Noodles & Company Logo PNG
Fast food restaurant chain Noodles & Company chose a themed logo. It depicts a piece of noodles, which is the basis of the menu. The pasta is curved and is in front of the brand name. The change in its appearance speaks of the management’s desire to diversify dishes to expand the customer base. The inscription is made in lowercase font with rounded letters.
Noodles & Company: Brand overview
Noodles & Company has been around since 1995, when entrepreneur Aaron Kennedy opened it. Starting small, it has grown by 2022 to 458 outlets in 31 US states. Its main menu includes various types of noodles, which was immediately indicated in the title. The fast-food restaurant chain is headquartered in Broomfield, Colorado. The idea to open a noodle restaurant came to Aaron Kennedy after visiting a similar establishment in Greenwich, New York. There, the former head of Pepsi’s marketing department tasted Asian noodles and thought about the need to cook something similar but in an American style. After all, this dish is popular among many peoples of the world and is served in several forms. So, noodles influenced the restaurant’s branding, which was named after her.
Founded in 1995 by Aaron Kennedy in Cherry Creek, Denver, Colorado, Noodles & Company introduced a fresh concept in the fast-casual dining sector by offering a selection of noodle dishes inspired by flavors from around the globe. The restaurant quickly distinguished itself with its diverse menu, reflecting various culinary traditions.
Over the first decade of its operation, Noodles & Company expanded steadily. It grew its presence beyond its home state of Colorado, reaching into neighboring states. The menu, a vibrant mix of dishes inspired by Asian, Mediterranean, and American cuisines, was crafted to appeal to a broad audience.
The years between 2006 and 2013 marked a period of rapid growth for Noodles & Company, fueled by a significant investment from Catterton Partners. This capital injection helped accelerate the expansion, opening hundreds of new restaurants across the United States. In 2013, Noodles & Company debuted on the public market with an initial public offering (IPO) on the NASDAQ stock exchange.
Following the IPO, the company faced several challenges, including increased competition, rising labor costs, and sluggish sales. In response, Noodles & Company made strategic decisions in 2016, including closing 55 underperforming locations and overhauling its leadership team. It also refreshed its menu, introducing options with low carbohydrate content and plant-based dishes, and enhanced its digital ordering and delivery services.
The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 posed significant hurdles, leading to temporary closures of dine-in services and a pivot to a focus on takeout and delivery. Noodles & Company quickly adapted to these changes, expanding its digital ordering capabilities and partnering with third-party delivery services. As restrictions began to lift, the company reported an uptick in sales.
Today, Noodles & Company operates more than 450 locations across 29 states. Despite its obstacles, the company remains dedicated to offering high-quality ingredients, made-to-order dishes, and a menu that brings international flavors to the mainstream dining experience.
Noodles & Company’s journey from its inception to the present day is a testament to entrepreneurial vision, resilience in the face of adversity, and the ability to adapt to changing consumer preferences and market conditions. As it looks to the future, Noodles & Company is focused on enhancing customer convenience, expanding its healthy dining options, and continuing to offer a culinary tour of the world through its unique noodle dishes. With a clear brand identity, a loyal customer base, and a distinctive market position, Noodles & Company is well-equipped for continued growth and success in the fast-casual dining industry.
Meaning and History
The restaurant’s main dish is imprinted on the logo. Visually, the picture went through several stages of modification—from a realistic image to a schematic composition. Moreover, the design of the corporate emblem went through three stages: with an oval element, with a flattened rectangle, and without a substrate. Despite the noodles, the logo looked serious at any time, attracting visitors with delicious pasta in a frying pan. There are several variants of the Noodles & Company personal sign.
What is Noodles & Company?
Noodles & Company is a US fast food chain. It appeared in 1995 thanks to the efforts of Aaron Kennedy, who was impressed by the noodles he tried at Greenwich. Then he got the idea of opening a restaurant where pasta would be the menu’s star. Now it is one of the largest American chains: its 458 establishments cover 31 states.
1995 – 2006
For their logo, Noodles & Company used an image of noodles and a frying pan, close to a realistic look. Therefore, they are drawn in detail on the debut sign. Moreover, the theme of pasta is manifested in everything: in a frame on a background oval, an inscription with lines in the middle, and letter combinations. The noodles are appetizingly positioned above the pan – as if expertly tossed by a professional chef to evenly distribute the sauce and saturate the taste as much as possible. The name is two-level, typed in a grotesque style with smooth glyph transitions. The main colors of the emblem are white, yellow, and black (noodles, text, frying pan), and the additional color is red (to attract customers’ attention and awaken their appetite).
2006 – 2010
For the second option, the designers redrew the frying pan and noodles, making them less realistic. In addition, they reduced the number of turns of tossed pasta, removed the center line in the letters, changed the font, repainted the background bright red, and depicted the ampersand as a swirling noodle. As a result, the “n” and “d” appeared with sharp cuts at the ends. The rest of the glyphs have been rounded. The correction of the emblem is associated with the need for convenient placement on various advertising surfaces.
2010 – 2013
The redesign of this period further lightened the logo. The bounding box on the oval is gone, and it’s a dark red color reminiscent of tomato sauce.
2013 – 2018
In 2013, a fast-food restaurant chain experimented with fonts to make the lettering look large and prominent. The developers switched to uppercase letters—smooth, even, high, without serifs—still painted white. The designers also made the ampersand white to make it visible and placed it in a yellow circle. Due to the thin frame and shadow, the background oval became three-dimensional. Intense red disappeared—instead, it appeared red brick.
2015 – 2018
A rectangular logo was used in parallel, slightly concave at the top and bottom for some time.
2018 – 2019
After a rebranding for a year, an emblem appeared with a two-level inscription “noodles WORLD KITCHEN,” for which the company returned the lowercase version of the name. A narrow space appeared between the letters, and above them, a frying pan with yellow noodles tossed up. The leg “n” received an expressive bend, like “l.”
2019 – today
The modern Noodles & Company logo is simplified as much as possible. Only a figure resembling a horn (a kind of pasta) and a name taken from the previous emblem remained. In this case, the icon looks like a diagonal letter “n.” The color palette is red but muted.
Font and Colors
In the course of evolution, the sign of this fast food chain has been simplified. As a result, he has left without a black frying pan with noodles tossed up. The color is now also far from tomato – it is restrained and a weak brick shade. Such changes are explained: firstly, the restaurant expanded the menu and began to prepare not only noodles, and secondly, it adapted the logo to the screens of various media.
The typeface in the upper register is very close to the Abadi Condensed ExtraBold grotesque created by Malaysian designer Ong Chong Wah. The lowercase version of the inscription resembles a modified Museo Sans 700 from exljbris Font Foundry: the right side of the “n” is lengthened in the logo. In this way, a modern noodle type was obtained. Although the colors in the emblem were constantly changing, they certainly remained within the red. So, at different times, scarlet, blood red, raspberry red, and brick were used. They were complemented by white, yellow, and black.
FAQ
What do noodles symbolize?
Noodles symbolize long life and longevity in many cultures, especially in Asia. Their long, unbroken strands represent a journey of life without end. Noodles are often eaten during birthdays and significant celebrations as a wish for a long and healthy life.
In today’s difficult times, the meaning of noodles has become even more powerful. Life’s unpredictability makes it all the more valuable. Eating noodles can remind us to appreciate every moment and not take life for granted. It highlights the importance of hope and the will to keep going even when times are hard, believing in a path that continues. Noodles, then, are food. They symbolize hope, resilience, and our connection with each other, reminding us to strive for a better, longer life in this complicated world.
What is Noodles and Company’s mission?
Noodles & Company has become a place to eat; it’s dedicated to positively impacting everyone it meets, including its team, customers, and communities. It aims to offer great food, inspire and nourish people, and enhance the dining experience.
The company is driven by four main values: care, pride, passion, and a love for life. These principles shape how they interact with customers and prepare their food. They focus on showing care and making sure everyone feels valued, taking pride in offering high-quality dishes, being passionate about their work, and striving to enjoy and share the joy of life with others. These values and mission set Noodles & Company apart in the restaurant industry.
What is the new name for Noodles and Company?
Noodles & Company began rebranding by unveiling a new name, “Noodles World Kitchen.” This effort aimed to refresh the company’s image and enhance its offerings. With the rebranding, Noodles World Kitchen sought to broaden its appeal by adding new dishes and customization options to its menu, addressing a variety of taste preferences and dietary needs. The brand focused on improving customer service by launching a rapid pick-up service for faster and more convenient order collection. Noodles World Kitchen introduced a rewards program to keep customers returning, rewarding loyal customers with benefits and incentives. These initiatives were strategic moves to transform the brand’s identity, making Noodles World Kitchen a more welcoming and customer-centric dining choice.
