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Noodles & Company history
Noodles & Company company history timeline
The first Noodles & Company was opened in October 1995, in the Cherry Creek neighborhood of Denver, Colorado.
Something that was virtually unheard of at the time. It began in 1995 with a simple concept—serve fresh food fast.
With funds from additional private investment, Kennedy and Weigard opened the Madison store in March 1996.
In mid-1996, the management team went to Chicago to observe other noodle restaurants and, the night of their return, the basement flooded at the Madison location.
With all problems resolved, the restaurant became profitable by fall and Noodles & Company opened a second store in Madison in May 1997.
1998: With five restaurants in operation, revenues reach $2.4 million.
The company entered the Minneapolis market in September 1999, and the company's seventh store opened in Monona, in the Madison area, a month later.
Noodles & Company recorded gross sales of $5.6 million in 1999, averaging approximately $1 million per store.
Noodles & Company accelerated its rate of growth in 2000, opening ten stores.
In 2000, the company formed the Culinary Steering Committee.
In early 2001, Kamens returned as executive chef after a three-year hiatus.
The company recorded sales of $28.4 million for 2001.
A successful private placement of common stock in September 2002 raised $10 million for equipment and facilities purchase and leasing, as well as for working capital.
Kennedy decided to slow the company's rate of growth for 2003 due to a weak economy, expecting to open 30 restaurants.
The restaurants were redesigned in 2004 with lighter colors, new packaging, a greater emphasis on carryout orders and a floorplan that emphasized an open kitchen, where the saute line was visible to customers.
According to Rocky Mountain News, the company was growing "so fast that it has had to move every two years." In 2006, its headquarters were moved from Boulder to Broomfield, Colorado.
In 2010, a majority interest in Noodles & Company was acquired by an investment group led by Catterton Partners.
On November 16, 2015, Noodles & Company announced that it had pulled out of Central Texas, closing all five of its locations in the Austin area.
On July 25, 2016, in Alexandria, Virginia, two Noodles & Company employees refused to serve a uniformed police officer.
In 2017, the company planned to close 55 underperforming restaurants, but also planned to open 14 to 17 new locations.
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Noodles & Company competitors
| Company name | Founded date | Revenue | Employee size | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Panera Bread | 1981 | $2.8B | 140,000 | 4,004 |
| Buffalo Wild Wings | 1982 | $2.0B | 44,000 | 1,504 |
| Sonic Drive-In | 1953 | $423.6M | 5,000 | 5,970 |
| Chili's Grill & Bar | 1975 | $4.4B | 13,000 | 149 |
| Chipotle Mexican Grill | 1993 | $11.3B | 64,570 | 4,207 |
| P.F. Chang's China Bistro | 1993 | $1.2B | 20,000 | 1,262 |
| Applebee's Canada | 1980 | $2.5B | 28,000 | 1,369 |
| Darden Restaurants | 1968 | $11.4B | 175,000 | 4,568 |
| MOD Pizza | 2008 | $398.0M | 2,530 | 411 |
| Kahala Brands | 1981 | $77.3M | 360 | 24 |
Noodles & Company history FAQs
Zippia gives an in-depth look into the details of Noodles & Company, including salaries, political affiliations, employee data, and more, in order to inform job seekers about Noodles & Company. The employee data is based on information from people who have self-reported their past or current employments at Noodles & Company. The data on this page is also based on data sources collected from public and open data sources on the Internet and other locations, as well as proprietary data we licensed from other companies. Sources of data may include, but are not limited to, the BLS, company filings, estimates based on those filings, H1B filings, and other public and private datasets. While we have made attempts to ensure that the information displayed are correct, Zippia is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of this information. None of the information on this page has been provided or approved by Noodles & Company. The data presented on this page does not represent the view of Noodles & Company and its employees or that of Zippia.
Noodles & Company may also be known as or be related to NOODLES & CO, NOODLES & Co, Noodles & Co. and Noodles & Company.