Pota Madre turns one potato wagon into a 20-location brand
Kaj Hereid Myklatun and his team built Pota Madre around generous food, a warm welcome and a personality people remember. With 20 locations and ninito now supporting the chain, The Norwegian Cowboy is preparing the business for what comes next.
- Where the story began
- 1 wagon
- Built by Kaj and his team
- 20 locations
Preferred by the best restaurants
A single wagon, and the people who made it something bigger
Pota Madre began with one potato wagon. Today, Kaj Hereid Myklatun and his team have turned that beginning into 20 locations and an enthusiastic following in Western Norway. The food is generous, the welcome is warm and the brand has a personality of its own. That is the result of years of work by a founder and a team who care about the experience they give people. Their next ambition is to keep building without losing what made the first wagon worth visiting.
The Norwegian Cowboy behind the idea
Kaj Hereid Myklatun is better known as The Norwegian Cowboy. Outgoing, energetic and ready to help, he is the kind of person people remember after meeting. Those qualities are part of Pota Madre too. He has spent years building a business around food people enjoy, generous portions and a welcome that feels personal.
Taking a single wagon to 20 locations demanded more than a memorable name. Kaj put ambition, persistence and years of effort into developing the business. His energy helped shape a recognisable brand, while the daily work of running and growing it gave that personality something lasting to stand on.
The welcome is part of the food
There is more to Pota Madre than what goes into a potato. Generous portions bring people in. Friendly employees, a lively atmosphere and a brand with personality give them something to come back for. The experience feels approachable because the people serving it are.
The employees carry that idea into every visit. They prepare the food, welcome the guests and give the brand its everyday character. Together with Kaj, they have built an enthusiastic following in Western Norway. The response from customers reflects the whole experience, from the generous food to the people serving it.
One wagon became 20 locations
Today, Pota Madre has 20 locations. That number represents years of decisions, effort and teamwork. A small beginning has become a Norwegian food brand that people recognise and seek out, while keeping the generous food and welcoming personality that made the first wagon worth visiting.
With 20 locations, Kaj and his team have more colleagues to support and more of the guest experience to look after. Their ambition is to keep developing the brand while protecting its character. That requires a clear view of the whole chain and systems that make it easier to run, so growth leaves room for the people and food at the heart of Pota Madre.
The work behind 20 places to eat
The previous POS and administration setup had not kept pace with the business Kaj and his team were building. Analog processes and disconnected tools created more manual work as the chain grew. Across 20 locations, it became difficult to follow sales and performance, manage the business centrally and maintain a clear connection with customers.
High payment transaction costs added another burden. Kaj and the team wanted to put their time and resources into the business itself. They needed a way to see the chain clearly, reduce repeated administration and give customer relationships room to develop across the Pota Madre experience.
Choosing a partner for the business Pota Madre had become
Pota Madre evaluated multiple POS providers with the whole chain in mind. Central management and clearer sales insight would help the team make everyday decisions. Loyalty across channels, a branded app and more direct customer communication could strengthen the relationship guests already had with the brand. Lower payment costs and less manual administration also mattered.
The chain chose ninito as its main technology provider, and the core system is now in place across all 20 locations. POS, central management, sales insight and loyalty work together, giving Kaj and the team a more connected way to run the business. A branded app is planned, with further communication and marketing capabilities to follow. That gives the partnership a practical starting point and a clear direction for the next stage.
A chain needs people who can turn its plans into a working restaurant setup. ninito’s team brings restaurant experience to menus, kitchen workflows and launch preparation. Pro and Enterprise also include ongoing menu, campaign and loyalty work at no extra charge. The expertise stays with the restaurant after the system goes live.
Now connected across all 20 locations
The main ninito system is implemented throughout Pota Madre. Central management, sales insight and cross-platform loyalty work within the same ecosystem. The branded app and expanded customer communication are the next steps.
One view of all 20 locations
Central tools connect menus, activity and administration. Kaj and the team can manage the chain without assembling the same information in separate places.
See how the chain is doing
Connected sales data makes performance across locations easier to follow and gives the team a clearer basis for everyday decisions.
Loyalty across the Pota Madre experience
Cross-platform loyalty was central to the choice. The same customer relationship can continue across connected ordering channels instead of starting over each time.
A Pota Madre app is planned
The planned branded app will connect ordering, loyalty and customer relationships to the same ecosystem. It is part of the next stage, not an already launched app.
Closer customer contact is next
Upcoming communication and marketing capabilities will help the team reach customers more directly, working alongside the connected loyalty programme.
Lower costs could make room for much more
ninito estimates savings of at least NOK 10,000 per location per month through lower payment-related costs and simpler administration. Across 20 locations, that is a substantial opportunity to put more back into the business.
- Estimated per location, per month
- 10,000kr
- Estimated across 20 locations, per month
- 200,000kr
- Annual equivalent, if achieved all year
- 2.4 millionkr
These are projections based on current estimates of payment and administration savings, not audited or already realized results. The annual figure is the monthly chain estimate multiplied by 12. The opportunity is more room for employees, the guest experience and Pota Madre’s continued growth.
The change behind the counter
The main system is in place. The comparison separates the connected tools in use from the planned app, upcoming communication and estimated cost reductions.
Before ninito
High payment transaction costs
Analog, manual processes
Difficult chain-wide visibility
Fragmented customer engagement
Limited direct customer communication
Disconnected tools
Growing administrative workload
No unified branded customer app
With ninito
Lower payment costs in the current estimate
Centralized digital management
A clearer view of all 20 locations
Connected loyalty across platforms
Integrated communication and marketing coming next
One connected restaurant ecosystem
A simpler structure for managing the chain
A dedicated Pota Madre app planned
The same Pota Madre spirit, with room for what comes next
Kaj and his team turned a single potato wagon into a brand people seek out across Western Norway. Twenty locations represent their ambition, their daily effort and the response of guests who enjoy the food and the welcome. That achievement belongs to the people who built Pota Madre.
With ninito’s core system now in place at all 20 locations, the team has connected tools for managing the chain and its customer relationships. The app and further communication capabilities are still ahead, and financial savings remain estimates. The purpose is to give Kaj and his people more room to develop Pota Madre, while keeping its generous food and unmistakable personality at the centre.
Pota Madre and ninito
Who is behind Pota Madre?
Pota Madre was founded by Kaj Hereid Myklatun, known as The Norwegian Cowboy. Kaj and his team grew the potato-based food concept from one wagon to 20 locations, building a customer following in Western Norway.
What has Pota Madre implemented with ninito?
The main ninito system is implemented across all 20 locations. It connects restaurant POS, central management, sales insight and cross-platform loyalty. A branded Pota Madre app is planned, and more direct customer communication and marketing capabilities are upcoming.
How much could Pota Madre save?
ninito estimates savings of at least NOK 10,000 per location per month from payment-related and administration costs. Across 20 locations, that is NOK 200,000 per month or NOK 2.4 million over a full year if the estimate is achieved consistently. These are projections, not audited or already realized results.
Why did Pota Madre choose ninito?
After evaluating multiple providers, Pota Madre chose ninito for a connected restaurant ecosystem with centralized chain management, loyalty across channels, better sales visibility, lower expected costs and a plan for its own app and customer communication.
