Name: Joe Christina
New title: President and chief operating officer, Noodles & Company
Previous title: Chief executive officer and board member, Tijuana Flats
Noodles & Company is replacing retiring Chief Operating Officer Brad West with Joe Christina, the company announced Wednesday. West is retiring after serving as COO for eight years. West will remain as chief of staff through June 2025 to help with the transition.
Christina served as Tijuana Flats’ CEO from 2022 to 2024, according to his Linkedin profile. He led Tijuana Flats through the early months of its Chapter 11 restructuring process, which began in April 2024.
Before his time at Tijuana Flats, Christina worked at Church’s Chicken, now Church’s Texas Chicken, where he rose from executive vice president of U.S. operations to CEO and president.
Noodles said Christina possessed “an extensive background in QSR and fast-casual restaurant leadership, with expertise spanning operations, financial management, market development, marketing, human resources, and franchise leadership,” and experience growing revenue and EBITDA.
“Noodles is a standout concept with a strong foundation, a highly differentiated menu, and significant growth potential,” Christina said. “By focusing on operations excellence, menu innovation, and expanding catering, we will unlock new opportunities and drive sustainable, long-term success.”
Drew Madsen, who has served as Noodles & Company CEO since 2023, said Christina’s experience would help the brand with its ongoing menu overhaul.
Noodles struggled with shrinking sales and falling revenue through the first three quarters of 2024. But in October, Noodles added three new dishes to its menu, Lemon Garlic Shrimp Scampi, Chipotle Chicken Cavatappi and Crispy Chicken Bacon Alfredo. In concert with a buy-one-get-one offer, the new menu items produced a significant sales lift in early Q4, Madsen said on the company’s latest earnings call.
That sales lift outlasted the promotion tied to the menu item debut and pushed Noodles’ same-store sales growth into positive territory in Q4, up 0.8%, according to a preliminary earnings release. Earlier this year, the brand was at risk of delisting from the Nasdaq, as its stock price had fallen below $1. But since the announcement of its preliminary Q4 results, the price has surpassed $1.
