The Colorado-Based Fast Casual Chain That's Set To Close Multiple Locations This Year

We're only five months into 2025 and statistics are showing that this hasn't exactly been a great year for the restaurant industry. Granted, the restaurant business hasn't truly been the same since the pandemic, but we're seeing more and more time-honored chains shut down. Earlier this year, Denny's announced the closure of 150 stores across the country, and just this week, the Caribbean-inspired chain Bahama Breeze abruptly closed 15 locations in eight states. Now, the Colorado-based Noodles & Company is following suit.

The fast-casual noodle chain (which happens to make our absolute favorite fast food mac and cheese) recently announced its first quarter 2025 financial results, which don't look fantastic and reveal the impending closure of up to 21 Noodles & Company locations. Even though the chain made more money than it did in the first quarter of 2024, it still lost about $9.1 million, more than last year. To supplement these losses, the company is shutting down between 13-17 company-owned and four franchise-owned locations. These specific locations aren't public yet, as explained by a Noodles & Company representative who told USA Today that "many of these decisions are still in progress."

Noodles & Company opened in 1995 with a menu focused on quality noodles and fresh ingredients. Some of the business's most well-known items include the Buffalo Chicken Ranch Mac & Cheese, Basil Pesto Cavatappi, and Crispy Chicken Bacon Alfredo, combining soft noodles with proteins and a variety of spices. Out of almost 500 locations across 31 states, 380 are company-owned and 89 are franchise-owned, though those numbers are set to change by the end of the year.

In an official press release, Noodles & Company CEO Drew Madsen said, "We are very pleased with the strong comparable restaurant sales and traffic performance [they] achieved during the first quarter despite a challenging macroeconomic environment. Our momentum is being driven by our fully reimagined new menu that launched on March 12, supported by increased marketing investment and a new brand strategy." 

Although the company is set to eliminate locations, there are plans to open two new company-owned restaurants, but specifics have yet to be announced. The press release stated that the company projects an expected "$503 million to $512 million, including mid-single digit comparable restaurant sales growth," though only time will tell if closing almost two dozen locations will be worth the effort.