An “infinite bowl-making machine” can make 500 salads, Tex-Mex, and poke bowls with the exact ingredients you want down to the personalized macros you’re tracking in one hour. A human worker can’t compare, according to entrepreneur Marc Lore.
“I don’t know exactly how many a single person can do, but it’s not going to be more than probably 30 an hour, maybe 45,” said Lore, who spoke at the 25th annual Fortune Brainstorm Tech conference in Aspen on Tuesday. Lore previously sold two businesses, Diapers.com and Jet, to Amazon and Walmart, respectively, for $3.8 billion before founding food-tech startup Wonder in 2018, where he serves as chairman and CEO.
The automated infinite bowl technology, which Wonder acquired from salad chain Sweetgreen, spins each bowl on a turntable while ingredients drop into place, based on the specs from an online delivery app order. The resulting bowl, said Lore, has “no errors,” so a hungry patron gets exactly what they ordered. Lore said Sweetgreen already runs the infinite bowl tech across 32 locations, and it will land in its first Wonder kitchen next month.
Lore described Wonder as a “vertically integrated food platform” that owns 26 restaurant brands including a Bobby Flay steakhouse and delivery options that include fried chicken, pizza, Chinese, and Thai food. Wonder also owns and manages the kitchens, and handles delivery after buying GrubHub in a deal valued at $650 million that closed in 2025. By combining all the different brands in a single kitchen, Lore said Wonder can serve geographies and regions that don’t have the population numbers to support larger fast-casual chains like Chipotle or Cava.
With everything included in a single profit pool, Lore claims, the prices are less expensive because the margins don’t need to support both restaurants and delivery companies. A single 10-ounce Bobby Flay steak “cooked to perfection” costs $36 and bowls are under $10, he said.
“We can stay open until 2 a.m. in the suburbs because we can operate all 26 restaurants with three people late night,” Lore added. One human staffer answers the hotline, another handles finishing the dishes, and the third works the handoff to delivery drivers.
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Lore wants this business to have an indelible impact on the public company landscape and is pursuing an IPO, something that has eluded him, he told “The Aisle” founder Jason Del Rey.
“We are going to be ready to go public early next year,” said Lore, although the market will likely help dictate the timing of a potential public offering.
Lore, who also owns the Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx basketball teams, said he wants to builds a “long-standing, legacy business that becomes a household name” with Wonder, and he said it has a competitive moat that AI can’t disrupt. And more machines are on the way. An “infinite sauce machine” can spin up 500 sauces an hour from 152 raw ingredients, said Lore, and an “infinite beverage machine” is slated for next year.
From there, Lore said he expects that some people will want to start their own delivery-based restaurants using Wonder. Through a feature he called Wonder Create, Lore said anyone can describe a concept in an AI prompt like, “build me a fast-casual Mexican restaurant for Gen Z, for people that love cycling.” From there, Wonder will output a branded restaurant concept, with its own name, menu, pricing, photos and nutrition information, built on Wonder’s automation in about two minutes. Lore said users can push their concepts live for $10 a month.
“Think Shopify on steroids,” Lore says. “You don’t have to do anything.”
Marc Lore, a prominent entrepreneur known for his previous ventures Diapers.com and Jet, has introduced a revolutionary concept in the food industry through his startup, Wonder. Speaking at the 25th annual Fortune Brainstorm Tech conference, Lore shared insights about Wonder’s “infinite bowl-making machine,” which can create 500 customizable salads, Tex-Mex, and poke bowls in just one hour. This level of efficiency starkly contrasts with human capabilities, which he estimates at a maximum of 30 to 45 bowls per hour.
The automation technology, acquired from the salad chain Sweetgreen, employs a turntable mechanism that precisely dispenses ingredients based on customer orders made through an online delivery app. This innovation ensures that each bowl is made accurately, eliminating errors and providing customers with exactly what they ordered. Sweetgreen has already integrated this technology into 32 of its locations, and it is set to debut in Wonder’s kitchen next month.
Wonder operates as a “vertically integrated food platform,” managing 26 restaurant brands, including offerings from a Bobby Flay steakhouse and various cuisines like fried chicken, pizza, Chinese, and Thai food. Lore highlighted the efficiency of combining multiple restaurant brands under one roof, allowing Wonder to serve areas with insufficient population to support traditional fast-casual chains. By centralizing operations, Wonder can reduce costs, as profits from various brands contribute to a single profit pool. This model allows for competitive pricing, with bowls priced under $10 and a 10-ounce steak from Bobby Flay costing $36.
With a streamlined workforce, Lore noted that Wonder can operate late into the night with just three staff members: one for customer service, another for finishing dishes, and a third for coordinating with delivery drivers. This operational model exemplifies how technology can optimize labor efficiency in the food service industry.
Looking to the future, Lore aims to make a significant impact on the public market by pursuing an initial public offering (IPO), with plans to be ready by early next year. However, he acknowledged that market conditions will influence the timing of the IPO. As the owner of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx basketball teams, Lore’s ambition extends beyond profitability; he envisions building a legacy brand that becomes a household name, fortified by a competitive edge that he believes cannot be undermined by AI.
In addition to the infinite bowl technology, Lore announced the upcoming launch of an “infinite sauce machine” capable of producing 500 sauces per hour from a selection of 152 raw ingredients, along with an “infinite beverage machine” expected next year. These innovations reflect the company’s commitment to automation and efficiency.
Moreover, Lore introduced an intriguing aspect of Wonder called “Wonder Create,” which allows aspiring entrepreneurs to design their own delivery-based restaurant concepts using AI. By simply inputting a prompt like “build me a fast-casual Mexican restaurant for Gen Z,” users can receive a complete restaurant concept, including branding, menu, pricing, and nutritional details, all generated in about two minutes. This service is available for a subscription fee of $10 per month, likening it to an enhanced version of Shopify, enabling users to launch their concepts with minimal effort.
In summary, Marc Lore’s vision for Wonder is to revolutionize the food delivery landscape through advanced automation and a vertically integrated business model. His focus on efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and innovation positions Wonder as a key player in the future of the food industry, with plans for expansion and a strong commitment to creating a lasting legacy.
