The Spud Renaissance is here as Autotrader and the UK’s most viral food duo launch their drive-thru; The ‘Autotater’ in Manchester
The humble jacket potato has officially completed its cultural glow-up. Once a school-dinner staple, the spud has been reborn as a viral icon over the past year.
Now, the UK’s leading ‘Spud-fluencers’, SpudBros, who have largely driven the rise in demand in Spuds with their 7 sites across the UK, have now teamed up with Autotrader, the UK’s largest automotive marketplace, to bring the trend to the tarmac.
For one day only at Manchester’s Depot Mayfield, the Preston-born duo behind the 1.5 billion-view #SpudTok phenomenon swapped their high-street queues for a high-octane drive-thru. The unlikely partnership aims to help feed the nation's obsession with loaded spuds while waking drivers up to the fact they could be losing an average of £1,600 by not knowing their car's true value, according to new research from Autotrader.
The ‘Autotater’ drive thru arrives as data confirms the UK is in the grip of a spud renaissance, with recent polls demonstrating that 94% of UK adults now eat a jacket potato at least once a week - something that has been driven by the anti-processed food movement and the viral ASMR appeal of a perfectly fluffed potato. Additionally, Google Trend searches for ‘jacket potato’ have seen a surge of 178% on major retail sites leading into 2026.
Viral Tiktok stars, SpudBros (Jacob and Harley Nelson), who have amassed over 6 million followers, and previously collaborated with the likes of MrBeast, the world’s biggest YouTuber, have seen this rise in spud popularity over the years, with the duo’s TikTok views alone hit a staggering 1.5 billion, with daily view counts often reaching 10 million.
The duo’s meteoric rise recently saw them flying over to Portugal to deliver jacket potatoes to the Jonas Brothers whilst they were on tour, and more recently becoming the official front-of-shirt sponsors for Preston North End FC, proving the humble potato is now a heavy hitter in British culture.
"We’ve always been about pushing the boundaries of what people expect from a potato, so taking the SpudBros energy to a drive-thru for the first time was the natural next step. It’s a unique experience and we love the fact that we can take the well-known concept of a drive-thru but give it a fun and genuinely useful twist with the help of fellow northern brand Autotrader. This might be our first drive-thru, but it’s definitely just the start of how we’re keeping the humble spud at the center of everything. Who knows where we’ll pop up next?"
Jacob Nelson, Co-Founder of SpudBros
While the SpudBros focus on the perfect Tram Sauce and crispy skin, Autotrader is tackling a different kind of price shock. New research reveals 44% of UK drivers have no idea what their car is worth, and 51% don't know how to check accurately.
To prove that a valuation is faster than a microwave setting, the drive-thru offered live valuations in under 10 seconds to help people understand how easy it can be and why they should be doing it to make sure they don’t miss out on money.
Erin Baker, Editorial Director at Autotrader, added: "Too many people are selling their cars blind. Seeing the reactions today proves that knowledge is power. We want to ensure no one settles for 'small potatoes' when it's time to sell.
The Manchester drive-thru marks a new chapter for the brothers. Having expanded from their original Preston tram to brick-and-mortar SpudBros Express stores in London (Soho), Liverpool, and Sheffield and Portsmouth, the duo are now trialing petrol station concessions. Their goal? To make the healthy, whole-food jacket potato a high-street rival to the likes of Greggs and Subway for motorists nationwide.
To value your car for free in under 10 seconds, visit: https://www.autotrader.co.uk/cars/valuation
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Notes to Editors
About Autotrader
Autotrader Group plc is the UK’s largest automotive marketplace. It listed on the London Stock Exchange in March 2015 and is a member of the FTSE 100 Index.
Autotrader’s purpose is Driving Change Together. Responsibly. Autotrader is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive culture, it aims to build stronger partnerships with its customers and use its voice and influence to drive more environmentally friendly vehicle choices.
With the largest number of car buyers and the largest choice of trusted stock, Autotrader’s marketplace sits at the heart of the UK car buying process. That marketplace is built on an industry-leading technology and data platform, which is increasingly used across the automotive industry. Autotrader is continuing to bring more of the car buying journey online, creating an improved buying experience, whilst enabling all its retailer partners to sell vehicles online.
Autotrader publishes a monthly used car Retail Price Index which is based on pricing analysis of circa 800,000 unique vehicles. The same data that powers the Index is used by the Office for National Statistics to make the UK’s official measures of inflation more robust, as well as the Bank of England to feed the broader UK economic indicators.
For more information, please visit: https://plc.autotrader.co.uk/
About SpudBros
SpudBros are the UK’s most popular food creators, taking the internet and the nation by storm. What began as a humble tram in Preston has transformed into a viral sensation, amassing over 4.8 million TikTok followers (the most of any spud seller), 209 million likes, 1.35 million YouTube subscribers and 1 million followers on Instagram, plus a fast-growing Facebook audience. Their innovative content, infectious energy, and delicious recipes have made them the name on everyone’s lips. From Preston roots to global recognition, SpudBros have collaborated with the Sidemen and MrBeast, with their SpudBros Express concept voted number one in Sidemen’s viral TikTok food test. More than just a viral hit, SpudBros are building a brand with impact. With an ethos of Great Food, Good Vibes, and Giving Back, they’ve attracted celebrity fans including Will Smith, Liam Neeson and Joe Jonas, been seen on BBC Breakfast, and in The Guardian, Telegraph and The Times, Daily Express, Metro.co.uk, and beyond, and rolling out Express stores across the UK.
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