Noodles & Company

CONTEST CLOSED!! Gardening Tips and a Chance to Win Free Noodles

Having a green thumb isn’t something that’s passed down genetically to some people and not others. It takes passion, care and discipline to grow a garden, but it’s well worth the effort. Fresh fruits and vegetables are a great addition to salads, like our new Summertime Salads, and are super good for you too. Double bonus.

So from our garden to yours, here are some tips to get your garden ready for spring and summer planting. We want to hear from you too! Share your gardening tips with us, and we’ll reward you with a FREE salad card!

• Clean up your gardening area – Rake up all of the leaves and debris that has taken over your garden during the long winter months
• Purchase your seeds – This might be a gardener’s favorite part, browsing all of the wonderful plants you plan to grow. Get your seeds now so you can start to grow your plants indoors and then transfer them outside when the weather warms up
• Prep your soil as much as possible – Depending on your location, the only soil prep you may be able to do now is just say a little prayer for it. But in many parts of the country, it’s definitely warming up. On those days, get out there and do as much work as possible to break up the soil. Just digging up the soil is good, as it aerates and loosens and prepares it for planting
•  Get your garden tools and potting areas ready – It’s time to evaluate your gardening tools to see if you need to purchase anything new. Also, stake a garage or patio spot now for your potting area  before it’s taken over by someone else! 

We’re opening in TWO Tennessee cities on Monday

That’s right. Wisconsin Mac & Cheese, Penne Rosa and Japanese Pan Noodles are coming to Tennessee. We’re opening in Nashville and in Knoxville on Monday, April 25 at 11 am. Never been before? Check out our global menu here.

Our new Nashville location
Green Hills Mall
2116 Green Hills Village Drive
Nashville, TN
Phone: (615) 383-7740
Fax: (615) 383-7741

Our new Knoxville location
11083 Parkside Drive
Turkey Creek, TN
Phone: (865) 675-1869
Fax: (865) 675-2019

Give first-time Tennessean Noodlers a recommendation!
Submit a comment with your recommendation as to what the first-time Tennesseans should order and why. We’ll mail 15 people with the most creative comments a FREE BOWL CARD. Check back because we’ll announce the 15 winners on our blog Monday, 4/25 at 11amCST.

Eating Healthy in a Hurry- Tessa’s Tips

Hi Everyone! My name is Tessa Stamper and I’m the chef and registered dietician at Noodles & Company. I’m back this month to talk with you about eating healthy in a hurry.

Now that the weather is warming up, it’s the perfect time to learn how you can eat healthy while managing your busy lifestyle. Here are some tips to get a jumpstart on swimsuit season…

Tessa Stamper, Noodles & Company Chef & Registered Dietician

1.) PORTION CONTROL—In my opinion, this is where you can get the biggest bang for your nutritional buck. Research shows that we tend to eat whatever food quantity is placed in front of us, regardless of how hungry or how big the portions really are. Are you a member of the Clean Plate Club? Try ordering smaller portion sizes when possible, or eat half and take the other half home. At Noodles, we have Small, Regular and Trio-sized portions. Order a small and you get an immediate 50% reduction in calories without sacrificing the flavors you love!

2.) CUSTOMIZATION – Do your best to frequent restaurants that will allow you to customize your dish, and ask for the more calorically dense foods to be left off the dish or order on the side (for example items like cheese, bacon, dressings, etc). This way you can control a large amount of calories in your favorite dish easily. We’re happy to customize your dish to meet your taste or dietary needs. Just let us know what we can do!

3.) BE AWARE – It’s important to know what you’re eating. Many restaurants have nutrition information available upon request or online to help you choose their healthiest items. You also can check out this information before heading to the restaurant so you can make your menu decision before you walk in the door. All of Noodles’ nutritional information and tools are available here.

4.) THINK FIBER – Fill up on whole grains and fruits and vegetables. These foods take longer to digest, so you’re not hungry as quickly afterwards and they are full of micronutrients and anti-oxidants. Many restaurants have whole grain substitutes, so be sure to check out what’s available. You can swap whole grain linguine for any noodle at Noodles & Company – just ask!

5.) KEEP ACTIVE – Go for a walk with your kids after dinner, or take a ride on your bike—just don’t head straight for the couch! A little exercise will go a long way to keep your appetite, and your waistline, in check!

Empty Your Pantry. Fill Someone Else’s.

Several of our restaurants across the country will be hosting Mac & Cheese drives

All day Sunday, March 27 and Monday, March 28 several of our restaurants across the country will be hosting food drives to support local food banks and to celebrate our three, limited time Mac & Cheese dishes. 

When you bring in THREE boxes of macaroni and cheese (you know, the kind you can buy at the store that comes in a box) to be donated to a local food bank at one of the locations highlighted below, you’ll get a FREE bowl of our Wisconsin Mac & Cheese or one of our new “grown up” Mac & Cheese dishes.

You can pick from:

• Truffle Mac with Baby Portabellas – Our signature Wisconsin Mac & Cheese sauce, spiked with white truffle oil, sautéed baby portabella mushrooms, and topped off with shredded parmesan cheese, house-made toasted breadcrumbs and parsley
• Bacon, Mac & Cheeseburger – All the familiar tastes of a bacon cheeseburger with a fun twist
• Southwestern Chili Mac – Mac spiced up with zesty red chili, crumbled meatballs, gooey cheese, and green onions 

Participating locations and food banks include:

MINNESOTA

Support Emergency Food Shelf Network at these locations:

• Calhoun
• Apple Valley
• Eden Prairie
• Eagan
• Edina-Southdale
• Rogers
• Burnsville
• Maple Grove
• Plymouth Center
• Coon Rapids
• Richfield
• Golden Valley
• St. Louis Park
• Mall of America
• Blaine
• Woodbury
• West Bank
• Highland Park
• Stadium Village
• Maplewood
• West St. Paul
• Roseville

Support Channel One Food Bank at these locations:

• Rochester
• South Rochester

Support Echo Food Shelf at this location:

• Mankato

Support Catholic Charities Food Bank at this location:

• St. Cloud

 NORTH CAROLINA

Support Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina at these locations:

• Pavilion
• Chapel Hill
• Cameron Village
• Cary
• Brier Creek

 VIRGINIA

Support Central Virginia Food Bank at these locations:

• Mechanicsville
• West Chester
• Willow Lawn

Support Capital Area Food Bank at these locations:

• Pentagon Row
• Fairfax
• Vienna
• Alexandria
• Kingstowne
• Manassas
• Merrifield
• Crystal City
• Ballston Commons
• Mt. Vernon
• Leesburg
• Sterling

MISSOURI

Support Operation Food Search at these locations:

• South County Mall
• Chesterfield
• Des Peres
• Creve Coeur
• Hampton Village
• Delmar

Support Food Bank of Lincoln at these locations:

• Lincoln- Pine Lake
• Lincoln- P Street

Support Food Bank for the Heartland at this location:

• Omaha- 72^nd & Dodge

Support Columbia Food Bank at this location:

• Columbia

INDIANA

Support Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church at these locations:

• Chauncey Hill
• Carmel- Rangeline Road
• Trader’s Point
• Bloomington (Von Lee)
• Broad Ripple
• Noblesville
• Plainfield
• IUPUI
• Greenwood Place
• West Maryland St.
• Muncie
• Pyramid Place

ILLINOIS/IOWA

Support Eastern Illinois Food Bank at this location:

• Champaign- 6^th & Green

 Support Central Illinois Food Bank at this location:

• Springfield

Support River Bend Food Bank at this location:

• Davenport

Support Center for Hope Food Pantry at these locations:

• Normal- Main St.
• Bloomington (N. Veterans Parkway)

WISCONSIN

Support Salvation Army Food Bank at this location:

• Stevens Point

Support Feed My People Food Bank at this location:

• Eau Claire

Support The Neighbor’s Place at this location:

• Wausau- Town Center

Thank you for lending a helping hand!

Deal for Milwaukee on March 23

On Thursday, March 24 at 8:50 a.m. our founding chef, Ross Kamens, will appear on FOX in Milwaukee. He is going to show viewers how to cook our Bacon, Mac & Cheeseburger dish at home! We want to make sure folks in Milwaukee don’t miss this, so we’re asking our Milwaukee fans to help us spread the word.

On Wednesday, 3/23, when guests show that they have ReTweeted this message:

3/24 8:50a @noodlescompany on FOX 

They will receive a FREE bowl of one of our three, limited time Mac & Cheese dishes.

Participating Milwaukee Restaurants include:

• West bend
• Grafton
• Menomonee falls
• Mt. Pleasant
• Kenosha
• 28th and Oklahoma
• Oakland
• Greenfield
• Hales Corners
• Fox Point
• Wauwatosa
• 124th and Capitol
• Brookfield
• Waukesha
• New Berlin
• Pewaukee
• Delafield

Tessa’s Tips: March

Hi Everyone! My name is Tessa Stamper and I’m the chef at Noodles & Company. I’m back this month to talk with you about adding new twists to comfort food classics. Last month was all about pasta and eating heart healthy but now it’s time to talk about a little indulgence- after all its all about balance! Comfort food is all the rage in fine dining restaurants these days and macaroni and cheese is leading the way. Some of my favorite spins to this classic dish are below.

Noodles & Company Chef, Tessa Stamper

Louisiana-Style

Start with a classic bowl of macaroni and cheese. Give your favorite tomato sauce a kick by stirring in a Cajun spice mix. Toss in cooked andouille sausage and jumbo shrimp. Then top off the bowl with cheddar cheese, green onions and chopped tomatoes. If you’re looking to add even more heat your tomato mix, add a bit of Adobo sauce.

Kid-Friendly

Macaroni and cheese is a great vehicle to get kids to eat their veggies, and dinner time is even more fun when they get to be creative. Start with a classic bowl of mac. Ask your kids to help you place ½ to 1 cup of steamed broccoli (or your kid’s favorite vegetable) in a fun shape on top of the bowl. Don’t forget the famous quote, “veggies will make you big and strong!”

Fiesta

Start with a classic bowl of macaroni and cheese. Add ¼ cup of your favorite salsa and stir in cooked ground beef. If this meal is for a vegetarian, substitute the ground beef for black or pinto beans. Then top off the bowl with cheddar cheese and a dollop of sour cream.

Want to learn more about our new ‘grown up’ Mac & Cheese dishes? Check out this video to see how we added our own new twists to our Classic Mac and Cheese.  They are only available for the next few weeks, so come on in and let me know what you think.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N32tpcKX3M4]

Check back next month for more tips from yours truly!

-Tessa

Eat like an adult but feel like a kid

When the economy and thermometer go down, the craving for comfort food goes up. That’s why the hottest cuisine trend right now is adding new twists to comfort food classics, like macaroni & cheese.

Bacon, Mac & Cheeseburger: This hearty dish is a deconstructed version of another classic American comfort food — the bacon cheeseburger. Think crumbled oven-roasted meatballs, crispy chopped bacon, diced Roma tomatoes and chopped green onions mixed into our famous Mac & Cheese and topped with house-made toasted breadcrumbs and cheddar-jack cheese.

Southwestern Chili Mac: Take a trip southwest and give your taste buds a little fiesta. It starts with Mac & Cheese smothered in spicy red chili, crumbled oven-roasted meatballs and topped with diced green onion and shredded cheddar-jack cheese. Olé!

Get them while you can! These three dishes are now available through April. Gotta have more? Check out this video to hear our Chef and ‘Mac Master’ talk about the inspiration behind the new dishes, and what people are saying about them.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N32tpcKX3M4&tracker=False]

We’re pro-noodles!

We’d like to take this opportunity to thank all of our loyal guests who have reached out to us over the past few days. We have received some attention in the news after one of our team member’s on-camera opinions got picked up on the Internet, and on radio and TV shows. We have more than 5,000 team members across the country, and they’re all entitled to their own opinions-whether or not we agree with them. That’s what makes this a great country to live in. We have the freedom to voice our opinions.

Even though we may come from different backgrounds and have different views, we’re all aligned in providing our guests with the best possible dining experience. Our culture is built around providing great guest service and serving really good food. Speaking of food, that’s what we’re passionate about –  serving our guests delicious noodles, pasta, salads and sandwiches. We have a wide variety of global flavors all under one roof, because we like diversity. In fact, you’ll find Cavatappi pasta right next to our Udon noodles! So come on in and visit us. It’s like traveling the globe without leaving your table…or paying those ridiculous bag fees.

Introducing Grown Up Mac & Cheese: It’s not just for kids anymore…

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N32tpcKX3M4]

Check out this exclusive online interview with our chef, and to hear what people are saying about the three new Mac & Cheese dishes.

Tessa’s Tips: February

Hi Everyone! My name is Tessa Stamper and I’m Noodles & Company’s chef and registered dietician. I’m back this month to give you more helpful tips on cooking, health and wellness. Last month I talked about reducing calories, but not reducing flavor. This month I’m going to focus on pasta, and since February is heart disease awareness month, I will share with you how pasta can be part of a heart-healthy diet.

 When it comes to pasta, we take pride in what we serve. It all starts in the fields of North Dakota with #1 hard amber durum wheat. It’s what gives our pasta the al dente texture, bright amber color and nutty wheat taste. We have 8 different varieties of noodles and pasta on our menu from udon to penne to cavatappi.

Want to learn more about our pasta? Check out this video to see how it’s made and what makes it taste so good.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ralF4U9UwqQ]

February is heart disease awareness month. A great pasta option that’s also recommended for a heart-healthy diet is whole wheat pasta. According to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans that were just released last month by the USDA and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, whole grain is a great source of nutrients such as iron, magnesium, B vitamins and dietary fiber. The new dietary guidelines also states there is evidence indicating that eating whole grains may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

To offer you a heart-healthy pasta option, we serve whole wheat linguine. It’s featured in our Whole Grain Tuscan Linguine on our Mediterranean menu. Although it’s featured in one dish, it may be substituted in any of our dishes!

Check back next month for more tips from yours truly!

Tessa Stamper

Chef & Registered Dietitian

Noodles & Company

How do you customize your meal at our restaurants to incorporate whole grains? What bowl do you sub in our whole grain linguine? Tell us and we’ll choose five people to win a free bowl card by Friday, 2/18 at 5 p.m. MST.