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 using personal savings and investments from friends and family. It obtained negative reviews at first, but the management team overhauled the concept and led a turnaround. Food critics began identifying it as the best fast-food restaurant in their respective cities and it won awards for fast-growth, healthy food and being family friendly. It grew from $300,000 in revenues in 1996 to $300 million when it went public in 2013. The company has 339 locations as of May 2013, some of which are franchised.