Noodles & Company Issues First "Nourish and Inspire" Impact Report Highlighting Progress and Benchmarks Across Food, People, Planet and Community

BROOMFIELD, Colo., Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Noodles & Company (NASDAQ: NDLS), the national fast-casual brand known for serving globally inspired noodle dishes, today released the Company's first impact report. This report highlights key milestones and enhancements the brand has made across people, food, planet, and community. Noodles' mission has always been to nourish and inspire every team member, guest, and community it serves, and everything the brand does is driven by its core values, prominently showcased in this report.

"Transparency matters in how we conduct business, and we believe that transparency coupled with action is the best way to foster a sustainable world for future generations," said Dave Boennighausen, chief executive officer at Noodles & Company. "This impact report is a strong testament to the progress we've made in building a better world through our operations."

"Supporting our team members has always been our first priority, with no limits to how far we will go to ensure our people are taken care of," said Sue Petersen, executive vice president of inclusion, diversity, and people at Noodles & Company. "This past year, we built upon that promise by offering a flexible work schedule with industry-leading benefits to foster an inclusive and diverse workforce and support team members' personal and professional growth."

Noodles' Big ImpactNoodles & Company has made significant progress in its commitment to people, the planet, community, and food. Major impacts include:

Placing People First: Women now comprise 56% of the Noodles' operations team and 50% of its executive team. During a time when the labor crisis continues to pressure businesses, Noodles has maintained lower-than-industry-average turnover rates and increased general manager tenure across its locations nationwide.

Since the onset of COVID, Noodles has invested $7.6 million in new team member benefits to impact team members' lives and support them through unprecedented circumstances. These benefits include thank-you and retention bonuses and a continued focus on mental health, including prioritizing a balanced life for team members both inside and outside of work.

This commitment is further demonstrated through the Noodles & Company Foundation, which provides financial support to team members during times of crisis, provides educational scholarship opportunities to qualifying team members, and allows Noodles to directly give back to its dedicated team members. The Noodles & Company Foundation has given back more than $800,000 to its team members and remains a top focus for the Company.

Quality Fresh Food: Behind every bowl Noodles & Company serves is a commitment to bettering the world from the inside out. The Company is committed to clean ingredients and has banned artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners, and preservatives from its core menu. Noodles offers healthy, fresh, made-to-order bowls for guests and pushes the boundaries of menu innovation. From delicious Zoodles and Cauliflower Noodles to its new fan favorite Tortelloni, Noodles prioritizes offering fresh, quality options for the whole family. The brand strives to make every bowl of noodles a catalyst for unifying its team members, guests, and communities.

Creating Community: Noodles places the utmost importance on its philanthropic efforts and provides direct donations of food and funds to those in need. The Company donated more than 4,000 meals to frontline workers during the beginning of COVID-19 and hosted more than 2,000 local fundraisers over the past two years, giving back more than $400,000 to local schools and organizations. Through an ongoing partnership with No Kid Hungry, Noodles has also supported the mission to end childhood hunger, helping raise more than $2.5 million for the organization since 2015.

Caring About the Planet: Noodles recognizes its responsibility to nourish the planet and contribute to making the future brighter. From responsible packaging focused on reuse and recyclability, to facility updates to reduce water and energy usage, Noodles is committed to making impactful changes across its operation. Noodles also acknowledges that there is important progress still to be made and continues to focus its efforts toward a more sustainable future.

Noodles is proud to serve its team members, guests, and communities one bowl at a time. Learn more about the ways Noodles & Company is committed to environmental and social governance by visiting Noodles.com/nourishandinspire.

About Noodles & CompanySince 1995, Noodles & Company has been serving noodles your way, with noodles and flavors that you know and love as well as new ones you're about to discover. From indulgent Wisconsin Mac & Cheese to better-for-you Zoodles and Other Noodles, the Company serves a world of flavor in every bowl. Made up of more than 450 restaurants and thousands of passionate team members, Noodles was recently named one of America's Best Employers for Diversity 2021 by Forbes and also has been named one of the Best Places to Work by the Denver Business Journal for its unique culture built on the value of "Loving Life," which begins by nourishing and inspiring every team member and guest who walks through the door. Noodles also has earned the Women in the Lead Certification for its investment in women-empowering initiatives for its female team members and has proudly partnered with the Multicultural Foodservice & Hospitality Alliance to build cultural intelligence within its teams. To learn more and find the location nearest you, visit www.noodles.com.

Media Contact: Danielle Moore, [email protected]

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