SpudBros launched its latest Express store in Rochdale on Tuesday, with hungry customers queuing from early morning for the opening. The first 100 people in line were promised a free spud, and the very first customer, 11-year-old schoolgirl Isla Lawrence, received a special surprise.
Isla and her mum Jackie queued from 7am to be first served by founders Jacob and Harley Nelson. After a five-hour wait, Isla was told she had won a trolley dash around the adjoining EG Spar shop, with one minute to fill her trolley with anything she liked. Harley assisted with the trolley while Isla headed for the toy aisle and picked up some of her favourite Squishy dumplings.
Golden spud prize rolls over
The trolley dash also included a hunt for a hidden "golden spud" somewhere in the EG shop, which would have meant a £100 cash prize. Isla did not find it, and the brothers announced the golden spud will now roll over to the next SpudBros Express opening in Leicester, where it will become a £200 cash prize.
Despite missing out on the golden spud, Isla was happy with her trolley dash prizes and shared some of her toy haul with other children in the queue. Jacob and Harley said: "One of our missions is about giving back, and we want to inspire younger people so it was lovely to see her giving some of her prizes away."
Expansion across the UK
Isla's mum Jackie said: "She was so excited to come, she's been up since 4.30am. She's never been able to get to any of the SpudBros [events] before, but was so excited that this one was just down the road from us. She likes the SpudBros because they help people, and that's what she's done today by being generous with her prizes to people."
The Rochdale opening is part of a nationwide expansion that will see 30 new roadside locations launch across EG On The Move forecourts over the next three years. Recent Express openings have taken place in Liverpool, Sheffield, Portsmouth, London, Edinburgh, Swindon, Blackburn, Wakefield, Barnstaple, Newcastle Upon Tyne, Wyberton, Nottingham, Chepstow, Prescot, Shrewsbury, Doncaster, Colne, Bolton, Birmingham and Aberdeen.
Partnership and menu
The partnership marks SpudBros' first move into roadside and forecourt retail, bringing its loaded jacket potatoes to one of the UK's busiest convenience channels. Each location serves menu items including the Tram Classic, loaded with garlic butter, signature three-cheese mix, beans, crispy onions and Tram Sauce, and the Spudfather, topped with chilli con carne, tuna coleslaw and bolognese, alongside a build-your-own option.
Jacob Nelson, co-founder of SpudBros, said: "Opening in Greater Manchester feels like a special one for us. We started SpudBros just up the road in Preston, so being able to bring what we've built to even more people across the North West is something we're really proud of."
The SpudBros journey began in 1955 when a hot potato cart opened on Preston's Flag Market. With over 5 million TikTok followers, 223 million likes, 1.49 million YouTube subscribers and 1.2 million Instagram followers, the brand has built one of the UK's largest digital food communities.
Zuber Issa, CEO of EG On The Move, said: "We're continuing to evolve what customers can expect when they stop at an EG On The Move locations, with distinctive and high-quality food-to-go playing an increasingly important role."
The new SpudBros Express concession is located at Manchester New Road, Rochdale, OL11 3PT, and will be open seven days a week, from 11am-9pm Sunday to Thursday and 11am-10pm Friday and Saturday.
