Noodles & Company

Noodles & Company reported its strongest second-quarter same-store sales growth since going public in 2013, with systemwide comps rising 10.3 percent. Company-owned restaurants jumped 11.4 percent, driven by a 7.6 percent traffic increase, while average check grew 3.8 percent. Restaurant-level margin expanded 440 basis points to 17.2 percent, its highest in five years, and adjusted EBITDA surged 79 percent to $10.8 million. CEO Joe Christina declared the brand is back, citing consistent execution across an 18-month positive sales trend. The company raised its full-year outlook, now expecting revenue of $485 million to $500 million and same-store sales growth of 8 to 11 percent.