Pittsburgh's Homewood in line to get a GetGo Cafe + Market

A GetGo Cafe + Market with a gas station is likely coming to Pittsburgh’s Homewood neighborhood, officials said Wednesday.

“There hasn’t been anything like this in the community since I was a little boy,” said Councilman Ricky Burgess, whose district includes Homewood.

Burgess said discussions about developing a GetGo location in the neighborhood have been in the works for about a decade, and have picked up steam over the past two years.

City Council on Wednesday advanced a measure that would authorize pre-development work to begin at the proposed GetGo site at Fifth and Frankstown avenues.

The location would offer groceries and a cafe where people could sit down for a quick meal, Burgess said.

A GetGo spokesman declined to provide specifics on what the grocery portion would entail.

“As a Pittsburgh-based company, Giant Eagle is committed to continually evaluating opportunities to expand access to fresh foods throughout the city, whether it be done through our supermarket or GetGo store experiences,” said Rug Phatak, chief of staff and senior director of marketing.

The proposed GetGo would provide much-needed access to groceries in a historically underserved community, Councilwoman Deb Gross said.

As for when a GetGo might open in Homewood, pending the necessary city approvals, Phatak said, “There is much work to be done in the coming months to bring this opportunity to life and we look forward to sharing more in the future as details are confirmed.”

Giant Eagle has offered a food pick-up point in Homewood for about a year. Through the program, residents can order groceries through Giant Eagle, which then drops off the orders at a location in the community where people can pick them up.

“This goes to the next level of investment,” Burgess said.

Giant Eagle has partnered with the city to ensure the community had access to the essential items it needed throughout the pandemic, said Council President Theresa Kail-Smith. That included donations to the city food bank, she said.

Kail-Smith suggested looking for ways to expand partnerships with Giant Eagle citywide.

City Council could vote as early as next week on the legislation, authorizing the director of the Department of Finance to enter into a license agreement with Giant Eagle to allow them to begin inspections and investigations.