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
Kansas Citians preparing for plethora of pitch competitions
A staple of early-stage business — the elevator pitch — will be on full display for the Kansas City community in coming weeks. Entrepreneurs from around the metro area have several upcoming opportunities to pitch their businesses or to hear other innovators deliver spiels on their firms. Here are few of those events. The University of Kansas’…
Royals, entrepreneurial stars fielding pitches from Kansas City educators
Children today require more than just a pencil and paper to complete their lesson plan. Thanks to a booming education technology market, teachers’ out-of-pocket spending goes far beyond the occasional pen, pencil or box of tissues nowadays. In 2013, teachers spent $1.6 billion annually to support their classroom. To alleviate the climbing prices of basic…
FCC commissioner Ajit Pai’s six strategic steps to close the digital divide
In his second visit to Kansas City within the last six months, Federal Communications Commission Commissioner Ajit Pai stopped by Think Big Tuesday as part of his fight to close the digital divide. Growing up in a small Kansas town three hours south of the metro, Pai said he’s familiar with the energy and vitality…
New regulations yield opportunity for animal feed tech startup
Editor’s note: This content is sponsored by LaunchKC but independently produced by Startland News. Growing up, Gretchen Henry’s family farmed cotton in Southeast Missouri. Although most are familiar with the white, pillowy substance we find in our clothes, use to wash our face or clean our ears, animals also eat it. Livestock feed features many…