Wonder Create will operate across Wonder’s network of 120 programmable cooking platforms, with plans to expand to 400 locations next year and ultimately 1,000 restaurants in 2,500 square feet by 2035.

The strategy uses AI as a Shopify-style front-end, letting influencers, private groups, not-for-profits, or brands like Disney create and monetize their own restaurant concepts.

The AI-driven process can generate a restaurant’s name, branding, description, images, pricing, health information, and complete recipes, which can be refined via prompts before launching across Wonder’s locations.

The model is unproven at scale, with past ghost kitchen programs showing potential issues like inconsistent food quality across multiple contracted kitchens.

Wonder has acquired Spice Robotics and is expanding automation, including an anticipated ‘infinite sauce machine’ that could produce about 80% of common online recipes’ sauces.

Wonder’s broader strategy includes acquisitions such as Grubhub and Blue Apron to build a scalable ecosystem for acquiring and rapidly deploying restaurant brands across its network.

Lore emphasizes preserving core cooking capabilities (burgers, chicken, bowls) while pushing automation to raise throughput—from 7 million to 20 million meals per year using the same 12 staff within 2,500 square feet.

Wonder kitchens are highly automated, featuring robotics and conveyors, staffing up to 12 per location, with a 700-item ingredient library and the ability to host multiple brands in one kitchen.

Marc Lore and Wonder envision AI-powered restaurant creation through Wonder Create, enabling anyone to design and launch a restaurant brand in under a minute.