tesg's guide to big chain road food consumption

CHAIN -- Noodles & Company
Owner -- Privately held
Primary Operating Region -- West, Upper Midwest, and the DC/Virginia area.
Number of Locations -- 126 (February 2006)

Boulder, Colorado is a veggie-eating, pot-smoking, liberal-speaking town catering to rich hippies and college kids with freshly issued credit cards.  It figures that a concept like this would come out of there.

Noodles & Company, which calls itself a "global noodle shop",  originated in 1995.  Founder Aaron Kennedy opened the first store in Denver's Cherry Creek mall.  From there, the company has expanded to ten states and beyond.  They're eating noodles in Wisconsin, for crying out loud.

Noodles calls its interior "unusually intimate for a fast casual concept".  Translation: It looks like a Starbucks.  Change the marquee to read "Starbucks" (or "Panera Bread" or "Panchero's" or any number of upscale hippie joints) and you'd never know the difference.  It fits in a strip mall.  It has no drive-thru.  It's selling something other than burgers.

The idea at Noodles is, well, noodles.  Ten noodle dishes, a couple of soups, salads, and several add-ons, you get the idea.  Drinks range from Pepsi to wine.

The noodle dishes span the globe.  Japanese Pan Noodles, Pad Thai Noodles, and Indonesian Peanut Sauté are here right alongside Macaroni and Cheese.  You can top the noodles with several add-ons (around $2 each) which include tomatoes, broccoli, mushrooms, shrimp, tofu, and chicken breast strips.  You order at the counter and are issued a number.  Food is delivered to your table and bussed...you don't need to take the plates to a trash bin.  Noodles uses real China bowls (real HUGE China bowls) and real spoons and forks...no plastic ware unless you're doing take-out.  Noodles is a "tip-free zone", which apparently is a bragging point.  Expect to spend about $8-$10 total per person.

On my first trip, I went for the basic, Macaroni and Cheese, and added shrimp.  Macaroni, a cheese sauce, and a topping of shredded cheddar and jack.  The menu says it's "The Best!".  Not even close.  It's kind of bland.   Mine (okay, my grandmother's) is a hundred times better.  Then I went for Stroganoff with the beef tenderloins.  An average Stroganoff, better than the Mac and Cheese.  The best thing I've had has been the simplest item...Buttered Noodles & Parmesan.  It has Italian seasonings as well.  I add sautéed mushrooms or shrimp to it.  Fabulous.  Noodles added some non-noodle stuff to the menu in response to the silly "low-carb" craze.

Noodles & Company was named Hot Concept 2001 by Nation's Restaurant News.  Potential competitors are popping up...Burgerville has a prototype called "noodlin'" in the Portland metro that they hope to take national, and local chains are popping up everywhere.  We have "Noodle Zoo", which is really more about sandwiches and soup than noodle dishes, and "Z'Mariks", which is as close to the Noodles & Company format one can probably get without being sued.  But Noodles & Company is more than just a step ahead at this point.  The pioneer is the leader.

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