The popular food van will be back in one spot for a number of weeks
The queue for Jacket Spuds from Spudman on Crosby Beach this afternoon(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)
A jacket potato van with an army of four million followers is returning to Merseyside. Spudman is a viral social media sensation who takes his mobile catering unit around the country, selling classic jacket potatoes that attract huge queues of customers.
Customers travel from across the UK, and in some cases from across Europe, to buy a takeaway meal from the van, which counts Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman among its celebrity fans. As well as using traditional toppings on his potatoes, Spudman owner Ben Newman also invites customers to bring their own additions, which he adds to their meals and films for his TikTok videos.
The last time the businessman came to Merseyside was just a few months ago, when he parked up on Crosby Beach for a number of days. When the ECHO visited, families told how they were happy to join “100 people deep” to get their hands on a jacket potato.
This time around Spudman will be joining forces with Liverpool’s own John The Spud. Announcing the news online, Spudman said: “We are doing a Christmas market. We were booked on for Winter Wonderland at Hyde Park but something came up.
Spudman, also known as Ben Newman, outside his van on Crosby Beach(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)
“This is something I couldn’t turn down for one reason, I will get to work with someone I admire very much, another potato man who has been in the game longer than me. We’re coming to Liverpool. We’re teaming up with John the Spud.”
The jacket potato van will open on Saturday, November 15 in line with Liverpool Christmas markets at St George’s Hall. John the Spud has been a long-standing fixture on London Road.
Over the past 25 years, the road has undergone significant change but despite this, popular street trader John Dickson has remained in place.
The businessman, from West Derby, has been found on the street since 1999. The 62-year-old is based on Audley Street next to where TJ Hughes once stood – and while he serves breakfast items, hotdogs and burgers, it is his spuds which, has gained him a huge reputation in the city – hence his nickname.
John the Spud with his van on London Road, where it has been for over two decades
Previously speaking with the ECHO about his secrets to success, he said: “You need to have good service, good fun and good prices. The people of Liverpool aren’t stupid; you need to be affordable.
“When you come to me, you can expect a good experience overall. That’s what life is about, experiences and enjoying them. That is what makes customers come back again.
“I’ve been here 26 years and don’t plan on going anywhere. It’s always been a good business and lately its just gotten even busier with the craze. I’ve come to realise recently that social media is so powerful, it’s made me so busy.
“If you look at the comments on my Instagram and TikTok, you see a lot of people appreciate what I do. A lot of people say to me that it just isn’t the food they come here for, they come to see me and have a little chat.
“I’m an affable person, easy to get along with and when others see that, it makes me feel good, very good.”