Wonder Launches Membership Program, Ten-Eye Store Releases As Delivery Vans Leave Behind
Wonder, the food delivery startup made famous by its first model that used customized delivery vans, has launched a membership program called Wonder+ the Spoon.
The new plan, which costs $7.99 monthly, gives members the ability to get free delivery without a minimum order amount. Wonder+ also entitles members to priority delivery or pickup with a Wonder “Fast Pass” with each member’s order.
The launch of Wonder+ comes a few months after the company revealed it would stop cooking food orders from delivery vans. While the original concept developed the company a loyal following of active clients in the New Jersey suburb where it was launched, it proved to be very capital intensive, even for a CEO who has demonstrated the ability to raise funding rounds with aplomb.
“I see a huge opportunity to make more profit, spend more money and slightly improve” the customer experience with mobile kitchens versus a food truck system, said Wonder CEO Marc Lore.
The membership program begins just weeks after the company opened its second brick-and-mortar location in Westfield, New Jersey. The 4,300-square-foot storefront serves food from 13 restaurants, including Bobby Flay Steak, Tejas Barbecue, and Di Fara Pizza. According to the company, the Westfield location will reach customers previously served by its Westfield vans and the nearby towns of Garwood, Fanwood, Winfield, Scotch Plains, Cranford, and Clark. According to the company, the new locations will support delivery, pickup, and limited dining.
While the company has abandoned its delivery fleet, it still plans to deliver all food made to Wonder’s kitchens and its staff.
“Unlike a ghost kitchen or other delivery services, Wonder is completely vertically integrated, meaning it owns and operates every aspect of the process — from the advanced app and food preparation to cooking, delivery, and every step in between,” a company spokesperson told Spoon via email. Wonder couriers will not only handle deliveries made to customers who order through the Wonder app, but also those orders made through third-party apps such as Doordash or Uber Eats.
Wonder’s Westfield location begins with the opening of its Manhattan location in February, and the company plans to open ten Wonder locations by the end of the year, including a Chelsea location next month and a Brooklyn location in the fall.
The food hall’s multi-brand offerings are the same trend some ghost kitchen operators — like Kitchen United and its Mix concept and newer operators like Hungry House — have been going for in recent years, without the delivery episode. The impressive new direction reminds us of the European Deliveroo’s efforts to the vertical integration with its range of products visible through Deliveroo Experiences and in-person dining halls.
