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My culinary resume speaks for itself, as does my dining critic’s palate, but when push comes to shove, I reach for the comfort of macaroni and cheese. That passion started with Kraft Dinner as a kid and later upgraded to Stouffer’s frozen.
When Noodles & Company opened in Boulder in 1996, I embraced the new chain’s Wisconsin Mac & Cheese.
As a then-busy new parent, I loved the ease and relative healthfulness of Noodles & Company. I would get a grownup dish like Penne Rosa but always ended up eating as much of my toddler’s creamy Mac & Cheese as he would allow. I was obliged to make him order it with broccoli.
Two generations of American kids have since grown up on Noodles’ Pesto Cavatappi and Japanese Pan Noodles, but they may not realize they were test subjects for a Colorado-born restaurant trend.
Several years ago, I asked Aaron Kennedy, founder and former CEO of Broomfield-based Noodles & Company, about the history of the multibillion-dollar fast-casual restaurant industry.
“People were under a lot of pressure to get their meals quickly. They needed lunch during the workday and dinner when their kids were running off to soccer practice,” Kennedy said.
“The idea struck me to create a global noodle shop. I wondered: ‘Why can’t you serve high-quality food fast?'”
Other fast-casual successes followed, including Chipotle Mexican Grill, Qdoba and Illegal Pete’s — all also launched in the mid-1990s in Colorado.
“Fast casual absolutely was launched here,” Kennedy said.
However, more competition, rising menu prices and economic uncertainty have taken their toll.
Nation’s Restaurant News reports that Noodles & Company has been struggling since early 2023 despite introducing a new menu and changing CEOs.
Noodles & Company recently announced it was pondering a sale and would close 50 of its 450-plus restaurants in the next year.
Visit the Noodles & Company at the 29th Street Mall, and it becomes clear how diners’ options have boomed since the chain launched.
Within a few feet of the store, diners can choose from Boulder-born fast casuals Modern Market and Motomaki. Nearby are Colorado-launched Birdcall and Chipotle Mexican Grill, plus CAVA, Crisp & Green, Panera Bread, Jing Ramen and the new Kura Revolving Sushi Bar. Coming soon to 29th Street: True Food Kitchen.
That’s just the quick, healthy-ish options.
Another factor in Noodles & Company’s Boulder struggles may be shifting demographics, notably a slow decline in school-aged children.
Boulder Valley School District enrollment has trended downward since 2018, a pattern expected to continue due to a falling birth rate, later family formation and high housing costs.
While the population has grown since the 1990s, the share of families with young kids may not be keeping pace, potentially reducing demand for kid-friendly staples like mac and cheese.
Our tastes, along with our kids’, have also gotten more sophisticated. Authentic noodles are dished at local international cafes. The macaroni and cheese bar is also a lot higher, with upscaled appearances on dozens of menus. Personally, I prefer it baked. Worse yet, carbs such as noodles have replaced fats as the new nutritional evil.
Noodles & Company is still popular, but it feels like this old-timer is being overwhelmed by the offerings from the new fast-casual kids it helped spawn.
What’s John eating this week?
Pad Thai noodles should not be rubbery
I hadn’t stopped by Noodles & Company for a few years when nostalgia and curiosity overwhelmed me.
A recent Noodles & Company press release had announced upgraded offerings:
“Two-thirds of our menu is new or improved. More flavor. Richer sauces. Fresher ingredients. A better guest experience.”
When you say everything is much better, you are admitting that those dishes weren’t so great.
I ordered two new menu items: pulled pork BBQ mac & cheese and Spicy Korean Noodles.
The shredded pork was nicely smoky, and the barbecue sauce, green onions and crispy onions added lots of flavor. However, the macaroni was beyond al dente — semi-rubbery really. It was just warmed up in that cheese sauce, not cooked.
The Spicy Korean Noodles were a reasonably fiery mix of lo mein noodles in gochujang sauce with marinated steak, tossed with some cabbage, spinach, cucumber, green onions and cilantro.
I tasted both Noodles items in the store and reheated them at home but wasn’t impressed. Even if you go with the small entrée size, the addition of protein and veggies adds up to a large price relative to the portion size.
To be fair, I visited Noodles & Company a second time to sample my old favorite, Pad Thai. It was a bowl of terribly rubbery rice noodles tossed with eggs, some veggies and peanuts with bland chicken in a barely spiced sauce.
Local food news
Openings
The golf-focused Birdie Bar is open at 947 Pine St. in Louisville, serving a menu that includes Greek flatbreads, Italian grinders (subs) and Caesar salads to go with golf simulators and mini-golf.
Coming attractions
Michelin-recommended, French-born Aspen chef Mawa McQueen will open her Crepe Therapy Cafe in October at 2273 31st St. in Boulder.
Culinary Calendar: Fill your bowls with chili, chile, katsu and karaage
“Chili” refers to a red-hued stew that may include beans as well as meat. “Chile” is the name of green or red pepper pods as well as a sauce/stew that smothers burritos in Colorado.
Both variations are on the menu at one of Boulder’s iconic food and art events, the Chili Bowl Street Party Sept. 14 at Groundworks Art Lab.
The free event includes art demos, live music, beer and cider, and the opportunity to buy a handmade ceramic tasting bowl and fill it with chile and chili donated by Boulder Social, Foolish Craig’s, McDevitt Taco Supply, Rosetta Hall, Verde, West End Tavern and other eateries. The Post returns after winning the People’s Choice vote in 2024 for its green chile.
The Goundworks Art Lab is located in Boulder’s historic Fire Station No. 2 where tens of thousands of locals have learned pottery since the mid-1950s. Event proceeds support community programs that allow broader access to the studio.
If you love Japanese fare, traditional and contemporary
The Spirit of Japan food festival runs Sept. 12-14 at Denver’s Sakura Square, featuring shaved ice with matcha, grilled rice dumplings, octopus nuggets, roasted sweet potatoes with ice cream, yakisoba noodles, katsu pork cutlet sandwiches and fried karaage chicken.
Deep food thoughts
“It is more fun to talk with someone who doesn’t use long, difficult words but rather short, easy words like ‘What about lunch?'” — From “Winnie the Pooh” by A.A. Milne
John Lehndorff is going to be a great addition! I read his column back in the 80’s, and still use his line about “culinary enjoyment has nutritional value”.
I enjoyed them for years but have stopped going to Noodles & Company. It is not because of the food, but because of the waste. It was understandable during the pandemic to have so many disposables, but not now.
Never thought much of Noodles. Their offerings were always sub-par.