Noodles & Company
Disclosure honesty
Noodles & Company discloses earnings (Item 19) — but the grade is how honestly. We graded it B.
What their own earnings claim actually says
Discloses 2025 net sales (avg $1.35M, median $1.30M) and company restaurant EBITDA ($163.5K avg, 11.8% margin). Excludes franchisee royalties and operating costs; notes 43.4% units exceeded average.
Is Noodles & Company worth it? — how it compares to 164 similar franchises
| Ongoing fees | 9% of sales | steeper than 68% of quick service restaurants franchises |
| Startup cost | from $1,061,500 | pricier than 83% of peers |
| Disclosure honesty | Grade B | more honest than 85% of quick service restaurants franchises |
| Closure rate | 2.1% of outlets | about average |
| Disclosed lawsuits | 1 | about average |
Benchmarked against every quick service restaurants franchise we've graded from public FDDs — the context the franchisor's pitch never gives you.
Owner take-home for a Noodles & Company
The franchisor's framing: Discloses 2025 net sales (avg $1.35M, median $1.30M) and company restaurant EBITDA ($163.5… We reconstruct what an owner actually keeps, from their own FDD.
- Reconstructed owner P&L — net take-home after royalty, ad fund, rent, labor & debt
- Break-even timeline + cash-on-cash ROI
- Full fee stack + required-purchase markups
- Decoded real failure / closure rate
- How it ranks vs comparable franchises
- Validation-call playbook — the exact questions to ask
See a full sample report → · 30-day guarantee
Noodles & Company franchise — frequently asked
- How much does a Noodles & Company franchise cost?
- The FDD lists a total initial investment of about $1,061,500–$1,707,500, including a $35,000 initial franchise fee.
- How much do Noodles & Company franchise owners make?
- Discloses 2025 net sales (avg $1.35M, median $1.30M) and company restaurant EBITDA ($163.5K avg, 11.8% margin). Excludes franchisee royalties and operating costs; notes 43.4% units exceeded average. We grade this disclosure B for honesty.
- What is the Noodles & Company franchise failure rate?
- 9 franchise closures in 2025; 31 company closures signal performance stress.
- Is a Noodles & Company franchise worth it?
- It depends on the numbers, not the pitch. Noodles & Company scores B on disclosure honesty, carries about 9% of sales in ongoing fees, and discloses 1 legal matters. Get the real owner take-home before you sign.
Own a Noodles & Company? Add your real numbers (anonymous)
We publish only aggregated benchmarks — never your name. Contribute and we'll show you how your numbers compare.
Compare Noodles & Company to similar franchises
See all franchises ranked by disclosure honesty →
Source: WI DFI Franchise Registration (2026). FranchiseValidate is independent and not affiliated with Noodles & Company or its franchisor. Figures are extracted from the franchisor's own public disclosure document; verify against the current FDD before any decision.