Noodles and Company — Restaurant in Madison

This is DISGUSTING. I ordered food on 11/30/2021 at 3:59 pm. Picked up my food at 4:15 and brought it home to eat. About 2/3 of the way through my meal, I noticed something hard and sharp in my mouth. Hmm, that's not quite right. I pulled it out and began inspecting what looked at first like a sharp clamshell or something. How the hell did that get in there? NOPE. Turns out it was a fully COOKED STINK BUG. Obviously I spit everything out, so sorry for the lovely half-digested food photo. But you can clearly see the STINK BUG. I understand that mistakes happen and insects can make it into weird places, but HOW DO YOU NOT LOOK AT WHAT YOU SERVE YOUR CUSTOMERS before sending it away. I can't even think about Noodles without gagging. It goes without saying that I won't be eating at this location ever again.

If you're still reading, here's some lovely info on stink bugs courtesy of PennState Extension:

"Brown marmorated stink bugs (BMSB) can produce allergic reactions (rhinitis and/or conjunctivitis) in individuals who are sensitive to the bugs' odor (the defensive chemicals can be an aeroallergen). Individuals sensitive to the odors of cockroaches and lady beetles may be particularly affected by BMSB. Additionally, if the insects are crushed or smashed against exposed skin, they can produce dermatitis at the point of contact

If numerous bugs are entering the living areas of the home, attempt to locate the openings where the insects gain access. Typically, stink bugs will emerge from cracks under or behind baseboards, around window and door trim, and around exhaust fans or lights in ceilings. Seal these openings with caulk or other suitable materials to prevent the insects from crawling out. Both live and dead stink bugs can be removed from interior areas with the aid of a vacuum cleaner - however, the vacuum may acquire the smell of stink bugs for a...

Noodles and Company is exactly what it sounds, but what exactly that is is up for debate. It's a fast-casual establishment that specializes in noodles, but as the name implies, it sells soups and salads to go along with it, or you can order soups and salads as a dish themselves. Let's start with the pasta: dishes range from Mac n' Cheese to the Asiatic Pad Thai, they come in pretty good portions and can come with extra noodles for only a buck, zoodles are a healthy alternative, but only as long as you're willing to give up a lot of the benifits of pasta (keep in mind that the zoodles do not absorb sauce the way normal pasta does) Soups are small in variety but make it up for in taste and quality: the chicken noodle soup is a classic chicken broth with veggies, egg noodles, and pulled chicken; Thai chicken soup is sweet and savory and the Tomato basil bisque is great a creamy tomato soup Salads are just that: Classic Chicken Ceaser Salad is great as a side, but good as a main dish; Chicken Veracruz has many flavors coming together to form an amazing salad; The Med salad is pretty good, too All in all, my experience at noodles has been satisfactory I give this...

I've been going to Noodles and Company for 20 years + now and I used to enjoy it so much. Now I'm not sure the next time I will want to return. The prices have increased so much, while the food quality has greatly gone down. I ordered the tofu pad Thai and they definitely tried to fill the bowl with mostly cilantro and overcooked scrambled eggs. They don't even tear the cilantro off the leaves just toss in like 5 stems and then you have to pull it off yourself. Kind of odd. The tofu was also very overcooked. They also don't give you regular dishes anymore just plastic bowls which I understand could be due to lack of staffing but this is to the fault of the corporate business model not paying and setting up staff properly. Instead they are creating a greater waste by filling the trash with plastic. The service was quick and the staff member that took our order was nice . The atmosphere was odd, like I said plastic serving wares and the store didn't seem to be keeping up with normal cleaning. I was very disappointed I used to love going to...