Shout out for Noodles & Co. on Broadway & 6th Avenue

I took Friday off from work, as the Artist and I had to clean, paint and do some repairs on one of our rental properties before a new tenant moves in next week.  After a trip to Home Depot that took far longer then I expected, I ran to Noodles & Co. for some grub for us.  As I’ve mentioned before, this is a chain that I trust for safe dining. They’ve got good food, and I just love their brand.  Anyhow, after circling the parking lot for about five minutes (anyone that’s been to this location knows the parking lot is a cluster), I finally found a space to park.

I ordered my usual of Penne Rosa with rice noodles, seared beeft tips and Casesar salad, and pad thai for the Artist.  I specifically told cashier boy twice that the Penne Rosa was for a “wheat allergy”,  That’s what their corporate office told me to tell the employees so they cook things in a clean pan for us allergen folks.  So, after waiting the normal time for our food, my order comes out and I specifically ask the guy if this was marked for allergy, as my receipt didn’t state so.  He checked and said no, and he’d remake it for me.  He was really good about the problem (this was a different guy then cashier boy).

I seeked out the manager (Rob) and told him of my issue.   There are few places I can trust to eat gluten-free, and having Noodles & Co. be one of them is great.  Rob said that cashier boy is brand new and he’d make sure the staff knew of what to do, and he’d comp me next time I came in. 

So the food comes, I head back to our place so we can eat quickly and get back to work.  And after all the trouble, my order was wrong.  No beef in mine, and the salad had their Parmesean Chicken on it (which isn’t gluten free).  I called the store, spoke to Rob and let him know that he’s got some trouble going on besides cashier boy.

Today, after a quick trip to Ace Hardware, I took Rob up on his offer to comp us.  When I walked in the store, he remembered me (and my name), and took great care of me.  He offered me chicken on the Caesar Salad which I said I didn’t think was safe.  So he pulled out this huge mother of all laminted allergen charts so we could check and see (it’s not safe, by the way).  But I was impressed that they had this chart right there at the counter for all employees to use AND it clearly lists wheat/gluten, not just wheat.  It drives me crazy when people think this is just a “wheat” thing.

Rob was so helpful, and his staff was great in  how they handled the mistake today.  If you get a chance to visit Noodles & Co., definitely hit this location and give them some business.  Yeah, parking bites but it’s worth it. And by the way, I tried the Shrimp on the Casaer Salad today – oh yeah, that’s the way to go!

Thanks, Rob.  You and your staff get an A+ for making it right.