& company restaurant arborland center type public traded as nyse ndls industry fast casual founded 1995 ; 21 years ago 1995 in cherry creek denver colorado founder aaron kennedy headquarters 3511 n. sheffield ave number of locations 410 1 key people dave boennighausen ceo 2 products pasta salads soups sandwiches & other food products revenue 300.4 million usd 1 operating income us 16.052 million 2012 3 net income us 5.639 million 2012 3 total assets us 156.99 million 2012 3 total equity us 10.4 million 2012 3 number of employees 7 000 website www.noodles.com noodles & company nasdaq ndls is a fast casual restaurant headquartered in broomfield colorado that offers international and american noodle dishes as well as soups salads pasta and sandwiches . it was founded in 1995 by aaron kennedy . it grew from 300 000 in revenue in 1996 to 300 million when it went public in 2013 . the company had 410 locations including franchises in 31 states as of july 1 2014 . 4 contents 1 history 1.1 origins 1.2 early history 1.3 growth 1.4 recent history 2 menu and restaurants 3 advertising 4 operations and franchises 5 nutrition 6 references 7 further reading 8 external links history edit origins edit the idea for noodles & company was conceived by former pepsi marketing executive aaron kennedy after eating at mamie s asian noodle shop 5 in greenwich village new york . 6 he felt there were not enough restaurants that served noodle dishes which are a staple for many international foods . 6 7 kennedy started developing recipes out of his mother in law s kitchen with the future coo joe serafin and head chef ross kamens in 1994 . 8 kennedy raised 73 000 117 thousand in 2015 dollars in personal funds and 200 000 319 thousand in 2015 dollars in investments from 24 friends and family members . 9 10 the first noodles & company was opened in october 1995 in the cherry creek neighborhood of denver colorado . 5 10 11 12 kennedy was joined by partner and real estate developer tom weigand who he had met at augustana college . 10 13 they opened a second location in madison wisconsin the following march . 5 10 14 early history edit in the first three months noodles & company lost 42 000 . 7 63.4 thousand in 2015 dollars it almost went out of business in 1996 after a reporter with the wisconsin state journal published a negative review . 15 he said noodles & company was a killer idea 16 but criticized nearly every dish he d tried . 17 the denver post 18 and other newspapers 19 had published similar reviews . in response kennedy started a redefine noodles & company campaign to redefine and refine nearly every aspect of the operation . 15 17 in mid 1996 the management team went to chicago to observe other noodle restaurants 17 6 and the night of their return the basement flooded at the madison location . 20 the next day kennedy made a list of 15 areas for improvement . 15 rocky mountain news said the team completely revamped the noodles concept overhauling the menu the prices the decor and more . it worked . 7 the restaurant implemented a warmer color scheme . steam tables to keep food warm were replaced with saute lines to cook each dish as it is ordered . 6 17 two new managers were hired and an executive chef re worked the menu . 17 according to inc. magazine within sixty days the food had improved dramatically . 15 growth edit view of the saute line from the customer counter at a noodles & company restaurant from 1996 2000 noodles & company s revenues grew from 330 000 498 thousand in 2015 dollars to 13 million 17.9 million in 2015 dollars . 21 local food critics in many cities began naming noodles & company as the best fast food restaurant in the city and it was frequently listed as a company to watch . 5 it won a hot concept award from nation s restaurant news . 22 1 million 1.45 million in 2015 dollars in stock was sold in 1998 which was followed by a 2.5 million 3.63 million in 2015 dollars round of funding and a 5 million round in 2000 . 7 6.87 million in 2015 dollars the restaurant had 37 locations in 2002 8 65 in 2003 and 142 by 2007 . the company started franchising in 2003 and by 2007 22 of its stores were franchises . 8 23 24 the restaurants were re designed 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 . 25 according to rocky mountain news the company was growing so fast that it has had to move every two years . 26 in 2006 its headquarters were moved from boulder to broomfield colorado . 27 28 the company s founder aaron kennedy stepped down from his position as ceo that same year and was replaced by kevin reddy . 29 the number of noodles & company locations grew three fold from the beginning of the financial crisis of 2007 08 to 2013 reaching 339 locations . 30 recent history edit in 2010 a majority interest in noodles & company was acquired by an investment group led by catterton partners . 27 31 32 in january 2013 bankers told the financial times that noodles & company was scouting for underwriters for an initial public offering ipo . 33 34 two months later the intent for a public offering was confirmed with a filing with the securities exchange commission for 75 million in stock . around this time the company had reached 339 locations 51 of which were franchises and 300.4 million in revenues . 1 within a day following noodles & company s ipo on june 27 the stock price doubled . fast company and the daily beast called it the hottest ipo of the year and compared it to chipotle s ipo . 35 36 on november 16 2015 noodles & company announced that it has pulled out of central texas closing all five of its locations in the austin area . restaurants in a handful of other cities had closed or were planned to be close within the coming weeks including ones in lubbock and the washington d.c. area according to published reports . 37 ultimately 16 locations were closed by the end of the year . 38 on july 25 2016 in alexandria virginia two noodles & company employees refused to serve a uniformed police officer . the officer left the restaurant and reported the incident which gained regional news coverage . the company issued an apology and terminated the employees involved in the incident . 39 menu and restaurants edit a wisconsin macaroni and cheese from noodles & company noodles & company offers international and american noodle dishes as well as soups salads pasta and sandwiches . 40 most pasta entrees come vegetarian but have optional protein toppings such as tofu chicken beef or shrimp . 5 it also sells flat bread and desserts like rice krispies treats . 9 22 customers order at the counter and are served at their table 10 usually within five to seven minutes . 41 the average check is approximately 8 per person . 42 the restaurants use soft lighting furniture made from recycled bamboo and have bench seating and community tables . 43 orders can be made online to dine in or to go . 40 seasonal items were first introduced to supplement the menu in 2002 . 8 two years later noodle less entrees were added in response to the trend for low carb diets . 44 45 the following year it introduced a whole grain tuscan fettuccine . 46 47 naturally raised pork was added as a meat option in 2012 . 48 three seasonal items and a gluten free fusilli were added in april 2013 . 49 50 in 2015 noodles & company debuted customizable kids meals . 51 advertising edit from 1997 to 2002 noodles & company sponsored outdoor and print ads . by 2002 it had a 1.3 million advertising budget and began airing ads on major television networks . one was of a snake charmer using a flute to charm noodles and the other was a noodles dish as a landing ufo from which noodles emerged . both ads carried the slogan we re going to get you . 52 afterwards in the early 2000s the company reduced its advertising resources before a rebranding effort that started in 2008 . 53 the slogan your world kitchen was introduced in 2013 . the largest component of noodles & company s advertising is in outdoor ads like billboards but it also invests in radio digital media and news sites . the billboards emphasize the global cuisine . one points to a parking lot and says recipes imported from more countries than these cars . 54 55 operations and franchises edit location in sheboygan wisconsin most noodles & company restaurants are owned and operated by noodles & company incorporated but some are operated in a franchise model . franchise locations are operated by an independent franchisee that is trained by noodles & company and uses the same menu pricing and branding as corporate owned stores . 23 as of 2010 the average noodles & company store generated more than 1 million in annual revenue with a profit of 21 percent . 56 takeout orders account for approximately 25 percent of revenues . 10 according to inc. magazine noodles & company is more selective than other franchise based restaurants in franchise partners and has a higher ratio of corporate owned stores than most franchising restaurants . 57 nutrition edit nutrition facts are posted on the company s website . as with most pasta based dishes the company s noodles dishes are high in carbohydrates with regular sized dishes containing 80 150 grams of carbohydrates per serving the company s salads and sandwiches tend to be lower in carbohydrates . many of the regular sized pasta dishes exceed 1 000 calories but smaller portions with under 500 calories are available for some dishes . noodles and company offers dishes made with gluten free and vegan ingredients but warns that cross contamination may occur . 58 references edit a b c d migoya david may 23 2013 . noodles & co. files intent for ipo . the denver post . retrieved june 14 2013 . http www.investing.com news commodities news noodles company shares fall 6 after ceo kevin reddy steps down 416473 a b c d united states securities and exchange commission . form 424b4 filed to the sec before ipo june 27 2013 . noodles & company report . june 27 2013 . noodles & company press release pdf . noodles & company press release . 2013 . archived from the original pdf on 2015 07 23 . a b c d e thorn bret 2005 . noodles & company . nation s restaurant news . a b c d sull donald 6 october 2009 . the upside of turbulence . harpercollins . p. 57 . isbn 978 0 06 193976 1 . retrieved 13 june 2013 . a b c d graham sandy september 24 2000 . pasta entrepreneur uses his noodle . rocky mountain news . p. 3g . subscription required help . alternate link via newsbank . a b c d rogers monica january 1 2002 . the zen of noodles noodles & company menu master ross kamens never stops exploring new ways to prepare pasta . chain leader . 7 1 . a b sharos david march 15 2001 . eatery owner adds naperville to plate . chicago tribune . retrieved june 14 2013 . a b c d