Today, the most popular places for WJ students to buy and eat lunch are Georgetown Square (also known as G-Square), and Wildwood shopping center. Throughout WJ’s history, however, these sites did not always look the same.
G-Square was built in 1973 on property that previously had been agricultural land. For current WJ students, the most visited spots at the shopping center include Giant, Flippin Pizza, Subway and Chipotle. Newer additions such as Poki DC have also become big hits for students as they go and grab their lunch. Today, the shopping center as a whole is home to businesses ranging from banks and shoe stores, to karate buildings and liquor stores.
Much like current WJ students, many former students remember going to Giant during open lunch.
“Before we could drive…we went to [the] Giant grocery store. A lot of the time we bought junk food,” class of 1985 graduate Sarah Smarrelli said. I remember eating a roll of chocolate chip cookie dough pretty often for lunch. We would also go to a place called The Bean Bag that was there to get bakery items or just hang out in Georgetown Square.”
The Pitch covered a period of large change at G-Square back in the mid-late 2000s. The center lost many establishments, most notably, the now-bankrupt rental store, Blockbuster. Along with Blockbuster, G-Square saw the loss of Greenberg’s Bagels, Boulevard Cafe and The Bean Bag which were popular among students of the time. G-square was also home to a movie theater called Cineplex Odeon. The project manager of the construction group working on G-Square at the time stated that these businesses had their leases run out and many of the owners did not want to renew them, in large part due to the state of the economy at the time as the country was going through “The Great Recession.”
Along with these departures came many new additions that WJ students of today would recognize such as Flippin’ Pizza and Chipotle, both of which set up shop at G-Square shortly after. Later on in 2013, Giant food also received a remodel which introduced its now familiar self-checkout lanes and added nine new regular checkout lines.
The other popular spot for WJ students to get lunch is Wildwood. Many of the popular locations at this shopping center have opened in the recent past. Before school and during lunch, one of the biggest hotspots for WJ students is Bethesda Bagels. The fast-casual food chain, founded in 1982, first opened their Wildwood location in October of 2019. Today, long lines have become all-too-familiar at this location. Back in 2012, Wildwood saw the addition of CHOP’T, a make-your-own salad restaurant. Later came the opening of Fish Taco and Piccoli Piatti. These restaurants also became a hot bed for hungry students, but recently shut themselves off to WJ students during school hours after a period of unruly behavior. When students have a sweet tooth they need to satisfy, Sarah’s Homemade Ice Cream, opened in 2020, has become a popular spot for that to be done. Starbucks’ Wildwood location has also always been a go-to spot for WJ students. The store went through a remodel during the 2024-25 school year, leaving many students without their morning or afternoon drink. Although it doesn’t directly impact WJ students, Wildwood also underwent a change in aesthetic with the construction of new apartment buildings, concluding recently following years of construction.
