We get a lot of people going to and from the river to fish. “A lot of customers travel from towns around the area, and the flooded roads stopped a lot of that. The flood caused a portion of the highway that serves as a main corridor to her restaurant to shut down. What was supposed to be a strong second year of operation at a new spot became what Mengenhauser said was the “most difficult year” she ever had running the business. With a bigger building that could seat up to double the amount of customers, Mengenhauser and a family member had the new restaurant location humming along until the 2019 flood hit.
As it began experiencing asbestos and became too costly to afford the electric bills, she closed it in 2017 and built the restaurant in a new spot along Highway 281 the following year. “To do that, you gotta love to cook.”įor roughly five years, she operated the restaurant with her late husband, Mark Mengenhauser, in the old Melmers Drive In building, which was much smaller than the existing building. I wanted to give that to the community,” she said. “Growing up, you had a home-cooked meal everyday. It was then she learned the art of South Dakota down-home cooking and baking sweets. She developed a passion for cooking as a young kid growing up in Canova, where she learned the trade from her parents. “We had no restaurant in town, and we’re the county seat for Charles Mix County. “I’ve tried to help build this town up, but dang it, you need a restaurant to do it,” Mengenhauser said. In 2014, the community had a spot to dine once again when she opened The Inside Scoop. After Moe's Place closed and left the town without a restaurant, Mengenhauser couldn’t bear the thought of the community being without an eating establishment. Mengenhauser’s journey into the restaurant world began about a decade ago when she bought the building that used to house Moe's Place and Melmers Drive In. I’m convinced some customers come to see if he’s here to chat baseball and whatever else,” Mengenhauser laughed.Ĭommitted to providing Lake Andes with a restaurant “When my dad (Miller) is here, he’s always striking up conversations with everyone who walks through the doors. The wide variety of cuisines and desserts served at The Inside Scoop are well-known around the Missouri River town, and the 92-year-old door greeter, Harold Miller, is just as famous as the food. Opheim, who is the main man behind the popular food being dished out, has infused his culinary expertise into the daily specials and brought new items to the menu.Īs she’s done throughout much of her life in the hospitality industry, Blaha keeps the atmosphere friendly and welcoming, along with providing what Mengenhauser says is the “best customer service there is.” The dynamic trio bring their areas of restaurant expertise to The Inside Scoop. “When she took back over, all three of us were kind of like ‘OK, here we go.’” We hadn’t even met (Mengenhauser) before coming here,” Opheim laughed.
We came here to help them run it, and we’ve been here since. “We lasted six months away from this world before a phone call asking us to work for A&A Eatery. Like Mengenhauser, Opheim and Blaha were on their first hiatus from the restaurant industry before diving back in about a year ago when they moved to Lake Andes to work at A&A Eatery - a stark contrast from the city life they left in Sioux Falls. When Mengenhauser reopened The Inside Scoop a month ago, she tabbed Opheim and Blaha as the managers. I definitely missed it all,” she said of The Inside Scoop. “This is a special place to me, and I never want to see Lake Andes without a good restaurant in town. So, too, were the signature food specials like the ultimate chili cheese dog, beef chislic basket and breakfast burritos. But an unexpected career change from her daughter led Mengenhauser back to the kitchen in late July.Īfter about a year-long hiatus, Mengenhauser and The Inside Scoop were back. Mengenhauser had no intentions of jumping back into the restaurant world when she turned the business over to her daughter and another owner who changed the menu and name to A&A Eatery Apothecary. The longtime owner of The Inside Scoop in Lake Andes was in the process of selling her restaurant this year to a group of new owners by way of contract for deed. LAKE ANDES - Cindy Mengenhauser has tried to let go of the restaurant she helped build into a Lake Andes staple over the years, but she can’t seem to stay away.
#Inside scoop series
The series will conclude on Saturday, Aug. EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the eighth article in the Battle of the Eats 2022 series, which features stories on favorite small-town restaurants as voted upon by Mitchell Republic readers.
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