Noodles & Company is starting the year in a similar fashion as it ended the last. The fast-casual chain plans to shut down 30 to 35 locations, after it closed 42 stores in 2025.
The Noodles & Company closures are part of an ongoing effort to cut loose underperforming locations and instead focus on stores that are actually pulling their weight.
The Colorado-based company had 428 locations as of November 2025, of which 340 were company-owned and 83 were franchised. Over two years, the planned closures would reduce the chain’s restaurant count by 18%.
Despite the closures, the brand’s financial performance shows some progress, at least on paper. In the fourth quarter, same-store sales rose 6.6% overall, driven by a 7.3% increase at company-owned locations and 3.8% growth at franchised restaurants. That followed a 4% bump in the third quarter, giving management some momentum heading into 2026.
“This progress is being driven by disciplined execution, meaningful enhancements to our food, a compelling value proposition, engaged teams, and the delivery of great guest experiences every day,” said CEO Joe Christina in a statement. “As we head into 2026, we are energized by the progress we are making and confident in our plan to develop winning teams, drive guest satisfaction, ignite growth, and deliver improved financial results.”
What Happened to Noodles & Company?
If you ask consumers, the rocky stretch Noodles & Company is going through comes down to pricing that feels unhinged at times. In a recent Reddit thread asking what went wrong, customers repeatedly singled out high prices and shrinking portions as reasons they stopped going.
“$18 (small) bowls of noodles,” one Redditor bluntly answered. “It was expensive 10 years ago — I can’t imagine now,” another added. “They keep changing the menu, making it more expensive for less or lower-quality food,” wrote a third.
Former insiders, however, point higher up the ladder.
“I worked there as a manager from 2019-2024, and their corporate management is completely and utterly useless,” shared a self-described former manager on Reddit. “Love to create solutions for problems that do not exist. Don’t know how to market properly.”
If you ask us, “completely and utterly useless” doesn’t sound like a company that’s thriving.
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- Stores and Restaurants That Have Already Announced Closures for 2026 — Here are the stores and restaurants that are planning to close locations this year.
- Target Opening Almost 40 New Stores in 2026 — Here’s what we know about the openings, including the list of new store addresses.
