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Whole Foods To Open September 6
Two-Level Store To Use Escalators

Shopping at the new Whole Foods Market in Washington Circle, which is now scheduled to open at 10 am on Tuesday, September 6, will be something of a different experience, even for customers who are familiar with other Whole Foods outlets.

The Foggy Bottom location, at the corner of 22nd and I Streets (a part of the former George Washington University Hospital site), will be a two-level experience, requiring most shoppers to put their shopping carts on an escalator. 

As shown in the floor plans obtained by West End Friends, (click to see a larger version) the main grocery items—meat, vegetables, and dry goods—will be on the lower level of the store, below street level, while the check-out area is on the smaller upper or street level, along with a bakery, café, and prepared foods section.

According to Whole Foods marketing spokesman Jared Earley, "navigation is going to be really easy," with signs and printed floor plans available throughout the store. But shoppers who have grown used to the traditional single-level grocery store will no doubt find the use of special escalators that accommodate grocery carts to be something of a novelty.

The checkout system on the upper level will be a single-line, like at Trader Joe's, and already in use at the Whole Foods Market on P Street. The Foggy Bottom Whole Foods will have 18 checkout stations, according to Earley.

As shown on the floor plans, the upper level will have a bakery, café, checkout area, and a "prepared fare" section which will have both hot and cold foods to "grab and go."  The type of foods in this section, Earley said, will be changed in the course of the day, featuring ready-to-eat breakfast items, for example, in the morning. Pizza will be a featured item at most times of the day. There will be about 24 café seats indoors, and a larger outdoor or sidewalk café with 54 seats on both 22nd and I Streets.

The larger lower level will be more of a traditional grocery, with dry goods, canned foods, a butcher shop, seafood, and a selection of cheeses, beer, and wine. Shoppers using the lower level will then need to return to the upper level for checkout, using special escalators and elevators to move their shopping carts between levels.

Whole Foods has applied for two liquor licenses at the 2221 I Street NW address. One is a Class B retail license which will allow the store to sell beer and wine (but not hard liquor or spirits) for take out between the hours of 9 am and 10 pm seven days a week. The other is a Class D restaurant license which will allow the sale of beer and wine at both the indoor and outdoor cafés between 8 am and 10 pm on Monday through Saturday, and from 10 am to 10 pm on Sunday.

Named as store manager is Donovan Morris, who previously managed the Georgetown Whole Foods on Wisconsin Avenue. Some type of "bread-breaking" opening ceremony is expected to be announced for September 6, which is the day after the Labor Day holiday.