Noodles & Company Adding Bulgogi Mac & Cheese to Beef Up Bottom Line

Noodles & Company, the thirty-year-old Denver-born fast-casual chain whose menu includes noodle dishes inspired by ethnic cuisines ranging from Italian to Japanese, is about to debut a new version of very American mac and cheese, with an Asian twist.

To honor the July 14 National Mac & Cheese Day (yes, there is such a thing, and no, it's not an actual work and school holiday), Noodles will serve up Bulgogi Steak Mac & Cheese, featuring marinated Korean beef on a bed of creamy mac and cheese flavored with Gochujang sauce and Asian spices.

Noodles & Company already offers a variety of mac-and-cheese dishes, including plain Creamy Cheddar Mac & Cheese (much better than boxed), Buffalo Chicken Ranch Mac & Cheese, Pulled Pork BBQ Mac & Cheese and Garlic Bacon Crunch Mac & Cheese. The chain also serves Spicy Korean Steak Noodles that puts Gochujang-flavored marinated beef over lo mein noodles; mix it with Creamy Mac & Cheese, and you probably have a good approximation of what to expect with the new bulgogi dish that will be available from July 2 through the end of July.

Since its founding in Cherry Creek in 1995 by Aaron Kennedy, a former Pepsi marketing executive (and future Colorado brand manager under Governor John Hickenlooper), Noodles & Company has always shifted its offerings to adjust to new food trends and market forces. Unfortunately, Noodles & Company has been bucketed by market forces. For the second time this year, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is considering delisting the company's stock because its stock price has dropped below the minimum closing bid price of $1 per share for more than thirty business days, putting the company out of compliance with Nasdaq listing rules, according to the Denver Business Journal.

And Noodles recently announced that it would be closing 21 of its spots in this country, where it currently has 469 locations between company-owned and franchised stores (including one in Toronto, Canada).

But Noodles & Company has made comebacks before, and often uses new dishes to beef up the bottom line.

"Inspired by a Thai noodle shop in New York City, Kennedy saw an opportunity to bring globally inspired noodle dishes to the fast-casual dining space, something that had never been done before," says Danielle Moore, director of communications for Noodles & Company, which is now headquartered in Broomfield. "From the very beginning, Noodles & Company set out to be a category of one, offering bold, worldly flavors in a format that was both approachable and elevated. This unique vision became the foundation of the brand’s identity and continues to shape its positioning today: We know noodles."

It's certainly the only eatery with spots around the globe that sell only noodles in various forms.

The new item makes sense in the more sophisticated global environment, she adds: "Our brand is rooted in flavor, innovation and culinary expertise. Based on our ingredient testing and current consumer trends, we felt that it was the right time to combine the rich Korean-inspired flavors of Bulgogi Steak with our creamy Mac & Cheese."

And though the new offering might only be available through July, Noodles has other tastes and specials on the way.

"We like to highlight our menu throughout the year by giving our Noodles Rewards members and guests treats throughout the year," Moore adds. "For example, in June we observed National Best Friends Day, where guests could purchase an entrée and receive a second entree at 50 percent off to give to their friend or a family member. In May, we offered a catering discount to observe National Nurses Week and Teacher Appreciation Week. In October, one of our hallmark holidays is, of course, National Noodle Day, where we also like to celebrate with special discounts for our Rewards members."
Some of the classic Noodles & Company menu items were popular from the start; the Japanese Pan Noodles ("yakisoba" to Japanese folks) has always been a winner, and who doesn't like spaghetti and meatballs? But the mac and cheese is the mainstay. "Our Mac menu is incredibly popular – so much so, that when we launched our new menu back in March, we added three new Mac & Cheese dishes," Moore notes.

"These new bowls joined our beloved Creamy Cheddar Mac & Cheese, and is one of the reasons we launched our limited-edition Bulgogi Steak Mac & Cheese as part of this menu. Our guests love Mac & Cheese."

That's using the old noodle.