Why One Popular Chain is Bullish on Franchising in 2022

On this episode of The Main Course, Host Barbara Castiglia talked
with John Ramsay, the Vice President of Franchise Sales for
Noodles & Company, an American fast-casual restaurant that
offers international and American noodle dishes and pasta in
addition to soups and salads. Ramsay and Castiglia talked about
his career, Noodles & Company’s plans for growth, and the
restaurant industry in 2021.


“In order to be franchisable, you have to have a proven concept."
- John Ramsay


Ramsay joined Noodles & Company in November 2020. Before
joining Noodles, he led franchise and restaurant growth efforts
for Bruxie International and Marco’s Pizza Franchising. John’s
successful career includes the growth of over 900 restaurants
across all 50 states and 12 different countries. After graduating
with an architecture degree from Virginia Tech University, he
held positions in design, construction, and real estate at T.G.I.
Friday’s and Jack in the Box. What attracted him to Noodles &
Company is the unique menu offerings and quality of the food.


“One of the unique things about our menu is that everything is
customizable,” Ramsay said. He noted that pasta and noodle dishes
travel well, so the dishes are just as fresh after a drive home
as they are in the restaurant.


The noodles will travel in a proverbial sense as the chain plans
continued expansion in 2021, particularly in franchise
opportunities. Currently, of their 454 locations, 76 are
franchised owned. They planned to open two more in early 2021. It
takes a lot of different aspects for a brand and its franchisees
to be successful.


“In order to be franchisable, you have to have a proven concept,”
Ramsay said. “Noodles is 25 years old. We’ve tried a lot of
things. We’ve been successful in most of them, but we’ve had our
failures, as well. With a base of over 450 restaurants, we have a
very solid and experienced management and leadership team.”