'We milked the hell out of it' Why takeaways and food shops go viral - and what happens next

Ben Newman, also known as the Spudman, spends as much time posing for selfies these days as he does selling jacket potatoes from his van in Tamworth.

- Jessica Murray & Robyn Vinter

His van is a sensation on TikTok and he has seen people travel from all over the world to try his food -jacket potatoes with toppings such as butter, cheese and beans although he isn't quite sure why.

Newman joins the likes of Binley Mega Chippy, Get Baked and Wakey Wines as one of a number of businesses to have seen a huge influx of customers in recent years after going viral on social media.

"It's a tough one to say why everyone is coming. I'm under no illusion that what we do, you can get anywhere. I'm just very good at shouting about it," said the 39-year-old, while serving about 100 customers who had flocked for a spud at 11 am on a Monday.

As he talked, a teenager came up and asked if he could record Newman giving a "shout-out" to his group chat, quickly followed by a man asking if he could record a quick hello for his son. Are people coming to Tamworth for him or the potatoes? "I think probably a bit of both," he said. "Customer service is just as important to me as the product that we sell."