Pat Martin Is Opening Hugh Baby's BBQ and Burger Shop at West Virginia University

It looks like Nashville pitmaster Pat Martin is wading even deeper into the fast casual restaurant waters, as a new concept from Martin and partner Fresh Hospitality, Hugh Baby's BBQ and Burger Shop, is set to open at West Virginia University in Morgantown, WV.

Named in honor of Martin's uncle and promising "hand-formed burgers, slow-smoked BBQ, fresh-cut fries and homemade custard ice cream milkshakes[,]" Hugh Baby's first location is part of the new Evansdale Crossing development, a public-private partnership project between WVU and Nashville-based fast casual restaurant operator Fresh Hospitality.

Hugh Baby's will join outposts of Juice Bar, Taziki's Mediterranean Cafe, Octane Coffee Bar, Little Donkey and Colla Rosso, Nashville chef Tandy Wilson's first foray into fast casual, at the property. And according to their website, the marketplace is slated to open Nov. 1.

Could we see Hugh Baby's pop up in Nashville? No word yet, but with Fresh Hospitality's current aggressive expansion and the continued growth of Martin's eponymous barbecue joint (construction is underway on his new SoBro location, and plans are in the works for an outpost in Louisville, Ky.), it certainly wouldn't come as a surprise.