{"id":12066,"date":"2022-08-01T12:23:01","date_gmt":"2022-08-01T12:23:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/TheNextWeb=1390205"},"modified":"2022-08-01T12:23:01","modified_gmt":"2022-08-01T12:23:01","slug":"wonder-created-an-entirely-new-business-model-for-meal-delivery-but-it-comes-at-a-price","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/?p=12066","title":{"rendered":"Wonder created an entirely new business model for meal delivery \u2014 but it comes at a price"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><span>You might think new ideas in <a href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/topic\/food\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">food<\/a> startups are done to death. From ghost kitchens to 10- minute grocery deliveries, many people buy and cook our food, so we don\u2019t have to.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Now, a US company called <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wonder.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Wonder<\/a> has created an entirely new business model: chefs-on-wheels.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>It\u2019s a somewhat novel idea. Consumers order food through a mobile app. The food is par-cooked (in ghost or restaurant kitchens), but it comes to you in a van equipped with a kitchen and a chef that finishes your meal in the truck right outside your door \u2014 using equipment like sous vides and speciality ovens.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"inarticle-wrapper shift channel-cta hs-embed-tnw\">\n<div id=\"hs-embed-tnw\" class=\"channel-cta-wrapper\" readability=\"6\">\n<div class=\"channel-cta-img\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"js-lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/07\/shift.webp\"><\/div>\n<p><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"src='https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/07\/shift.webp'\"><\/noscript><\/p>\n<div class=\"channel-cta-input\" readability=\"7\">\n<h2 class=\"channel-cta-title\">Hi there, EV nerd!<\/h2>\n<p class=\"channel-cta-tagline\">Subscribe now for a weekly recap of our favorite mobility stories<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span>Who wouldn\u2019t want a fresh meal that has not been sitting in a courier\u2019s insulated bag getting cold and soggy?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>But, while it may bring you fresh pizza, it raises questions about sustainability and urban planning.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong>So what\u2019s wrong with Wonder?&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n<figure class=\"post-image post-mediaBleed aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-1390206 size-featured_img js-lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/08\/1658537490338-796x598.jpeg\" alt=\"Wonder kitchen\" width=\"796\" height=\"598\" sizes=\"(max-width: 796px) 100vw, 796px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/08\/1658537490338-796x598.jpeg 796w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/08\/1658537490338-280x210.jpeg 280w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/08\/1658537490338-180x135.jpeg 180w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/08\/1658537490338-359x270.jpeg 359w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/08\/1658537490338-368x276.jpeg 368w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/08\/1658537490338-736x552.jpeg 736w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/08\/1658537490338-1200x900.jpeg 1200w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/08\/1658537490338.jpeg 1440w\"><figcaption><a href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/news\/wonder-brings-chefs-on-wheels-to-home-delivery-and-gas-emissions#\" data-url=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Feditorial.thenextweb.com%2Fshift%2F2022%2F08%2F01%2Fwonder-brings-chefs-on-wheels-to-home-delivery-and-gas-emissions%2F&amp;via=thenextweb&amp;related=thenextweb&amp;text=Check out this picture on: A Wonder food kitchen and delivery van\" data-title=\"Share A Wonder food kitchen and delivery van on Twitter\" data-width=\"685\" data-height=\"500\" class=\"post-image-share popitup\" title=\"Share A Wonder food kitchen and delivery van on Twitter\"><i class=\"icon icon--inline icon--twitter--dark\"><\/i><\/a>A Wonder food kitchen and delivery van<\/figcaption><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-1390206 size-featured_img\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/08\/1658537490338-796x598.jpeg\" alt=\"Wonder kitchen\" width=\"796\" height=\"598\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/08\/1658537490338-796x598.jpeg 796w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/08\/1658537490338-280x210.jpeg 280w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/08\/1658537490338-180x135.jpeg 180w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/08\/1658537490338-359x270.jpeg 359w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/08\/1658537490338-368x276.jpeg 368w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/08\/1658537490338-736x552.jpeg 736w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/08\/1658537490338-1200x900.jpeg 1200w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/08\/1658537490338.jpeg 1440w\"><\/noscript><\/figure>\n<p><span>The problem is that while your food is cooking, the gas-powered Mercedes Benz vans sit idle with the engine running. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/deq.nc.gov\/about\/divisions\/air-quality\/motor-vehicles-air-quality\/idle-reduction\/why-idling-harmful\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\"><span>Idling is really bad for the environment<\/span><\/a><span>. An idling vehicle releases harmful chemicals, gases and particle pollution into the air. According to the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/afdc.energy.gov\/files\/u\/publication\/idling_personal_vehicles.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\"><span>US Department of Energy<\/span><\/a><span>, eliminating the unnecessary idling of personal vehicles would be the same as taking 5 million vehicles off the roads.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Disturbingly, Scott Hilton, Wonder\u2019s chief executive, told The Wall St Journal that because Wonder\u2019s vans carry refrigerated food, the trucks are exempt from state laws that limit idling to three minutes.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Further, they sit in a grey area between food delivery and parked food trucks. For example, the par cooking of the food in a kitchen exempts the business from regulations about the impact of food trucks on neighbourhoods.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>And idling vans are not only polluting but can be really noisy \u2014 all to feed one household at a time.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Wonder <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/suburbanites-fight-dinner-services-trucks-noise-mercedes-vans-11658924634\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">told WSJ<\/a> that they are years off from an electric fleet. The company claims to have an \u201cemissions-neutral fleet \u2014 which is another term for \u2018we throw money at the problem\u2019 \u2014 instead of going electric. While they\u2019ve opted for efficient cooking tech that runs on battery electricity, their fleet is all gas.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Just another puzzle for curbside management&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span>Wonder\u2019s business model also raises fundamental issues about what happens when the utility of residential space changes without consultation with the people that live in the neighbourhood.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>We\u2019re not talking about a quick drop-off of a delivery meal here. People presumably move to the suburbs to escape the noise of restaurants. And for urban areas, god knows if you could even fit one of these vehicles for a prolonged time on an inner city street!&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong>And this is just the beginning\u2026<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span>It\u2019s easy to dismiss the idea as a hyperlocal initiative with just a few idling vans annoying a few \u201cnot in my backyard\u201d residents (and people like me).&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Wonder is only available in 22 towns. Let the people have their freshly baked bread!&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>But the company recently raised a whopping $3.5 billion in funding. Pretty astounding for a company that can be nowhere near raising a profit, especially when you consider the rising costs of gas.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>And Wonder\u2019s fleet of 200 vans is expected to increase to thousands in the next few years.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>That\u2019s a lot of vans <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/news\/ecargo-bikes-are-adding-clutter-to-city-sidewalks-congestion\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span>blocking the curb<\/span><\/a><span>. Even electric vans would take up a fair chunk of parking space.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Further, the company\u2019s founder <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/marclore\/details\/experience\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\"><span>Marc Lore<\/span><\/a><span>, has a history of founding businesses that get acquired. The Pit (an alternative to eBay) was <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.digitalcommerce360.com\/2001\/08\/27\/topps-acquires-thepit-com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\"><span>acquired by The Topps Company<\/span><\/a><span> for $5.7 million. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.huffpost.com\/entry\/amazon-acquires-quidsi_n_780557\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\"><span>Amazon bought Quidsi<\/span><\/a><span> for $500 million. Walmart bought Jet.com (an alternative to Amazon) <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/walmart-acquisition-of-jet-gave-ecommerce-boost-2019-6?op=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\"><span>for $3.3 billion<\/span><\/a><span>.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>While I question the business\u2019s profitability in its current iteration and scale, the amount of VC funds behind the idea suggests this is just the early stages of a long-game business (if they aren\u2019t acquired first). Maybe Uber better start ordering some <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/news\/is-ev-startup-canoo-running-out-of-funds-to-bring-their-vehicles-to-market\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span>Canoo vans<\/span><\/a><span>?&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/news\/wonder-brings-chefs-on-wheels-to-home-delivery-and-gas-emissions\">Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>You might think new ideas in food startups are done to death. From ghost kitchens to 10- minute grocery deliveries, many people buy and cook our food, so we don\u2019t have to.&nbsp;&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12066"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12066"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12066\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12066"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12066"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12066"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}