Wonder plans Texas expansion as Marc Lore weighs potential IPO
More than 100 new Texas locations could bring Wonder’s app-based food hall model to a wider audience by the end of 2027. The expansion is
More than 100 new Texas locations could bring Wonder’s app-based food hall model to a wider audience by the end of 2027. The expansion is part of a growth push by founder Marc Lore as the company builds toward a possible public listing.
Wonder, founded in 2018, is also developing a subscription program that would let customers operate their own “restaurants” through the platform. Lore declined to tell CNBC when the company might go public. He has previously said Wonder would be “ready and prepared to go public early next year.”
A food hall in an app
Wonder presents itself as a way to order food from restaurants around the country in one place. Customers can order takeout or delivery through its app or third-party platforms, including Grubhub, which Wonder now owns.
Lore describes the business as a vertically integrated food technology platform intended to make quality food more accessible. The company is betting on automation and a network of locations to support that model as it expands.
The Texas plan is a major part of Wonder’s next phase: the company aims to open more than 100 locations in the state by the end of 2027. Its broader ambitions also include letting subscribers run their own restaurant offerings on the platform, though the supplied details do not specify how that program would work or when it would launch.
IPO timing remains unclear
Wonder’s footprint and valuation have grown in less than a decade, according to CNBC. But Lore has not given a timetable for an IPO, leaving the company’s public-market plans uncertain even as it prepares for further expansion.
The next test will be whether Wonder can turn its technology-led format into a larger physical network while developing the customer-run restaurant concept. Its Texas rollout is slated to continue through the end of 2027.
Source: cnbc.com
