Wonder has made its first full restaurant acquisition, Blue Ribbon Fried Chicken, a single-location, fast-casual spot in Manhattan’s East Village.
The restaurant will continue operating under its current name and staff, using Wonder’s tech and supply chain systems.
Wonder aims to grow the brand by opening additional standalone locations in major markets where it operates. Meanwhile, Blue Ribbon’s chicken sandwiches and bone-in fried chicken will join Wonder’s existing menu lineup across its 100+ East Coast food halls, starting with a New York City location later this year.
The fried chicken concept began in 2013 as a spin-off from Blue Ribbon Brasserie, part of Blue Ribbon Restaurants, founded by brothers Eric and Bruce Bromberg. The brand has a loyal following in New York—one Wonder plans to leverage as it expands.
“Bringing Blue Ribbon Fried Chicken into Wonder is an exciting step forward,” Wonder founder and CEO Marc Lore said in a statement. “With an incredibly loyal following already in place, we can now scale this iconic brand across the Wonder platform to reach far more people.”
This adds a third chicken concept to Wonder’s portfolio, joining Streetbird by Marcus Samuelsson and Mr. D’s Fried Chicken. Unlike most of Wonder’s previous brands, which were built in-house or licensed, Blue Ribbon is the first fully owned brand acquired outright.
Wonder partially prepares meals in a central kitchen before finishing them in-store, allowing the company to efficiently integrate new brands like this one into its system.
The original East Village location will stay open, and the menu will roll out across Wonder’s broader network. All locations will be available for delivery through the Wonder app and Grubhub, which Wonder acquired in early 2024.
