The Goodspeed Update

According to their website, and a short story in this month’s Ann Arbor Observer, the old location of Decker Drugs will soon be the site of a “Noodles & Company.” According to an official company press release, Noodles & Company, founded in 1995, is in a phase of “aggressive expansion,” currently operates 87 restaurants in nine states, and plans to have “approximately 200 locations” by 2006. What precisely will a “Noodles & Co” serve? Their website describes it as “a daily dining destination built upon a chef-driven menu inspired by spicy Asian food, American comfort food and time-tested European dishes,” assuring us their restaurants “creates a craveable experience that is broadly appealing across diverse markets, demographics and day parts.” Day parts? Craveable? File that one in the “new words” department, along with “actionable,” “suiciders,” and “warfighters”

The company is actually opening two locations soon: one in the Arborland mall, and the location on State Street which will be two stories, and according to the Observer, will be full historic renovation seeing to “preserve as many of the building’s historic features as possible.” In my mind, this is similar to a number of other locations in the area. Drake’s Sandwich shop on North University was replaced with a Brugger’s, who decorated their drab corporate interior with historic photos of the area; Potbelly’s which replaced the former store of a record store (albeit corporate, which went out of business) and book store (which relocated) in a two level renovated space which showcase’s the building’s “old” look, and now a specialty chain seeks to replace the location formerly occupied by a local, independent druggist.

> See related post: “The Gentrification of Ann Arbor”