Noodles & Company franchise research

Investment by format

Format-specific estimates only. Do not combine one format's minimum with another format's maximum.

Investment sourceFDD p.24 ↗

Franchise fees and ongoing costs

Franchise fee

$35,000 · Extracted Item 5 scalar range, not a universal minimum or maximum; formats, eligibility, discounts and waivers require original-filing review.

Royalty

5% · 5% of Net Royalty Sales, payable weekly (1st Monday following each Reporting Period) via automatic electronic withdrawal

Marketing contribution

1.25% (basis not captured; see original filing)

Technology fee

$1,000 per month per restaurant (Restaurant Technology Support / IT Services)

Other fees

Marketing Administration Fee (MAF) currently 1.25% of Net Royalty Sales; Advertising Brand Development Fund (ABDF) currently 0.0% but can be activated (combined ABDF/FMF/MAF capped at 5.5% of Net Royalty Sales); interest on late payments 1.5%/month

Working capital (FDD Item 7)

$0 to $56,000; based on 2024 fiscal year actuals, restaurants on average did not require additional funds during the first three months and instead generated positive cash flow.

Fees sourceFDD p.19 ↗

Working capital is drawn from Item 7. The Investment source below locates the investment section, not an independently verified working-capital scalar.

Investment sourceFDD p.24 ↗

Franchise fee sourceFDD · page not captured ↗

Financial performance: Item 19

Item 19 captured

Yes

Metric / basis

Average/median Net Sales (Company and franchise restaurants); average/median restaurant contribution to gross profit and Restaurant EBITDA (Company-owned restaurants only)

Reporting period

52-week period ended December 31, 2024 (FY2024)

Sample

470 restaurants open the full 52-week period (380 Company-owned + 90 Franchise-owned) for the Net Sales statement; 380 Company-owned restaurants for the gross profit/EBITDA statement

Reported average

$1,285,365

Reported median

$1,240,892

Owner income is not captured. Gross sales and EBITDA are not owner pay. Results depend on the disclosed metric, sample and period; consult the full filing.

Item 19 performance sourceFDD p.85 ↗

Unit growth: Item 20

Reporting year

2024

Scope

franchised outlets

Starting outlets

90

Year-end outlets

92

Net change

+2

Derivation

ending minus starting outlets

Openings

3

Terminations

0

Non-renewals

0

Other closures

7

Reacquisitions

6

Transfers

0

Transfers are not closures. Net change is ending minus starting outlets for the stated scope and year, or complete openings less terminations, non-renewals, other closures and reacquisitions. Missing inputs stay unknown.

Unit growth sourceFDD p.90 ↗

SBA loan history

Loan activity

2 approvals

Activity window

FY2021-FY2026 YTD; snapshot 2026-06-30

Median SBA loan

$960,000

Median loan window

FY2023-FY2026 YTD through 2026-06-30

Median loan sample

1 loans

Historical charge-off share

Suppressed: fewer than 10 seasoned loans

Cohort

7(a) FY2010-2019 approvals

Numerator / denominator

0 / 4

Formula

CHGOFF / (PIF + CHGOFF + EXEMPT) × 100

This is a historical loan-level share, not a franchise failure probability or location survival rate. Loan size is not total investment. Other loan statuses are excluded from the seasoned denominator. Activity combines 7(a) and 504 approvals, excluding canceled and not-funded records; this is not a rolling five-year count. FY2024-25 franchise tags are sparse after directory suspension; fewer tagged loans do not establish brand decline. Recent charge-off cohorts are immature.

SBA loans sourceSBA data · Jun 30, 2026 ↗

Median loan amounts are financing context, not startup cost. The median window is separate from the seasoned charge-off cohort.

Median SBA loan sourceSBA data · Jun 30, 2026 ↗

Questions before you invest

How much does Noodles & Company franchise cost?

standard (franchise-owned restaurant): $669,000 to $1,412,000 These are format-specific estimates, not a guaranteed cash requirement. Franchise fee: $35,000 · Extracted Item 5 scalar range, not a universal minimum or maximum; formats, eligibility, discounts and waivers require original-filing review..

Investment sourceFDD p.24 ↗

Franchise fee sourceFDD · page not captured ↗

How much do Noodles & Company owners make?

Owner income is not captured. Gross sales and EBITDA are not owner pay. Item 19 metric: Average/median Net Sales (Company and franchise restaurants); average/median restaurant contribution to gross profit and Restaurant EBITDA (Company-owned restaurants only). Sample: 470 restaurants open the full 52-week period (380 Company-owned + 90 Franchise-owned) for the Net Sales statement; 380 Company-owned restaurants for the gross profit/EBITDA statement. Period: 52-week period ended December 31, 2024 (FY2024).

Item 19 performance sourceFDD p.85 ↗

What's the SBA charge-off rate for Noodles & Company?

Suppressed: fewer than 10 seasoned loans; numerator / denominator: 0 / 4. Historical 7(a) FY2010-2019 approvals; CHGOFF / (PIF + CHGOFF + EXEMPT) × 100, snapshot 2026-06-30. This is not a franchise failure probability. Median SBA loan: $960,000; window: FY2023-FY2026 YTD through 2026-06-30; sample: 1 loans. Median financing is not total investment.

SBA loans sourceSBA data · Jun 30, 2026 ↗

Median SBA loan sourceSBA data · Jun 30, 2026 ↗