BEDFORD, Texas — When the light turns on, there's hardly a delay. Customers flock through the doors of The Colossal Sandwich Shop.
Terry Duncan and Jonathan Merrill are living their childhood dream.
"I can remember, to this day, I was sitting in Mr. Henry, his class and it was after lunch when I was starving out with a friend one day, I was gonna grow up and sell big food," said Jonathan.
Jono's had a colossal appetite since 7th grade and Terry's family knew it.
"His mom used to joke about it. 5:00 o'clock dinner would be off and knock, knock, knock, I'd be knocking at the door. Every night," said Jono.
"I've had people carry the muffalato back up to us and go, I ordered. I ordered 1/2. And we look at him and go that that is 1/2," said Terry.
There isn't a customer in this room unfazed by the big size and even bigger flavors of their sandwiches.
Those who can really eat take a jab at the Colossal Challenge. Only one person has made the board.
"It's a 34-inch Cubano, or six of our pulled pork sandwiches and three bags of chips in 30 minutes."
It took Jonathan and Terry years and a lot of struggle to get to this point.
Originally, they operated out of a leaking snow cone shack down the street in Bedford.
"300 square feet. And it, you know, it had its challenges. There was only two picnic tables out front, so everything was walk up and there wasn't even a drive-thru," said Terry.
In moments when it felt easier to give up, the person next to them pushed them to keep going. Everyone behind the counter is family.
It's all part of the dream -- raising their children with their childhood friend, and teaching them the Colossal Way.
"When we taught this to our kids, if you see someone hungry, ya feed them. Nobody should ever go hungry sitting in front of a restaurant," said Jono.
Terry and Jono have such different personalities, but at the end of the day, they remember their 7th-grade banter about opening a restaurant together.
They see what it's become and they imagine where it's going. That's why they never take for granted every day when the lights turn on.