Wonder opens virtual food hall in Jackson Heights, featuring celebrity chef menus and diverse dining options

Lines form outside Wonder’s new Jackson Heights location ahead of Thursday’s grand opening. Photo: Shane O’Brien

Nov. 14, 2024 By Shane O’Brien

More than 100 people gathered in Jackson Heights Thursday morning to celebrate the grand opening of Wonder, a “fast-fine” virtual food hall that connects New York customers with a number of high-quality restaurants and chefs from across the US.

Wonder opened its new Jackson Location at the Heritage Tower, 82-11 37th Ave., at 11 a.m. on Thursday. It offered $15 off for each of the first 100 customers to visit the store.

Customers also had the chance to “spin the wheel” and win a $5 food voucher or a free Wonder tote bag during Thursday’s grand opening.

Photo: Shane O’Brien

The new Jackson Heights store is Wonder’s second Queens location after the food technology start-up opened its first Queens location in Astoria last month.

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 located outside the city, including Texas staple Tejas Barbecue, Atlanta’s popular Fred’s Meat & Bread and Detroit Brick Pizza Co. At present, Wonder offers 17 different restaurants at its Jackson Heights location, with five other eateries to be added in the near future.

Speaking at the launch of Wonder Astoria last month, a company spokesperson said Wonder regularly tailors menus for specific locations once it learns popular eating habits in the local neighborhood. The company will also study ordering habits to ensure that it schedules enough drivers to cope with demand at peak hours.

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

Photo: Shane O’Brien

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

Wonder’s delivery radius is subsequently designed to allow Wonder delivery drivers to reach their destinations in six minutes or less.

Wonder markets itself as a virtual food hall, allowing customers to order from a variety of restaurants operating from the same location without incurring multiple service charges or delivery fees.

The platform aims to connect New Yorkers with restaurants they would not normally have access to. It sends teams to restaurants across the country to study how food is made in the original locations. Restaurants are not added to the platform unless the original location explicitly states that they are satisfied with the product.

Wonder has also developed its own menu concepts, including the Royal Greens salad menu on offer at the new Jackson Heights location.

Over 100 people lined up for the Jackson Heights location’s grand opening on Thursday morning, with some customers waiting more than 45 minutes to enter the restaurant as the line snaked around the block.

Photo: Shane O’Brien

Maria Faraldo, a Jackson Heights resident who waited in line for 30 minutes on Thursday morning, said Wonder represents a positive addition to the neighborhood’s culinary scene.

“I like it because they have Mediterranean, and it’s something we don’t have in the neighborhood,” Faraldo said.

Javier Arau, a Jackson Heights resident who also attended Thursday’s grand opening, was less encouraged by Wonder’s presence in the neighborhood and said he was concerned by the impact it would have on small businesses in the area.

“I think ghost kitchens are bad for neighborhoods in general, especially Jackson Heights because there are so many great local restaurants, but I love the bells and whistles, so that’s why I’m here today,” Arau said.

One Jackson Heights resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said Wonder represented a positive addition to the neighborhood. It offers variety to groups with different tastes who would normally have to compromise on their orders.

“It’s nice that it has such a wide variety of options in case you and your friends haven’t come to a consensus about exactly what you want. It’s nice to be able to have that personal choice.”