These burger recipes are decades in the making.
If you’ve been driving along Don Knotts Boulevard recently, you might’ve noticed a recent addition to Morgantown’s food truck scene: Mon River Burger Works. Ryan Johnson and Annie Stroud started the food truck in June, and they’ve quickly gained a cult following.
We prepared for our first visit—and the many that are sure to follow—by sitting down with Johnson to learn more about what makes Mon River Burger Works work so well.
What led you and Annie to start a food truck together?
Ryan Johnson: It’s been my dream for quite a while to do a food truck. I’ve been in the restaurant business my whole life—since I was 15. I did some different things in fine dining, but I always wanted to get back to a more down-to-earth kind of food.
I was hot on doing a wood-fired pizza truck because I’m real passionate about pizza. But when we moved to Morgantown a couple years ago, I noticed there wasn’t a whole lot of burger places. So I was like, “Oh, there’s a pretty good demand for a burger truck around here.” And that’s what kicked it into gear. I just decided to pull the trigger and go for it.
Why burgers?
RJ: I love burgers. That’s really the truthful answer. I like cooking them. I like getting creative with them.
I was trying to think of something I could build off of in the future, too. I could see in the future transitioning to brick and mortar, then expanding and doing milkshakes, ice cream, that sort of thing—like an old school Tastee-Freez kind of vibe. And then having scratch-made burgers and dogs. Just kind of the menu I’m rolling with now, and then pairing it with a lot of ice cream–type stuff.
What makes your burgers stand out?
RJ: Most of the things on the menu are things that I grew up with. I’m super nostalgic—I love vintage stuff and antiques. I get excited about things being done the way they used to be, and that goes for food, too.
The chili dog sauce that I use is a bit different than a typical West Virginia–style chili sauce. There’s a place in my hometown with a Greek-style chili sauce. It was popular for Greek immigrants to come to that area of northwestern Pennsylvania and open up hot dog or hamburger spots. They had this real distinctive type of chili sauce, so I just tried to replicate their sauce that I grew up eating. I’ve been making that chili sauce for like 20 years. I just really want to get stuff out to people that is made fresh and that I like to eat with my family.
Why is it important to you to use locally sourced ingredients?
RJ: Local agriculture is a big part of both mine and Annie’s backgrounds. I owned an heirloom garlic farm for several years. So I know from the other end how important it is to support and be supported by the community.
Also, to be completely frank, it’s just better. The product is just better.
What should we try first?
RJ: Everybody loves the burgers. The All American Smash Burger is the number one seller. It’s got local lettuce, local tomato, local onion, I make my own pickles, I make my own mayonnaise, it’s locally sourced beef, and it’s on a bun that is baked at a great bakery just outside Pittsburgh the night before. Everything on it is made from scratch, super local and super fresh.
Burgers are by far the most popular, but my other stuff is so good, too. The smoked pulled pork—I smoke it for 15 hours and I make my own barbecue sauce. The hot dogs and sausages are super fresh, I cook them on the smoker. I wish more people tried some of the other stuff, because everybody that does loves it.
Find weekly hours for Mon River Burger Works on their social media pages, then stop by for a taste of locally curated nostalgia—after all, it’s just better.
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