Not many industries can claim to have benefited from COVID, but one that did was food delivery apps, which more than doubled their business during year one of the pandemic. Consumers who had never heard of Grubhub or Door Dash or Postmates were suddenly regular customers.
Unfortunately for both initiates and veteran end-users, ordering dinner from one of these services has not invariably lived up to its promise. Food meant to be hot has been known to arrive tepid and sometimes not at all.
Enter a newcomer to the trade, Wonder, which promises to get the science down right. Wonder, which is already a reality in New Jersey and Westchester and opens an outpost today at Broadway and 70th Street, rises to the challenge of delivering hot food to your door via a vertically-integrated system whereby that enables the company to control every aspect of the process — from the front-end app and sourcing of food, to the cooking, delivery, and every step in between. This high level of integration enables Wonder to be hyper-precise with cook times, the timing of pick-ups (via electric bikes) and deliveries down to the exact moment orders are ready.
The Upper West Side location, which permits pickup in addition to delivery and limited on-site dining, is currently limited to a six-block radius, ensuring that every meal is delivered within 10 minutes of completion.
The service charges a delivery fee of $1.99.
Another Gigantic Steakhouse Coming to Town
Time was if you wanted to drop a week’s pay on a steak dinner, you could manage the feat at any of a couple dozen dedicated red meat emporia. While the number of such places has declined precipitously, a new generation of New York steakhouse is attempting to fill the void. You can readily recognize members of this new breed by the sheer immensity of their operations and the non-native lineage of their creators.
The latest to declare is Korean-American chef Simon Kim whose Gracious Hospitality Management has announced a three-story 15,000-square-foot iteration of COTE Korean Steakhouse on Madison Avenue between 55th and 56th Streets. If the extant branch of Cote in the Flatiron district is any clue, the menu will be a blend of Korean and American barbecue styles. Details on the name and opening date have yet to be released.
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