Why Waffles Are Putting Mandan, North Dakota On The Map

We were supposed to head to our lake cabin this past weekend and open it up.

It's a four-hour drive to my lake oasis in northeast South Dakota, so it's a significant hop, skip, and a jump.  You definitely have to allow yourself enough time each weekend to make the drive worth it, especially with the price of gas these days.

We took off early Saturday morning with the boat hitched up to my truck when just before the McKenzie exit on I-94 we heard a loud pop sound coming from the back of my truck.  Just then, my steering veered to the side, and I knew I had a blowout.

After getting my tire changed with the spare, and finding someplace open on a Saturday to fix the blown tire, I knew our time at the lake wasn't going to happen at this point.  It wouldn't be worth it with the time wasted on changing our flat and fixing the tire.

So while we were waiting for my blown tire to get fixed in Mandan, I asked the Mrs. if she wanted to get something to eat.  She told me about a place in Mandan on Main that a lot of her co-workers had talked about before.  "A waffle restaurant".

I'm like, waffles?  Count me in.  By far my favorite of the three breakfast dishes we put syrup on.  Pancakes get soggy (not to mention the syrup runs everywhere). French toast is a step up from pancakes.  However, the "creme de la creme" of breakfast foods in my world is definitely waffles.  And, not the frozen food kind of waffles, the thick waffles that hold your syrup perfectly in a reservoir of flavor goodness.

The waffle house in Mandan that has people coming from all over the country to visit is Copper Dog Cafe on Main Street.

They had a line out the door this past Saturday morning, and now I understand why.  The atmosphere reminds me of a cafe in a big city like Minneapolis.  It's so quaint.  They specialize in waffles and coffee.

Copper Dog's waffles are one-of-a-kind, custom-made with only the best of wheat and flour from right here in North Dakota.

You can tell the Copper Dog is very proud of its North Dakota roots. They're local and not afraid to tell you.  As a lifelong resident of the state, I appreciate this, and I want to frequent this business because of it (besides the delicious waffles).

I ordered a waffle with cinnamon, caramel, bananas, whipped cream, and walnuts.  Yes, it was to die for.  Here's a picture of it.

The service at the Copper Dog was excellent (despite being very crowded), and I was very impressed with their staff.  Everybody was so friendly, including the customers.  Probably, because everybody was so happy just to be there.

Do yourself and your family a favor.  Treat yourself to the Copper Dog in Mandan.  I can't believe I waited so long to do so.

For an hour or so, I actually forgot all about my travel woes.  Thank you, Copper Dog.

Signed,

A new loyal customer.

Rick Rider