With her 4-year-old daughter Miranda in the shopping cart child seat, the mayor buzzed the aisles of the new Wegmans.
“I love it, I think people are going to really appreciate all of the prepared and ready to go options,” Mayor Bowser said.
The new location occupies a former Fannie Mae headquarters on Wisconsin Avenue in Northwest. The site is now called City Ridge, a development of luxury apartments with retail shops, including Wegmans.
Besides groceries, Wegmans will also offer wine and spirits. There’s also a pizza shop, a burger bar, a bakery and a sushi station.
“They call us the Disneyland, or Disney World of grocery stores, and I think it’s a pretty apt description,” said Chris Holland, Wegmans Service Area Manager. “It’s a touch of a European marketplace, great items, great people … it’s an experience.”
The store will employ around 450 people, about 75% of whom are D.C. residents.
Following her tour of the store, the mayor formally welcomed Wegmans to Washington.
“I am thrilled to join you in celebrating this exciting opening right here in the heart of Ward 3,” Bowser said. “This brand new store will serve City Ridge residents, families, visitors and Wegmans fans from all 8 wards.”
Despite the potential to service residents “from all 8 wards,” the mayor’s comments come as D.C. Wards 7 and 8 continue to navigate limited nearby grocery options. The two wards continue to have a high concentration of “food deserts” — areas without full-service grocery store options.
WTOP’s Michelle Goldchain and Ivy Lyons contributed to this report.
