“We’ve got such a good community. It is hopping here,” said New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker, who attended the New Haven grand opening.Elicker said Wonder is a recent example of how the New Haven business community is attracting not only residents but people coming into the city.

“It’s a real affirmation that the community is increasingly becoming a real destination for so many people,” Elicker said. “You can get these big-name businesses like Sweetgreen across the street, now Wonder… and it’s really wonderful.”

New Haven’s Wonder, the sixth in the state so far, has an ideal location at the Shops At Yale, said Alexa Pena, a Wonder spokesperson.

“The New Haven restaurant serves a dynamic community of students, faculty, residents, workers and visitors, bringing Wonder’s chef-developed restaurants and flexible dining options to one of the city’s busiest neighborhoods,” Pena said in an email.

The two biggest sellers during the soft opening in New Haven from July 6 to 8 were the Detroit style deep-dish pizza and Limesalt burrito bowls, said Tyler Mirando. general manager.

Wonder opening in Danbury is part of Mayor Roberto Alves’ vision “to create new opportunities for people, not just for employment, but things for people to do, places for people to go, places for people to eat,” said Farley Santos, Danbury’s economic and community development advisor.“This is new to our area, and it expands that opportunity … to have Alanza pizzas or El Diez Mexican bowls,” Santos added.

How Wonder works
Mirando allowed a sneak peek into the kitchen, opening the door to reveal shining stainless-steel equipment filling the large space. The dishes are assembled and finished at each Wonder location, and the recipes are true to the restaurant they originated from, said Mirando.

The windowed front of the business features an ordering area with computer touch screens, a pick-up area and seats for about a dozen diners.“We have this guy right here for pizza,” Mirando said pointing to a steel pizza oven that heats up their deep dish, square pizza from Detroit Brick Pizza Co. and pies from Alanza Pizza and Di Fara Pizza. None of the pizza is New Haven style.

“All the way back there we have a bunch of ovens,” Mirando said, noting that there are three large units with six “turbo” ovens each and several warming trays to heat up the prepared dishes, which come from a distribution center in Massachusetts, he said.

Wonder’s concept is unique because it offers menu choices from its partner restaurants from across the country and serves them to customers under one roof at each location, according to its website. The company has partnered with chefs who include “James Beard Award winners, Michelin star recipients, and Food Network stars,” its website said.

The food is delivered to each location seven days a week, said Pat Cartier, director of marketing at Wonder. Bowls, salads and burgers are made to order and customizable at each location.The food for the Danbury location comes from a distribution center in Parsippany, N.J., which Cartier calls an “infinite kitchen.”

“We’re getting the products that are top notch. That’s really a lot of love is put behind all of the food that we serve for sure,” said Cartier, who attended the Danbury grand opening.

What helps with the logistics is having “massive kitchens” ranging in size from over 2,000 to 5,000 square feet at each restaurant, Cartier said.

“Partner chefs contribute their culinary vision and standards, while Wonder’s chefs refine those dishes so they can be consistently executed across locations while maintaining what makes them special,” Pena said about the process.

Customers can choose to dine in, order via an app and pick up or get delivery. The company acquired Grubhub, which expanded its delivery options.

Guests can mix and match items from more than 20 exclusive menus, including Royal Greens, Yasas by Michael Symon, Limesalt, Streetbird by Marcus Samuelsson, and Walnut Lane by Jonathan Waxman, who is known for rustic California cuisine, the website said.

The Wonder chain is rapidly expanding in Connecticut with four more locations planned to open in the state. These include one in Darien, 306 Post Road July 16; and planned openings in West Hartford, 91 Memorial Road; Trumbull, 965 White Plains Road; and Hamden, 2100 Dixwell Ave., according to a company spokesperson.

Wonder opened its first Connecticut locations in Stamford and Fairfield in early 2025. There are also locations in Milford and Newington.The Connecticut locations join 132 Wonder restaurants with concentrations in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states.

“Connecticut is a natural extension of Wonder’s continued growth across the Northeast and tri-state region,” said Pena.