Another mouthwatering chapter in the Oliverio food dynasty is likely to have its pages unfold today, or tomorrow at the latest, as Café Oliverio in the Cheat Lake area of Monongalia County will go from a soft opening earlier this week to a full opening.

 

“We’re ready, and we’re excited for the latest opportunity,” said owner and operator of this establishment Patrick Oliverio.

 

For roughly three weeks, Café Oliverio has been open for lunch. On Monday of this week, however, the staff went with the soft opening from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Lunch continued from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., with dinner entrees beginning at 3 p.m.

 

As for regular hours, Café Oliverio will be open Sunday for lunch/brunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday will be lunch only day from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. with hours Tuesday through Friday running from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. The Saturday hours will be from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. with some schedule modifications taking place for holidays.

 

“(Today) we plan to be pull open,” said Oliverio. “(Next Tuesday, Feb. 18), we will be holding a grand opening,” said Oliverio. “We’ve had a limited menu (Monday and Tuesday) to get the servers and staff into the groove of things. We should be good to go and moving strongly ahead by the end of the week.”

 

Once things begin today, the hours are not the only thing that will expand. Oliverio said the menu will be in play as well. He is encouraging folks to stop by and take advantage of an early lunch favorite – the Pollo Italiano sandwich – and several other early favorites.

 

Traditional Oliverio menu items such as pastas and pizzas and more will be available. Oliverio said 75 to 80 percent of the traditional Oliverio food lineup will be available, but there will be a few new dishes and a few old ones with a new spin on them available as well.

 

Patrick Oliverio, Bridgeport High graduate, said in this initial period that the Cheat Lake, Morgantown, and Monongalia County area have proven to be extremely welcoming to the establishment.

 

“I can’t say enough good things about this area after the first three weeks because even though we haven’t advertised, word of mouth has kept us crazy busy,” he said. “Both of our dining room have been filled up.

 

“We plan to keep it that way with quality food and a fantastic staff,” he continued. “Our kitchen and wait staff already have the camaraderie that you need to be successful. The camaraderie is as critical as quality food for long-term success.”

 

Café Oliverio continues the family business that saw the main hub in Bridgeport open in 1965. Along with the Main Street Bridgeport operation beginning in the 1960s as Sonny’s Restaurant, the family brand operates the highly popular Oliverio’s Ristorante on the Wharf in Morgantown. It was there that the idea came to branch into Cheat Lake as the Wharf site had a significant draw from Cheat Lake.

 

Ironically, it is not the first venture into this particular section of Monongalia County. Oliverio’s Marketplace was located from 2007 to 20014 in the Suncrest Area. Patrick Oliverio has promised a new vibe to the facility along with the standard high quality Oliverio Italian fare.

 

The new restaurant can seat up to 170 individuals with all spaces considered. Oliverio said that number includes a smaller lunch side and a patio area with the patio area limited to being open during warm weather months.

 

“I would say in our main dining area we’re looking at being able to seat up to 100,” he said. “We’ve got a good space.”

 

Oliverio said nearly 40 workers are on staff. The business is located at 200 Fort Pierpont Drive with a Morgantown zip code and off the Pierpont exit off Interstate 68. The phone number is 304-418-1500.

 

Editor's Note: Top photo shows Patrick Oliverio putting in a pizza into the over, while the next two photos are a sample of what's available. Photo below shows the bar area of the new business. All photos courtesy of Patrick Oliverio.