July 2011

Salads Popping Up Everywhere…

Thanks to everyone who came out to our Pop-Up Picnics yesterday!  We enjoyed sharing our Summertime Salads with each of you. 

Be on the Lookout for A Pop-Up Picnic Tomorrow, July 28th!

We’re celebrating the fresh flavors of summer tomorrow, July 28th with Pop-Up Picnics!  Our teams will hit the streets to give our FREE Summertime Salads.  Check out the link below for the Pop-Up Picnic in your area.  http://www.noodles.com/picnic/ See you there!

The New Meaning of Minnesota Nice

At Noodles, we take pride in creating a family-friendly environment.  We strive to go the extra mile to make everyone feel at home.   Joshua Pederson, the General Manager of our Blaine, Minn. restaurant recently helped a frenzied grandmother-of- two by offering to buy their lunch when she forgot her wallet at home.  What Joshua didn’t know was that by extending a dose of the new meaning of “Minnesota Nice”, he was preventing a life-threatening medical condition for a four-year-old little girl.

As appeared in The Anoka County Union

To the Editor:

Those of us who have lived in Minnesota all of our lives may think that the term “Minnesota Nice” is neighbors helping neighbors and our community opening their arms to visitors and newcomers to our state.

However, a quick Google search reveals quite different definitions with phrases such as “passive aggressive” and “backstabbing.”

I would like to share a heartwarming and simple example of “Minnesota Nice” that clearly disputes the Google definitions and shows the term is truly a compliment to our state.

As a grandmother, caring for and traveling with four- and two-year-old grandchildren can be quite an adventure.

But as with all adventures, caring for toddlers, keeping them safe and in arm’s length and transferring them in and out of car seats that have an immense amount of straps and locks to keep them secure can make for a hectic and sometimes frazzling outing.

Caring for my grandchildren however, makes an otherwise normal hectic outing even further complicated as our four-year-old has juvenile diabetes.

My example of “Minnesota Nice” was even “nicer” than it appeared because of her medical condition.

As we were driving home from our shopping outing, she starting showing signs of a rapidly dropping blood sugar. Feeding her as quickly as possible not only brings her blood sugars up where they need to be, but keeps her safe from illness, seizures and potentially even worse possible medical events.

We pulled into the Blaine Noodles & Company to order a quick fix lunch to correct her dropping blood sugars. They were incredibly busy and the restaurant was packed.

We waited through the line hoping to get our food as quickly as possible. I put our order in and walked to the next register to pay and opened my purse and realized I had forgotten my wallet at home that morning!

All I said to the person at the cash register was “I am sorry, cancel my order as I do not have my wallet with me.”

That person, Joshua Pederson, happened to also be the manager. He had no idea our granddaughter needed food for medical reasons and had no other reason to do what he did except that he was a Minnesotan displaying “Minnesota Nice.”

He, without any hesitation and with a friendly smile, simply and immediately said “lunch is on me.” I was touched, embarrassed and even shocked with his response, but graciously accepted his offer given our medical situation.

This is my public thank you to Joshua and a testimony for our state that “Minnesota Nice” is real and exists and flourishes in Minnesota!

Thank you Josh for your kindness and timely offer. Our lunch was delicious, our granddaughter’s sugar levels corrected quickly and our hearts were touched by your generosity and “Minnesota Nice”!

Sandy Herrala

A grateful and proud to be a Minnesotan, grandmother from Anoka

Tessa’s Tips – Salad Under Construction

Salads aren’t always easy.  It’s a delicate balance between sweet, savory, texture, dressing, and the perfect blend of greens.  Here are a few tips to follow when creating your next entree salad:

Greens: Play around with different types of greens.  When thinking about taste, consider butter lettuce for a sweet, delicate flavor or arugula for a acidic bite.  If texture is what you’re after, try spinach or romaine to add a crispy ingredient.  Consider growing your own or buy locally grown to ensure that the greens are as fresh as possible. 

Fruit: Think about using blueberries, strawberries, apples, or grilled peaches in your next salad.  Summertime fruit is at its peak, adding the perfect sweet, tangy element. 

Protein: All types of protein, from tofu to steak, are great on a salad.  When choosing a protein, think about the overall taste profile you are trying to accomplish.  Salads with hearty vegetables like corn, tomatoes, bell peppers and cabbage can stand up to chicken and steak.  Seafood, tofu, and legumes are best for salads with nuts, berries, and vinaigrette dressings. 

Crunch: There is something very satisfying about adding crunch to a salad.  Nuts, super crispy vegetables, seeds and croutons (especially homemade!) are all good options when it comes to creating that special bite. 

Dressing: Perhaps the most important part of a salad is the dressing – it’s the one ingredient that pulls all of the flavors together.  Too much and you’ve got soggy vegetables and a heavy mouth feel.  Too little and it’s boring.  Just a few tablespoons and you’re sure to have a success on your hands. 

Additional Flavor: Fresh summer herbs and creamy cheeses – like blue cheese, feta, or goat cheese – go a long way.  That extra little punch elevates a salad from basic to extraordinary. 

On days when you aren’t in the mood to play salad matchmaker, try one our new Summertime Salads.  The Backyard Barbecue Chicken brings all the tastes of a neighborhood gathering with perfectly marinated pulled chicken tossed in a smoky barbecue sauce, fresh-cut sweet corn, earthy Roma tomatoes, crunchy red cabbage and mixed greens, topped off with a creamy coleslaw dressing.  The Very Berry Spinach is a delightful balance of summery strawberries, salty bacon, creamy blue cheese crumbles, house-made croutons, tender spinach leaves and a slightly sweet, slightly tangy balsamic fig glaze. We think we’ve come as close to perfection as possible!

To the Lucky Holders of a Ten Degree Tee…

Thanks to everyone who stood in line at our restaurants for your Ten ° of Salad Tee last Thursday. Check out some fun pictures below! 

If you were one of the lucky few who got a Tee, tell us about your plans to pay it forward.  Visit www.noodles.com/tendegrees to register your Tee and to watch it spread joy in the form of a Summertime Salad.  For those who received the Tee from a friend, tell us about who you will give it to next.  It’s a chain letter so start the chain! 

Think of it as 6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon…Plus 4!

You may have noticed that we are all about salads these days – Summertime Salads.  Last month, we began serving two new Summertime Salads, Backyard Barbecue Chicken Salad and Very Berry Spinach Salad.  Whether you’re already a fan or have been meaning to give them a try, here is your opportunity to get a FREE salad while making one, special friend very happy. 

 We’re giving away thousands of FREE Summertime Salads across the country. Simply be one of the first 50 people at your neighborhood Noodles restaurant TOMORROW, JULY 7^th at 10:30 a.m. to claim your very own Ten° Salad Tee. The Ten° Salad Tee is good for a free Summertime Salad.  You can then share the Tee with a friend so that they can try a Summertime Salad.  That friend will in turn give the Tee to one of their deserving friends and so on and so on. Think of it like the 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon…plus four.

 You can track the life cycle of the Tee, share your pay-it-forward stories, and have a little fun gifting a summertime treat to a deserving friend at www.Noodles.com/tendegrees

 It’s a salad-sharing movement – a “pay it forward”, fresh-flavor-amongst-friends movement.

 LET THE MOVEMENT BEGIN JULY 7TH 10:30am

Valid only on July 7th for the first 50 people at our Noodles & Company locations for one FREE Ten° Salad Tee and one Summertime Salad. Only one per person. Restaurant opens at 10:30am. Note: Excludes restaurants in Tennessee, Nebraska, St. Louis, and Columbia, Mo. 

A Snippet from our CEO

Our fearless leader and CEO Kevin Reddy was recently interviewed on Fox Business about Noodles & Company’s growth and success. Kevin also provided key insight on how the new healthcare plan will impact the restaurant industry.  Check it out!

http://video.foxbusiness.com/#/v/1034197119001/great-dining-for-only-7/?playlist_id=87247