This BBQ vendor comes fully loaded with spuds and spices; Soon he’ll park the business along one of KC’s busiest streets
June 18, 2024 | Taylor Wilmore
Southern flavors find a new home at the window of Thomas “TC” Clark’s food truck, a popular Kansas City destination on wheels that specializes in Southern and barbecue cuisine served on loaded baked potatoes.
Thomas “TC” Clark, T.C.’s FullyLoaded; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News
“When I moved here, I missed the barbecue baked potatoes we had back home, so that was a big inspiration,” said Clark, the Prattville Alabama native known as “Potatoman” who launched T.C.’s FullyLoaded as a mobile business in 2019.
Click here to follow Clark’s business on Instagram.
Soon his loaded spuds will be available beyond streetside, he said, as Clark focuses on getting his recently secured brick and mortar storefront at 1407 Southwest Boulevard and up and running by October. He then plans to transition the food truck to be used only for special events and catering, he said.
Clark, who graduated from Alabama State University and moved to Kansas City for a job at Cerner, began his journey by selling potatoes out of his house for two years before launching TC’s FullyLoaded.
“I was homesick, and cooking is comforting, so that was the start of it,” he said, detailing how the business grew with visits to music and cultural festivals, corporate events, and universities across Kansas City.
RELATED: Juneteenth efforts confront ‘complex history’, generational trauma in KC communities
Thomas “TC” Clark takes a lunch order at T.C.’s FullyLoaded food truck; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News
Cajun, BBQ taters
FullyLoaded’s menu combines both Kansas City’s and North Alabama’s barbecue cultures. One of the standout dishes — “The K.C.” — features a barbecue baked potato topped with burnt ends, cheddar, sour cream, and green onion.
“Back home, you can get barbecue on a potato,” Clark said. “That’s where the idea came from.”
His lineup also features Clark’s cajun flavors with a crab and shrimp loaded baked potato named “Mr. Krabz”, and his “NOLA” potato with crawfish, andouille sausage, and shrimp. Both spuds are topped with his cajun creamy sauce.
View this post on Instagram
Following his own recipe
Clark’s transition from a home-based operation to a food truck wasn’t without challenges.
“Securing that initial food truck was tough. It took a lot of saving and finding the right people to build it out,” he said.
Despite such hurdles, Clark’s determination paid off, he said, noting the support of his family has been key.
His wife, Brandlyn, helps with various tasks, contributing her banana pudding to the menu, and his 9-month-year-old baby girl is a constant source of motivation, he said.
“I try not to cook as much all the time now. I balance my life by not working all day,” Clark said.
Thomas “TC” Clark also known as Potatoman sets out Potato Head toys at the T.C.’s FullyLoaded food truck; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News
T.C’s FullyLoaded now has a significant following, driven in part by its strong presence on social media, baking more than 12,000 followers on Instagram.
“You have to follow us around to see where we’ll be, and our demographic is younger, so they’re on social media a lot more,” said Clark.
Despite the early challenges of starting a business from the ground up, being resourceful will make all the difference, Clark advised.
“It’s a good era to be an entrepreneur because of the resources available,” he said. “You can research a lot online, but it’s also important to get out there and test things yourself.”
Taylor Wilmore
Taylor Wilmore, hailing from Lee’s Summit, is a dedicated reporter and a recent graduate of the University of Missouri, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Journalism. Taylor channels her deep-seated passion for writing and storytelling to create compelling narratives that shed light on the diverse residents of Kansas City.
Prior to her role at Startland News, Taylor made valuable contributions as a reporter for the Columbia Missourian newspaper, where she covered a wide range of community news and higher education stories.
2024 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Before prime time: Did Amazon’s 1999 arrival in Kansas deliver on hype?
In 1999, Amazon — still in its infancy — meant only two things to most consumers: low-priced books and CDs. But for one small town in Kansas, residents believed the online retailer had the potential to be a game-changer for their economically depressed, rural community. “People in Coffeyville were practically doing cartwheels in the streets,” said…
FCC head: Repealing net neutrality will boost innovation, investment; startups disagree
The Federal Communications Commission is preparing to eliminate regulatory rules that prohibit internet service providers from interfering with consumers’ access to web content. FCC chairman Ajit Pai announced in a Wall Street Journal op-ed that the regulatory body will vote Dec. 14 to repeal 2015 Obama-era regulations. That regulatory model, referred to as Title II,…
Bitten by Disney sharks, Roy Scott beats the odds with Healthy Hip Hop
When a potentially life-altering business deal suddenly vanished, Roy Scott didn’t get mad — he got funded. “Disney thought they were going to snuff us out, but all they did was put gasoline on this fire,” said Scott, founder of Kansas City-based H3 Enterprises (Healthy Hip Hop). Rewind. Starting his company with a live performance-based…
Governor-in-waiting talks startup funding, Amazon and why entrepreneurism is bigger than KC
The strongest person in the room isn’t necessarily the loudest, Jeff Colyer said. “Kansans are used to being overlooked,” he said. “My role as lieutenant governor was to be a little quieter. You give your best advice. And when decisions are made, you’re going to work to support them.” Soon, however, he’ll be the state’s…