Noodles & Company

What Noodles & Company does

Noodles & Company is a publicly traded (NASDAQ: NDLS) fast-casual restaurant concept founded in 1995 and headquartered in Broomfield, Colorado, that operates more than 445 company-owned restaurants across 19 U.S. states under a unified brand devoted to globally inspired noodle bowls, pasta dishes, and mac & cheese. The menu is segmented into Culinary Classics (Japanese Pan Noodles, Pad Thai, Indonesian Peanut), Chef-Curated with Protein (Rigatoni Rosa, Lemon Garlic Shrimp Scampi), Mac & Cheese, Protein Packed, Salads/Soups, Kids Meals, and a value bundle called Delicious Duos starting at $9.95. Dishes are sautéed to order with no microwaves or heat lamps, supported by a Goodness Guarantee that replaces unsatisfactory orders. Customer-facing digital ordering and the Noodles Rewards loyalty program (Classic, Signature, Premier tiers with birthday rewards and a free-entr\u00e9e acquisition incentive) are built on the Olo platform, with integration of offline point-of-sale data into Meta's Conversions API to close attribution gaps for the majority of revenue occurring offline.

The business model is transaction-based across four revenue streams: dine-in, takeout, and delivery at company-owned restaurants (FY2025 restaurant sales of $495.1 million), catering services with packages such as Feed the Few, Feed the Many, and a new Wedding Catering launch, digital and physical gift cards including bulk corporate gifting, and Noodles Rewards-driven repeat purchase frequency. Distribution spans own-restaurant storefronts, the company website and iOS/Android apps, third-party delivery aggregators (DoorDash, UberEats, Grubhub, Postmates), a dedicated catering storefront, and gift card channels. The customer base is highly diversified across individual consumers and families, corporate and event catering buyers, and co-marketing brand partners such as Coca-Cola and Chrissy Teigen's CRAVINGS. The company has been executing a deliberate portfolio rationalization in 2025-2026 (33 closures completed in 2025, 30-35 more planned in 2026), is operating under a board-led review of strategic alternatives following activist activity from Galloway Capital Partners (6.01% holder), and completed a 1-for-8 reverse stock split in February 2026.

FY2025 net loss was $42.6 million, though Adjusted EBITDA nearly doubled in Q4 2025 to $7.6 million and FY2026 Adjusted EBITDA is guided to $30-35 million. Go-forward operating priorities are menu innovation, digital channel growth (12% cited), catering expansion, and continued closure of underperforming locations, with comparable restaurant sales of 6.6% in Q4 2025 accelerating to 9.4% in Q1 2026 alongside a 13.5% rise in average unit volumes.

Name

Noodles & Company

Legal name

Noodles & Company

Website

https://noodles.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Noodles & Company is a publicly traded fast-casual restaurant chain operating 445+ locations across 19 U.S. states, serving globally inspired noodle bowls, pasta, and mac & cheese to individual diners, families, and catering customers via dine-in, takeout, delivery, and digital channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fast Casual Restaurant

NAICS

Limited-Service Restaurants (722513)

SIC

Retail-Eating Places (5812)

akta.pro primary industry

Salad & Bowl Concepts (Grain/Protein/Healthy Bowls) (THAFABAF)

Keywords

• Fast casual dining
• Noodle restaurant
• Pasta and mac cheese
• Restaurant catering
• Loyalty rewards program

Headquarters

HQ city

Broomfield

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Restaurant Sales (Dine-in, Takeout, Delivery): Primary revenue stream from company-owned restaurant locations. Revenue of $122.8 million in Q4 2025 and $495.1 million for full year 2025. Customers can order dine-in, takeout, or delivery directly through the company's website and mobile app.
2. Catering Services: Catering revenue from corporate events, weddings, parties, and large gatherings. Offers packages including 'Feed the Few' and 'Feed the Many' pans, Mac Bar catering, and custom menu options. Delivery fee starts at $25 with Hot Food Hold Kit available for $10.
3. Gift Cards: Sale of digital and physical gift cards through the company's website and storefronts, including bulk purchase options for corporate gifting.
4. Loyalty Program Membership Revenue: Revenue generated through Noodles Rewards program, driving customer retention and increased purchase frequency. Free regular entrée reward after first $10 purchase incentivizes new customer acquisition.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Noodles & Company operates a fast-casual restaurant chain selling made-to-order, sautéed noodle bowls, pasta dishes, mac & cheese, salads, and soups with globally inspired flavors. The company generates revenue primarily through dine-in, takeout, delivery, and catering sales at its company-owned and franchised locations across the United States, supplemented by a tiered loyalty program and gift card sales.

Product overview

Noodles & Company is a fast-casual restaurant chain operating as a single unified concept focused on globally inspired noodle bowls, pasta dishes, and mac & cheese. The product portfolio includes core menu categories (Culinary Classics, Chef-Curated with Protein, Mac & Cheese, Protein Packed, Salad & Soup, Kids Meals, Sides, Desserts, and Drinks), value bundles (Delicious Duos), catering services (including specialized Wedding Catering launched June 2026), a loyalty program (Noodles Rewards), gift cards, and community programs (Fundraiser Nights, Goodness Guarantee, and the Noodles & Company Foundation). The company operates over 445 restaurants across 19 states and utilizes the Olo platform for its e-commerce and ordering infrastructure.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Noodles & Company Restaurant Dining Fast-casual restaurant concept offering made-to-order noodle bowls, pasta, mac & cheese, salads, soups, and kids' meals at over 445 U.S. locations, serving dine-in, takeout, and Quick Pickup customers.
• Catering Services Catering service for corporate events, weddings, graduations, and parties offering pasta trays, mac & cheese bars, salads, and sides in portioned pans with optional delivery and Hot Food Hold Kit.
• Noodles Rewards Loyalty Program Three-tier loyalty program (Classic, Signature, Premier) with point earning on purchases, tiered birthday rewards (dessert, small entrée, or regular entrée), and exclusive member offers including the $2.50 protein add-on promotion.
• Gift Cards Digital and physical Noodles & Company gift cards available for purchase, including bulk options for corporate or event gifting.

Quantifiable outcome

• 9.4% comparable restaurant sales growth in Q1 2026
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Coca-ColaminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 24 June 2026Noodles & Company partnered with Coca-Cola to introduce the Fanta Vanilla Cherry Spritz, a custom beverage exclusively for their Mac & Cheese lineup, launching July 1 as part of Mac & Cheese Month celebrations. The new beverage blends Fanta Cherry, Sprite Vanilla, and Minute Maid Cherry Limeade, available in regular and zero-sugar varieties. Partnership marks a marketing collaboration aimed at enhancing the dining experience during the chain's 30th year of operation.
• Brayden DeGarmo and Nicole Ludwig (Creator Couple)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 9 June 2026Content partnership with creator couple for 'The Noodley Weds' content series following their wedding journey through late October. Part of wedding catering launch campaign with $10,000 honeymoon giveaway.
• CRAVINGS by Chrissy TeigenminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 May 2026Limited-time menu collaboration introducing Chicken Artichoke & Asparagus Rigatoni entrée paired with a CRAVINGS-inspired crispy, available nationwide through May 31. Partnership combines Noodles & Company's comfort food offerings with Chrissy Teigen's baking brand, timed to launch ahead of Mother's Day.
• Food NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2025Partnership with Food Network mentioned as a key market development in the Middle East Asia Cuisine market analysis, indicating international brand presence and content collaborations.
• OlocoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2024Noodles Rewards accounts are powered by Olo, an e-commerce platform provider for restaurant ordering and loyalty programs. Olo provides the underlying technology infrastructure for the company's rewards program and online ordering systems.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Sweetgreen: Tech-forward salad/bowl fast-casual concept with strong loyalty and digital ordering penetration. Targets the same health-conscious and protein-seeking consumer that Noodles' 'Protein Packed' line pursues.
• Chipotle Mexican Grill: Public fast-casual chain (~3,800 US locations) operating with a similar made-to-order, digital-first, custom-bowl model across a single core concept. Closest comparable on size, channel mix, and growth mechanics in the same fast-casual category.
• Panera Bread: Fast-casual chain (~2,000 US locations) known for soups, salads, sandwiches and pasta; overlapping menu architecture, dine-in/takeout/delivery mix, and loyalty program (My Panera) make it one of the most directly comparable concepts to Noodles & Company.
• CAVA Group: Fast-casual Mediterranean bowl/salad concept with rapid AUV growth and a digital/loyalty stack similar to Noodles'. Operates the same dine-in/takeout/delivery + catering model in overlapping US geographies.
• Panda Express: Large US Asian fast-casual chain (~2,300 locations) overlapping Noodles' Pan-Asian menu territory (Pad Thai, Japanese Pan Noodles, Indonesian Peanut) with comparable dine-in/takeout economics.
• Qdoba Mexican Eats: Fast-casual Mexican bowl concept similar in size and unit count to Noodles; identical custom-bowl service model and digital loyalty program (Qdoba Rewards). Direct competition for lunch traffic.
• Fazoli's: Italian fast-casual chain focused on pasta, subs, and pizza with overlapping menu categories (Rigatoni Rosa equivalents, baked pasta, mac & cheese adjacencies). Closest concept-level competitor in the pasta niche.
• MOD Pizza: Fast-casual made-to-order concept with a build-your-own menu at similar value price points ($9-11); overlapping digitally-driven growth strategy and unit count profile.

Broad incumbents

• California Pizza Kitchen: Casual-dining chain with pasta and pizza menu overlap including catering and delivery; broader sit-down positioning but competes for the same per-occasion Italian/comfort food spend.
• Boston Market: Prepared/comfort food chain with rotating catering and family meals; overlapping comfort food cuisine with Noodles' mac & cheese and pasta, plus the catering channel.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/noodlescompany
• Facebookfacebook.com/noodlesandcompany
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/noodles-&-company
• Instagraminstagram.com/noodlescompany
• TikToktiktok.com/@noodlescompany

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Noodles & Company