The Historical Railroad That Put Baked Potatoes In The Spotlight

Few dishes are as well-rounded as the baked potato. The mighty baked spud is a must at steakhouses, is welcome at some fast food restaurants (here's looking at you, Wendy's), has food trucks devoted to them, and is celebrated whether it's topped with butter and salt, or mounds of caviar. According to a Civic Science study and survey, baked potatoes are Americans' third favorite way to enjoy the humble tuber behind crispy french fries and mashed potatoes. Interestingly, this might not be the case had it not been for the clever marketing of a certain turn-of-the-century railroad called the Northern Pacific Railway.

In the early 20th century, railway lines attempted to set themselves apart from one another, and therefore draw in travelers, by their dining options. New to his job, Hazen Titus was the superintendent of dining cars for Northern Pacific (NP) in 1908 when he overheard a conversation between two farmers en route to Washington state that would begin America's love affair with baked potatoes. Due primarily to a clever marketing campaign, travelers became eager to order giant baked potatoes aboard the NP lines, which they could purchase for ten cents a pop. They were filling for the passengers, not to mention affordable for the railway to keep stocked, making it a win-win situation, and making baked potatoes a beloved American food.

The early 1900s was a time of fine china, silverware, tablecloths and five-star service aboard trains, which stands in stark contrast to today's train dining cars which are rich in frozen breakfast sandwiches, candy bars, and pre-made salads. So how did the modest baked potato find its way onto these high brow menus? A genius marketing plan, of course. 

Hazen Titus and the two farmers he eavesdropped on knew Americans liked potatoes, but at the time, smaller potatoes were what were on people's dinner plates. It turned out, the farming duo had an abundance of huge, oversized spuds that they didn't know what to do with, so Titus edged his way into the conversation and, before long, was able to take a bushel of these vegetables to the cooks at NP's headquarters, where he charged them to make something memorable for the company's dining program. They baked them.

In a short time, these giant, baked potatoes were being served aboard with lots of butter and silver spoons. In addition, NP began advertising itself as the "Route of the Great Big Baked Potato", running print ads and making a potato with butter and a spoon its signature image. It would eventually be placed on company merchandise like pencils, letter openers, aprons, and postcards. Baked potatoes were popping up everywhere, and hungry travelers loved them.

Eventually, fine dining on trains (and their perfect baked potatoes) became a rare exception rather than the rule, but these behemoth side dishes that double as meals seared themselves onto the psyches (and dinner tables) of American citizens, even into today.