Wonder's Bold Move: $10 Mexican Bowls Target Chipotle's Market
In a strategic play to disrupt the fast-casual dining sector, food delivery app Wonder has unveiled two new restaurant concepts: El Diez Mexican Bowls and Pop Salad. Founded by billionaire entrepreneur Marc Lore, Wonder is positioning these brands as affordable alternatives to industry giants Chipotle and Sweetgreen, with meals priced under $10.
El Diez: A Direct Challenge to Chipotle
El Diez Mexican Bowls represents Wonder's explicit take on Chipotle, offering full-size portions at transparent, competitive prices. Standout items include the Chicken Queso Rice Bowl and a Build Your Own Rice Bowl, both priced at $9.50. For $10, customers can opt for a bowl, chips, and drink combo. This pricing undercuts Chipotle significantly, where a typical chicken bowl in New York costs $12 or more before add-ons, with premium proteins like steak driving prices even higher.
Chipotle has faced criticism in recent years for rising prices and perceived portion inconsistencies. A Wells Fargo study ordered and weighed 75 identical chicken burrito bowls across eight New York City locations, revealing noticeable variations between orders. While this suggested uneven portioning rather than an official size reduction, customer perception has been negatively impacted. Wonder capitalizes on this by emphasizing "full-size portions" and "buzzworthy pricing" for El Diez.
Pop Salad: An Affordable Rival to Sweetgreen
Alongside El Diez, Wonder has launched Pop Salad, featuring salads priced at $9.75. This marks a stark contrast to Sweetgreen, where the average menu item costs closer to $16. Both new concepts are described as being "built around bold flavor, full-size portions and transparent, buzzworthy pricing," backed by Wonder's culinary platform and daily fresh ingredient deliveries.
Wonder's Hybrid Model and Expansion
Unlike traditional delivery platforms, Wonder operates as both a physical dining destination and a delivery service. It functions as a compact, tech-powered food hall offering lower-priced alternatives to rival chains, while also competing with delivery giants like Uber Eats and DoorDash. The app allows customers to combine dishes from up to 30 different restaurant concepts in a single order, enabling diverse meals—such as steak, pizza, and tacos—to arrive together.
The new brands debuted this week in Springfield and Hoboken, with 13 additional locations planned across Manhattan, Brooklyn, Staten Island, Long Island, and Philadelphia. Originally launched as mobile kitchens in 2018, Wonder pivoted in 2023 to physical locations featuring licensed restaurant brands. Today, it operates roughly 90 tech-powered "fast fine" food hall sites across the Northeast, each serving as a modern ghost kitchen with 20 to 30 virtual brands for delivery, pickup, or dine-in.
Strategic Acquisitions and Future Growth
Wonder has bolstered its portfolio with several high-profile acquisitions. Recently, it acquired the celebrated New York chain Blue Ribbon Fried Chicken, with Lore noting that the brand's loyal following can now be scaled across the Wonder platform. Other acquisitions include meal kit provider Blue Apron for $103 million, Grubhub for $650 million to rival Uber Eats and DoorDash, and Sweetgreen's automated kitchen technology business, Spyce, for $186.4 million.
Spyce utilizes robotics to prepare bowls and meals with minimal human intervention, aiming to enhance speed, consistency, and efficiency while reducing labor demands. This technology aligns with Wonder's innovative approach to food service.
Since its inception, Wonder has secured over $2 billion in private funding, valuing the company at approximately $7 billion—more than several publicly traded restaurant chains. While currently concentrated in the Northeast, continued success could drive expansion into other US regions by 2035, positioning Wonder as a formidable player in the evolving fast-casual and delivery landscapes.
