The former home to Boston Market on Park Ave. is getting a new tenant, but the menu looks a whole lot different from rotisserie chicken and cornbread.
Wonder, a rapidly expanding food hall concept that combines multiple restaurant brands under a single ordering platform, is planning to open in August at 14 Park Ave., according to information presented to the Worcester License Commission on June 11.
The commission unanimously approved a common victualer license for the business, clearing one of the final steps before opening.
The location occupies the former Boston Market building, a Worcester landmark of sorts that sat vacant after the restaurant closed last year following a lengthy dispute between the franchise operator and the property’s landlord.
Speaking to the commission, Daniel Brennan, representing Wonder, described the company as a quick-service restaurant concept that has grown to more than 100 locations nationwide, including 11 currently operating in Massachusetts.
“Wonder is a food hall concept, making where to order from an easy choice,” Brennan told commissioners. “We have 15 to 20 different restaurant menus and a variety of cuisines.”
Rather than functioning as a traditional restaurant with a single menu, Wonder allows customers to order items from multiple restaurant concepts in a single transaction. Brennan told commissioners that offerings include steak dinners, fried chicken, salads, pizza, burgers, Italian food, Mexican cuisine and barbecue.
The company has built its brand around partnerships with well-known chefs and restaurant concepts. According to Brennan, customers can order items inspired by chefs including Bobby Flay and Marcus Samuelsson through the same platform.
The Worcester location’s primarily geared toward takeout and delivery, though Brennan said it includes a small dining area with 21 seats. The building contains less than 3,500 square feet, with much of the space devoted to kitchen operations.
Construction is currently underway at the site, which now displays Wonder signage. Brennan said the company hopes to open sometime in August.
The Park Ave. location is Wonder’s first restaurant in Worcester County.
Wonder’s arrival also marks a new chapter for a property that housed one of the last remaining Boston Market restaurants in Massachusetts. The Worcester location closed in late 2025 after years of legal and financial disputes involving the franchise operation. The restaurant had been a fixture along one of the city’s busiest commercial corridors for more than two decades.
Now, instead of a single restaurant, the site is poised to become home to dozens of menu options operating from a single kitchen — a concept that has become increasingly common as food delivery and takeout continue reshaping the restaurant industry.
Wonder’s proposed operating hours are 10 a.m. to midnight seven days a week, according to documents filed with the city.
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