Wonder buys Tastemade
If a billionaire manages to save a delivery company and a media company in 2025, he deserves our respect (a Friday quickie)
Just before I left my desk for a vacation1 , I got word that Wonder, the restaurant / ghost kitchen / food delivery / meal kit app/startup founded by billionaire Marc Lore, acquired Tastemade, a modern media outlet focused on food, restaurant, and travel programming for streaming and social networks. A rep for Wonder wouldn’t disclose terms of the deal, but the Wall Street Journal reports it paid $90 million for the network.
“We're excited to inspire consumers through world-class video storytelling across the Wonder family of brands, while enhancing our ability to deliver innovative, end-to-end advertising opportunities for brand partners," Lore said in a statement.
I shouldn’t be surprised I felt surprised by this news; every time Wonder makes an acquisition I’m surprised. It bought meal kit company Blue Apron in 2023 for $103 million, whose offerings were just recently added to the Wonder mobile app. Late last year, it announced a $650 million purchase of restaurant delivery service Grubhub, which had been looking for a buyer for years. But… a media company? Now?
In the limited information available in Lore’s statement and the accompanying press release, it sounds like Wonder will use Tastemade’s creative power to expand advertising offerings for restaurants and food brands. Ad revenue has become a vital part of every delivery platform’s business — this trend started years ago — and buying an entire creative studio is certainly one way to attract attention (and money!) from brands.
That’s all for today as I’m spending some time in Copenhagen and Paris this week (send recs!) — have a great weekend.
-Kristen
PS, my pals at
just posted a lengthy interview with Wonder chief operating officer Tony Hoggett, worth a read:
This always happens.