Noodles & Company Temporarily Establishes To-Go Only At All Restaurants

The Company will also reduce operating hours as it continues to take steps to ensure the safety and wellbeing of guests and team members

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Noodles & Company

Mar 16, 2020, 14:14 ET

BROOMFIELD, Colo., March 16, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Noodles & Company (NASDAQ:NDLS), known for serving classic noodle, Zoodle and Caulifloodle dishes from around the world, today announced it will temporarily transition to pick-up/carryout and delivery only and close in-restaurant dining areas effective March 17, 2020. The company will also reduce operating hours, closing all restaurants at 8 p.m. every day.

"During this uncertain and difficult time, it's our honor and privilege to continue serving our guests," said Dave Boennighausen, chief executive officer of Noodles & Company. "Our guests can trust that we have taken every measure possible to protect them throughout this unprecedented situation. There is no greater priority than the safety and wellbeing of our guests and team members, and with this operational change, our focus remains on safely preparing every single guest's order."

Guests can place an order at Noodles & Company through any of the following methods:

Order using the Noodles Rewards App or online at Noodles.com/order. All payments are processed online and guests simply choose the best pick-up time. The order will be ready and placed on the Quick Pickup shelf at the designated time.
Call ahead and place an order with an order specialist, and then pay ahead so the pick-up is fast and easy. Frequent guests with previous orders can use the Call-in Rapid Reorder feature that allows guests to reorder their most recent meal at the click of a button. 
Order with Noodles' third-party delivery partners, DoorDash and Uber Eats, for quick ordering and contactless delivery.  
Utilize the Pickup Window available at some locations, which allows guests to stay in their car. Visit noodles.com/locations to view Pickup Window availability.

For more than a week, Noodles & Company has been executing enhanced quality assurance practices at all of its locations, including increasing mandatory handwashing to every 30 minutes at minimum, requiring the use of hand sanitizer after each hand wash, enforcing its strict sick policy, and thoroughly disinfecting all surfaces every two hours. Additionally, Noodles introduced an emergency sick leave policy that will cover up to 14 days of sick pay for team members affected by COVID-19.

"We are closely monitoring this situation and following guidance from the CDC, national, and state authorities as it unfolds and we will continue to take all necessary actions to keep our guests and team members safe," said Boennighausen. "I sincerely thank each and every one of our guests for standing by us and allowing Noodles the opportunity to serve them."

2020 Outlook
Due to the current unprecedented market conditions, Noodles & Company is withdrawing its financial guidance for fiscal year 2020 and will provide an update on the business on its first quarter 2020 earnings call.

About Noodles & Company
Since 1995, Noodles & Company has been serving noodles your way, with noodles and flavors that you know and love as well as new ones you're about to discover. From indulgent Wisconsin Mac & Cheese to better-for-you Zoodles and Other Noodles, the company serves a world of flavor in every bowl. Made up of more than 450 restaurants and 10,000 passionate team members, Noodles was named one of the Best Places to Work by the Denver Business Journal for its unique culture built on the value of "Loving Life," which begins by nourishing and inspiring every team member and guest who walks through the door. To learn more or find the location nearest you, visit www.noodles.com.

Forward Looking Statements
In addition to historical information, this press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that involve risks and uncertainties such as the number of restaurants we intend to open, projected capital expenditures and estimates of our effective tax rates. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as "may," "might," "will," "objective," "intend," "should," "could," "can," "would," "expect," "believe," "design," "estimate," "predict," "potential," "plan" or the negative of these terms and similar expressions intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements reflect our current views with respect to future events and are based on currently available operating, financial and competitive information. Examples of forward-looking statements include all matters that are not historical facts, such as statements regarding estimated costs associated with our closure of underperforming restaurants, the implementation and results of strategic initiatives and our future financial performance. Our actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements due to reasons including, but not limited to, our ability to achieve and maintain increases in comparable restaurant sales and to successfully execute our business strategy, including new restaurant initiatives and operational strategies to improve the performance of our restaurant portfolio; our ability to maintain compliance with debt covenants and continue to access financing necessary to execute our business strategy; the success of our marketing efforts; our ability to open new restaurants on schedule; current economic conditions; price and availability of commodities; our ability to adequately staff our restaurants; changes in labor costs; consumer confidence and spending patterns; consumer reaction to industry related public health issues and perceptions of food safety; seasonal factors; and weather. For additional information on these and other factors that could affect the Company's forward-looking statements, see the Company's risk factors, as they may be amended from time to time, set forth in its filings with the SEC, included in our most recently filed Annual Report on Form 10-K, and, from time to time, in our subsequently filed Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. The Company disclaims and does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement in this press release, except as may be required by applicable law or regulation.

Media Contact:
Danielle Moore
[email protected]

SOURCE Noodles & Company