Noodles & Company shifts marketing message

Noodles & Company has hired a new advertising agency to better communicate its updated brand positioning, the fast-casual chain said this week.

Broomfield, Colo.-based Noodles has selected TDA_Boulder to develop and execute a marketing campaign around the message “Your World Kitchen,” which aims to highlight the chain’s broad menu of cooked-to-order noodle dishes from around the globe.

Boulder, Colo.-based TDA_Boulder replaces Carmichael Lynch, Noodles’ previous agency.

The move comes at a time when Noodles is reportedly considering a public offering. A report earlier this month in the Financial Times said Noodles had been seeking advisors in December for a potential initial public offering. The report cited the news service Mergermarket, which attributed unnamed sources.

The article said the company is expected to file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission either in April or after July 4, when the company could report expected earnings for the following year.

Noodles & Company executive vice president of marketing Dan Fogarty said he could not comment on the report.

Noodles is owned by private-equity firm Catterton Partners, which bought the chain in 2010. Catterton Partners also holds a significant investment in several other restaurant brands, including the public company Bloomin’ Brands Inc.; Los Angeles-based artisan sandwich chain Mendocino Farms; and Irving, Texas-based Cheddar’s Casual Café.

Cheddar’s reportedly made a “confidential” filing toward an initial public offering last year. Federal legislation signed into law last year allows companies of a certain size to file confidential statements with the SEC prior to an IPO.

Meanwhile, Noodles is testing various marketing campaigns in three markets — Denver, Austin and Kansas City — with the “Your World Kitchen” message, including digital media, print, radio and outdoor billboards, Fogarty said.