Noodles and Company opened a restaurant in Chapel Hill at 214 West Franklin St., in the building formerly occupied by Wicked Burrito, at the end of September.

The Boulder, Colo.-based chain offers more than a dozen noodle dishes from a variety of different cuisines, all cooked to order. Noodle dish prices are $5.25 for a regular serving; $3.25 for small. Add a side "protein," such as chicken, beef, shrimp or tofu, for $2 more. The menu also features soups, salads and sweets.

"Everything is fresh," said Matt Whisenant, the general manager. "There are no microwaves. We don't have a freezer."

The Chapel Hill restaurant is the second to open in the Triangle. The first opened in July in Durham across from Duke Medical Center; a Raleigh location will open within the next few weeks.

Whisenant described business in Chapel Hill as "awesome," busier than it's been in Durham, where he served as manager when it opened. After the Chapel Hill store is up and running, he will manage both stores.

Whisenant, a UNC graduate, has been working for Noodles and Company since February. The perks are tasty, he said.

"My three favorites are, first, the Penne Rosa; it's a spicy marinara with cream," he said. "Then the Bangkok Curry, a mild curry with coconut. And the Wisconsin Mac and Cheese, it's our signature dish. Madison, Wisconsin was the second store we opened."

Noodles and Company was formed in 1993 and opened its first store in 1995. Counting the ones opening in North Carolina, there chain has 190 stores.

"The goal by 2012 is to have 500 stores," said Whisenant. "The growth is really rapid now."

Local folks are happy to see a bustling business in that location. The Wicked Burrito restaurant operated there from 1995 to 2000, when the restaurant's owner, the Lone Star Steakhouse and Saloon Company, closed it.

Hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

3CUPS reopens

3CUPS, a wine, coffee and tea merchant formerly located in The Courtyard on West Franklin Street, reopened last week in its new location, 227 S. Elliott Road in Village Plaza.

After months of construction, 3CUPS is now open in a bigger location with more emphasis on wine and retail sales. Store hours are Monday to Saturday, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Jay Murrie, formerly of A Southern Season, has joined 3CUPS as a partner and has teamed with Elaine Thomas, formerly of Lantern and A Southern Season. They have selected 200 wines from the small vineyards throughout the world. 3CUPS has planned an ambitious schedule of wine socials to be held at its new wine tasting bar on Friday and Saturday nights.

For details on these events, and a detailed product catalog, visit the newly redesigned Web site coming soon to www.3CUPS.net.

3CUPS closed its Courtyard location on June 1 after a dispute with Courtyard landlord Spencer Young.

Jennings president give keynote talk

Jennings president and chief executive officer Dan Dunlop was the keynote speaker at the Fall Institute of the New England Society for Healthcare Communications on Oct. 15-17.

The conference took place in Westbrook, Conn., and was attended by health-care marketing professionals from throughout New England.

Dunlop's presentation, "Marketing Patient Safety," focused on best practices for marketing hand hygiene and other patient safety initiatives within a hospital or medical center. He was accompanied by co-presenter Brooke Tyson Hynes of Tufts Medical Center in Boston.

Jennings and Tufts Medical Center have recently partnered on the development of an innovative patient safety campaign that has significantly impacted handwashing compliance within the medical center.

Jennings is a Chapel Hill marketing and advertising company.