For its new Westover location, Short Story Brewing teamed up with the owners of Lefty’s Place to offer The Burger Place.
If you’re one of the many Morgantown residents who regularly make the half-hour drive to Rivesville to get Short Story Brewing’s particular brand of cheer on tap, the new location just over the bridge in Westover is a real quality of life improvement.
“We always dreamed that one day we would have an opportunity to be in the Morgantown area,” says co-owner Abigail Kopischke. “When we realized this space could have the option of hosting us for a taproom vibe on the water, we jumped on it.”
Short Story Brewing is owned by Kopischke and her husband, Mike, along with her brother, Aaron Rote. Mike Kopischke had been homebrewing for a few years, so together the three decided in 2017 to build something in the place where they live for the community they love.
They fondly refer to the original location as “Rivesville’s oldest, newest, and only craft brewery,” but it was only the start for Short Story. The trio took a chance and expanded to Deep Creek Lake in Maryland in 2020, offering their craft beers to a new region of recreation and adventure lovers.
They expanded again in 2022 to downtown Charleston, West Virginia. For that location, they called on their friends at Lefty’s Place in Morgantown, co-owners Amel Morris and Tricia Kinnie, to invite them to offer a scaled-down version of their Morgantown menu in Charleston. As long-time carriers of Short Story beers at their restaurant, Morris and Kinnie were thrilled to partner.
So when the Morgantown opportunity arose, Abigail Kopischke says the husband and wife team at Lefty’s were their first call, and the response was positive. “We didn’t want to do another Lefty’s, since the space was so close to our original location,” Kinnie says. “We started brainstorming concepts that could work and realized Morgantown doesn’t really have any non–fast food burger shops anymore.” And so, The Burger Place was born.
Burgers at The Burger Place feature a blend of brisket, chuck, and short rib that was crafted specifically for them by their friends at Village Butcher and Market in Star City. Grilled chicken and black bean patty options are also available, along with salads and sides. One burger is a tribute to Kinnie’s grandfather, Sonny. He owned the beloved Hamburger Haven in McCoole, Maryland, just across the river from Keyser, West Virginia, from the 1960s through the ’90s, and the menu includes one of his signature creations: The Sonny Burger comes topped with American cheese, Sonny Sauce, lettuce, tomato, onion, and bread and butter pickles.
Short Story Morgantown has a riverside deck that’s shady on a hot afternoon and has a clear view of Morgantown. Between the deck, the beer, and the burgers, the new location was immediately popular—The Burger Place sold more than 1,000 burgers in its first five days alone. “We knew it was going to be busy, but we had no idea the extent,” Kinnie says. “It’s awesome the support we’ve already seen.”
Providing consistent, highly-quality beer and food is important to Short Story, and so is bringing a fun vibe and sense of community to every place they open up shop. “The Morgantown–Westover area has offered that opportunity,” Kopischke says, “and we are extremely blessed and happy to be there.”
94 Long Street, Westover “Short Story Morgantown” on FB, “The Burger Place” on FB
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