Prairie Dog Café - McLaughlin, SD

123 Main Street, McLaughlin, SD 57642

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PrairieDogCafe

Located in the North central section of South Dakota, the city of McLaughlin easily has more prairie dogs than people. The 2010 census listed the human population at 663; it is the largest city on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation. Hunting the burrowing rodents for sport brings in people from around the world. The task is necessary as the animals create a hazard to the land where cattle and horses roam.

When Mary Petersen’s husband, Jerry, relocated the couple to the area for his insurance business, Mary was sure McLaughlin was “the end of the world.” After 30 years, she embraces the wide open area where there are no stop lights and living is, “free, easy and laid back.”

Previous owners had let their restaurant go, but the community still the needed a good gathering place. Thus, the Petersens decided to take over the business in 2004. Open daily from 7 am – 2 pm, they serve breakfast and lunch. The restaurant stays open until 8 pm for the Thursday rib eye steak special and on Fridays for Jerry’s Rockin’ Ribs barbecue. The barbecue brings customers in “from all over” from the week after Easter until the week before Thanksgiving. The cold South Dakota temperatures then give way to Fridays inside and hearty offerings like chicken fried steaks.

The restaurant’s specialty is the Prairie Dog Mound: a breakfast of hash browns piled high with red and green peppers, onions, ham, bacon or sausage, topped with Swiss and American cheese and eggs made to order.

Located about a block off the I-12 Interstate, McLauglin’s Main Street runs for about eight blocks and is the main area of commerce. The Petersens didn’t give a second thought to their address when they got into the restaurant business. However, Mary wonders if other businesses have the same problem with mail orders as they do: “No one believes this [123 Main Street] is a real address…especially Federal Express, they tell us it’s an inaccurate address and will kick it back. We have to use our home address to get things delivered.”