CASPER, Wyo. –– The Eastridge Mall’s dormant food court is poised to make a comeback with the addition of a loaded baked potato establishment.
Restauranteur James Brady and his wife Daisy are opening a Casper version of their popular Spud Man restaurant they operate in downtown Riverton.
“We’ve been looking to expand and looking for opportunities,” said Brady, crediting the Eastridge Mall’s management team for offering them incentives to help revive the food court. “They have some good ideas about trying to bring people back to the mall, and I thought I could be a part of that.”
Spud Man will be located in the old Flaming Wok spot, which was the last food service business in the once-thriving food court before closing last year after two decades of business. Brady said the existing kitchen had most of the needed equipment to prepare their food, except for the addition of a proper oven for cooking potatoes.
Spud Man will serve up large potatoes loaded to-order with generous amounts of toppings, he said. The concept is hugely popular in England with fans also across the U.S., but has not been well represented lately in Casper.
Brady said the standard loaded potato with cheese, bacon, scallions and sour cream tends to be the most popular menu item, followed by a brisket and cheese, and the “Cattleman,” which features diced filet mignon. There are also vegetarian offerings.
A Spud Man loaded potato concept will open in the former location for Flaming Wok at Casper’s Eastridge Mall. (Klark Byrd, Oil City News)
Brady, who grew up in Cody, had worked for decades in the restaurant business before launching his own establishment. He enjoyed the experience in high school, but got into the auto mechanics business before having a change of heart.
“I got tired of busting my knuckles and decided to start cooking again,” he said. He moved to Las Vegas, where he landed a gig at celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse’s Delmonico Steakhouse. After several years there he moved to another James Beard award-winning restaurants before moving back to Wyoming, working as executive chef and food and beverage director at the Sheridan Holiday Inn. He moved to Arizona for a spell to run a restaurant there before taking a job in Riverton, where in time he decided to launch his own business.
“I had been thinking about doing spuds for several years, thinking I might just do a food truck,” he said. “I thought it was a unique idea, especially after noticing potato food trucks round Great Britain that are very popular.”
Spud Man started out as a food trailer parked next to a building, where he had more space to prep food. The concept quickly took off, and he decided to abandon the trailer and move to a brick-and-mortar store downtown. “We increased our revenues quite a bit when we made that move,” he said.
Brady has spent the last few weeks driving to and from Casper to get the new location launched. He’s hired staff and hung signage, and plans to do a soft opening starting this Wednesday or Thursday, he said. A grand opening will be held at a later date.
Spud Man business hours will be Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., he said. A website specific to Casper’s location has been launched, and social media pages are in the works.
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Dining and Cooking