Kratochwill also made various non-tot specials, including a bruschetta chicken sandwich, catfish, various slow-cooked crock pot sandwiches and fried breaded Munster cheese sticks.

Over the years, Kratochwill made a name for Pots-n-Tots, winning five Taste of Madison ribbons in four years. One year at Taste of Madison, he sold more than 850 pounds of tater tots.

Pots-n-Tots also had a restaurant in West Towne Mall for a time, but Kratochwill said he had to close it because not enough people were coming to the mall location for him to afford the rent.

Kratochwill is planning to move outside of Wisconsin for another job opportunity, but said he wants to wait until it’s finalized to make a public announcement of what he will be doing next.

Although Kratochwill is heartbroken about his truck being destroyed, he said he is ready to move on.

Kratochwill loves cooking, but he said running a food cart is a challenging work environment. Temperatures in the cart can reach upwards of 120 degrees with the fryer inside. Kratochwill also frequently got burned by the oil, and the heat and oil caused his acne to flare up.

“Maybe it’s time to hang it up after five years,” he said.