Foodtastic is accelerating national expansion of its Noodlebox restaurant brand, with dozens of locations in development and plans to enter the Montreal market as the company builds on the chain’s strong presence in Western Canada.
Scott McCannell, Senior VP of Franchising, said the Asian fusion concept has grown to 71 locations across the country, with 14 new restaurants opening in 2025 and another 25 currently in development.
The growth reflects the company’s strategy of building on the brand’s strong western base while gradually expanding into new markets in Central and Eastern Canada.
Western roots driving growth
Noodlebox originated in Vancouver and continues to perform strongly in Western Canada, according to McCannell. About half of the brand’s restaurants are located in British Columbia, with Alberta also representing a significant portion of the network.
“It does extremely well out west,” he said.
As the company expands further east, McCannell said maintaining consistent brand awareness and marketing support becomes a key operational focus.
“It’s making sure that we have that kind of marketing halo consistent across the board,” he said.
Expanding geographically also introduces logistical challenges tied to supply chains and regional marketing efforts.
“Going from Montreal to Calgary is a lot harder than going from Montreal to Toronto,” McCannell said, citing differences in supply chain and marketing logistics as the company develops brands beyond their home markets.
Outside Western Canada, Noodlebox currently has a smaller footprint in Saskatchewan, Ontario and Atlantic Canada.
Menu and operating model
The concept focuses on Asian fusion cuisine built around noodle-based dishes, with menu inspiration drawn from flavours such as pad Thai and other Asian spice profiles.
McCannell described the offering as combining traditional Asian dishes with milder menu options intended to broaden the brand’s appeal.
Food preparation is central to the restaurant experience, with meals cooked in visible woks inside the restaurant.
“As you go in and you see the woks, everything’s being cooked fresh in front of you,” McCannell said. “When you’re in there and the woks are going, it’s hot, you can see the flames coming up there. There’s quite the experience.”
He added that the operational model requires experienced kitchen staff capable of managing several active cooking stations simultaneously.
“In order to have four woks going at a time, six in line, 14 sitting down in dining, you really have to know what you’re doing,” McCannell said.
Delivery and takeout strength
The brand’s menu has also translated well to the growing third-party delivery market.
McCannell said Noodlebox meals travel well for off-premise consumption, allowing the company to capture both dine-in and takeout demand.
Large portion sizes also position the concept competitively within its category, according to McCannell, while maintaining consistency between in-restaurant and at-home dining experiences.
“The in-home experience is just as good as the in-restaurant experience, minus the pageantry,” he said.
Real estate strategy
Typical Noodlebox restaurants range from about 1,500 to 2,000 square feet, though the concept has proven adaptable to smaller footprints depending on the market.
“We’ve done one as small as 900,” McCannell said.
Store layouts vary depending on local demand, with some restaurants operating multiple woks to accommodate higher sales volumes.
Average store sales are roughly $700,000 annually, according to McCannell, though some locations generate significantly higher revenue.
“We have some Noodleboxes that are $1.8 million, $1.9 million,” he said, noting that those units generally have larger footprints or expanded back-of-house space.
In terms of location strategy, the brand is flexible about the types of retail sites it occupies.
“Really kind of anything does very well in the urban,” McCannell said. “Noodlebox can play anywhere as long as we have that kind of base square footage.”
The company typically considers both end-cap and inline retail spaces and is not limited to specific formats such as drive-throughs or food courts.
“We’d be willing to look at any and all sites that we feel are fit, first and foremost for market, and then second just in terms of overall demographic,” he said.
Younger customer base
The brand’s primary demographic skews younger, with many customers falling within the 19-to-28 age range.
At the same time, he said the concept attracts a broad customer base without targeting a specific ethnic demographic.
“There is no kind of ethnic gravitational pull,” he said. “It’s open for everybody.”
Montreal expansion ahead
Foodtastic’s next major growth target is Montreal, where the company is headquartered and where McCannell believes the brand could resonate strongly with local consumers.
The company has begun scouting real estate opportunities in the city as it prepares to test the concept in the market.
He described the city as a strong fit for the brand’s culinary positioning.
“Montreal is very cool, very fashion-forward, very culinary-forward,” he said. “We think that Montreal will be a bullseye market for Noodlebox.”
Foodtastic plans to initially open a corporate-operated restaurant to establish the concept locally before expanding through franchising.
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Noodle box was founded in Victoria not Vancouver. I enjoyed going to the original location on my work travels.