Food hall startup Wonder opens in D.C. with 25-plus restaurants and celeb chefs
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Wonder opens its first D.C. location. Photo: Courtesy of Wonder
Tech billionaire-backed food hall Wonder opens Thursday on 14th Street — and plans to blitz Washington with nearly 10 locations by year's end.
Why it matters: Big money and big-name chefs like José Andrés are fueling the New York-born startup, which has lofty goals of disrupting food delivery and opening dozens of branches in the D.C. area.
The big picture: Billed as a "new kind of food hall," Wonder boasts the small footprint and big variety of a ghost kitchen, offering 25-plus concepts under one roof.
- It also offers dine-in, carryout and proprietary delivery services that target order-to-doorstep within 30 minutes.
- Some of Wonder's partnerships are with celeb chefs like Andrés and Bobby Flay, and others are with popular regional eateries like NYC's Di Fara Pizza or Maydan. More are house brands.
How it works: Guests can mix and match dishes from multiple restaurants and cuisines in one order — some 600 items, from fast-casual bowls to "fine casual" steak dinners.
- Wonder owns the full process — from recipes to sourcing, production and delivery via the Wonder app.
- Dishes are largely assembled in central commissaries but made to order on premises in all-electric kitchens that boast fryers, ovens, etc.
Zoom in: In D.C., diners can sample from concepts like:
🐔 Streetbird by celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson.
🍕 Di Fara Pizza, a Brooklyn icon.
🌮 Limesalt, Wonder's build-your-own Mexican spot.
🍰 Room for Dessert, featuring favorites from Magnolia Bakery and others.
The intrigue: While you can order and eat there, swift delivery is the main objective —and it's fueling rapid expansion.
- Delivery is limited to a radius of 10-ish minutes driving time. Diners don't need to wait on multiple restaurant orders or pay multiple fees.
Catch up quick: Former Walmart and Amazon exec Marc Lore launched Wonder in 2021. It operates over 50 East Coast locations, from Connecticut to Philly, with 90 planned by next year.
- Wonder Group has raised over $700 million to fuel expansion and acquire meal kit pioneer Blue Apron and delivery platform Grubhub.
What's next: Rosslyn opens July 24, followed by locations in Navy Yard, Cleveland Park, College Park, Reston and beyond.
- Wonder will donate $1 from every meal sold in its first week to DC Central Kitchen, and it will give patrons the chance to round up their change to donate to DCCK year-round.
If you go: Wonder, 1925 14th St. NW.