Noodles & Company signs lease for new Ann Arbor location
Fast-casual restaurant chain Noodles & Company is planning to open its third location in Ann Arbor.
The company signed a lease for the former Kentucky Fried Chicken building at 2245 W. Stadium Blvd., according to Southfield-based real estate company Ludwig & Seeley.
Noodles & Co. signed a lease to open at 2245 W. Stadium in Ann Arbor.
Lizzy Alfs | AnnArbor.com
Matthew Seeley and Max Goldman represented Noodles & Company and the building’s landlord in the transaction, according to a news release.
Owned by Arbor Farms Market co-owner Leo Fox, the former KFC building has been vacant since the restaurant closed in June 2012. The property was listed for lease last year for an annual $30 per square-foot. Fox could not be reached for comment.
In March, Todd Quatro of Ypsilanti-based T.S. Quatro Co. submitted building and reoccupation permits to the city of Ann Arbor to renovate the former KFC building for Noodles & Company. Plans call to construct a 12-by-30-foot patio in front of the building and remove two parking spaces at the rear of the .57-acre site, city documents show.
The restaurant is aiming for a July 2013 opening, according to Ludwig & Seeley.
The news comes several months after a deal to open a Noodles & Co. at 2161 W. Stadium Blvd. fell through. The former Sze Chuan West building was demolished, and Noodles intended to build a 3,294-square-foot restaurant on the site.
“We ran into two or three different problems, and finally decided not to go through with it,” property owner Chuck Gallup told AnnArbor.com in December.
Based in Colorado, Noodles & Co. has almost 300 restaurants in the U.S., according to its website. There is a location on South State Street near the University of Michigan campus, and one on Washtenaw Avenue in Arborland.
The restaurant serves pasta dishes, sandwiches, salads and soups. It has a "500 calories or less" section on its menu.
Lizzy Alfs is a business reporter for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at 734-623-2584 or email her at lizzyalfs@annarbor.com. Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/lizzyalfs.
Comments
Dirty Mouth
Wed, Apr 24, 2013 : 11:59 p.m.
Please allow me to be the first to extend a hearty welcome to Noodles and Co.
JuliaAnnArb
Wed, Apr 24, 2013 : 11:20 p.m.
My kids will be happy. They LOVE the mac&cheese and broccoli there. Decent choices for vegetarians, too.
Jay Thomas
Wed, Apr 24, 2013 : 10:24 p.m.
I never would have thought three locations. It's popular like McDonalds!
jen777
Wed, Apr 24, 2013 : 9:29 p.m.
Another blah fast food restaurant - i do not get why folks like this. Not everyone here is a student - I would love a nice sit down place with good food without being overpriced.
tyger
Wed, Apr 24, 2013 : 8:38 p.m.
Yuck indeed. It's nothing more than McDonald's, "Asian" style. Know what would be awesome on the west side? Drive-through coffee. Currently you can get Zingerman's coffee inside Plum Market, or Starbuck's inside (the abominable) Kroger, and that's it. Too bad Bearclaw didn't want the KFC space.
free form
Wed, Apr 24, 2013 : 9:26 p.m.
You can get Zingerman's coffee AT Zingerman's! Try the Roadshow drive thru! There are also many other coffee options, but none of them drive thru... a Bigby on Stadium and two independent coffee shops on Jackson among others... I don't even drink coffee and I know this.
ChrisW
Wed, Apr 24, 2013 : 7:31 p.m.
Hopefully they won't run out of noodles as often as KFC ran out of chicken.
stinkywinkie
Wed, Apr 24, 2013 : 7:09 p.m.
Yuck!!
fjord
Wed, Apr 24, 2013 : 4:06 p.m.
Have there been any new rumors about what might rise from the rubble in the former Sze Chuan West location?
GratefulReb
Wed, Apr 24, 2013 : 3:26 p.m.
I'm shocked that someone trying to do business in A2 ran into problems..."We ran into two or three different problems, and finally decided not to go through with it," I'm happy with the new biz coming to west side and hope it does well.
miman
Wed, Apr 24, 2013 : 2:40 p.m.
Would be nice if someone could open a nice rib joint in town that is not located downtown or the campus area. Will have to keep going out of town for a good slab I guess.
AfterDark
Wed, Apr 24, 2013 : 11:32 p.m.
Ribs are really subjective - depends how you like 'em.
sttc
Wed, Apr 24, 2013 : 7:13 p.m.
go check out cuppy's best in east ypsi, right off michigan ave. best soul food in the area!
stinkywinkie
Wed, Apr 24, 2013 : 7:10 p.m.
Red Rock in Ypsilanti.
free form
Wed, Apr 24, 2013 : 4:46 p.m.
They have good ribs on the Plum Market hot bar nearly every day. Just a suggestion. My co-workers love 'em!
Sam
Wed, Apr 24, 2013 : 3:18 p.m.
Or you could just go downtown or to the campus area.
Barb
Wed, Apr 24, 2013 : 1:51 p.m.
I'm just glad the building is going to be used. Hate seeing vacant stuff. Options are a good thing.
JRW
Wed, Apr 24, 2013 : 1:35 p.m.
Overpriced bland food. My first and last trip there resulted in an overcooked, bland pile of cheap noodles with a high price tag. Not for my family.
roadsidedinerlover
Wed, Apr 24, 2013 : 1:25 p.m.
I think it is funny that Mr. Fox is allowing this unhealthy food business to move here. He owns a health food supermarket! lol! A better fit would have been a west coast company called Veggie Grill. Alot of healthy food in their menu.
Jack Gladney
Wed, Apr 24, 2013 : 2:19 p.m.
I think it's funny that some people think a business enterprise exists for any reason other than making a profit. You find a niche in the marketplace, you fill the need, and if your lucky you turn a profit. Everything else that follows is gravy (which includes helping the community, etc.) Mr. Fox has a great business and serves a great need in the local marketplace. How does this preclude him from using his profits to invest in real estate that in turn addresses a different market segment? It is amazing how many people here comment on how private businesses, operating within the law (as opposed to those that circumvent it), should invest their money. Put some skin in the game, hand Leo some cash and see if he needs or wants a new partner.
Usual Suspect
Wed, Apr 24, 2013 : 2:10 p.m.
And Fazoli's, too. Pardon my rambling.
Usual Suspect
Wed, Apr 24, 2013 : 2:09 p.m.
And Arby's, if you're old enough to remember.
fjord
Wed, Apr 24, 2013 : 1:37 p.m.
He's owned the building since 1998, and there's been a KFC there for much of that time (and also a Long John Silver's, for a while). So in terms of healthy food, this is an upgrade.
jcj
Wed, Apr 24, 2013 : 1:31 p.m.
roadside Did you contact Veggie Grill to see if they were interested? Normally the owner does not get to choose from every entity out there and then decide who will move in.
Billy
Wed, Apr 24, 2013 : 12:37 p.m.
Ewww...bland food, small portions, over priced. Not even sure how this place stays in business....oh wait....
aamom
Wed, Apr 24, 2013 : 4:44 p.m.
You have your choice of 2 sizes for each entree. Perhaps you ordered the small?
free form
Wed, Apr 24, 2013 : 4:44 p.m.
To call an average bowl from Noodles a "small" portion is completely laughable. It's a completely appropriate amount of food. You seem to be suffering from the "super sizing" of America, Billy.
Billy
Wed, Apr 24, 2013 : 4:25 p.m.
Weee two portions of 95% carb food.....sounds AWESOME!! Also...all 9 of you must be tiny folks....it's not just a small portion to me who's 240, it's a small portion to my father who is all of 140lbs... Unless they increase their portion size since they opened....they have INCREDIBLY small portions of food...around 10-12ozs for an entire plate I think...which is a joke.
catbehindthecouch
Wed, Apr 24, 2013 : 1:19 p.m.
"Small portions" makes me laugh. An order from noodles is easily two meals for me.
Machine
Wed, Apr 24, 2013 : 11:46 a.m.
Another "fast-casual" chain restaurant. Oh joy...
jcj
Wed, Apr 24, 2013 : 12:32 p.m.
Don't like the idea? Invest some of the capital YOU have earned from being a genius. Almost anything is better than an empty building!
Thoughtful
Wed, Apr 24, 2013 : 11:17 a.m.
Awesome! Love me some Japanese pan fried noodles! Yum!
Billy
Wed, Apr 24, 2013 : 12:39 p.m.
I do too...which is why I'd never get them at Noodles and Co...
A2comments
Wed, Apr 24, 2013 : 10:55 a.m.
So things changed over a month ago, but only came to light when a real estate company issued a press release? Doesn't annarbor.com monitor permit applications?
Nicholas Urfe
Wed, Apr 24, 2013 : 5:06 p.m.
@a2comments: if you go down to the a2 news, you'll see 50 to 60 desks arranged in rows, with a reporter at each one, wearing pork pie hats, hard at work, finding news scoops. And at 5pm, the shift changes and the night staff comes in. The seats don't even have a chance to cool! With those vast news gathering resources and budget, you'd think they'd be more on top of these details.
operabethie
Wed, Apr 24, 2013 : noon
Go Lizzy!
Lizzy Alfs
Wed, Apr 24, 2013 : 11:05 a.m.
Of course I do, which is often how I learn about so many of the real estate transactions that I write about on a daily basis. But I also can't write about every permit application the day it happens..I'd need five of me.
SusanRk
Wed, Apr 24, 2013 : 10:47 a.m.
I like noodles and co but I will still keep Holidays at the top of my list. Best food and value on West side.
fjord
Wed, Apr 24, 2013 : 3:58 p.m.
Most of the places I mentioned are decidedly downscale, so I don't see where "snob" comes into it. Holiday's is good at what they do, but what they do isn't particularly interesting. Their menu isn't drastically different from Big Boy or Denny's, though the quality is higher. It's just not the kind of food I eat. That doesn't make me a snob, it just means I like something else. If I were a restaurant snob, I'd be talking about places downtown that I can't afford and have never been to.
dancinginmysoul
Wed, Apr 24, 2013 : 3:49 p.m.
@Usual. Nah, it's just like the interwebs. We're all experts.
Usual Suspect
Wed, Apr 24, 2013 : 2:08 p.m.
Is there some organized process by which an AnnArborite becomes certified a restaurant snob, or is it more of a self-proclaimed thing?
Barb
Wed, Apr 24, 2013 : 1:49 p.m.
fjord eats where I eat. :) Chela's especially.
fjord
Wed, Apr 24, 2013 : 1:45 p.m.
Holiday's isn't even in the top ten in terms of food and value on the west side. Chela's, Taco King, Pilar's, Old Siam, Bell's, Knight's, Juicy Kitchen, Ahmo's, Little Porky's, Star's Café ... I'd go to any of those, repeatedly, before I went back to Holiday's.
Billy
Wed, Apr 24, 2013 : 12:38 p.m.
I get absolutely amazing service from Holidays....not sure why you'd get bad service...
Lake Trout
Wed, Apr 24, 2013 : 12:32 p.m.
Ewww, that place was dirty every time I've ever been there and the wait staff incompetent. Just stopped going after multiple tries and repeatedly poor quality business. Many other much better places to eat.
Usual Suspect
Wed, Apr 24, 2013 : 12:24 p.m.
Aye, and great service.