Fazoli’s and Noodles & Co.

Tara K. SwanepoelCEP882

Spring 2012

I decided to compare Fazoli’s and Noodles & Company. I started with a visit to Fazoli’s. The first thing I noticed when I stepped into Fazoli’s (apart from the pleasant smell of Italian food) was the cashier’s counter. Although the majority of the restaurant had dim lighting, bright lights were shining on and highlighting the menu behind the cashier’s counter. The menu was also made more attractive by including pictures of different dishes. There were red, green, and white tiles on the counter and the wall behind the counter giving off a subtle Italian theme to the restaurant.

There was a partition between the ordering area and the eating area so customers were led from the door to the counter to the condiment counter before finding a place to sit. The floor in the ordering area was tiled with a dark-colored tile while the seating area had green carpet further distinguishing one from the other. In the seating area, the Italian theme was continued in the décor with green carpet and red seat backs. This theme was carried through from the Fazoli’s logo.

There was an additional partition that created the feel of two smaller spaces in the eating area. The ceiling was high and black. It seemed to vanish because of the lighting.

The tables were made to feel cozy with lights that dropped low and created a sense of a smaller space. The partitioning walls were decorated with old colored glass bottles and advertisements encouraging healthy eating in their restaurant.

Overall the restaurant took on the feel of something in between fast food (with the cashier’s counter and large poster type menu) and more elegant dining (with cozy tables, dim lighting, and soft music playing).

The next stop was Noodles & Company near the campus of Michigan State University. The first thing I noticed when I entered was actually not a physical feature of the restaurant, but the music playing. It wasn’t very subtle and definitely made the place feel more modern, like it was catering to young college students.

I then noticed the subtle colors of the walls. The walls were all pleasant combinations of pale green and yellow. The menu boards were well lit, but the writing seemed small. I felt as though I needed my glasses to read the menu. The cashier’s counter was “cluttered” though not in an unpleasant way. It was clear that you would not receive your food there as there would be no place to put it. That was, in fact, the case as they delivered the orders to the tables.

The ordering area was tiled with large square-shaped gray tiles. The eating area was carpeted with a brownish colored carpet. The seam between the tiled area and the carpeted area was a unique curved line.

The main part of the restaurant had a high brown ceiling with the air ducts visible. There were other eating nooks that had false ceilings built in to make the areas cozier.

Some areas were partitioned off with booths with wooden backs and frosted glass with circle designs adding to the modern feel of the restaurant. This also subtly repeated the straight edges and curved lines feature found in the flooring area of the ordering area. Some of these booth backs also doubled as a “wall” to block the ordering area from the view of passersby, perhaps with the intention of giving more privacy to the customers.

In addition, there were several pieces of artwork hung on the walls in a very uniform way. All were the same size and shape, matted in white, and framed in black adding to the modern feel.

Overall it felt like a great place to have a casual, cozy meal for two or a fun group dinner in a contemporary, upbeat “gourmet” eatery.