CEDAR LAKE --- Few have done as much for the sandwich as Dagwood Bumstead, so when the iconic comic star backs a place called Dagwood's Sandwich Shoppe, the dining public sits up and takes notice.

Debbie Govert, general manager of Dagwood's, 13115 Wicker Ave., Cedar Lake, said folks have been doing just that, making the eatery a regular stop since it opened July 15. The sandwich shop, of course, is named for one of the central characters in the Blondie comic strips.

"People just love the fact that we're different," Govert said, pointing to the extensive menu of hot pressed sandwiches, toasted subs, fresh deli sandwiches, salads and wraps. One of the hot pressed offerings, for example, is a Cuban, that rarely found sandwich that combines sliced pork loin with ham, Genoa salami, Swiss cheese, pickles and mustard.

Of course, the Dagwood, a skyscraper of deli meats piled high with various cheeses, roasted peppers and fresh and pickled veggies, is a challenge taken on, at least once, by those stopping in, Govert said.

"We've had kids try it -- mothers, fathers, young and old," she said. "The Turkey Avocado sandwich is actually our biggest seller."

Sam Bowers, a retired U.S. Navy man from Valparaiso, also retired from the petroleum business before deciding to purchase the franchise territory for Dagwood's Sandwich Shoppes from Lafayette to Muskegon, Mich. and east to the Ohio state line.

"I enjoy it. I'm 67 years old, and I'm having a good time," Bowers said, adding that the Cedar Lake location is the second of what he hopes will be six or more in northern Indiana.

Bowers said he plans a third Dagwood's in South Bend where Dagwood's No. 1 remains under the direction of his son Dustin Bowers, the Dagwood's Midwest District Manager.

The Cedar Lake location was selected, Bowers said, through networking with the folks at Henn and Son, of Cedar Lake, with whom he is working on a separate project.

"There are cars going down this highway," Bowers said of U.S. 41. "With the growth in Cedar Lake, this has proved to be a good spot."

Dagwood's Sandwich Shoppes have their beginnings in New Orleans.

"Hurricane Katrina blew them out of New Orleans and into Clearwater (Florida)," Bowers said, but the chain's famous Zapp's Potato Chips still come from Louisiana.

"We have people who come in just for the chips," Govert said.