What is Wonder? The NYC Food Hall Delivers More Than Big Name Buzz

It’s not a new restaurant. It’s a new way to eat. The first West Chester location opens this week.

Wonder’s plans for world domination are coming through West Chester, but is the ability to get a Bobby Flay steak delivered to your doorstep going to be everything you hoped for? I look at what we know so far.

Perhaps you’ve seen the opening soon signs. Where once there was axe throwing, there will soon be a new West Chester food hall. Well, not really a West Chester food hall. That’s because it’s part of a chain, and not a “baby, this-is-our-second-location chain,” but a ”we-are-planning-for-world-domination chain,” so let’s call it more of a food hall in West Chester. And maybe it’s not even a food hall because you don’t really go there to hang out. It’s more of an on-demand food delivery service.

So, yea, what exactly is this Wonder, anyway? I did some digging.

Wonder is the brainchild of tech billionaire Marc Lore, of Diapers.com and Jet.com fame. After a brief stint at Walmart, Marc is back to creating, and this time he wants to disrupt the high-end dining industry. Telling the New York Times last year, he sees Wonder, the food delivery service he started in 2021, as having the potential to be the “Amazon of food and beverage.”

Wonder, which got its start by trying to prepare meals in vans for quicker delivery, now has roughly 30 brick-and-mortar locations (they abandoned the van concept), mainly in NYC and the NJ suburbs. The company is now looking to add 90 new food halls by the end of 2025, including six in the Philadelphia area.

Fancy Fastfood

Besides access to loads of start-up capital, Wonder differentiates itself in a couple of ways.

1. Big name buzz.

Wonder has generated press and intrigue by bringing famous dishes to the masses. No longer do you need to travel to Las Vegas to try a Bobby Flay steak or Harlem to get Marcus Samuelson’s fried chicken. You can get it from your local Wonder food hall, and in about 30 minutes.

You can also get Wonder’s take on popular take-out options. Royal Greens is their salad option; Limesalt, their version of Chipotle. “It’s like the mall food court delivered to your house,” the nice Wonder gentleman I spoke to yesterday told me. And who didn’t love the food court? To do this, Wonder shelled out $60 million to partner with chefs to develop menus, food hall concepts, and directions on how to best simulate a signature menu item, no actual chef required.

2. In-house production.

Much like a traditional restaurant, food from Wonder is made to order. However, to keep costs down and hit that 30-minute mark, meals are par-cooked in commercial facilities, then finished and assembled factory-style onsite. No actual chefs work at Wonder locations. Instead, employees use provided directions, rapid cook ovens, fryers, and hot water baths to simulate the requested signature dish. This automation helps keep labor costs down.

3. Whatever you want, delivered right to your door.

While you can eat at a Wonder food hall, the model is pretty much set up under the assumption you won’t. The West Chester location is tastefully decorated in a sparse food hall kind of way. There is a selection of tables, and more will be available outside after grand opening celebrations are complete. Still, it’s on the small side for a food hall, especially considering 14 eateries are represented. But that’s ok, because you’re not staying anyway.

Last year, Wonder purchased Grubhub to acquire a delivery advantage. So, you can now grab a seat at your own kitchen table (sign up for their Wonder+ for free delivery), you with your Mexican, while your partner tries the Greek, and your kids play it safe with Detroit Brick Pizza Company.

Now isn’t that a wonder? You’ll have to let me know. The West Chester location is set to open on Thursday with Friends and Family events planned for earlier in the week.

Breaking news about the grand opening: West Chester’s grand opening kicks off Thurday afternoon at 4:30 p.m. with a ribbon cutting, followed by giveaways for the first guests including floral bouquets from Mayday, live music from Onyx and Honey, kid-friendly face painting from Birl Girl Designs. The store is outfitted in work from Philly-based artist Roxana Azar and Philabundance is Wonder’s ongoing philanthropic partner.

This story was part of a longer West Chester newsletter featuring all the news and events of the week. Curious what else is going on? Subscribe now to get the full story. New issues come out on Fridays!