Restaurant Impairments, Closure Costs and Asset Disposals - Narrative (Details) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2020 restaurant	Apr. 02, 2019 USD ($)
Property, Plant and Equipment Impairment or Disposal [Abstract]
Number of restaurants impaired \| restaurant	0
Offset adjustment to closure costs related to lease terminations \| $		$ (0.3)

Costs Related To Closure Of Restaurants, Adjustment For Lease Termination

No definition available.

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Namespace Prefix:	ndls_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration