Business Summary and Basis of Presentation	9 Months Ended
Business Summary and Basis of Presentation	Sep. 28, 2021
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Business Summary and Basis of Presentation	Business Summary and Basis of Presentation Business Noodles & Company (the “Company”), a Delaware corporation, develops and operates fast casual restaurants that serve globally inspired noodle and pasta dishes, soups, salads and appetizers. As of September 28, 2021, the Company had 450 restaurants system-wide in 29 states, comprised of 374 company-owned restaurants and 76 franchise restaurants. The Company operates its business as one operating and reportable segment. Basis of Presentation The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Noodles & Company and its subsidiaries. All intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. The accompanying interim unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared by the Company pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). Accordingly, they do not include all the information and footnotes required by accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) for complete financial statements. In the opinion of the Company, all adjustments considered necessary for the fair presentation of the Company’s results of operations, financial position and cash flows for the periods presented have been included and are of a normal, recurring nature. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. The results of operations for any interim period are not necessarily indicative of results for the full year. Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in the Company’s annual consolidated financial statements on Form 10-K have been condensed or omitted. The condensed consolidated balance sheet as of December 29, 2020 was derived from audited financial statements. These financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited financial statements and the related notes included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 29, 2020. Fiscal Year The Company operates on a 52- or 53-week fiscal year ending on the Tuesday closest to December 31. The Company’s fiscal quarters each contain 13 operating weeks, with the exception of the fourth quarter of a 53-week fiscal year, which contains 14 operating weeks. Fiscal year 2021, which ends on December 28, 2021, and fiscal year 2020, which ended on December 29, 2020, both contain 52 weeks. The Company’s fiscal quarter that ended September 28, 2021 is referred to as the third quarter of 2021, and the fiscal quarter ended September 29, 2020 is referred to as the third quarter of 2020. Risks and Uncertainties We are subject to risks and uncertainties as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in significant disruption to the restaurant industry and adversely affected our business. The greatest impact to our sales and overall financial results was during the initial stages of the pandemic, beginning the third week of March 2020 through the second quarter of 2020. During this period, we temporarily closed nearly all of our dining rooms, driven by local government imposed restrictions in areas where we operate our restaurants and migrated to an almost completely off-premise model. Since the initial disruption, we have seen sequential improvement in our financial performance due in part to our investments in our off-premise and digital channels. In 2021, we saw further improvement as vaccine availability was more widespread and social distancing restrictions were softened. The extent of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our operations and financial results depends on future developments and is highly uncertain due to the unknown duration and severity of the outbreak, including the potential impact of the COVID-19 delta variant. The situation is changing rapidly and future impacts may materialize that are not yet known. As of the date of this filing, substantially all of our restaurants continue to operate, with dining rooms open at varying capacities. We intend to continue to actively monitor the evolving situation and may take further actions that alter our business operations as may be required by federal, state or local authorities or that we determine are in the best interests of our team members, customers, suppliers and shareholders. Recent Accounting Pronouncements In March 2020, the FASB issued ASU No. 2020-04, Facilitation of the Effects of Reference Rate Reform on Financial Reporting (“ASU 2020-04”). ASU 2020-04 is intended to provide temporary optional expedients and exceptions to the U.S. GAAP guidance on contract modifications and hedge accounting to ease the financial reporting burdens related to the expected market transition from the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) and other interbank offered rates to alternative reference rates. The Company may elect to apply the amendments prospectively through December 31, 2022. The Company is currently evaluating the impact this guidance may have on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures. Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU No. 2019-12, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes (“ASU 2019-12”). ASU 2019-12 was issued as a means to reduce the complexity of accounting for income taxes for those entities that fall within the scope of the accounting standard. This guidance is effective for public companies for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2020 and interim periods within those reporting periods. Interim period adoption is permitted. The guidance is to be applied using a prospective method, excluding amendments related to franchise taxes, which should be applied on either a retrospective basis for all periods presented or a modified retrospective basis through a cumulative-effect adjustment to retained earnings as of the beginning of the fiscal year of adoption. The Company adopted this standard on December 30, 2020. The adoption of this standard did not have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements or disclosures.