While Blue & Grey tours highlight the competitive clubs, interesting classes, and historic architecture of Georgetown, sophomore Matt Buscarino (CAS ’27) was drawn to something else—the Wisconsin Avenue Wawa. For students like him, its closure last year represented not only the loss of a cheap eatery, but something greater.
“As a student, it is the loss of a late-night snack; a late-night casual place. As a New Jerseyan, it’s the loss of a place to call home. It really does feel like a connection that I’ve lost,” Buscarino said.
For six years, Wawa served Georgetown students, residents, and tourists looking for a cheap, unpretentious bite to eat. From hordes of drunk partygoers returning from a night out to workers in reflective vests heading to one of the many construction projects on campus, Wawa was a rare accessible restaurant in one of the region’s wealthiest zip codes. Along with the closure of longtime Georgetown fixture Booeymonger in 2023, affordable dining options in Georgetown are dwindling—and students have taken notice.
Use this interactive map to filter Georgetown restaurants by price
“Georgetown is not very accessible to those looking for a quick bite,” Buscarino said. The loss of Wawa and Booeymonger represents a larger loss for students who tend not to be the target audience for many of Georgetown’s businesses. Even at student-favorite institutions like The Tombs, students are not always top of mind for restaurant owners.
“Students are not always our primary [focus], not to be crass about it, they’re not our cash cows. You know what I mean? We’re looking at the Georgetown residents,” Kate Chesnutt (SFS ’24, MSFS ’25), who has worked at The Tombs since October 2021, said.
While Georgetown has long been known as a bastion of wealth and luxury—look no further than the neighborhood’s dozen medspas or the shops on M Street—food prices are rising across the country, affecting costs for D.C. diners as well. Between January 2020 and November 2024, the average cost of food in U.S. cities rose 27.5%.
“Even just the menu that I sell, I’ve watched it get more and more expensive. And part of that is that the cost of food to restaurants has increased pretty dramatically,” Chesnutt said.
The Voice reviewed the dinner menus of 72 restaurants located in Georgetown and calculated the median and average costs of appetizers, entrees, desserts, and a three-course meal including a 20% tip. Thirty-four of the restaurants offer a median entree less than $20. Factoring in appetizers, desserts, and tip, there are only four restaurants where the median cost of a single meal is less than $20.
Even Falafel Inc, known for its cheap and delicious fare, raised the price of its famous $3 falafel sandwich last year. Still, the restaurant, which launched in Georgetown in 2017, maintains its place as the cheapest in town. A falafel sandwich and za’atar fries go for $8.80 before tip.
Chipotle, Falafel Inc, Stachowski’s Market, and Simply Banh Mi are the least expensive dining options in Georgetown. Family-owned and operated Stachowski’s Market and Simply Banh Mi offer sandwiches starting at $8.99 and $8.75, respectively. While the average dinner at Founding Farmers Fishers & Bakers by the Georgetown Waterfront may be more than $50, on weekday mornings the restaurant offers First Bake, where many breakfast items are less than $6.
After one hour of work, a student making D.C. minimum wage could afford to eat at only two restaurants—before taxes. If that student were to only order an entree, their options expand to 15 restaurants, several of which are chains like Sweetgreen or Chipotle.
As of 2022, the top 200 restaurant groups owned more than 33,000 restaurants and raked in more than $53 billion. Restaurant groups are corporations that own and operate many different restaurant concepts with consolidated finances. Some restaurateurs find this model more appealing than trying to operate independently and incurring all of the costs themselves.
Restaurant owners are keenly aware of the rising costs of dining.
“There was a year or two where we were wearing t-shirts and jeans, and then we had to switch back to the bowties and collared shirts,” Chesnutt said. “I had a manager once [who said], ‘we can’t charge this much for a burger, and have you look like the college students you are.’ So, it’s definitely something the industry is aware of.”
The coveted title of most expensive restaurant in Georgetown goes to the Michelin-starred Reverie, a contemporary American restaurant offering a $285 tasting menu with a 22% service charge. For those unwilling to shell out more than $340 for a single meal but who are still looking for luxury, try Bourbon Steak. The median meal at the steakhouse located in the Four Seasons goes for $136.20 after tip.
While Georgetown students tend to come from some of the wealthiest families in the United States—a 2017 report found the median family income was $229,100—many students cannot afford to foot a $100 dinner bill. Many avoid eating at sit-down restaurants or dining out at all due to the cost.
“I don’t dine out that much. I think it’s expensive,” Chesnutt said. “I go places when I know their happy hour menu is relatively cheap. I would say that I will go out and have an actual meal fewer than 10 times a semester, just because it’s pricey and it doesn’t always feel like worth the expense.”
Beyond white tablecloth restaurants, food accessibility is a serious concern on college campuses. An estimated 23% of college students experienced food insecurity in 2020. Since 2018, the Division of Student Affairs has operated the Hoya Hub, a food pantry open to all members of the Georgetown community affected by food insecurity. Located in the Leavey Center, the Hub is stocked with non-perishables and foods “rescued” from local restaurants by Students Advancing Food Equity, a student organization affiliated with the Center for Social Justice. Much of the work of maintaining the space is left to student volunteers.
Even for students for whom food security is not a concern, the rising cost of dining out can dictate their social lives.
“That’s part of why we have the Georgetown bubble. It is so hard to break by going out and eating,” Buscarino said. “There aren’t any places where it’s sort of casual and spur of the moment. It’s for a special event.”
Many students describe certain restaurants as being “for parent visits” when they can convince their parents to shell out for a nicer, more expensive meal. “I would prefer to see more variety of things that don’t break the bank. The only times I really eat out on the town is when I have family here or friends visiting,” Buscarino said.
Metropolitan Washington Restaurant Week, a longtime biannual tradition, is returning at the end of the month and will run from Jan. 27 through Feb. 2. During the week, participating restaurants will offer discounted brunch, lunch, and dinner menus to give a wider audience the chance to try D.C.’s many culinary destinations. High-end Georgetown restaurants including Filomena, Brasserie Liberté, and KYOJIN Sushi will be offering lunch for $25 or $35 per person and dinner for $40 or $55. While many students appreciate the opportunity, some say it highlights the general lack of accessibility. Even at a discounted rate, the meals are still beyond many students’ budgets.
“I think it’s good for engagement into the community but, at the same time, I think that sort of draws attention to the fact that Georgetown is such an expensive area,” Buscarino said. “I’m not saying that it makes the divide greater, but it’s something that calls attention to the fact that it’s not a student town.”
