The New York City-based Wonder food hall will continue its expansion across Northern Virginia with a new location opening in Chantilly later this year.
The new location at 13958 Route 50 is expected to open this fall, a spokesperson confirmed to FFXnow. An exact opening date was not yet available.
The company has been fast-expanding across the D.C. area of late, with 19 locations already open, including eight in Virginia. Locations are slated to open this summer in Glen Burnie and Bowie, Maryland, as well as Woodbridge’s Smoketown Station. A restaurant at 100 West Broad Street in Falls Church will open in September.
Wonder has also filed a permit to renovate two existing spaces in Barcroft Plaza on Columbia Pike into a single restaurant, FFXnow previously reported.
“Northern Virginia is a natural fit for Wonder’s continued growth, given its dense population, strong base of families and professionals, and consistent demand for convenient, high-quality dining,” the spokesperson said in an emailed statement.
“Expanding in the region allows Wonder to better serve residents looking for delicious and flexible meal solutions that fit seamlessly into busy schedules, from weeknight dinners to family meals and group gatherings, while making chef-inspired food more accessible.”
Founded by the billionaire and ex-Walmart CEO Marc Lore, Wonder lets customers order from more than two dozen different restaurants. With the goal of building “the super app for mealtime,” the company has acquired big names like Grubhub, Blue Apron and media company Tastemade.
It is even planning to experiment with drone delivery in Texas, beginning in 2027.
While Wonder only started building physical locations in 2023, the company has invested hundreds of millions of dollars into its expansion plans, Eater, a publication covering food and dining, noted last year. Its strategy is “decoupling the kitchen from the restaurant” through technology, Lore recently told the Wall Street Journal.
“We have what we call programmable cooking platform. It has now 25 different restaurants cooked to order. Some people think you’re reheating it, or things like that,” Lore said. “We’re actually cooking to order 25 different restaurants across every cuisine type — everything from a high-end Bobby Flay steak to José Andrés to burgers, barbecue, Chinese, Thai, Middle Eastern, Mexican pizza, fried chicken — all in the same kitchen with no open flames or gas.
“It’s all electric-based platform, and it’s becoming increasingly more robotic,” using tools such as conveyors and an automatic bowl-making machine, Lore noted.
The buildout at the Chantilly location was expected to cost approximately $120,000 for demolition and construction of interior walls, according to county zoning records. The space was previously home to a Noodles & Company.
