Marc Lore, the entrepreneur behind Wonder Group Inc., is heavily investing in automation and AI to revolutionize the restaurant industry. In late 2025, Wonder spent $186 million on robotic lunch-making technology. This system, which can fill a small room, uses a track to move single-serving bowls under tubes containing ingredients like arugula, roast chicken, and green sauce, precisely dispensing them based on recipes while rotating the bowls for even distribution. This technology allows a single machine to produce 500 burrito bowls an hour, significantly outpacing a human worker who can make approximately 45 in the same timeframe.
Lore's vision extends to AI-powered restaurant creation through "Wonder Create." This initiative will enable food entrepreneurs and influencers to design and launch their own restaurant brands using AI in under a minute. The AI handles everything from naming and branding to pricing, health information, and recipe generation. These virtual restaurants would then operate across Wonder's network of tech-enabled kitchen locations, which currently number 120 and are projected to expand to 400 next year. Wonder's kitchens are designed as "programmable cooking platforms" that can function as 25 different restaurant types, equipped with a 700-ingredient library and increasingly robotic components, including newly acquired Spice Robotics' automatic bowl-making machines.
The goal is to increase kitchen efficiency dramatically. Lore anticipates that a 2,500 square-foot kitchen, staffed by 12 people, could see its throughput capacity jump from 7 million to 20 million meals annually. By 2035, he aims to have 1,000 unique restaurants operating from such a space. While Wonder's technology excels at simpler dishes like burgers, chicken wings, and bowls, it currently has limitations with tasks like tossing pizza dough or slicing sushi. Lore also views the platform as a way for influencers, trainers, or even non-profits to monetize their following by creating specialized food offerings. The company has also been acquiring restaurant brands, such as Blue Ribbon Fried Chicken for $6.5 million, to rapidly expand their presence within Wonder's ecosystem.
