- As Former Chief Concept Officer at Panera Bread, Davis led culinary development, category management, restaurant design, and sustainability efforts.
- At Panera, Davis launched key innovations that drove significant lunch and dinner traffic growth.
BROOMFIELD, Colo., June 12, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Noodles & Company (NASDAQ: NDLS) today announced the appointment of Scott Davis as Chief Concept Officer, effective June 19, 2024.
“Scott brings an unmatched track record of concept development and innovation success in the fast-casual segment, and I am delighted he is joining our leadership team to help us capture the full potential of our unique brand,” said Drew Madsen, Chief Executive Officer of Noodles & Company. “We believe Scott’s experience evolving established restaurant chains at scale, plus his most recent experience helping create and grow a new fast-casual start-up concept, are exactly the skills we need to help strengthen brand relevance through the core menu and LTO innovation and drive sustained, profitable growth at Noodles.”
Most recently, Scott served as President and Chief Concept Officer at CoreLife Eatery, a fast-casual bowl-based concept with 46 units. CoreLife is loved for its innovative custom bowls built with scratch-made dressings, sauces, clean ingredients, and bold flavors. CoreLife has been recognized as a “Mover and Shaker” by “Fast Casual Magazine” and has been awarded “Best New Restaurant” in multiple markets. Prior to this, he was Chief Concept Officer at Panera Bread, steering the brand’s transformation from its beginnings as St. Louis Bread Company in 2001 to becoming a national brand with over 1,800 units by 2014.
During his tenure at Panera, Mr. Davis was a core member of the team that solidified Panera’s position as a leader in the fast-casual segment. He had overall responsibility for culinary development, category management, restaurant design, and sustainability efforts.
Mr. Davis was actively involved in many of the innovations that defined the Panera brand and significantly boosted traffic during lunch and dinner occasions, including Panera’s first bagel program, panini sandwiches, entrée salads, the “secret menu,” and free Wi-Fi. He also drafted the initial version of Panera’s Food Policy document. Scott is a two-time recipient of the “Menu Masters” award for product development and was recognized as “Innovator of the Year” by Menu Masters.
Mr. Davis began his career in Operations at Carrol’s Corporation before joining Au Bon Pain as a General Manager.
Scott Davis said, “Bringing a restaurant concept to life is my passion, and I am very excited to join Noodles & Company and help accelerate the next phase of growth. I look forward to leveraging my experience to help drive the company’s success.”
About Noodles & Company
Since 1995, Noodles & Company has been serving guests Uncommon Goodness and noodles your way, with noodles and flavors you know and love and new ones you’re about to discover. From indulgent Wisconsin Mac & Cheese to better-for-you Zoodles, Noodles serves a world of flavor in every bowl. Made up of more than 450 restaurants and 8,000 passionate team members, Noodles is dedicated to nourishing and inspiring every guest who walks through the door. To learn more or find the location nearest you, visit www.noodles.com.
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