Wonder Delivery Service

[MetsFan5]

I wasn’t sure where to put this topic. While walking my dog I keep seeing a truck with the Wonder logo and looked it up:

https://www.wonder.com

 

It’s a dinner only, delivery service with menu items from celebrity chefs like Michael Symon and Jonathan Waxmore, Bobby Flay etc. 

 

 I haven’t tried it. It’s not cheap and some meals come on China with silverware and apparently you throw the all of it back in a bag and they pick it up. 
 

It’s an interesting concept. Next time I see the van I’ll bring the dog back into the apartment so I can ask if I can check out the set up. 
 

  AFAIK it’s only available in certain areas in the NYC metro area. I’m not opposed to take a hit and order from the Bobby Flay Steakhouse menu but since the truck is in my complex daily I’m going to ask to see the set up and how they reheat? Cook? Heat up? Things.

 

 

[gfweb]

Intriguing.

 

I despise food aged in styrofoam and eaten with plastic forks.

 

They say that they cook/finish it on site. Might indeed be something.

 

Do you have a steam oven? They are way better than microwaves for reheating.

 

[MetsFan5]

I don’t. I haven’t really. Dislike living in my apartment because I don’t want up being living in one and have had some personal losses. 
 

  I am wondering (hah pun unintentional) if I should try the service first and then see how they pull it off. May as well try it. Supposedly I can order and have a meal at my door in under an hour. 

Edited September 16, 2022 by MetsFan5 (log)

[JoNorvelleWalker]

1 hour ago, MetsFan5 said:

I wasn’t sure where to put this topic. While walking my dog I keep seeing a truck with the Wonder logo and looked it up:

https://www.wonder.com

 

It’s a dinner only, delivery service with menu items from celebrity chefs like Michael Symon and Jonathan Waxmore, Bobby Flay etc. 

 

 I haven’t tried it. It’s not cheap and some meals come on China with silverware and apparently you throw the all of it back in a bag and they pick it up. 
 

It’s an interesting concept. Next time I see the van I’ll bring the dog back into the apartment so I can ask if I can check out the set up. 
 

  AFAIK it’s only available in certain areas in the NYC metro area. I’m not opposed to take a hit and order from the Bobby Flay Steakhouse menu but since the truck is in my complex daily I’m going to ask to see the set up and how they reheat? Cook? Heat up? Things.

 

 

 

Where does Wonder specify their service area?  I could not find it listed on their website.  Do they deliver as far south as Somerset County?  I don't do takeout but this looks intriguing.  Once in a great, great while.

 

Speaking of dogs in apartments, my landlord just notified me I have a dog in my apartment.  I do not have a dog in my apartment.  I do not have so much as a goldfish.  Dust mites maybe.

 

 

 

[MetsFan5]

13 minutes ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

Where does Wonder specify their service area?  I could not find it listed on their website.  Do they deliver as far south as Somerset County?  I don't do takeout but this looks intriguing.  Once in a great, great while.

 

Speaking of dogs in apartments, my landlord just notified me I have a dog in my apartment.  I do not have a dog in my apartment.  I do not have so much as a goldfish.  Dust mites maybe.

 

 

 

That has to be frustrating. Maisey barks loudly at everyone; my idiot neighbor when I had my house always encouraged her to bark! 🙄

 

  Wonder also partners with local restaurants for delivery. I wouldn’t sign up with them for that, doordash and UberEats tend to have discounts. I use delivery services such as Doordash often and I tip heavily. I could unpack my boxes and Cook but I’m not in the mood or mental space to do so. 

[weinoo]

8 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

Where does Wonder specify their service area?  I could not find it listed on their website.

 

Quote

Next year, Lore and Hilton plan to bring Wonder and Envoy to Westchester County, New York, parts of Connecticut, northern and central New Jersey, as well as a portion of New York City. Their ultimate goal is to expand nationwide, by targeting communities with dense populations. Lore said the company plans to have 1,200 to 1,300 mobile kitchens roaming the Northeast next year, and to triple that by 2023. It has about 60 mobile kitchens operating to date.

Quote

 

Wonder also wants customers to receive their food when it’s piping hot. So it finishes off the final meal prep inside of vans that have been outfitted with kitchen appliances, once the driver arrives at a destination. Each Wonder van has one trained chef onboard and is dedicated to only one restaurant.

Ingredients are prepped and packaged at a large central kitchen before they’re distributed to smaller kitchen hubs, which are accessed throughout the week by Wonder’s vehicles.

So far, business in the markets where Wonder has been serving food has been driven largely by word of mouth, Hilton said. Wonder’s vans, plastered with the company’s logo across the side, serve somewhat as roaming billboards, he said.

Wonder is currently working with 17 restaurants, servicing about 17,000 households in New Jersey. As more restaurant options are added to the platform, a user is more likely to return and order dinner from Wonder again, Hilton said. The company is also planning to expand into serving breakfast and lunch soon. Recently, it debuted a selection of desserts and added cocktails after acquiring a liquor license.

 

 

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/07/marc-lore-plots-us-expansion-of-wonder-group-food-delivery-biz.html

[gfweb]

Doing the numbers in my head I can't see how this can succeed.

[pastrygirl]

2 hours ago, gfweb said:

Doing the numbers in my head I can't see how this can succeed.

 

+1 

 

So they have the rights to various restaurant names and recipes and are prepping food at a central kitchen to be heated and served remotely?  Does every van have every meal on it and is just out there waiting around, or do they make frequent trips back to the kitchen?  How much can one van sell per night?  Seems like an insane business model to me 🤷‍♀️

[Anna N]

11 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

Dust mites maybe.

Stop putting leashes on them!

[Annie_H]

Trying to cover Manhattan sounds like a logistical nightmare. They say they will need a driver, a chef, and a runner. 

The suburbs makes sense. School nights. Dad is in his office/or mother. Mother is tending the kids needs/or dad. Higher end restaurant quality meals at your door. Family eats together. None of the offerings seems to have kids menus but maybe get them fed and to bed and mom and pop have a nice meal together. None of my friends with school age kids eat out as a family on school nights. It's take out or delivery a couple times a week. 

One van carries only one restaurant. Or so I read. High speed convection, cast iron for steak. Not sure what happened to the 'room service' white glove I thought they were doing. Plates and silverware, then retrieved later. Expensive to pull off and would need a runner to pick it up?

What seems insane is getting the workforce hired that are capable of cooking a perfect steak. The only meal I saw unboxing was the Mexican taco meal that did look really good. 

I suppose it is similar to a restaurant that preps fresh that morning or afternoon, then kept refrigerated. Proteins, like a nice steak, is seared curbside. 

Lots of deep pockets out there. Seems to be the target customer. 

[weinoo]

33 minutes ago, Annie_H said:

Lots of deep pockets out there

Seems more like the founder and investors have the pockets.

[Annie_H]

1 hour ago, weinoo said:

Seems more like the founder and investors have the pockets.

Agree. He has many investors from past successes. 

But they need the deep pocket consumers that don't blink to pay for a quality meal. If Wonder can pull it off, they will satisfy a level of diners that like delivery once/twice a week, and can afford it. They hate cooking or can't cook. Or too busy. High end have nannies and live-in cooks and house keepers. One wealthy tier down can be disappointing from a local NJ pizza joint, or Mexican fare. 

We never get delivery. Random take-out in person. No issues heating it up at home, especially pizza. 

[gfweb]

I guess this will be a success on some level if it survives long enough to be bought-out.

 

I still don't think it makes business sense.

[pastrygirl]

Can you get delivery (ubereats, etc) from any of the restaurants licensed to Wonder?  If one had the disposable income, it would be interesting to order via both services & compare. 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

11 hours ago, pastrygirl said:

Can you get delivery (ubereats, etc) from any of the restaurants licensed to Wonder?  If one had the disposable income, it would be interesting to order via both services & compare. 

 

If the restaurant were on the opposite side of the continent the ubereats delivery might be cold.

 

[pastrygirl]

18 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

If the restaurant were on the opposite side of the continent the ubereats delivery might be cold.

 

pretty sure Uber eats can let your hot food get cold and your cold food get warm no matter the distance it travels 😆

[MetsFan5]

On 9/17/2022 at 10:28 AM, pastrygirl said:

Can you get delivery (ubereats, etc) from any of the restaurants licensed to Wonder?  If one had the disposable income, it would be interesting to order via both services & compare. 

Yes, in addition to the nationwide restaurants listed on their site that are obviously not locally available. 
 

I’ll try it this week. The town I live in currently is fairly affluent, the median home price is $900k. 

Edited September 19, 2022 by MetsFan5 (log)

[MetsFan5]

I think I’m going to bite the bullet and order from Wonder today. I’m going to try Bobby Flay’s Steakhouse. It comes with China and silverware which is an interesting concept. Apparently I can throw the used placewear in a bag that should be provided to me and leave it outside my door for no extra fee. Granted the cost of the meal won’t be cheap but I can’t finish even an 8oz steak so I am absolutely ordering the from the “kids menu” and getting a 4 oz filet. I’ll report back. 

[MetsFan5]

Well look at those fees 🙄. I have 20% off flyer that came in the mail. Today is the anniversary of my brother’s death so I’m not worried about the cost. I just find it very disingenuous. 

[MetsFan5]

Cute how a $18 meal is $29 with their fees. I’m absolutely going to ask to see the inside of the truck. 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Was the ketchup a separate charge?

 

[MetsFan5]

8 minutes ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

Was the ketchup a separate charge?

 

  Haha no. And I didn’t use it I was curious how it would be delivered. In packets. Meh. However the food was really good. Shockingly so. I’ll update more soon. 

[MetsFan5]

Honestly I was surprised at how good the meal was. It was hot, my steak was cooked perfectly. Yes the fees are outrageous IMO. I asked to go inside the truck with the promise I wouldn’t take pictures and it was really impressive; the truck was specifically designed to take orders for Bobby Flay’s Steakhouse. It was immaculate and their SV, prep and grill stations in this Mercedes van that doesn’t require a CDL (I asked)  was surprising. 
 

  It’s not a tipping situation (yet) and I was given a free order of freshly made potato chips with a spicy aioli. It was weird to dump dirty plates into a bag but I’ve done much worse. 
 

 They didn’t include silverware. I think they should have. I also think if they include wine and or mixed beverages they have potential. A lot of people don’t want to go out right now and this was a restaurant quality dinner and I had it on my couch in sweats without having to do a thing. 

Edited September 30, 2022 by MetsFan5 (log)

[MetsFan5]

I just received a reminder to put the (warming) bag outside with the dishes. Maisey and I are hanging out on my small deck. I’m curious to see if the person who picks up my bag of dishes is the same who delivered the food. 
 

 Currently, in my area, Bobby Flay’s is the only restaurant out of 21 who provides dishes. The others deliver food in recyclable materials. 
 

IMO this first experience is essentially having room service from a high end restaurant at my apartment. It’s definitely not for everyone nor is it something anyone would use daily (they currently only do dinner) but it was an overall positive experience. I expected the steak to be over cooked and cold and it was neither. I have ordered an embarrassing amount of Doordash etc and this was much better than anything I’ve had delivered via the usual apps. 

Edited September 30, 2022 by MetsFan5
Updated and edited. (log)

[MetsFan5]

Oh and I like Bobby’s steak sauce. It came in a bottle (not to give back) with all of the ingredients listed which I also appreciate. 

Edited September 30, 2022 by MetsFan5 (log)