A fast-casual noodle shop that had served Richmond Heights diners for almost a decade has closed its doors for good. The Noodles & Company at 1624 S. Hanley Road shut down on August 25, according to a sign posted at the location, leaving the roughly 2,500-square-foot storefront empty along a busy stretch of the South Hanley retail corridor.
The closure was first reported by KSDK, whose St. Louis Business Journal team noted the restaurant had opened in November 2016 and operated for nearly 10 years before shutting down. A sign left at the shuttered location read, “Thanks for sharing so many good meals, good times, and uncommon goodness with us,” and Noodles & Company referred former customers to the chain's website to find another nearby location. The retail space is owned by Wisconsin-based Menards Inc., which anchors the shopping center that also houses its 200,000-square-foot home improvement store — a complex that grew out of a multi-year redevelopment of the former Hadley Township area, according to 40 South News.
A Local Franchisee's Broader Retreat From Noodle Bowls
The Richmond Heights restaurant was owned and operated by Hamra Enterprises, a Springfield, Missouri-based multichain franchisee that acquired the Noodles & Company franchise rights in Missouri from North American Dining LLC in 2014 for an undisclosed amount, per the same KSDK report. Hamra also runs Panera Bread, Caribou Coffee and Wendy's locations across the region. Beyond noodles, the company was founded in 1975 and now operates more than 190 restaurants across 12 states with over 6,000 employees, according to Hamra Enterprises.
Even with the Richmond Heights closure, Hamra continues to run several other Missouri-area Noodles & Company restaurants, including locations in Chesterfield, Creve Coeur and St. Louis's Hampton Village Plaza, plus one across the river in Shiloh, Illinois, per Hamra's own restaurant listings. The Hanley Road store had cleared local government hurdles early in its run — Richmond Heights City Council records from June 2017 show the location was approved for a liquor license allowing it to serve beer and wine not long after opening.
Chain-Wide Cutbacks Paired With Rising Sales
The Richmond Heights closure fits into a much larger pullback by Noodles & Company nationally. The company closed 42 locations in 2025 and has scheduled another 30 to 35 company-owned stores, plus five franchised ones, to close in 2026 as part of what it has called an aggressive portfolio review, according to Nation's Restaurant News. Despite trimming nearly 60 stores since the start of 2025, the chain reported systemwide same-store sales grew 9.1% in the first quarter of 2026 and 10.3% in the second quarter, the trade publication reported.
Corporate earnings reporting cited by TheStreet found that Noodles & Company transfers roughly one-third of sales from a shuttered store to nearby remaining locations, largely through digital takeout and delivery orders — a dynamic that helps explain how store closures and rising same-store sales can coexist. Late last year, Noodles & Company President and CEO Joe Christina introduced menu value initiatives, including $9.95 “Delicious Duos” combo meals, aimed at countering declining guest value perception and rebuilding customer traffic, per Nation's Restaurant News. Industry observers have pointed to consumer price sensitivity and inflation as headwinds pushing several fast-casual noodle and bowl chains to consolidate their store counts, according to Cheapism.
Hamra Bets Big on Panera in Texas
While pulling back on some noodle locations, Hamra Enterprises has been pouring resources into other parts of its portfolio. The franchisee expanded into the Texas market in mid-2026, launching seven new Panera Bread locations across Greater Houston, according to Houston Style Magazine. It's a sign that even as Hamra trims its noodle footprint in Missouri, the company is redirecting capital toward faster-growing markets elsewhere.
For now, the vacant Richmond Heights storefront sits empty along South Hanley Road, with no word yet on what might replace it in the Menards-owned retail center. Diners looking for their noodle fix in the area will need to head to one of Hamra's other regional locations, at least until a new tenant moves in.
