Noodles & Company CEO Dave Boennighausen leaves the brandNoodles & Company CEO Dave Boennighausen leaves the brand

Joanna Fantozzi

Noodles & Company announced Friday that CEO Dave Boennighausen has left the company, effective immediately. The Broomfield, Colo.-based company has appointed Noodles board member Drew Madsen to serve as interim CEO until Noodles & Company can find a permanent replacement to head the company.

Boennighausen served as CEO of Noodles & Company for more than six years, and there is no information on his next career move.

 "On behalf of the board, we thank Dave for his leadership and dedication to Noodles,” Jeff Jones, board chairman of Noodles & Company said in a statement. “He led the Noodles team and navigated the company through a period of rapid change and market disruption, including during the pandemic. His passion for the Noodles brand is undeniable, he has our full respect, and we wish him all the best in his future endeavors."

Interim CEO Drew Madsen has been a board member of the company since 2017 and has held multiple executive leadership positions across the restaurant and hospitality industries, including president and COO of Panera, president and COO of Norwegian Cruise Line and president and COO of Darden.

"We are very excited to have Drew step into the interim CEO role and remain on our board,” Jones said in a statement. “He is a seasoned executive with a deep understanding of our Company's operations and strategy, and has a successful track record as a leader in the restaurant industry. We have full confidence in his ability to guide the company effectively during this time as we focus on key strategic initiatives to drive top line growth and bottom-line results and significantly enhance stockholder value."

Related:Noodles & Company makes progress on pricing, menu strategies

Noodles & Company recently reported, for its third quarter earnings performance, that revenues declined by 1.2% year-over-year to $127.9 million, while same-store sales were down 3.7%. Traffic was also down by 6.7% for the third quarter. The company said that it is in the midst of a turnaround effort and has already seen improvements over other recent quarters.

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