employees across its 15-state footprint with free breakfast and the chance to earn a grand for their school.

According to a release, teachers can show their school ID on May 6-10 from 5-9 am and score the following:

A free Taquito, Breakfast on a Bun, or Honey Butter Chicken Biscuit
A WhataTeacher lanyard

In addition, 63 teachers will be selected to receive a $1,000 grant for their school, for a total of $63,000 in grant funds.

“Teachers are true heroes,” says Whataburger Marketing and Communications VP Donna Tuttle in a statement. “Many of us still remember our favorite teacher and the impact they made on our lives. Whataburger’s free breakfast offer and WhataTeacher grants are just small ways we try to say thank you for their powerful work.”

The grants are part of Whataburger’s Feeding Student Success program, which focuses on charitable giving at the intersection of food insecurity and education.

The program’s initiatives also include seven Whataburger Resource Rooms on college campuses, the Whataburger Feeding Student Success Scholarship, and partnering with local schools on education and hunger awareness programs.

“Offering free breakfast during National Teacher Appreciation Week is just one small way we’re trying to make every school employee’s day a little brighter,” Whataburger Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Scott Hudler said. “Our hope is that the 63 grants being awarded will provide teachers with additional resources they need and show a bit of gratitude for their hard work and dedication all year.”

Any school employee who shows their ID badge during Teacher Appreciation Week can redeem this deal when they dine in or drive through. The promotion will be available system-wide.

education

NYT loves AUS

Pastry chef from San Antonio makes New York Times Best Bakeries list

Comadre Panadería/Instagram

Comadre Panadería is known for nostalgic Mexican bakes with feminine flair.

The New York Times has once again shined its spotlight on Austin’s culinary scene. It included Comadre Panadería, an Austin bakery by San Antonio native Mariela Camacho, on its new list of the 22 of the Best Bakeries Across the U.S. Right Now.

Interim food critic Priya Krishna praises pastry chef Camacho’s pastries that include conchas and her signature pink cake. “Despite their saccharine appearances, not one of the desserts is overly cloying, and even the coffee drinks (Texas pecan horchata! Cranberry vanilla agua fresca!) strike the playful tone of the pastries,” she writes.

Comadre Panadería has been widely recognized, including by this publication; Camacho, who is now based in Ausitn, won Pastry Chef of the Year in the 2023 CultureMap Austin Tastemaker Awards. She also earned a 2024 James Beard Award semifinalist nomination for Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker.

Camacho and Comadre as a whole are both invested in using baked goods to make a more equitable world, from the bakery's early days as a fundraiser for disaster relief, to a current insistence on charging enough to support ethical and organic foods, and paying staff enough to keep up with rising costs in Austin.

Although Camacho was born in San Antonio and started her baking career there, she also spent a significant time in Seattle, Washington, where Comadre started as a pop-up. According to Austin Monthly, she then moved back to San Antonio, and then to Austin. But no matter where she is, the Mexican cooking traditions of her ancestors take precedent.

Mariela Camacho of Comadre Panaderia in Austin Mariela Camacho, Comadre Panaderia. Courtesy photo

The Times also recognized Houston's Koffeteria. Krishna hails the bakery for pastry chef-owner Vanarin Kuch’s creative fare that includes dishes such as beef pho kolaches, Chinese sausage breakfast tacos, and butter mochi.

“Some of Mr. Kuch’s offerings are rooted in his Cambodian American identity — he makes cornbread with the coconutty, scallion-forward flavors of Cambodian street corn — while others are odes to Houston’s multicultural makeup. But most of the fun of Koffeteria is having no idea what Mr. Kuch will do next, and eagerly awaiting his next innovation,” Krishna writes.

Open since 2019, Koffeteria has been riding high this year. It earned a James Beard Award semifinalist nomination for Outstanding Bakery and a CultureMap Houston Tastemaker Award for Pastry Chef of the Year.

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Comadre Panadería and Koffeteria are the only Texas establishments to make the Times’ list. Only California and New York City, which each have three representatives, earn more recognition.

lists media desserts koffeteria new york times