Marc Lore, the serial entrepreneur behind successful startups like Jet.com and Diapers.com, is turning his attention to the food industry with a bold new vision. His current venture, Wonder, aims to revolutionize how restaurants are created and operated by leveraging artificial intelligence and robotics. Speaking at The Wall Street Journal’s Future of Everything conference, Lore detailed a plan that could democratize restaurant ownership: Wonder Create.
What is Wonder Create?
Wonder Create is an AI-powered platform that allows anyone—from aspiring restaurateurs to social media influencers—to design a full restaurant brand in under a minute. Users simply type a description of the kind of restaurant they want, and the AI generates everything: the name, branding, menu descriptions, pricing, nutritional information, and even the recipes. The virtual restaurant then goes live across Wonder’s network of physical kitchen locations, which are currently 120 in number and projected to grow to 400 by next year.
Lore described the system as akin to “a Shopify front end with an AI prompt.” Once the user approves the AI-generated restaurant, it becomes available for delivery through Wonder’s platform, powered by its recent acquisition of Grubhub. The entire process eliminates the traditional barriers of opening a restaurant: leasing space, hiring staff, developing a menu, and marketing. Wonder’s kitchens handle all production.
The Technology Behind the Kitchens
Wonder’s kitchens are not ordinary restaurants. Lore calls them “programmable cooking platforms.” Each location is an all-electric kitchen with up to 12 staff members, plus robotic assistants like conveyors and robotic arms. The kitchens house a 700-ingredient library that can be combined to create dishes for up to 25 different restaurant brands operating out of the same small footprint of about 2,500 square feet.
Recently, Wonder acquired Spice Robotics, a company that made an automatic bowl-making machine previously used by Sweetgreen. Next year, the company plans to introduce an “infinite sauce machine” capable of producing roughly 80% of all sauces found in online recipes. These innovations are designed to increase throughput without adding staff. Lore claims a path from 7 million meals per year with 12 people up to 20 million meals from the same space and headcount.
The long-term goal is staggering: by 2035, Lore envisions having 1,000 unique restaurant brands operating out of a single 2,500-square-foot kitchen. The AI and robotics are key to achieving that level of variety and efficiency.
Who Can Use Wonder Create?
The target audience is broad. Lore highlighted several use cases during the conference. A food entrepreneur could test new recipes and gauge customer reaction before committing to a brick-and-mortar location. Social media influencers—mega or micro—could launch a branded restaurant to monetize their following without the logistics of food production. Even a private trainer could create a specific line of health bowls for their clients. Non-profits or entertainment companies like Disney could use the platform for promotional campaigns.
“Anybody can make a restaurant,” Lore said. The AI handles the complexity, allowing creativity and personal branding to take center stage.
Historical Context: Ghost Kitchens and Their Pitfalls
The concept of virtual restaurants is not new. The early 2020s saw a boom in “ghost kitchens”—delivery-only restaurants that operated out of shared commissaries. High-profile examples like MrBeast Burger promised easy entry for influencers but struggled with quality control. MrBeast Burger relied on dozens of different contracted kitchens, leading to inconsistent food and customer complaints. Many ghost kitchen operators scaled back or shut down entirely.
Lore acknowledges these challenges but believes Wonder’s system is different. Because all preparation occurs in Wonder’s own standardized, increasingly robotic kitchens, consistency can be maintained. The AI also ensures that recipes follow measurable parameters, reducing human error. The integration of Grubhub provides a built-in delivery network, while the acquisition of Blue Apron adds meal kit expertise.
Marc Lore’s Career Journey
Marc Lore is no stranger to disruption. He co-founded Diapers.com, which was sold to Amazon. He then founded Jet.com, sold to Walmart for $3.3 billion in 2016, after which he led Walmart’s e-commerce operations. In 2021, he left Walmart to focus on Wonder, which started as a food truck concept and evolved into a full-fledged dining platform. Lore’s track record suggests he understands scaling technology-driven businesses.
Wonder has also been acquiring established restaurant brands. In February, the company bought Blue Ribbon Fried Chicken, a New York City chain with ten locations, for $6.5 million. Lore sees an arbitrage opportunity: buy a brand with moderate recognition and instantly scale it across hundreds of locations via Wonder’s network.
Limitations and Challenges
Despite the ambitious vision, there are constraints. The current technology cannot handle complex tasks like tossing pizza dough, stretching it, or slicing and rolling sushi. Wonder focuses on simpler items: burgers, chicken wings, fried chicken, and bowls. The robotic systems are designed for tasks that can be automated, like cooking chicken or assembling bowls. Handcrafted or artisanal foods remain outside the current scope.
Another question is market demand. Not everyone wants to be a restaurateur, even if the barriers are lowered. The ghost kitchen bubble showed that supply can outpace demand. Wonder Create will need to attract enough creators and customers to make the network profitable. Lore is betting that the combination of AI, robotics, and existing delivery infrastructure will create a flywheel effect.
The broader food industry is watching closely. If successful, Wonder could transform how quick-service restaurants are conceived and operated. It could also accelerate the adoption of automation in commercial kitchens, reducing labor costs and increasing efficiency. However, the model is still unproven at scale, and the timeline to 400 locations and 1,000 brands is aggressive.
Nevertheless, Marc Lore has a history of turning bold ideas into reality. From selling diapers online to building a $3 billion e-commerce company, he has consistently identified gaps in how people buy and receive goods. Now he is applying the same logic to food. Wonder Create is his latest bet: a platform that lets anyone with an idea and a following open a restaurant with a prompt. The only question left is how hungry the world is for AI-generated dining.
Source: TechCrunch News