Wonder, a growing food hall startup, celebrated the grand opening of its University City location on Thursday.
The Sept. 4 event featured a ribbon cutting, beer from Two Locals Brewing Company, complimentary food, a live DJ set, and merch giveaways. Prior to the grand opening, Wonder hosted a Friends and Family preview event from Sept. 1 to Sept. 3, where customers could get a free meal of up to $15.
Located at 3925 Walnut Street, the University City location offers takeout from more than 20 restaurants and several cuisines. Jessica Malone — Wonder’s head of integrated marketing — said that Wonder is “looking to change the way that people eat.”
“We're bringing together chefs, restaurants, and all these partners … to one single Wonder location,” Malone said. “You can enjoy food from all these different places for lunch, dinner, and even late night eats.”
Malone also emphasized the “convenience factor” of getting food at Wonder.
“Especially on a campus, it's easy to just kind of swing by and get something,” Malone added.
For the grand opening, Wonder partnered with Philadelphia artist Fabiola Lara, who created tote bags to distribute to the first 100 attendees. As part of opening week, Wonder also pledged to donate $1 for every order to Philabundance, a food bank that serves the Philadelphia and Delaware Valley regions.
“We never want to feel like we're not doing things that are connecting locally,” she said.
Malone added that Wonder decided on opening a location in University City because of the “culture and liveliness” of Philadelphia.
“There are so many people in this community, whether you are living on campus or commuting, that are looking for convenient and delicious options for lunch and dinner,” she said. "Especially with Penn, it's a group of early adopters and people that are excited about discovering something new.”
Students who attended Wonder’s grand opening expressed optimism about the new dining option.
“It looks like a good place for bowls and stuff like that,” College junior John Kim said. “I feel like because it's on Penn's campus, they'll do well because they cater to students.”
College first-year Dylan Dinh echoed a similar sentiment about the convenience of Wonder.
“It's definitely going to be an option for Penn students living near Gutmann or the High Rises,” Dinh said. “There's going to be more options than just Canes or Chipotle.”
Malone said that it “means so much” to the Wonder staff to see the turnout from the surrounding community at the opening events.
“What will continue to be an important piece of opening is meeting our guests because that’s what it takes to open in such a tight-knit community,” she added.
Wonder will be open from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. seven days a week.
