Whether it’s waffle fries, curly fries or a hot baked potato, the style is up to The Spud Truck patrons.

Toppings are also for the choosing. That said, the food truck offers several specialty toppings.

There’s barbecue, chicken and waffles, pizza fries, bacon and cheese, chicken, bacon and ranch, buffalo chicken, fancy fries and more.

Like the name, The Spud Truck prepares, sells and serves spuds.

“All of our dishes are served on potatoes — baked potato or french fries,” said Coty Snoddy, 25, the man inside the Truck.

Snoddy was born and raised in Athens. He graduated from Athens High School in 2013 and Auburn University in 2017. After graduating, he went to work for Amazon in Texas.

“I came back to be closer to family,” he said, adding he got away to get his feet wet but wanted to find something closer to home, especially after his grandfather’s death.

Starting up The Spud Truck

Snoddy said he was at the bar at Village Pizza when Laura Tarokh approached him to talk about food trucks. Snoddy learned Josh Tarokh of Village Pizza wanted to start a food truck, but he didn’t have the “bandwidth” to do it.

“That’s where I came in,” Snoddy said.

The Spud Truck’s first event was June 1, the first Athens Saturday Market this season. Now, the food truck is heading into its fourth month.

Snoddy said some of their most successful events have been Fridays after Five on The Square.

“The city does a great job promoting those events,” he said. “It’s been fairly successful taking off.”

Snoddy said he knew it wasn’t going to be easy to start because the average person from Athens doesn’t think about lunch and think, “I’m going to go to a food truck.” Snoddy said people are still getting used to food trucks being an option.

“We are trying to grow the market here,” he said. “It’s been steady, but still has a long way to go.”

So far, Snoddy’s goal has been to set up somewhere Wednesday through Saturday of each week. Some of the places you might see The Spud Truck this fall are the Tennessee Valley Old Time Fiddlers Convention, Athens High School on Friday nights and Lester Haunted Hospital.

Snoddy said those who have tried The Spud Truck have been excited to see it in Athens.

Spud Truck design

The Spud Truck has a classic Americana look. It’s exactly what Snoddy wanted for the Ford F59 Stepvan. The design, which includes an almost electric baby blue, was put together by Athens resident Ian Milby.

“It’s inspired by the old, hand-painted signage which is prevalent throughout Alabama,” Milby said.

Milby said he went through a few different meetings and iterations with Snoddy before the design came to fruition.

“He and I were good friends through middle and high school and kind of relinked by chance one night here in town,” he said. “He told me about his idea for a food truck and I knew right away he had a solid plan with an established vision of what he wanted it to be and feel like.”

Milby said Snoddy started talking, and he started sketching out logo ideas. From there, it was pretty smooth, he said.

“Overall, it’s been a fun process and always an amazing feeling to see your own design driving down the road,” Milby said.

“He absolutely did a phenomenal job,” Snoddy said. “I owe him a ton, ton of credit for the look and feeling you get when you see The Spud Truck.”

Food trucks in the city

Food trucks in Athens have been a topic of discussion for some time. City officials are currently studying food trucks and could propose an ordinance concerning their use in the future.

In the meantime, Mayor Ronnie Marks has released guidance to the public when it comes to food trucks.

Food trucks are permitted by zoning to operate in Athens in certain limited situations. In all cases, the city’s fire and safety codes apply.

Also, unless a business license exception applies, food truck operators who operate in the city should have a business license and will be required to get an inspection.

During certain situations, such as festivals and special events, the mayor can approve a special business license exemption that allows food trucks to participate in the event without a license. However, the exemption means they will required to adhere to certain rules and be inspected by city officials in advance.

There are three types of municipal ordinances that apply to food trucks: the zoning ordinance, the ordinance adopting certain technical and safety codes, and the business license ordinance.

Those who are interested in finding out more about food trucks in the city can call Amy Golden at Athens One Stop Shop at 256-262-1525.

To find out more about Snoddy’s food truck, find “The Spud Truck” on Facebook or @spudtruckal on Twitter and Instagram.