A first of its kind restaurant in West Virginia with a huge emphasis on WVU sports is opening its second location in Bridgeport, the owner confirmed Friday.

The GOAT West Virginia Pub is a West Virginia University-focused sports bar and restaurant. What makes it unique is that it serves as the first Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) bar, supporting West Virginia University athletics. The first GOAT Pub opened in Morgantown at the Suncrest Towne Centre in the fall of 2024.

Now, they are bringing the same successful business recipe to Charles Pointe. The new business will be situated in the building the formerly housed Meagher’s Irish Pub.

“A big part of our mission is to support WVU athletes through NIL in the new athletic environment,” said Bron Kayal, the owner. “Part of our revenue goes toward WVU athletics, and right from the get-go, we received tremendous support from the community and kept growing. Now, we’re growing into Bridgeport.”

Kayal said the mission will continue at the Bridgeport site. He also said they will be looking to support local athletics as well.

The restaurant features food that Kayal said, with a laugh, “is not revolutionary.” He pointed to it being a lot of standard fare you will find in most pubs or sports-bar type of restaurants. Kayal said there will be burgers, wings, plenty of appetizers and more that you would find in similar venues. However, there is one thing he said locals and visitors should find appealing.

“It’s different than other sports bars in the fact that we do it all from scratch. It’s high quality ingredients, which we encourage everyone to come and check out when we open,” said Kayal.

And since it is a pub, there will be a full-service bar in place. Kayal said there will be Swill Dog Bourbon, which he said also does a revenue share with WVU athletics, as well as other West Virginia-based bourbons and drinks. There will also be plenty of draft beers including the high-selling Country Roads Lager.

“There will be a lot of West Virginia-based products and plenty of what people like. We’ll have as many West Virginia beers on tap as possible,” he said. “If it’s a product supporting WVU, you’re going to likely find it here.”

As for what else to expect. Kayal said there will be multiple events supporting WVU athletics, including watch parties in front of what he said will be “state of the art TV screens and sound systems that you won’t find in another venue.” He also said you can expect West Virginia University staff, coaches, and student-athletes to make occasional appearances at the venue.

When will it open? Kayal is hoping this summer. If all goes as planned as early as late May or early June but cautioned “sometimes there are things that come up you can’t control.”

Work is already underway. Demolition is taking place to get things ready for the opening in the months ahead. When it is open, they will be open seven days a week for lunch and dinner, as well as brunch on Sunday.

Although this is the second GOAT Pub, it is one of several restaurants under the Harma Restaurant Group. All are West Virginia-based eateries.

Hiring has begun at the Morgantown site for its Bridgeport location. However, for those interested in joining the work force at Charles Pointe, Kayal said to visit the Facebook page for updates on hiring. Click HERE for the GOAT Pub Facebook page in Bridgeport and HERE for the Morgantown location.

The address is 26 Betten Court, #101, Bridgeport, WV, United States, 26330