Wonder food delivery, take-out, and dine-in opens in Natick

In Natick’s utilitarian 9/27 strip mall, home to Stop & Shop, Advance Auto Parts, Staples, and other essential spots, over 15 restaurants opened up earlier this month, but it’s not exactly how it sounds.

In the former Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza space, Wonder has opened what can seem like a confusing business model at first, but in reality is simply a single place to order nearly everything you might want to eat via pick-up, delivery, or dine-in.

Picture this cozy family scene: it’s takeout night, and everyone is excited. The kids demand pizza. Mom wants poke. Dad could go for a burger. Are we really going to order from three different places? Suddenly, dinner plans seem more glum than yum at the prospect of a multi-stop pickup run—or hunkering down, but paying delivery fees times three.

Good heavens, it would be easier to just cook up a pot of spaghetti (again) and tell everyone to be thankful they’re fed.

Here’s the Wonder concept: everyone gets exactly what they want, in a single order and a single delivery, with $0 delivery fees. When an order is placed online or via the app, Wonder’s kitchen assembly line model—a wonder in itself—kicks into action.Team members mix and match chef-inspired meals from multiple restaurant menus in one order. Many hands on the line make light (and quick) work, while efficient, secure packaging keeps hot things hot, and cold things cold.

The delivery radius is pretty tight. Some fiddling with the app revealed addresses in the wilds of South Natick near Elm Bank Reservation, and headed toward the hinterlands that is Sherborn don’t make the delivery cut. But most other areas in town do.

Grand opening, the scene

We went to the grand opening, packed with hungry, curious locals. Mix 104.1 kept the scene lively with music and giveaways. But it’s the food we were after. Servers passed around a selection of boneless wings from Wing Trip—their lemon pepper, and garlic parmesan varieties. Fabulous, flavorful, and fun. (Wing Trip has classic bone-in wings, as well, and plenty of flavor options.) Cannoli from Mike’s Pastry for a sweet, and beer samples from Harpoon Brewery were available to pair with Wonder’s main dishes, which attendees ordered from the kiosk, priced 50% off as part of the celebration.

Among the items we ordered: a beef kabob dish ($22) from Maydan that featured a handful of spice-rubbed beef chunks topped with a sweet-and-sour sauce. The flatbread that came with it was not to be overlooked either.

We even came away with a swag bag designed with custom artwork by Boston-based artist Julia Emiliani, who also painted the bright, creative murals on the walls.

Howdy, pardner

Natick restaurants that have partnered with Wonder include Shubh Kitchen; Pizza by Rocco; Lunch on the Charles; and Detroit Brick Pizza Co. Other area faves are available as well, such as Mel’s Commonwealth Cafe (Wayland); Rice Burg (Wellesley); and Tennessee’s Real Barbeque (Framingham).

Some places we haven’t heard of, but that have quite a following in other regions, include Walnut Lane; Streetbird by Marcus Samuelsson; and The Mainstay by Marc Murphy. And popular chains such as Shake Shack and KFC are on offer.

An advantage to restaurants of partnering with Wonder is the opportunity to leverage an additional channel to reach new customers and increase their businesses through the Wonder platform. A disadvantage is the commission fees, widely reported as up to 30%.

Ready to saddle up? First, download the Wonder app. Make sure to check the web or ask the staff for any promo codes on your first order. Now it’s time to peruse the menu and make your choices, including whether you want to pick up, get free delivery, or dine in.

Take a seat

The 3,420 sq. ft. restaurant comfortably seats about 35. Expect a clean, brightly lit space and a lot of movement as the pick-up crowd comes and goes. So maybe not a bistro experience, but the garage-style doors will go up in the summer, which will be fun. Julia Emiliani’s vibrant wall murals make the interior feel less corporate, and more creative.

Wonder what they’ll think of next

Wonder is on a tear. In addition to the Natick location, Wonder grand-opened on the same day in Framingham and Belmont. On March 5 they’re taking Newton, Acton, and Medford by storm. From there, it’s on to Watertown, Canton, and Burlington, with more locations to come in spring and summer.

Operations Specialist Rosie Schulte says hiring has been going well. For each site, Wonder onboards approximately 35 local employees who Shulte says cook every meal “fresh onsite right out of the restaurant, optimized for dining, takeout, or delivery.” Applications for available roles can be found at Wonder.com/careers.

Schulte also takes pride in Wonder’s opening initiative that puts $1 from every order placed during restaurants’ opening week toward The Greater Boston Food Bank. She notes that Wonder will continue supporting the Food Bank via a roundup program at checkout, as well as partnering with local food rescue organizations to donate meals prepared during team training to neighbors in need.

Wonder’s Natick location is open daily, 10:30am-11:30pm.

Wondering where else you can eat in the area?

Natick restaurants—more than 70 options (Interested in sponsoring this page? Let us know: natickreport@gmail.com)

Wellesley restaurants—more than 50 options