Noodles & Company is inviting guests to explore the culinary traditions of Asia and experience the flavors of Korea, Thailand, Japan, and China by highlighting dishes from its Asian menu category, including the introduction of new Korean BBQ Meatballs with Gochujang Sauce and popular signature items such as Pad Thai with a new flavorful sauce and its popular Japanese Pan Noodles. Noodles & Company will be the first national chain to feature Gochujang—the next must-have flavor—on its menu.
As part of this exploration, Noodles & Company is inviting guests to celebrate a new tradition, “Noodles New Year,” which honors the cultures and culinary treasures from all over Asia. Beginning Wednesday, February 10, in-restaurant guests will receive one Noodles New Year Peel Card per person, while supplies last, for a chance to win various prizes including free Kids Meals and Korean BBQ Meatballs. One lucky winner from each restaurant will win Free Noodles for a Year. The company is also celebrating Noodles New Year across its social media channels. Fans can post pictures using #NoodlesNewYear on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for a chance to win a $500 Noodles & Company gift card.
“Being a World Kitchen offers our guests the opportunity to explore globally inspired recipes featuring unique flavors from around the world—no packing or passports required. Our diverse menu curates the very best, most popular dishes of Asia and allows Noodles & Company the chance to be the first to introduce new flavors like Gochujang, while reacquainting familiar flavors such as Japanese Pan Noodles and Pad Thai,” says CMO Mark Mears. “It also furthers our ‘Made. Different.’ brand positioning with each dish made fresh, by hand, one at time and customized to taste. Our new Korean BBQ Meatballs are made with meat never given antibiotics or hormones, a commitment we announced last fall as part of our ‘REAL Food’ platform.”
Noodles & Company is elevating its globally inspired menu with the introduction of its new Korean BBQ Meatballs, which are tossed with sweet and spicy Korean Gochujang sauce. Gochujang is a sweet, spicy Korean condiment made from red chili, glutinous rice, fermented soybeans, and salt, and is being hailed by food trend experts across the globe as potentially the next Sriracha. The new Pad Thai now features a bit more of a traditional recipe with a more balanced sauce and the addition of sprouts and cage-free eggs to the cooking process helps to bring out their great flavor.
The company has also partnered with Asian food expert, cookbook author, TV host, and food blogger, Chef Katie Chin to spark conversation around making Asian cooking accessible to the masses. Chef Katie will lend her voice to share how Asian cooking is rooted in family tradition and a great way to experience a broad variety of flavors and textures—all of which speak to Noodles & Company’s ‘Made. Different.’ brand positioning which highlights its ‘REAL Food. REAL Cooking. REAL Flavors.’
“I’m so thrilled to see a brand like Noodles & Company shining a light on their Asian menu category with the theme of Asian Exploration, and am excited to work in partnership with them to celebrate the importance of enjoying family, Asian cooking, and culture,” Chin says. “The new Korean BBQ Meatballs are a treat for taste buds and features Gochujang, the sauce many are calling the next Sriracha. Gochujang has been an essential part of Korean cuisine for centuries, and it’s exciting to see it being recognized by a national restaurant like Noodles & Company, who is able to bring the delicious flavor of Gochujang to neighborhoods across the country.”
Guests can expect to see the new Asian Exploration theme integrated into all external and internal communications between now and May. This includes promotional items, digital and social media efforts, and in-restaurant brand communications. Noodles & Company’s Asian Exploration digital video, featuring Chef Katie Chin, is available online.
