Photo via Instagram @wonder

August 20, 2024 by Shane O’Brien

Wonder, a food delivery platform that connects customers with top chefs and restaurants across the U.S., will open locations in Astoria and Jackson Heights this fall.

The food technology startup, founded in 2018 by entrepreneur Marc Lore, will open a location in Astoria at 25-33 Broadway in September and has signed a 10-year lease for a 45,000-square-foot space in the Heritage Tower at 82-11 37th Ave. in Jackson Heights, which is scheduled to open in October.

Wonder operates multiple locations throughout New York City and offers delivery, pickup and on-site dining services.

The Fast Fine food delivery platform offers high-quality meals prepared by some of the country’s most renowned chefs and restaurants, including Bobby Flay, Jose Andres and Nancy Silverton, as well as several award-winning restaurants.

Wonder aims to prepare and deliver freshly cooked meals within 30 minutes of ordering, with all food cooked to order in Wonder stores. The platform allows customers to combine orders from a variety of popular restaurants, all delivered to or picked up from the same Wonder store.

The company offers culinary options from dozens of well-known restaurant brands, such as Tejas Barbecue, burger joint Fred’s Meat & Bread and Mexican restaurant Limesalt.

A Wonder spokesperson said the company’s goal is to “make good food more accessible,” adding that Wonder is excited to enter the Queens market.

“This is an exciting moment for “Miracle,” said a company spokesman. “As a company from the border triangle, it is important to us to have a presence in every district. We are pleased Wonder experience to Queens and we can’t wait to become a part of the community.”

The spokesperson added that the two Queens locations are expected to operate more than 20 restaurants once they open later this year.

In addition, Wonder Group recently secured the acquisition of meal kit company Blue Apron for $103 million; Blue Apron’s meal kits are now available through the Wonder app.

The company currently operates 15 stores in New York City, Westchester, New Jersey and Pennsylvania and aims to have a total of 35 stores by the end of 2024.

Wonder will open a store in the Heritage Tower in Jackson Heights in October. Photo courtesy of RockFarmer Properties

Heritage Tower, a recently renovated 9-story building in Jackson Heights, is owned by RockFarmer Properties, a Douglaston-based development company. The building’s current tenants include low-cost healthcare facility Apicha Community Health Center and construction company Judlau Contracting, while fast-food chain Shake Shack is scheduled to open later this month.

Meanwhile, Bleuler Psychotherapy Center Inc., whose goal is to provide high-quality, cost-effective psychotherapy services for children, adolescents, adults, couples and families, has also signed a ten-year lease in the Heritage Tower.

Bleuler, which currently operates offices in Forest Hills and Jackson Heights, has leased 70,000 square feet of space on the ninth floor of Heritage Tower for general and executive office space. The company hopes to move in later this year when the office build-out is completed.

With the two new leases totaling 11,199 square feet, the 135,000 square foot mixed-use building is now 95% leased.

John C. Petras, managing partner of RockFarmer Properties, said it was encouraging to see such high occupancy at Heritage Tower.

“Heritage Tower continues to see strong retail and office leasing momentum,” Petras said in a statement. “RockFarmer Properties remains optimistic about well-located niche office buildings in New York City.”

Opened in 1998, Heritage Tower underwent a $4 million renovation in 2019, including modernization of the building’s lobby area and three-story atrium. Renovations also included the creation of turnkey incubator space for small businesses and entrepreneurs in the basement.

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