How familiar does this sound – you and your group of friends want to meet somewhere to eat but can’t agree on a single restaurant? Well, a new restaurant concept is jumping into the fray in order to address that exact issue.
Wonder is an exciting new restaurant concept from founder Marc Lore that promises to offer a unique dining experience that you’ve certainly never before experienced. A veteran entrepreneur with decades of experience disrupting traditional industries, Lore is best known for his e-commerce company Jet, which he eventually sold to Walmart for $3.3 billion dollars (and then spent the next five years serving as CEO of Walmart’s e-commerce division). After leaving Walmart in 2021, Lore began launching a number of exciting new initiatives, including the subject of today’s article – Wonder.
While New Yorkers are more than familiar with traditional delivery apps like Door Dash and Uber Eats, Lore noticed a need for innovation in the market. Beginning by launching a delivery service of his own design, Lore established Wonder as the fastest way to bring chef-prepared meals from some of the region’s finest restaurants right to your door. While Wonder soon became very popular, delivery wasn’t enough for the veteran entrepreneur. In January of this year, Marc and his team launched Wonder’s first brick-and-mortar space on the Upper West Side, providing sit-down service for guests and their groups while enabling them to order from over a dozen different restaurant menus.
Now, after a hearty series of investments from supporters, Lore and his team are getting ready to seriously expand Wonder. Wonder’s next location – their first expansion to date – is currently slated for 128 West 23rd Street. The premises has a maximum capacity of 51 guests, and like their UWS flagship, the concept will bring over 10 unique restaurants under one roof and have Wonder couriers bring you your order directly to your table. According to a sample menu supplied by the Wonder team, current restaurant partners include Alanza, Barrio, Chai Pani, Chios Taverna, Di Fara, Fred’s, Limesalt, and Tejas Barbecue. The team expects to add more restaurants to the family as Wonder continues to grow, and as Lore continues to attract investors to the concept we will doubtless see some of our favorite chefs teaming up with Wonder in the near future.
Excitingly, Wonder is also looking to acquire a full liquor license for their Chelsea location. They are proposing operating hours of 11:00 AM – 10:00 PM every day, seven days a week. While Wonder’s UWS location has been open since the start of this year, their Chelsea outpost is expected to open in June, according to their website. Additionally, another outpost in Westfield, NJ is expected to open in May. For more information, you can follow Wonder on Instagram for updates on all of their latest developments.
