Popular Fast-Casual Restaurant Chain With Dozens Of Illinois Locations Announces Closures

Restaurant chains seem to be running into trouble this year.

We told you back in March about Red Robin's plan to close a bunch of eateries as part of an effort to pay back some debt.

That Situation: Iconic Burger Chain With Illinois Spots Closing 70 Restaurants

Now, there's another chain that could close up to 21 restaurants this year, according to an announcement along with their Q1 earnings report.

That would be Noodles & Company, which has a Quad Cities location on Elmore in Davenport, along with about 50 locations in Illinois and 11 restaurants in Iowa.

Noodles & Company was founded in 1995 in Colorado.

The news of closures comes just a few months after the company rolled out their "reimagined" menu, which features some different macaroni and cheese options, Lemon Parmesan Broccoli, Cajun Shrimp Fettucine, and Green Goddess Cobb Salad. CEO Drew Madsen said that sales did go up 5% ever since they started the new menu.

Noodles & Company said that they plan to close 13-17 restaurants this year (which is up from the earlier estimate of 12-15), and also 4 franchised restaurants but the chain will still be opening 2 new ones.

Noodles & Company told NBC Chicago that the closures are part of their "ongoing strategy to optimize our restaurant portfolio and strengthen overall performance". Meanwhile, Noodles & Company hasn't announced which locations they will close, saying the decisions are "still in progress". 

So there's no word yet on if any of the Illinois or Iowa locations will be on the chopping block. They haven't announced a specific timeline of closures either.