Over three years out from the start of COVID-19, many of the innovative ways businesses grappled with global lockdown have become commonplace: sidewalk dining, to-go alcoholic drinks, and scannable menus, to name a few. Among these initiatives is the New Jersey-based mobile app that brought chef-prepared meals to your door. Called Wonder, the app created a new “fast fine” home dining experience, literally preparing each dish in your driveway. This past January, the service removed the food trucks from its model. Wonder is in the process of transitioning into a permanent Hoboken restaurant + ghost kitchen service at 221 River Street, set to open Thursday, November 2nd. Read on for what we know about the Wonder flagship outpost coming to Hoboken.
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About Wonder + Its Hoboken Restaurant
When it first launched in 2020, Wonder partnered with restaurants around the country to bring the restaurant to you, with each order fired, finished, and plated in a mobile restaurant. Wonder’s menus featured creations from renowned chefs and restaurants including Bobby Flay Steak, Barrio Café, Chios Taverna by Chef Michael Symon, Estelle + Jeanie’s by Chef JJ Johnson, and Pizzeria Mozza by Chef Nancy Silverton.
Read More: New Restaurant ‘Martha’s’ Soft Opens in Former La Isla Uptown Space
Since then, Wonder has discontinued the food trucks, instead venturing to open storefronts under this outsourcing model. Per Patch, “Wonder’s [new] “fast fine dining” model involves opening restaurants with menus” from various chefs and restaurants “to serve up food for delivery, pickup, and dine-in throughout the area.”
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Currently, Wonder has three operating storefronts: two in NYC (Chelsea and Upper West Side) and one in New Jersey (Westfield). With six more locations “coming soon,” the upcoming Hoboken outpost is part of a larger expansion project for the company.
Wonder is putting down permanent Hoboken roots at 221 River Street in the Waterfront Corporate Center III. The space is slated to open Thursday, November 2nd, signing a deal with SJP Properties — a commercial, residential, and industrial real estate company — to lease 3,700 square feet of retail space in the office + retail complex.
Andrew Gasper, Chief Governance Officer at Wonder, said about the Hoboken location: “Hoboken is such a lively, dynamic, and diverse city, and we’re excited to be a part of the community.” Andrew went on to share, “As Wonder continues to expand and open new locations across New Jersey and New York, Hoboken was a natural next step for us. With such close proximity to the river walkway, we expect to see a significant amount of walk-in customers, in addition to the regular cadence of delivery customers.”
Locals can expect menus from chefs like Bobby Flay, Marc Murphy, Jose Andres, and Marcus Samuelsson to be served at the Hoboken location, along with dishes from restaurants across the country including Tejas Barbeque, Di Fara Pizza, Barrio Cafe, and more.
Wonder joins a host of other food truck-esque dining options to open storefronts in Hoboken + Jersey City. Earlier this month, No Forks Given of Jersey City hosted a soft opening at 115 Brunswick Street — and Go-To Kitchen (formerly Ghost Truck Kitchen) celebrated the arrival of new Jersey City + Hoboken locations, which you can read about here.
See More: A Guide to Food Trucks in Montclair
As always, we’ll keep you updated as details about Wonder unfold. For now, be sure to follow @thehobokengirl on Instagram + TikTok for the latest Hoboken + Jersey City happenings.
