Company: BTBDW
Filing Date: 2025-03-31
Form Type: 10-K
Source: 0001477932-25-002248
Chunk: 881

Company: BT Brands, Inc.
Filing Date: 2025-03-31
Form: 10-K
Item: Item 1A
Chunk 881
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Food safety concerns could harm our business by reducing demand and increasing costs.

The occurrence or reports of food-borne illnesses and food safety issues have occurred in the food industry and could occur in the future. Any report or publicity linking us to food-borne illness or other food safety issues, including food tampering or contamination, could adversely affect our brand, reputation, revenues, and profits. In addition, food-borne illness, food tampering, or food contamination at our competitors’ restaurants could result in negative publicity about the food service industry and adversely impact our sales.

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Furthermore, our reliance on external food suppliers and distributors increases the risk that factors outside our control could cause food-borne illness incidents and that multiple locations would be affected rather than a single restaurant. We cannot ensure that all food items are properly maintained during transport throughout the supply chain and that our employees will identify all products that may be spoiled or contaminated. Food-borne illnesses could result in temporary restaurant closings. Furthermore, any instances of food contamination, whether or not at our restaurants, could subject our suppliers or us to a food advisory, recall or withdrawal under the Food Safety Modernization Act.

Risks Related to Inflation, Labor and Supply Chain

Increased commodity, energy and other costs could decrease our restaurant-level profit margins.

Our profitability depends in part on our ability to anticipate and react to changes in the price and availability of food commodities, including, among other things, beef, poultry, grains, dairy, and produce. Prices may be affected due to market changes, increased competition, public health issues, inflation, shortages, or interruptions in supply due to weather, disease, or other conditions beyond our control, or other reasons. Other events could increase commodity prices or cause shortages that could affect the cost and quality of the items we buy or require us to raise prices or limit our menu options. These events and general economic and demographic conditions may impact our pricing and adversely affect our sales and restaurant-level profit margins. We do not enter into forward pricing arrangements with our suppliers, making us more susceptible to changes in commodity prices.

Our profitability is also adversely affected by increases in the price of utilities, such as natural gas, whether due to inflation, shortages, interruptions in supply, or otherwise. Our profitability is also affected by insurance, labor, marketing, taxes, and real estate costs, which could increase due to inflation, changes in laws, competition, or other events beyond our control. Our ability to respond to and react to such increases and other more general economic and demographic