Wonder delivery platform opens first Queens location in Astoria, offering menus from top chefs

Wonder has opened its doors at 25-33 Broadway. Photo: Shane O’Brien

Oct. 18, 2024 By Shane O’Brien

Wonder, a “fast-fine” food delivery platform that connects New York customers with a number of high-quality restaurants and chefs from across the US, opened its first-ever Queens location in Astoria on Thursday.

The food technology start-up, founded by entrepreneur Marc Lore in 2018, held its grand opening at 25-33 Broadway on Thursday, Oct. 17, marking its first venture into the Queens market.

Wonder operates almost 30 locations across New York and New Jersey and provides access to dozens of high-quality menus created by some of the country’s most recognizable chefs and restaurants, including Bobby Flay, Michael Symon, and Marc Murphy.

The platform offers New Yorkers an opportunity to order from a broad selection of popular restaurants across the country, including Texas staple Tejas Barbecue, Atlanta’s popular Fred’s Meat & Bread and Detroit Brick Pizza Co.

Menu options from Detroit Brick Pizza Co., Fred’s Meat & Bread, Tejas Barbecue, Royal Greens and Yasas by Michael Symon. Photo: Shane O’Brien

The platform provides pick-up, delivery, and dine-in services and can seat around 20 customers at the new Astoria location.

However, Wonder is primarily a delivery platform and promises to deliver freshly made meals within 30 minutes of ordering.

“Who cares if they get a delicious steak if it shows up cold?” a Wonder spokesperson said.

To meet that 30-minute target, Wonder’s delivery radius is designed to allow the company’s delivery drivers to reach a destination in six minutes or less.

Consequently, Wonder’s new Astoria location will only deliver to addresses in the 11101, 11102, 11103, 11104, 11105, 11106, 11370 and 11377 postcodes.

Wonder Astoria General Manager Sergio Robles Delgado with staff member Jasmin Aponte at Thursday’s grand opening. Photo: Shane O’Brien

The platform operates as a virtual food hall, allowing customers to pick and choose between different restaurants without incurring additional service and delivery charges or traveling to multiple pick-up locations.

The concept aims to connect New Yorkers with restaurants they would not normally have access to, providing access to popular restaurants across the country or connecting residents of a certain borough with popular eateries from other boroughs in the city. For example, Wonder Astoria offers menus from Brooklyn-based Chinese restaurant Kin House and Brooklyn-based pizza spot Di Fara Pizza.

Each restaurant featured at Wonder is only added to the platform after a Wonder team has spent time studying how the food is made in the original location. Restaurants are not added to the platform unless the original location has explicitly stated that they are satisfied with the product.

Wonder has developed ovens that allow the company to produce specialty dishes from a wide variety of restaurants without compromising the quality of the original product, the company spokesperson said.

The company has also developed its own menu concepts, including the Royal Greens salad menu on offer at the new Astoria location.

Research is a central tenet of the Wonder platform, influencing everything from what menus to offer at specific Wonder locations to how many delivery drivers are required to meet demand at the busiest times of the day.

The company spokesperson said Wonder will alter the menu at the new Astoria location once the company learns what is popular among local residents. The company will also study ordering habits to ensure that it schedules enough drivers to cope with demand at peak hours.

Photo: Shane O’Brien

Wonder Astoria will feature 23 menus from restaurants across the US, offering customers a wide selection of high-end cuisines, including salads, Italian food, burgers, Texas barbecue, steaks, Spanish tapas, poke and desserts.

Jason Rusk, executive vice president of restaurant operations at Wonder, said the company is honored to be opening its first Queens location on Broadway.

“Astoria is a vibrant neighborhood full of amazing restaurants and local businesses and we’re looking forward to becoming part of the community,” Rusk said in a statement. “Each item is made to order fresh by our team just for you – we’re excited to make meal-time easier for Astoria.”

Wonder is set to open a second Queens location in the Heritage Tower in Jackson Heights, located at 82-11 37th Ave., by the end of 2024.