Noodles & Company

I went to the Crystal Lake location last night. It was 15 minutes before they were going to close and I felt bad for doing that. I’ve never had this issue but majority of my noodles were BURNT! I get I came late but was it really necessary to burn my noodles! Come on. Talk about laziness. All the other times I haven’t had issues.

Ordered the big bowl pad thai, no peanuts! Not pad Thai without peanuts. I had a $ 4 off coupon so I passed on asking «where’s the peanuts?» Kinda skimpy on the scrambled egg too. You had to pull the cilantro leaves off the stem (unless you eat stems) yourself. Skimpy on the ($ 2.99 extra cost) shrimp too. I counted 8 of them so… $ 2.99 ÷ 8 = .375 ea. Am I wrong to think that’s high for rubbery small size shrimp? But! Lots & lots of (guess) NOODLES!

We ordered the penne rosa for takeout. The food was lacking in flavor. The ambience was nice. Service was satisfactory.

Floor was dirty in kitchen, many many tables had dirty dishes on them, food took a long time and didn’t taste good. the crew of guys was more interested in flirting with the one customer than doing their work. never going back. oh and they don’t have siracha sauce. never heard of a noodles n company without it.

I was a loyal customer. After spending my morning in the ER in pain and given an all clear to eat, I wanted Thai curry soup. This location hires idiot teenagers, I ignore their lack of intelligence, get food, and carry on. My significant other and I order for the family and head home. Why these employs cannot handle three entrees and soup proves they do not deserve to keep their job. They left out my soup on my carry out order and still charged me. You need new employs and that will offer better service. I’m never going back.

Not bad is really good option for a quick meal and the portions are fair for what are you paying for. I wish they were able to deliver:(.

We first started going to this location in the summer of 2012. That first visit was such an awesome experience. The young woman that was taking care of us was so polite and inviting. She really made us feel welcome, and we looked forward to coming back. The food was hot and well prepared, and the wait time was right in line for food that is made to order.
We have visited this location a few times a year since then, and let and me tell you, the experience has not at all been the same. Using the Noodlegram free dish (up to $ 9) at this location is always an issue. There is always a confused associate that needs explanation on how to execute this transaction; especially if I am ordering something for our daughter on the same transaction. Each time that we have done this (Aug 2012, 2013, and 2014) they will ring up the freebie on the smaller portion, even though it clearly states on the print out that it covers up to $ 9. Nowhere does it say that they are obligated to take the lesser of the two amounts on a given transaction. Then when you try to justify your point they make it seem like they’re doing you a special service by doing the transaction that should have had no issue in the first place. «Well, I’ll do this for you, this time» was my favorite line. Coming from a young man that didn’t even greet us, but we in fact had to eventually greet him.
Other than our first visit in 2012, I have never come to this location to find it clean. Having been in customer service for 15 years, 7 of which are in restaurants, I do understand that food service work of any kind can be quite demanding; especially in peak hours. But next to getting the customer taken care of in a respectful, and efficient manner is the environment of the store. It’s always a challenge to find a clean table; noodles scattered askew across the floor, sticky chairs.
The food is usually good. We are not the type of people to bring food back, but there have been a few visits that just gave us no choice. My wife orders the Wisconsin Mac & Cheese and in a few visits it’s just been a bowl full of the plains of Wisconsin’s flat lands, sans cheese.
We really do like Noodles & Company. We’re always excited to go, but upon arrival at this location we’re tend to be let down, and left scratching our heads. Especially since our first visit here was such a great one. On the upside, the bathrooms are usually very clean, and the smell of them is pleasant. I would say that a good 70% of the staff is courteous and willing to make your stay as great as they can. However I do feel like the other 30% needs a serious training session of customer service basics, and personability itself. I look forward to coming again and seeing some positive adjustments.

Staff makes this place, relaxed atmosphere and good service. Food is good on the plus!

Really good food. Very nice employees. But check your silver wear before you dig in.
Had to return 2 forks that still had old food residue on them. Yuck.

Food was pretty good for price. Great truffle Mac. Fast and friendly service. I’ll go back.

I ordered a bbq pork sandwich on-​line with garlic bread, requesting the bbq sauce on the side.
When I arrived there, the meal was done, so I wait. So much for online ordering.
The staff there seemed more interested in talking to each other, than dealing with customers.
When I did get my food, the sandwich was coated with the bbq sauce. So much so,
the sandwich was falling apart.
This is the second time I have had this experience with this restaurant.
Why don’t the staff in Crystal Lake pay attention?
I am seriously considering boycotting this restaurant.
Poor service.

The food is what it is. If you want to make something really good of it then mix your cuisines. Have penne pasta with the red curry sweet sauce and chicken. Add the red paste and some soy at the table and it will taste delicious!
I am writing this more on the cashier service that has been absolutely fantastic! There is one employee there in particular who is so damn polite and helpful.
She is always patient with my daughter and comes out to make sure everyone’s meal is okay and whether or not then need anything else.
On this last occasion she took my plate and then sort of looked at my daughters — she did not finish it at all. A soy sauce fan herself she seemed to add too much to her dish and the taste was no longer appealing to her. This employee laughed in a nice way and happily offered to get her a new dish.
Great service — promote her top Manager!

mediocre food… I think they try too hard to do too much & make everyone happy… eh… the line for the fancy schmancy drink machine just ridiculous — glad I did not get a drink and equally glad I got my order to go… way too noisy to have conversation over dinner and/​or relax… seems great for families with children and teens… go crazy kids — it is all yours — I will not return.

One of my typical local standbys for a quick bite on the go. Call them up while you are a few miles away and place a to-​go order to skip the often slow lines of people staring at the menu looking for tacos or hamburgers. I find that I gravitate towards the Asian dishes more as the Pad Thai (try shrimp) or Japanese Pan Noodles (add steak) are my favorites, usually in Trio form with a side house salad. The recently added sandwiches include a nice greek pita option as well.
Also be aware you can substitute ingredients so save the sprouts and add in peppers or something more tasty.

I think the amount of food you get for the price is well worth it. I will go here for something quick, yet fresh. I like the Wis. Mac and Cheese. It fills me up for a few hours — but i usually don’t have left overs. (Im a pretty big guy) I prefer this to the typical fast food joints if I have a choice in the matter.

Not bad overall. I like the Indonesian Peanut sautee and the Pad Thai. You can get the dishes with tofu, shrimp, etc. added to them. The portions are pretty large so you might have trouble finishing them, but then of course you’re eating noodles so you will be hungry again in a few hours.
Kids will probably like the Wisconsin Mac & Cheddar… super cheesy!
You order at the counter and they give you a number and then bring the food to your table.