Wonder is planning 100+ Texas locations and user-built restaurants as it eyes an IPO

Wonder, the food startup founded by Marc Lore, intends to expand into Texas next year and aims to have 100 or more locations there before 2027 ends, according to CNBC.

The company plans to launch Wonder Create on Nov. 17, according to CNBC. For $10 a month, influencers, entrepreneurs and brands will be able to launch their own "restaurant" run from inside a Wonder location and keep a share of the revenue the orders generate. Artificial intelligence will assist in creating that brand, from the name and logo to the prices and recipes.

Lore wants the service to make restaurant ownership possible for more people, with no need for startup money, overhead expenses or hands-on kitchen management, according to CNBC. The platform is to open up to the general population, and users will pick what goes on their menus from Wonder's pantry.

Lore told CNBC he wants to take Wonder public to raise capital and to have "a public currency to be able to do more M&A." He declined to discuss the timing of an initial public offering. In March, Wonder brought on Gabrielle Scheibe Rabinovitch, who came over from the payment processor Worldpay, as chief financial officer while it gets ready for a stock market debut, according to CNBC.

Wonder has raised $3.3 billion to date from investors including DoorDash, Alphabet $GOOGL’s venture arm and Gwyneth Paltrow, according to CNBC. Its Series D round earlier this year set a pre-money valuation of $9 billion. Wonder has operated at a financial loss since buying Blue Apron and Grubhub, according to The Information, cited by CNBC.

The company has opened 170 storefronts from Virginia to Massachusetts over the past three years. Wonder prepares food at commissary kitchens and ships it out to the storefronts, where staff open the sealed packaging, cook the items and complete the dishes. The storefronts are all electric, which lets the company move into a space with fewer renovations.

Wonder's locations offer dishes from over two dozen "restaurants," among them Dabba Indian Kitchen, Tejas Barbecue and Pop Salad. Because Wonder owns Grubhub, customers who order through its app pay no delivery fees.

Lore told CNBC that Wonder aims to make food preparation and delivery fully autonomous by 2040. The company has begun handing certain kitchen jobs over to machines, including putting together salads and bowls.