A long anticipated grand opening and ribbon cutting took place at Wonder Restaurant on Thursday, March 4. Wonder is located in Brookside Shops, 145 Great Rd., Acton. Company executives and store staff joined Select Board members, Senator Jamie Eldridge, Representative Dan Sena, and Economic Development Director Patricia Costa. A guitarist played while guests enjoyed samples of Harpoon beer and cannoli with green ricotta from North End’s Mike’s Pastries.
A magnificent display of green and white balloons — Wonder’s colors — graced the front of the store where the ribbon cutting took place. The green ribbon was cut by the store manager, after which several of the dignitaries spoke words of congratulations and encouragement. Inside, customers ordered from a pair of digital displays and picked up their orders in green and white bags.
In the all-electric kitchen, over thirty employees were busy preparing all types of foods that, when ready, were packaged in environmentally-friendly containers and placed on a conveyer belt that ended up at the front of the kitchen. From there the food was bagged, labeled with the customer’s name, and placed on shelving, ready for pick up. While waiting for their order, customers can monitor the process on their phones or by observing the large display next to the pick-up shelves.
Wonder has a unique business model. The restaurant calls itself a “food hall”. In traditional food halls there are many restaurants, each with their own kitchen. Wonder’s food hall has one kitchen with several stations. By partnering with other restaurants across the country Wonder has access to hundreds of recipes. According to their press release: “Wonder lets customers mix and match dishes from multiple restaurants in a single order, something no other platform offers.” Customers can dine in, take out, or get their food delivered using the Wonder app or the in-store display.
Owner Marc Lore, co-founder of diaper.com and jet.com, started Wonder in 2018. In 2023 he bought Blue Apron, the meal kit company, and he bought Grubhub, the food delivery service, in 2024. Wonder boasts its vertical integration. They buy the food, prepare it, and can deliver it. The app even lists local restaurant menus and offers delivery of their food.
At the grand opening, the first hundred guests received tote bags decorated by Boston-based artist Julia Emiliani. The bags contained a sheet of stickers by the same artist, a green Wonder beanie, and a can of Spindrift’s newest flavor. Wonder donated $1 from every placed order to the Great Boston Food Bank from March 2-8. There are three other Wonder locations in eastern Mass., with more opening this year.
Jeff Brown is the Acton Exchange business beat reporter.
