The loaded potato is back.
Once almost a symbol of an out-of-touch mall food court or buffet offering, the baked potato smothered in various toppings has been discovered anew by Gen Z—as well entrepreneurs across the country who are hoping to take advantage of it.
The revival first hit a couple years ago in the U.K., once home to the SpudsULike chain that never made it in America. Now, however, TikTok is rife with “jacket potato” videos, led by Spuds Bros—touting the unlikely combination of potatoes topped with baked beans (English style), cheese and tuna (among other toppings).
Yes, tuna. It’s a thing.
And it’s something that hugely influential influencer Keith Lee tried while in London recently, but he apparently didn’t care for it, causing a near international incident.
The Spud Bros are reportedly real-life brothers Jacob and Harley Nelson, who have millions of followers on TikTok and other platforms with their videos, filmed with a camera on their heads to capture the potato-loading action.
Spudman (aka Ben Newman), is another TikTok potato star with a similar camera perspective and a pink mohawk. He has reportedly been pushing potatoes in Staffordshire for two decades, but his hat-held livestreams have built a huge audience, inspiring potato pilgrimages.
Even in the U.S., it’s not uncommon to hear people referring to the dish as jacket potatoes (usually with a terrible attempt at various British accents). And though the tuna/beans combination is not so much a top seller here, there are plenty of toppings that appeal to Americans, who love the affordability and filling nature of the dish.
In Los Angeles, for example, the LA Spud Guys have a popular tent popup with a brisk late-night business that has attracted the likes of celebrities like Finneas Eilish.
LA Spud Guys founder Emil Avetyan said he went to England for his 22nd birthday a year or so ago and fell in love with the loaded jacket potato stands that can be found all over the U.K., which he said are like taco stands in LA. He wanted to bring it to America.
Later, TikTok started feeding him videos from Spud Bros and Spudman. “I was like, this is my sign. I gotta do it,” he said.
Now Avetyan is opening a brick and mortar location in about two weeks. Plain potatoes are $6. Loaded potatoes are $12, with unlimited toppings.
In New York, investor Ori Barnik said he’s considering the development of a potentially franchise-able potato concept, seeing the popularity on social media but the clear lack of any U.S. contender to satisfy that Gen Z craving.
“Social media travels faster than food or businesses,” he said. “But we don’t want to just be chasing trends. We want to build a great product that has staying power.”
With the U.S. entering an uncertain macroeconomic climate, a concept offering an affordable meal with a lot of calories will likely do well, he contends.
Across the country, there are seemingly many one-off potato concepts, in malls or on food trucks.
In Chicago, there’s Watta Potato, with toppings that include lamb chops, and which Keith Lee visited last year (and liked).
Spuds Potato Bar in Texas has a build-your-potato menu with more than baked potatoes as the base.
Diners can choose tater tots, fries or sweet potatoes as the palate for toppings like flavored butters, various cheeses and a wide variety of proteins, including pork belly, fried shrimp or gyro meat. There are also signature spuds, like The Paddock with garlic butter, swiss cheese, corned beef, sauerkraut, and thousand island dressing.
In Las Vegas, spots like Rock N’ Potato on the strip will top your potato with macaroni and cheese and a whole lobster. The city is also known for a viral Mexican street spots that pummels baked potatoes into more of a mashed bowl as a base for taco toppings.
Dan Rowe, founder and CEO of Fransmart said baked potatoes make sense, as a concept. Potatoes are easily batch cooked and can be held, and the protein/add-ons are flexible.
“The good news for a concept like this is they will never have a non-compete in a shopping center, like burritos, burgers, coffee, etc.,” he notes.
However, Barnik added, these concepts are a clear indulgence.
It would be difficult to pitch these concepts as healthful in any way—not when butter is being splashed out in squeeze bottles, only to be followed by cheese, macaroni and cheese and topped with more cheese.
“It’s not going to work for a health-conscious crowd,” he said. “It’s going to appeal to kids who don’t have to think about their waistlines.”
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