Industry veteran John Li departs The Wendy's Company for Chief Culinary Officer role at Wonder

Wonder, a food delivery and technology startup founded in 2018 and fronted by former Walmart U.S. eCommerce executive, Marc Lore, has appointed John Li as Chief Culinary Officer.

He joins from The Wendy's Company where he spent almost seven years, serving as Global Vice President of Research and Development. His CV also includes stints at Bloomin' Brands International and Kraft Foods Group.

In a LinkedIn post, Tony Hoggett, who left Amazon and the position of SVP Worldwide Grocery stores to join Wonder as CEO, said: "In my first ten months at Wonder, our team has been dedicated to making great food more accessible. I'm excited to announce that in a few weeks, we will be welcoming John Li to Wonder as our Chief Culinary Officer."

"John's expertise in merging culinary innovation with strategic expansion will further our goal of offering new, delicious meals to our customers in the North East and beyond. He brings valuable experience from his current role as the Global VP of Culinary Innovation at The Wendy's Company. We are thrilled to have him join our team."

53 and 54

Wonder recently opened its 53rd and 54th locations in the US.

Hoggett commented: "Great energy with the team at our new Wonder DC launch! Thank you for your hard work, and huge congrats on the milestone! Big shoutout to our Delaware team too, who welcomed their first customers this week. #53 & #54 More openings coming thick and fast!”

Lore has described the venture as a kind of "Amazon for food and beverage". The aim is to revolutionise the food and restaurant space by building a super app for mealtimes, one that blends food delivery, AI powered nutrition, and smart tech.

The company recently bagged $600 million in a funding round backed by Google Ventures, for a post-funding valuation of $7 billion.

2025 RTIH INNOVATION AWARDS

Physical stores will be a key focus area at the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards.

The awards. which are now open for entries, celebrate global tech innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Our 2024 hall of fame entrants were revealed during an event which took place at RIBA’s 66 Portland Place HQ in Central London on 21st November, and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by comedian Lucy Porter.

In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “The event is now into its sixth year and what a journey it has been. The awards started life as an online only affair during the Covid outbreak, before launching as a small scale in real life event and growing year on year to the point where we’re now selling out this fine, historic venue.”

He added: “Congratulations to all of our finalists. Many submissions did not make it through to the final stage, and getting to this point is no mean feat. Checkout-free stores, automated supply chains, immersive experiences, on-demand delivery, next generation loyalty offerings, inclusive retail, green technology. We’ve got all the cool stuff covered this evening.”

“But just importantly we’ve got lots of great examples of companies taking innovative tech and making it usable in everyday operations - resulting in more efficiency and profitability in all areas.”

Congratulations to our 2024 winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Lucy Porter, and all those who attended November's gathering. 

For further information on the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards, please fill in the below form and we will get back to you asap.