Many New Yorkers have wellness on their minds. Matter is here to help.
Owned by Jon Sherman, Matter, located at 170 Crosby St., is a food experience that allows New Yorkers to plan their meals down to every macro. The idea came to Sherman, who used to own a fried chicken chain, when he started to get into health and nutrition on a personal level.
“I really thought long and hard about how to take that experience and expertise I’d built but apply it to something that I would not only like, where I would be as a consumer in the current day, but also just where I really felt there was a gap in the market and really just like a broader trend, and so that’s kind of what was the genesis of Matter,” said Sherman.
Matter’s ordering system is completely digital, available in-store and on their app for pickup. Guests are able to pick from Matter’s menu of delicious, nutrient-dense meals and are made with clean ingredients and cooked proteins and vegetables. Some options include Savory Grass-Fed Meatballs, Tamari Honey Tofu, Mediterranean Chicken, and the Rainbow Veggie Plate.
Each dish can be further customized to meet your dietary needs and nutrition goals. Then, your order is made to your exact specifications, giving you exactly what you wanted out of your meal.
“You can build it exactly how you want it, whether it’s a protein target or a calorie target, or otherwise, we have a bunch of pre-designed meals that we basically chose portions that we think would be the right amount for the most average person,” said Sherman. “Then in the kitchen, we are basically weighing every single ingredient to spec, so if you order 140g of chicken breast, we are weighing out 140g of chicken breast.”
Sherman told amNewYork that they go hard on the quality of ingredients, such as wild-caught fish, grass-fed meat, and single-origin extra virgin olive oil, because customers can taste the difference.
“We’re kind of going to the extreme end of this kind of ingredient quality because I personally believe in it and I think that’s what a lot of people are looking for. You can genuinely taste the difference and feel the difference,” said Sherman.
Plus, through Matter’s app, you can keep track of your meals to further track your progress. Sherman hopes that the app can grow to organize more of your personal data so you can further your goals.
“We’re kind of actively building a really robust recommendation system. Right now, you can go in, provide a few pieces of demographic information and we get you started with what we think you’re where you should be targeting, like what your calorie and macro nutrient targets should be,” said Sherman. “So you can kind of use that as a guide as you build your meals. We are currently building on the on the tech side is really a robust tool that can understand as much about each user as possible from information they provide us, we’re gonna look to bring in import data from wearable devices, lab work, sleep monitor, sleep trackers, blood work, like glucose monitors, basically as much data as we can and also get to understand what each person’s goals are and then really make a highly personalized and tuned recommendation around, starting with a single meal, but ultimately kind of building out a full meal plan for someone that is just very dynamic in nature.”
Matter officially came the scene back in December 2025. Though Matter only has one New York City location so far, the brand is looking to expand. Matter recently started adding new breakfast food items such as their customizable Greek yogurt bowls, Steak & Eggs and Breakfast Burritos, as well as desserts like Cold Brew Ice Cream, Maple Walnut Ice Cream and Tiramisu Chia Seed Pudding.
The brand also plans to physically expand beyond one location. Later this month, Matter will open a ghost kitchen at 307 West 38th St., and this summer, the brand will debut at the anticipated Manhattan West food hall in partnership with Brookfield Properties. There are also plans to make new flagship sites Midtown Manhattan, the Financial District, and Brickell in Miami.
“It’s really resonated with so many people immediately and frankly, for a number of different reasons. I think there’s a lot of people out there just overall seeking healthy, clean options,” said Sherman. “I think a lot of people really enjoy and value the customization element that you can basically build a meal with everything that you want and in the portion that you want and nothing that you don’t want. A lot of restaurants are very inflexible on that, which can be a point of frustration. We’ve kind of built it into our DNA here.”
For more information or to order online, visit matterformula.com.
