Behind the Bowl: Celebrating the Inaugural Noodles Legacy Award Winners

At this year’s Noodles Summit, we introduced a new annual tradition: the Noodles Legacy Award, recognizing longtime Noodlers whose dedication, leadership and impact have left a lasting mark on our company. Each year, we aim to honor individuals from across our Noodles community who have helped shape our culture, strengthen our restaurants, and carry Noodles forward through decades of change and growth.
Our inaugural recipients Nabor Mendez, Britt Wiedemann and our founder, Aaron Kennedy, each have their own unique Noodles story. And they all embody the passion, care, pride and commitment that have helped make Noodles what it is today.
 

Nabor Mendez has spent 25 years with Noodles, working on the line and helping with prep in our Madison, Wisconsin location, and his story is rooted in the people he works alongside every day. For Nabor, being a Noodler is about communication, teamwork, and knowing that there is always someone willing to lend a hand. He shared how much he loves working with his coworkers and the sense of togetherness that comes from supporting one another, even when the work gets challenging. His focus extends beyond himself to the restaurant and the company as a whole, reflecting the kind of team-first spirit that makes a lasting impact. And when it comes to his favorite dish, Nabor doesn't hesitate: Pasta Fresca is his go-to, a dish he simply describes as delicious.
“I love working at Noodles and knowing there’s always a teammate there to support me when I need a day off. My mindset is that I’m always thinking about how to prioritize my coworkers, our guests, and the restaurant first,” shares Nabor.
 

Britt Wiedemann began his Noodles journey around 2000 in Boulder (or as he likes to lovingly refer to it as, “I’ve been working for Noodles since the turn of the century”), when the company had only about a dozen restaurants. Starting as a General Manager, he quickly grew alongside the brand, moving into an area manager role and helping open markets in Texas and Utah before transitioning into the franchise side of the business.
Today, Britt is a franchisee and president of IWI Ventures, with restaurants across three states. What stands out most in Britt’s reflection, though, is the people Noodles has brought into his life over more than two decades.
“I do think the franchise community is an important partner to Noodles corporate — helping innovate, test ideas and bring market expertise to the table — and I see that relationship as something that has allowed both sides to grow together and continuing to grow together,” shares Britt. As for his favorite memory, Britt can recall fond memories of Noodles Summits’ past, with Noodle Olympics, team building and a few shenanigans here and there, (he notes that there's a reason we no longer host Noodles Olympics during the summit!). His other favorite memory is, fittingly, when his Noodles story started with a serious love for Indonesian Peanut Sauté. Britt ate it so often that he eventually asked if employees got a discount.
 

And last but certainly not least, we couldn’t start our inaugural year of Legacy recognition without a nod to our founder, Aaron Kennedy.
Aaron shared with us his legacy that began with bringing the brand to life and building the beliefs that continue to shape it today. Looking back at Noodles’ earliest years, Aaron remembers the core mantras the team developed as the company grew: “every guest, every bowl, every time,” doing a few things but doing them exceptionally well and always taking the high road.
The idea for Noodles began one long day ago when a young Aaron Kennedy realized that there weren’t any fast casual restaurants serving ALL types of noodles and pastas. You could go to an Italian place for pasta, an Asian place for noodles....but no one was doing both. He quickly became obsessed with the idea and simply had to bring it to life. And thus, Noodles and Company was born in 1995, with our first restaurant being Cherry Creek in Denver, Colorado.
When reflecting back on some of his fondest memories of the brand, Aaron recalled one of the company’s most difficult moments, when the original State Street restaurant in Madison, Wisconsin was struggling amid weeks of rain, slow business and financial uncertainty, only for Aaron and a small group of early Noodlers to find themselves scooping water out of the basement together.
That moment became a turning point, leading the team to create and execute a 15-step plan to get the business back on track. But when Aaron looks back at his decades of working in the business, it is the camaraderie with fellow Noodlers that he remembers most. That connection is still what brings him back to Noodles restaurants today, where he says he can feel the culture, they built still alive and breathing. “Noodles will always be my baby.”
And of course, we cannot forget Aaron’s favorite go-to dish, Pad Thai with extra carrots.
 

What’s Your Noodles Legacy?

The Noodles Legacy Award is more than a moment of recognition; it is a lasting tribute to the people who helped build Noodles. As a new annual tradition, each recipient’s name will be permanently recognized on the Noodles Legacy Award display at the Restaurant Support Center, ensuring that their contributions remain part of our company’s story for years to come. These inaugural honorees represent just a few of the many Noodlers whose dedication, leadership and passion have shaped our journey. Their legacy will live on, as will many other Noodlers for years to come.
If you’d like to make an impact here at Noodles, visit our careers page or check out the Noodles Foundation.