"It's all about the potatoes": TikTok influencers SpudBros turn out to support Portsmouth entrepreneur as new SpudBros Express franchise opens

Following more than three weeks of anticipation and controversy SpudBros Express officially opened its doors in Commercial Road on January 27, with passionate potato lovers standing in the rain for hours to get their hands on a free spud.

The new franchise site, which opened its doors at midday, is owned and operated by Sunny Bassi who was inspired by the success of Jacob and Harley Nelson, who have more than eight million followers on social media.

The SpudBros’ journey started back in 1955, when a hot-potato cart first opened on Preston’s Flag Market. But decades on and the brothers have transformed the family tradition into one of the most recognisable food brands across the country.

The opening is the latest in a series of spud wars after the announcement of the new shop sparked controversy amongst locals due to the proximity of the site to the Jacket Potato Lady van, prompting a visit from SpudMan.

Jacob said: “There is enough room and enough people here to see success and if anyone wants help, we are here to support them. We are just excited to be here really and keep serving potatoes.”

Sunny explained that he was motivated to launch the first SpudBros franchise in the south because of “the boys, the vibes they bring and the community spirit they bring wherever they go.”

He added: “Just everything as a whole what they stand for, the brand and the product and aside from that, it’s all about the potato.

“You can see the hype and the chaos and the vibes, everything is buzzing and it’s been really, really good.”

“I’m feeling really positive - a lot of stuff has gone on but with the amount of feedback we’ve had, the amount of people we’ve had come in while we are still getting ready to open has been amazing.

“We are just normal people, we are here to open a business that was closed for six years, taken on 40 people to create a fantastic team - I’d like to think we’ve livened up this whole corner of Commercial Road and we just want everyone to come.”

The official launch saw people queueing hours in the rain in order to get a glimpse inside the venue, meet Jacob and Harley and tuck into one of the free 100 jacket potatoes that were being dished out.

And one dedicated customer, Levi Libby, said he waited almost 12 and a half hours to be first in the line and, not only did he claim his free potato, but he also received £100.

Getting stuck into the action, the brothers were behind the counter dishing up the free jacket potatoes, with Jacob saying the atmosphere was “really great.”

The 30-year-old said: “We’re buzzing to be here. It’s good for everybody. Everyone is talking about it which what we are all about - making more noise, more posts and selling more potatoes.

“I think a lot of people don’t fully understand that it’s not us opening but it’s Sunny and he is trying to bring something he has a passion for to Portsmouth - We met him and he was saying about the community and the great food, interactions with customers and we thought it was perfect and we have helped him with the marketing side of things since.

“We are looking at potential other sites with him so if all goes well in Portsmouth there might be something there.”

SpudBros started expanding and opening franchises back in 2024 and the business has already established successful locations in London, Blackburn, Liverpool, Sheffield and Wakefield.

Speaking about their success, Harley said: “We have this saying where we think we are going to wake up in our cereal like it’s all been a dream.”

The new franchise will dish up firm favourites including the SpudBros classic, the Spudfather, tuna coleslaw, bolognese spud, garlic chilli chicken and more.

Sunny added: “This is what I love doing. I love meeting people, seeing customers enjoying food like I enjoy food.”

Jacob explained: “We are the face of SpudBros - It is something we always wanted to do. We wanted to build a global brand and use social media and use it in a positive way and then give back to the community which is a really big thing for us. After we finished our training here yesterday, we got 25 potatoes and gave some out in the city.

“A lot of hard work goes into this - We pride ourselves on three things: the customers, the food and the staff to make sure they have a great time and they enjoy it because that’s really important to us.”