Marc Lore’s Wonder Acquires Blue Ribbon Fried Chicken

While the acquisition signals a shift in ownership, the standalone Blue Ribbon Fried Chicken restaurant in New York’s East Village will maintain its current operations without immediate day-to-day changes. Instead, Wonder plans to leverage the brand's reputation to anchor its digital food halls. Following an initial launch at a New York Wonder site, the company intends to scale the Blue Ribbon brand across its wider network of locations.

Wonder’s business model centers on offering a diverse array of curated cuisines from a single kitchen. The platform already features menus from high-profile establishments such as SriPraPhai and Di Fara Pizza, alongside collaborations with celebrity chefs like Marcus Samuelsson. This latest acquisition further consolidates Wonder’s position in a market where it also controls significant logistics and media infrastructure.

A Rapidly Expanding Food-Tech Ecosystem

The purchase follows a period of massive consolidation for the Wonder Group, which has transformed from a delivery startup into a diversified food and media empire. Its current holdings include several major industry players:

• Food delivery marketplace Grubhub
• Meal kit provider Blue Apron
• Logistics platform Relay
• Media company Tastemade

Investors have poured significant capital into Lore’s vision for the future of dining. According to media reports, Wonder reached a valuation of more than $7 billion as of May 2025. This milestone was supported by a $600 million funding round led by a consortium of venture capital heavyweights, including New Enterprise Associates, Accel, Google Ventures, and Forerunner.