Noodles and Company — Restaurant in Colorado Springs

I’ve been going to noodles and company throughout the U.S. for over a decade and have never had a worse experience than the one I did last night at this particular location. It had everything to do with the employees/manager and nothing to do with Noodles and Co the corporation, which is why I stress to simply go to a different location in the springs if you want good service.

It started with me submitting an online order for my usual dish, pad Thai with grilled chicken. I submitted and paid for the order online about 20 min before I planned on arriving. 5 or so mins after I submitted the order, I got a call from one of the employees at this location, and she told me they were out of rice noodles for my pad thai and wanted to know if I would like to substitute them. This was weird cause I’ve never been to a noodles and co. that didn’t have rice noodles ready to go. I asked what gluten free options they had, since I am gluten free. The employee had to ask one of her coworkers for the answer (basic training?) and proceeded to tell me they only had one gluten free noodle selection and that the rest had gluten. I’m not a food specialist(and neither were any of the employees/manager at this place, believe me) , but rice noodles do not traditionally contain wheat(gluten) in them. I expressed this to the employee who said “idk wanna speak to a manager?” I said yes and was put on hold.

Then the manager answered and wasn’t even aware of why I was connected to her. I had to explain the situation that I was told they were out of rice noodles. She made an excuse that the morning prep was not completed and that was why they were short. But then, she magically found a whole bucket full of them ready to be served!!! Right after she lied to me about the incorrect info I got on them being out.... not a great look from management. But don’t worry it gets way worse. So after a couple laughs and me confirming with the manager that rice noodles are indeed gluten-free, I was good to go with my original order.

So another 10 min and I arrive to the restaurant. I go inside and check to see if my to-go bag is ready. Unsurprisingly at this point, it was not. So I wait about ten mins and still nothing. I go up to the front desk (since no one inquired about my order or asked if they could help me) and let them know the name on my order. Then the employees realized who I was and asked what I wanted to substitute the rice noodles with!! Apparently the lack of communication skills is internal and external at this place. So I told them I spoke with their manager who said they had the rice noodles. They got the manager and she confirmed that they had the noodles. She didn’t apologize or say anything to give me confidence about this consumer experience. But I patiently waited some more. After about 30 min after my arrival, the order was finally ready.

I went to my car and everything seemed well enough with my order... until I tasted it. The noodles were way over cooked and tasted like rubber, and the chicken was way undercooked to the point it tasted raw. I’ve never had two things go this wrong in a noodles order ever! That in itself was extremely upsetting, because at this point I was an hour in to this purchase for a dish that was very poorly prepared with very little customer service presented.

I went back in the restaurant a second time to complain to the manager and let her know how the dish came out. Again, she responded with NO apologies or remorse. She just said she would use the computer in the back to take care of it and left me at the front desk. She didn’t say what she was doing, she just left and said brb. Well about TEN minutes later I get a piece of paper handed to me with a refund receipt for my online order. The manager explained the refund and what to do if I didn’t see the charge posted back to my account and that was the last thing she said. AGAIN, no apologies, no remorse, no gift card, nothing. It was as though it was my fault her team couldn’t it together.

Needless to say, I will not be supporting this...

Spent $40 on to go food. It was inedible. The buttered noodles were completely dry & stuck together in clumps with a dash of seasoning & sprinkle of parmesan on top. The macaroni in the macaroni and cheese was almost crunchy, it had barely been cooked. There was so sauce on the macaroni & cheese, just a little cheese sprinkled on top to give the illusion that it was cheesy. The tortellini was mushy & doughy. Even the rice crispy treat was sloppy & done with absolutely no pride or quality standards. The plastic wrap wasn't even covering a portion of the one I got. It looked like a 4 year old had "helped" in the kitchen with this batch. I haven't been to this location in a year or so, so I'm not sure if there is new management, or if the crew just hates their jobs & doesn't care about what they send out to people. In either case, this location is definitely NOT up to corporate standards. A waste of $40 that was already an overextended splurge. *Hey employees, I know your job is not glamorous & probably doesn't pay enough. Can you imagine what it would feel like if you gave a good chunk of the little that was left from your paycheck & were expecting a delicious hot meal & got what I got? If you don't feel like taking pride in the food you send out, maybe take time for some self reflection. What is preventing you from making the best of where you are & taking pride in what you're doing right now? If you are not happy working there, figure out what you are passionate about & pursue that. Take pride in your work. You are not just a faceless number, what you do matters. Providing a quality meal to someone can be one of life's greatest...

I loved the food here, however the service was not good at all. Ordered the food on line to pick them up at the curbside, I got there on-time. I let them know that I arrived by sending confirmation via email. But no one showed up with my food, 15 minutes later I call them twice, no one picked up the phone. 30 mins later I got inside the restaurant, no one tried help me out. I was standing in front of everybody for 10 minutes. Finally someone talked to me, and I asked him if they ever provide the curbside pick up service. He said yes. so I explained to him about my situation. He told me to bring the manager. Because he said everything quietly in the LOUD environment, I couldn't hear him well, anyway, finally the manager came out and said he would get the fresh one ready. but at this point, I was already ready to go home. And the manager said "ok." to me, then he walked away from me without apologizing or any explanation of why no one took my food out and wasted my time sitting in my car for 30 mins. It should NOT be taking for 45 minutes for me to PICK UP the food IN PERSON INSIDE THE RESTAURANT when I ordered it and chose to the curbside pick up. If I ever wanted to wait that long, I would not choose the "CURBSIDE PICKUP". No one apologized to me, no explanation, and no discount or nothing! I was very disappointed. I thought this restaurant was descent one with a great people. But today's experience totally gave me a new perspective toward...