Noodles & Company welcomed two new franchise partners to its network—a result of its strategic plans to expand in the southern United States. Among this class of franchisees is business owner, Paven Sandhu, and her husband and business partner, Navi Sandhu, who signed an agreement to open four new restaurants in Northwest Arkansas. Meanwhile, in Texas, seasoned restauranteur Syed Ahmad signed an agreement to bring 20 Noodles & Company restaurants to the Dallas market.
“We are thrilled to partner with the Sandhus and Syed Ahmad to establish a significant and strategic Noodles presence in Northwest Arkansas and Dallas,” said John Ramsay, vice president of franchise development at Noodles & Company. “This is a huge step for our franchise efforts at Noodles & Company and we’re confident our new partners and their management teams will successfully lead and grow the brand in these markets.”
Dave Boennighausen, chief executive officer at Noodles & Company, added, “Noodles & Company has a strong presence in 30 states from coast to coast, but for some time we have targeted new unit development in the thriving Dallas market as well as rapidly growing Northwest Arkansas. We look forward to Noodles & Company entering these markets, along with welcoming Paven, Navi and Syed to the Noodles family. They are seasoned operators who share our team’s values and have a great track record of bringing restaurant brands to new regions.”
In Northwest Arkansas, the Sandhus are planning to open restaurants across the Rogers, Fayetteville, and Bentonville markets. These new locations will be the first Noodles & Company restaurants to operate in the state of Arkansas. The Sandhus are longtime residents of Rogers, Arkansas, and are no strangers to bringing Midwestern favorites and beloved franchise concepts to their home state. In 2022, the couple opened the first Culver’s location in Arkansas, and they are now excited to share the Uncommon Goodness of Noodles & Company with residents in Northwest Arkansas.
Syed Ahmad plans to open 20 Noodles restaurants across four Texas counties including Collin, Denton, Rockwell, and Dallas County. Ahmad has had a long, successful entrepreneurial track record, with more than four decades of experience working in the restaurant industry. Ahmad was one of the original Jack in the Box franchisees and over the span of his career, has owned and operated 90 Burger Kings, 64 Denny’s, and 11 Popeyes restaurants throughout the country. Ahmad is now focused on building his brands in Oregon and Texas and currently operates several successful Popeyes locations in these regions. Ahmad has lived in Dallas for 30 years and brings his knowledge as a respected member of the community to his new Noodles restaurants.
Building on the momentum of its latest franchise agreements, the fast-casual Noodles brand continues to expand throughout the United States. Noodles & Company is focused on expanding its franchise footprint in south and southeast markets, with a focus on increasing its presence in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Texas, and Oklahoma.
