Noodles & Company: your world kitchen

Founder, Aaron Kennedy, was 33 years of age in 1995 when he opened his first Noodles & Company. Thanks to 25 private investors–all family and friends–he raised $250,000 to get his business started. In 2017, his company recorded $457 million in revenue.

Noodles & Company 457 U.S. Store Locations

A look back…
Aaron Kennedy, former Pepsi marketing executive, was having dinner at Mamie’s Asian Noodle Shop in Greenwich Village one evening in 1994 when he got the inspiration for Noodles & Company. He knew that noodles were a staple for many international dishes and felt that there needed to be more restaurants that specialized in noodles.

Working in his mother-in-law’s kitchen, Aaron started developing recipes with the future COO, Joe Serafin, and head chef, Ross Kamens.

In October 1995, Aaron opened his first Noodles & Company in the Cherry Creek neighborhood of Denver, Colorado.  He was joined by partner Tom Weigand, a real estate developer and college friend from Augustana College. The following spring they opened a second location in Madison Wisconsin. 

Noodles & Company is famous for
“Fast Casual Noodle Dishes”

Sometimes, things just have to get worse before they can get better…
In 1996, Noodles & Company took a big financial hit and almost went out of business after a local reporter published a scathing review. While he liked the idea of a noodle restaurant, he disliked pretty much every dish he tried. Soon, other newspapers published similar reviews.  Aaron wasn’t ready to give up, so he began to redefine every aspect of his business. His team completely overhauled the menu, prices and decor. And, it worked! With a new and inviting colour scheme in the restaurant and dramatically improved menu options, the restaurant began to thrive.

Over the next four years, the company’s revenues grew exponentially. Noodles & Company became known by food critics as the best fast-food restaurant in the city. In fact, it won a Hot Concept! award from Nation’s Restaurant News.

The company grew very quickly and in 2006 its headquarters were moved from Boulder to Broomfield, Colorado. Also in that year, founder Aaron Kennedy stepped down as CEO and was replaced by Kevin Reddy.

Today, there are 457 Noodles & Company locations
across 29 states and in Washington, D.C.

Gloria Sauvé
Communications and Marketing

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