Dive Brief:
- Noodles & Company made ramen a permanent menu category on Wednesday after its Chili Garlic Ramen limited-time offer which first launched last fall attracted about 156,000 new guests to the chain, according to a press release.
- The brand’s ramen category will be served in three brothless bowl varieties: Gochujang Carbonara, Sweet Sesame Steak and Spicy Korean Steak
- Noodles’ move is part of the brand’s multi-year menu overhaul, which aligns the chain’s menu with major menu trends — like the popularity of Asian flavors.
Dive Insight:
The Chili Garlic Ramen LTO, which first launched in fall 2025, quickly became one of the chain’s most successful menu launches, according to the press release.
The brand’s recent Asian flavor promotions, including both the Chili Garlic Ramen and Indonesian Peanut Sauté, performed well enough to significantly alter the chain’s sales mix, Joe Christina, Noodles’ president and CEO said on the chain’s most recent earnings call.
“Our Asian category mix increased by 42% during the promotional period, with that percentage of guests ordering an Asian entrée growing from 12.5% before the promotion to 17.8% during it,” Christina said.
The success of the LTO pushed Noodles to test multiple ramen flavors, leading to the fourth quarter launch, Christina said.
Tina Massey, the chain’s VP of culinary research and development, said the ramen bowls had widely differentiated flavors that could attract a wide range of consumers.
Noodles has spent the last few years recovering from an extended sales slide, and recently began posting same-store sales growth above fast casual competitors. The brand has closed underperforming locations, overhauled its menu and added a price-point value menu in 2025 meant to draw cost-conscious diners. In the most recent quarter Noodles saw its same-store sales rise by 10.3%, according to its earnings release.
