What agreement governs the continued operation of the Noodles & Company restaurant after signing the Rider?
Noodles_Company Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
Simultaneously with signing this Rider, Franchisor and Franchisee are signing a Franchise Agreement (the "Renewal Franchise Agreement") to govern Franchisee's continued operation of its franchised Noodles & Company® Restaurant located at (the "Restaurant"). (All initial-capitalized terms used but not defined in this Rider will have the meanings given to those terms in the Renewal Franchise Agreement). Franchisor and Franchisee acknowledge that the Renewal Franchise Agreement is the successor to the Franchise Agreement between Franchisor and Franchisee dated as of (the "Expiring Franchise Agreement"), under which Franchisee operated the Restaurant at the Premises during the Expiring Franchise Agreement's term and until the Effective Date. Franchisor and Franchisee are signing this Rider because the Expiring Franchise Agreement is scheduled to expire, and Franchisor and Franchisee have agreed to renew the Restaurant's franchise by signing the Renewal Franchise Agreement. This Rider modifies certain provisions of the Renewal Franchise Agreement that (a) do not apply to Franchisee's operation of the Restaurant during the renewal franchise term or (b) otherwise must account for the fact that the Restaurant already is open and operating as of the Effective Date.
Source: Item 22 — CONTRACTS (FDD pages 98–99)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to the 2025 Noodles & Company Franchise Disclosure Document, the continued operation of a franchised Noodles & Company restaurant, after signing the Rider to Franchise Agreement for Renewal Franchise (the "Rider"), is governed by a Franchise Agreement, specifically the "Renewal Franchise Agreement".
The Rider is signed simultaneously with the Renewal Franchise Agreement and modifies certain provisions of this agreement. These modifications address aspects that either do not apply during the renewal term or need to account for the fact that the restaurant is already operational. The Renewal Franchise Agreement itself is the successor to an Expiring Franchise Agreement, under which the franchisee previously operated the restaurant.
In essence, the Rider adjusts the terms of the Renewal Franchise Agreement to reflect the unique circumstances of a franchise renewal, while the Renewal Franchise Agreement provides the legal framework for the franchisee's continued operation of the Noodles & Company restaurant for a further term, typically 10 years.