Noodles and Company — Restaurant in Fairfax

I have had three really bad experiences with the way the Pad Thai is prepared at the Main St. Fairfax location, as well as with the way the situation was handled. Let me start by saying that we just moved to Fairfax and I was really excited to see that there was a N&C near our home. We ordered dinner one night I got my usual, Pad Thai. The first bite literally almost blew me away, it was so spicy. I always get the Pad Thai bc it IS NOT a spicy dish. I have issues with my esophagus and spicy food is actually painful for me to eat. Though I didn't finish the dish, I wasn't too upset. I've worked in restaurants and I know dishes can sometimes vary from cook to cook. We ordered again a few days later and this time I called ahead to confirm that my Pad Thai would be made "mild." the employee informed me that the dish is never made spicy. I didn't argue with him but thought, "ok, it must have just been a one time thing." Again, the dish ended up being so spicy I couldn't finish it. I don't like to complain bc I know how rough it can be to work in a busy restaurant. I suppose it was stupid to order it again, for a third time, but I did. I called again, asked that my order be made mild, and was again told that the dish is NEVER spicy. I got my food and this time it was even spicier than before. I guess I kept hoping it would be made correctly. What makes me angry is that each time I asked an employee to please make the dish a bit milder (and I asked very politely), I was completely dismissed, as if I didn't know when my mouth and throat were on fire bc of the spiciness. I was literally told each time that the Pad Thai is NEVER spicy. It was implied by each N&C employee that I had no idea what I was talking about and my concerns were invalid and not worth addressing. I want to mention here that I had my husband and mom also taste my meal each time and they agreed- it was very hot. I have no idea why staff refused to even consider making the dish more mild. This may not seem like a big deal, but to me it is. I never had a problem like this with my old N&C. The Pad Thai was never this hot and if it had been, the employees there would have tried to right the situation. They would have also worked with me to ensure the food was prepared in a way that I could eat. Never once was I rude or demanding.... I just don't get it. Having a chronic eating disorder is hard enough. Having the type of experience I had at the Main Street location only makes it worse. I will make sure I let people know what to expect when ordering at the Main Street location. And, I'm not sure that I will ever return to another N&C. Both the dish, but more importantly, the customer service, was the worse I've ever dealt with. If I could rate less than one...

I saw a delivery guy entering this noodles and Company store to pick up an order, and the person who works for the restaurant gave him an empty bottle and asked him to fill up the drink for the order. And the delivery guy refused to fill up the drink And said it is Restaurant’s job to fill it up which is true… the delivery guy said I am not your employee, you have to fill it up and give it to me. And the Restaurant worker didn’t give the order to the delivery guy. The delivery guy was trying to make money with this order although he was right he walked out empty handed. I felt sad for him and i was angry to the restaurant… I am not going that restaurant for a long time. I wanted to share this memory because I feel we have to make things right and warn people around us who do not make things right.. again I am not going to that restaurant for a long time. I just don’t feel like...

Today I visited this Noodles for the second time with some family members. When we all arrived, it was not busy. So we walked up to the counter and were served super fast. My girlfriend ordered the spaghetti and I got the Bangkok curry. Unfortunately none of the Servers there indicated to me that I could add a meat to my curry,and I think that it would have added some flavor. Anyway, my girlfriend and I just went with it. I had read previously that someone else left a review complaining about the young staff and that they didn't seem to be too experienced. Our food arrived fast and everything was delicious. The food was cooked perfectly and we all enjoyed it. One thing that was cool was the coke machine is revolutionary and you can make almost any type of coke drink that you want. I'm sure we will be back to Noodles, it...