Wonder

This is pretty old-ish news: but the company I work for, Grubhub, has been acquired by Wonder.

The news broke back in November of last year. But the actual acquisition process was slated for January of this year. And as of now, it’s officially a done deal.

Walking through our new office, I realized I didn’t really talk about this much when it was happening. And makes sense to do it now, seeing as I’m now an employee of Wonder?

I don’t know about many of you, but prior to the news… I hadn’t heard of Wonder. And over the last few weeks, I got to learn a lot about their business, their business model. And am genuinely interested to see how Grubhub fits into what CEO Marc Lore has in mind for the future.

Wonder’s proposition is that it offers up multiple restaurants, many backed by popular and well-known chefs (Bobby Flay and José Andrés, to name a few).

The thing that I didn’t quite understand: they have around 30 restaurants that they own, and you can order from any of them at once. And the idea is that you can get this food (from this different restaurants) delivered within 30-45 minutes.

I wasn’t sure how things worked, but I got a better understanding over a few Town Hall meetings. And also watched a video (below) where Lore talked extensively about how Wonder works, and what his plans are for the future.

I’l see if I can summarize: the restaurants Wonder owns are entirely theirs: they’ve partnered with famous chefs, and own the restaurant brands entirely. They have their own Chipotle competitor, their own Sweetgreen competitor, etc.

While most food delivery services aim for dense, urban areas to capitalize on volume… they’re battling it out with other competing services. Wonder, apparently, does better in suburban areas – where there are less food options.

While not quite a ghost kitchen, Wonder sets up a physical location that is capable of producing food from its 30+ restaurants. This is how they’re able to offer such a wide range of options on the same order. And they’ve figured out how to prepare a wide range of foods (pizza, steak, pasta) without gas, and without the need for vents or stoves or flames (it’s all electric).

Apparently, Wonder can cook a pizza in 88 seconds, and can cook pasta without water. It’s a little mind-bending, actually.

I have to say – the business model is quite exciting. They’re looking to open up a lot of physical stores along the East Coast in 2025. And they’re selling their cooking technology as a white label service (without the Wonder brand) at various places like sports arenas and inside Walmart locations (Lore was the Walmart eCommerce CEO previously).

It’s a long interview, but lots of good stuff here:

I’m not sure what the future holds. And I know Grubhub will likely look a lot different a year from now. But I’m exciting to see what Wonder has in store for all of us, and excited to be a part of what sounds like a very efficient, productive, profitable future.

Related:
Returning to the Merchandise Mart After 22 Years: First Day at the New Grubhub Office
Jenny and Jaleo
Tricia and Paige: Chicago Marathon 2023, Day 1
Just Eat Takeaway