Food Truck Spotlight
There's nothing sleepy about this baked potato food truck
When it comes to launching a food truck Mario L. Johnson says "go for it," but make sure you really want it as it's hard work.
July 17, 2023 by Judy Mottl — Editor, RetailCustomerExperience.com & DigitalSignageToday.com
Mario L. Johnson opened his first brick-and-mortar restaurant, The Original Sleepy Potato, in 2018 with a menu focused on the baked potato — loaded with seafood, loaded with meat, loaded with homemade sauces. It describes its fare as "infused XXL loaded potatoes with the works" and topics range from lamb to salmon to chicken to vegetables.
Then there's the flavored fries — think rand, lemon pepper, Old Bay — as well as appetizers, salads and wings.
With six restaurants up and running at this point, through Atlanta and Detroit, Johnson launched a food truck in 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. Detroit is his hometown and Atlanta is where he now calls home.
"With me knowing both markets, I felt the need to make sure that I have a presence in both locations," he told FoodTruckOperator in an email interview. Below is an edited version of an interview with Johnson about why he launched a food truck and advice he has for those considering the business.
Q. How did you come up with the name?
A. When I think of The Sleepy Potato, I think of a place where you can get a great potato. It's something universal that can appeal to everyone. Plus, I like the idea of you getting sleepy after eating one of our big baked potatoes filled with toppings. You can also get fries, tossed with seafood, meat and homemade sauces.
Q. What prompted you to start a food truck?
A. Once I opened my Detroit location, I started to look into getting another Atlanta location. Before I opened in Greenbriar Mall in Atlanta, I wanted to get something where I can serve the masses without having them drive to an area that was out of the way. In Atlanta, a lot of areas are spread out. So instead of having someone drive to a specific location, I wanted to be able to bring the experience directly to them. With having the food truck, we are allowed to reach people at festivals, parties, gatherings, events and more. Some of these events are attended by people from other cities, states and countries. The Sleepy Potato truck allows us to reach people who may not have heard of us.
Q. How did you go about food truck development? Did you build or buy? And why did you choose the path you did with development?
A. I bought the food truck. We did renovations and an additional build out. We customized the hood, flow and setup, which included warmers and fryers. We had to create a place to store the potatoes and made the interior more like a kitchen.
Q. How did you go about the decor/visual?
A. Yes, the food truck has an identical aesthetic to our physical locations. Actually, our mall locations have a buildout that looks just like the food truck.
Q. Do you make all the food on the truck or do you use home-based kitchen or commissary space?
A. Yes, everything is made on the truck.
Q. What's the best part of being a food truck operator?
A. The best part is being able to be mobile. We can go outside of a big party or nightclub and get instant foot traffic. We can also work into the wee hours of the morning, especially when an area is still crowded. Plus, we can go on the road to festivals and other events that we may not be able to make normally.
Q. What's the worst part of operating a food truck?
A. The worst part is that it is difficult having that dedicated staff in place when it comes to operating the truck. Having a food truck can be intense. Also, having those people that are willing and able to travel to an event can be a lot. Ideally, I want my food truck to be at places every day of the week, but there are times when that can't happen.
Q. What lessons have you learned since launching the truck?
A. Make sure you do your due diligence before purchasing a truck. Don't hesitate to take a mechanic with you to take a look at things before purchasing.
Q. Is there anything you would have done differently at the start?
Make sure you have the right partners in place if you are doing something with someone else. I've been through a lot to build the Sleepy Potato brand but I came in contact with some wrong people along the way. But thank God, he has allowed me to be in a place to do it on my own with no partners, no investors; just hard work and sacrifice.
Q. Any tips/advice to others thinking of launching a food truck?
A. Go for it. Everyone's experience is different. It's all relative. But make sure you really want it because it's hard work. Make sure you give clients great food and have great service. With a food truck, it can get busy, tiresome and frantic. Please make sure you are still delivering top tier food and service, even when things get hectic.
Photo provided by Mario L. Johnson.
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