The Internet’s Favorite Sandwich Guy Just Sold His Shop To A Billionaire’s Delivery Empire
Salt Hank’s, the Manhattan sandwich shop that drew long lines for a single French dip, now belongs to a $9 billion delivery company.
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Wonder announced the purchase on Aug. 20 in a press release. The transaction closed Friday, Aug. 14, and a company representative declined to disclose what Wonder paid, according to Eater NY. Ownership of the storefront, the menu and the brand itself all changed hands. The sandwich arrives at Wonder’s Upper East Side location this fall for pickup and delivery through the company’s app, with additional sites to follow, according to the release.
E-commerce billionaire Marc Lore founded Wonder and runs it as chief executive, according to Eater. The company raised more than $650 million at a $9 billion pre-money valuation, Fortune reported in July. (RELATED: Chick-Fil-A Announces Classic Southern Dish As New Special Offering)
Lore said Wonder would be prepared to go public early next year, according to Fortune. The company already owns Grubhub and Blue Apron and runs roughly 153 locations along the East Coast, 25 of them in New York City, according to Eater.
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Henry Laporte and Ian Henderson-Charnow opened Salt Hank’s on Bleecker Street in June 2025 with a menu of exactly one item, according to the release. The shop went viral for the sandwich, and demand climbed until a live camera went up outside the door, according to Inc. The Bleecker Street location will stay open, Wonder said.
Salt Hank’s chef Daniel Rubenfeld joined Wonder and continues directing the food, Laporte signed on to guide the brand’s expansion and Henderson-Charnow remains an adviser, according to the release.
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Laporte said he turned down previous offers because the prospective buyers wanted concessions he refused to make.
“We’ve been approached plenty of times about growing the brand, but those conversations often came with pressure to lower food costs, change suppliers or cut corners,” Laporte said in the release. “Wonder was the only partner that never asked us to do that.”
Outside observers question whether the sandwich will survive the scale-up. The shop’s pull rests partly on Laporte himself, the lone storefront and the trip customers make to get there, mergers and acquisitions attorney Morgan S. Smith told Inc.
“But growth needs to be paced around whether the product can be reproduced, not simply around how many locations Wonder can open,” Smith said.
Wonder bought two other restaurants this year. Blue Ribbon Fried Chicken came first, and the company closed on barbecue chain Mighty Quinn’s in July, according to Fortune. Investor documents reviewed by The Information project Wonder will burn close to $2.7 billion in cash through 2029, according to Fortune.
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