There are many things to understand about Wonder, not the least of which is how you explain what it is to your customers. This business doesn't fit neatly into existing food service categories. By “delivery companies” we only mean apps and delivery networks like Uber Eats and Grubhub, but Wonder also makes all of its food in-house in its own kitchens. “Ghost kitchens” and “virtual restaurants” refer to brands that have no street-level commercial presence and exist solely as menus on an app. Wonder has cleverly designed a place where customers can order, pick up, and, at least in theory, eat at a small number of tables. Recently, his team of seven in-house creatives rallied around the tagline: “A new kind of food hall.”
“I think it extends to the diversity aspect,” said Daniel Schlossman, who left his position as head of marketing at Sweetgreen to join Wonder's senior leadership team in 2023. But at the same time, “we're talking about it as a 'super leader.'” This description sums up Rohr's ambition for Wonder's app to sell and deliver food not just from its own kitchens, but from other restaurants, even meal kits, and even groceries. be. (Wonder's products aren't available on other delivery apps, so customers have to want the food enough to get it.)
But right now, Wonder's main focus is starting and operating his own restaurant. The company's kitchens do not require gas stoves or exhaust systems to remove cooking fumes, making them cheaper and faster to construct. All of Wonder's menu items are designed to be prepared using his three appliances: a water bath, quick-cook oven, and fryer.
During a visit to Parsippany in January, Schlossman took me to Wonder's research and development center. There was a series of gleaming test kitchens staffed by dozens of professional chefs wearing Wonderbrand chef's coats.
Wonder prepares all menu items in a large commissary facility, often co-cooking, and then distributes individually portioned dishes to restaurants. Employees require little to no cooking skills and can be prepared in minutes. This will allow restaurants to be staffed by what Lore calls “lightly trained workers.”
