Document

Exhibit 4.1

DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES REGISTERED PURSUANT TO SECTION 12 OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
The following is a brief description of the Class A common stock, par value $0.01 per share (the “Class A common stock”) of Portillo’s Inc. (the “Company”) which is the only security of the Company registered pursuant to Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). The following also contains a description of the Class B common stock, par value $0.00001 per share of the Company (the “Class B common stock”), which is not registered pursuant to Section 12 of the Exchange Act. The description of the Class B common stock is necessary to understand the material terms of the Class A common stock.
The following description does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation, the Company’s amended and restated bylaws and the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the “DGCL”). 
General
The Company is authorized to issue 380,000,000 shares of Class A common stock, 50,000,000 shares of Class B common stock, and 10,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.01 per share. Unless our board of directors (our “Board”) determines otherwise, we will issue all shares of our capital stock in uncertificated form. Each holder of Class B common stock holds an equivalent number of equity interests (“LLC Units”) in PHD Group Holdings, LLC, a subsidiary of the Company (“Portillo’s OpCo”). The LLC Units are redeemable for shares of Class A common stock in accordance with the Portillo’s OpCo operating agreement.
Class A common stock and Class B common stock
Voting Rights. Holders of shares of our Class A common stock are entitled to one vote for each share held of record on all matters on which stockholders are entitled to vote generally, including the election or removal of directors. The holders of our Class A common stock do not have cumulative voting rights in the election of directors. 
Holders of Class B common stock are entitled to one vote for each share held of record on all matters submitted to a vote of our stockholders. If at any time the ratio at which LLC Units are redeemable or exchangeable for shares of our Class A common stock changes from one-for-one, the number of votes to which Class B common stockholders are entitled will be adjusted accordingly. The holders of our Class B common stock do not have cumulative voting rights in the election of directors. 
Holders of shares of our Class A common stock and Class B common stock vote together as a single class on all matters on which stockholders are entitled to vote, except as otherwise required by law.
Dividends and Liquidation Rights. Holders of shares of our Class A common stock are entitled to receive dividends when and if declared by our Board out of funds legally available therefor, subject to any statutory or contractual restrictions on the payment of dividends and to any restrictions on the payment of dividends imposed by the terms of any outstanding preferred stock. Upon our liquidation, dissolution or winding up and after payment in full of all amounts required to be paid to creditors and to the holders of preferred stock having liquidation preferences, if any, the holders of shares of our Class A common stock will be entitled to receive pro rata our remaining assets available for distribution.
The Class B common stock is not entitled to economic interests in Portillo’s Inc. Holders of our Class B common stock do not have any right to receive dividends or to receive a distribution upon a liquidation or winding up of Portillo’s Inc. However, if Portillo’s OpCo makes distributions to Portillo’s Inc., the other holders of LLC Units (including the pre-IPO owners that directly or indirectly held LLC Units immediately prior to the IPO and who retained their equity ownership in Portillo’s OpCo in the form of LLC Units immediately following the IPO) will be entitled to receive distributions pro rata in accordance with the percentages of their respective LLC Units. 
Other. All shares of our Class A common stock outstanding are fully paid and non-assessable. The Class A common stock is not subject to further calls or assessments by us. The rights, 








powers and privileges of our Class A common stock are subject to those of the holders of any shares of our preferred stock or any other series or class of stock we may authorize and issue in the future. Except for transfers to us pursuant to the Amended LLC Agreement or to certain permitted transferees, the LLC Units and corresponding shares of Class B common stock may not be sold, transferred or otherwise disposed of. The Class B common stock is not subject to further calls or assessment by us.


Neither the Class A common stock nor the Class B common stock has any preemptive or other subscription rights. There will be no redemption, conversion or sinking fund provisions applicable to the Class A common stock or Class B common stock. At such time when no LLC Units remain redeemable or exchangeable for shares of our Class A common stock, our Class B common stock will be canceled.
Preferred Stock
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation authorizes our Board to establish one or more series of preferred stock (including convertible preferred stock). Unless required by law or any stock exchange, the authorized shares of preferred stock will be available for issuance without further action by holders of our Class A or Class B common stock. Our Board is able to determine, with respect to any series of preferred stock, the powers (including voting powers), preferences and relative, participating, optional or other special rights, and the qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof, including, without limitation:
 
												
	 	•	 	the designation of the series;


 
												
	 	•	 	the number of shares of the series, which our Board may, except where otherwise provided in the preferred stock designation, increase (but not above the total number of authorized share of the class) or decrease (but not below the number of shares then outstanding);


 
												
	 	•	 	whether dividends, if any, will be cumulative or non-cumulative and the dividend rate of the series;


 
												
	 	•	 	the dates at which dividends, if any, will be payable;


 
												
	 	•	 	the redemption rights and price or prices, if any, for shares of the series;


 
												
	 	•	 	the terms and amounts of any sinking fund provided for the purchase or redemption of shares of the series;


 
												
	 	•	 	the amounts payable on shares of the series in the event of any voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the affairs of our company;


 
												
	 	•	 	whether the shares of the series will be convertible into shares of any other class or series, or any other security, of our company or any other entity, and, if so, the specification of the other class or series or other security, the conversion price or prices or rate or rates, any rate adjustments, the date or dates as of which the shares will be convertible and all other terms and conditions upon which the conversion may be made;


 
												
	 	•	 	restrictions on the issuance of shares of the same series or of any other class or series; and


 
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	 	•	 	the voting rights, if any, of the holders of the series.


We could issue a series of preferred stock that could, depending on the terms of the series, impede or discourage an acquisition attempt or other transaction that some, or a majority, of the holders of our Class A common stock might believe to be in their best interests or in which the holders of our Class A common stock might receive a premium over the market price of the shares of Class A common stock. Additionally, the issuance of preferred stock may adversely affect the holders of our Class A common stock by restricting dividends on the Class A common stock, diluting the voting power of the Class A common stock or subordinating the liquidation rights of the Class A common stock. As a result of these or other factors, the issuance of preferred stock could have an adverse impact on the market price of our Class A common stock.
Dividends
The DGCL permits a corporation to declare and pay dividends out of “surplus” or, if there is no “surplus,” out of its net profits for the fiscal year in which the dividend is declared and/or the preceding fiscal year. “Surplus” is defined as the excess of the net assets of the corporation over the amount determined to be the capital of the corporation by its board of directors. The capital of the corporation is typically calculated to be (and cannot be less than) the aggregate par value of all issued shares of capital stock. Net assets equal the fair value of the total assets minus total liabilities. The DGCL also provides that dividends may not be paid out of net profits if, after the payment of the dividend, remaining capital would be less than the capital represented by the outstanding stock of all classes having a preference upon the distribution of assets. Declaration and payment of any dividend will be subject to the discretion of our Board. 
Annual Stockholder Meetings
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and our amended and restated bylaws provide that annual stockholder meetings will be held at a date, time and place, if any, as exclusively selected by our Board. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that, subject to any special rights of the holders as required by law, special meetings of the stockholders can only be called by the chairman of the Board, the chief executive officer of the Company. Stockholders are not permitted to call a special meeting or to require the Board to call a special meeting. To the extent permitted under applicable law, we may conduct meetings by remote communications, including by webcast.
Anti-Takeover Effects of Our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation and Amended and Restated Bylaws and Certain Provisions of the DGCL
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, amended and restated bylaws, and the DGCL contain provisions that delay, defer or discourage transactions involving an actual or potential change in control of us or change in our management. We expect that these provisions, which are summarized below, will discourage coercive takeover practices or inadequate takeover bids. These provisions are designed to encourage persons seeking to acquire control of us to first negotiate with our Board, which we believe may result in an improvement of the terms of any such acquisition in favor of our stockholders. However, they will also give our Board the power to discourage transactions that some stockholders may favor, including transactions in which stockholders might otherwise receive a premium for their shares or transactions that our stockholders might otherwise deem to be in their best interests. Accordingly, these provisions could adversely affect the price of our Class A common stock.
Authorized but Unissued Capital Stock
The DGCL does not require stockholder approval for any issuance of authorized shares. However, the listing requirements of the Nasdaq, which would apply so long as the shares of Class A common stock remains listed on the Nasdaq, require stockholder approval of certain issuances equal to or exceeding 20% of the then outstanding voting power or the then outstanding number of shares of Class A common stock (we believe the position of the Nasdaq is that the calculation in this latter case treats as outstanding shares of Class A common stock issuable upon redemption or exchange of outstanding LLC 
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Units not held by Portillo’s Inc.). These additional shares of Class A common stock may be used for a variety of corporate purposes, including future public offerings, to raise additional capital or to facilitate acquisitions.
One of the effects of the existence of unissued and unreserved Class A common stock or preferred stock may be to enable our Board to issue shares to persons friendly to current management, which issuance could render more difficult or discourage an attempt to obtain control of our company by means of a merger, tender offer, proxy contest or otherwise, and thereby protect the continuity of our management and possibly deprive the stockholders of opportunities to sell their shares at prices higher than prevailing market prices.
Special Meetings of Stockholders
Our amended and restated bylaws provide that special meetings of the stockholders may be called only upon the request of a majority of our Board, our Chair or the Chief Executive Officer. Our amended and restated bylaws prohibit the conduct of any business at a special meeting other than as specified in the notice for such meeting. These provisions may have the effect of deferring, delaying or discouraging hostile takeovers or changes in control or management of our company.
Advance Notice of Nominations and Other Business
Our amended and restated bylaws establish advance notice procedures with respect to stockholder proposals and the nomination of candidates for election as directors, other than nominations made by or at the direction of our Board or a committee of our Board. In order for any matter to be “properly brought” before a meeting, a stockholder will have to comply with the advance notice requirements of directors, which may be filled only by a vote of a majority of directors then in office, even though less than a quorum, and not by the stockholders. Our amended and restated bylaws allow the presiding officer at a meeting of the stockholders to adopt rules and regulations for the conduct of meetings, which may have the effect of precluding the conduct of certain business at a meeting if the rules and regulations are not followed. These provisions may also defer, delay or discourage a potential acquiror from conducting a solicitation of proxies to elect the acquiror’s own slate of directors or otherwise attempting to obtain control of our company.
Board of Directors and Related Provisions
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that our Board will be elected annually to serve until the next annual meeting of stockholders or until their successors are duly elected and qualified. Our amended and restated bylaws provide that our directors will be elected by plurality vote.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that the Board’s size is determined from time to time by our Board. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation also provides that, subject to any rights of any preferred stock then outstanding, any director may be removed from office at any time with or without cause and only by the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the voting power of the shares entitled to vote for the election of directors, considered for this purpose as one class. In addition, subject to the rights of any holders of preferred stock, our amended and restated bylaws provide that any vacancy on the Board, including a vacancy that results from an increase in the number of directors, may be filled only by a majority of the directors then in office or by an affirmative vote of the sole remaining director, except that, for so long as stockholders may act by written consent, such vacancies may also be filled by a majority of the voting power of our outstanding Class A common stock entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, voting together as a single class. This provision will prevent stockholders from filling the resulting vacancies with their own nominees following such time that stockholders may not act by written consent.
No Stockholder Action by Written Consent
Pursuant to Section 228 of the DGCL, any action required to be taken at any annual or special meeting of the stockholders may be taken without a meeting, without prior notice, and without a vote if a 
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consent or consents in writing, setting forth the action so taken, is or are signed by the holders of outstanding stock having not less than the minimum number of votes that would be necessary to authorize or take such action at a meeting at which all shares of our stock entitled to vote thereon were present and voted, unless our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides otherwise. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that after the time that our Sponsor and its affiliates collectively own less than 50% of our then outstanding Class A common stock, subject to the rights of any holders of preferred stock to act by written consent instead of a meeting, stockholder action may be taken only at an annual meeting or special meeting of stockholders and may not be taken by written consent instead of a meeting. Failure to satisfy any of the requirements for a stockholder meeting could delay, prevent or invalidate stockholder action.
Section 203 of the DGCL
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that the provisions of Section 203 of the DGCL, which relate to business combinations with interested stockholders, do not apply to us. Section 203 of the DGCL prohibits a publicly held Delaware corporation from engaging in a business combination transaction with an interested stockholder (a stockholder who owns more than 15% of our Class A common stock) for a period of three years after the interested stockholder became such unless the transaction fits within an applicable exemption, such as Board approval of the business combination or the transaction that resulted in such stockholder becoming an interested stockholder. These provisions will apply even if the business combination could be considered beneficial by some stockholders. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will contain provisions that have the same effect as Section 203 of the DGCL, but such provisions will not apply to our Sponsor and its affiliates. Although we have elected to opt out of the statute’s provisions, we could elect to be subject to Section 203 in the future.
Amendment to Bylaws and Certificate of Incorporation
Any amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation must first be approved by a majority of our Board and if required by law, thereafter be approved by a majority of the outstanding shares entitled to vote on the amendment. Our amended and restated bylaws may be amended by (i) the affirmative vote of a majority of the directors then in office, subject to any limitations set forth in the bylaws, without further stockholder action or (ii) the affirmative vote of at least a majority of the outstanding shares entitled to vote on the amendment, without further action by our Board.
Exclusive Forum
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that, unless we consent in writing to an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware (or, if the Court of Chancery lacks jurisdiction, a state court located within the State of Delaware or the federal district court for the District of Delaware) shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be the sole and exclusive forum for any (i) derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, (ii) action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty or other wrongdoing by any current or former director, officer, employee, agent or stockholder to us or our stockholders, (iii) action asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, or our amended and restated bylaws or as to which the DGCL confers jurisdiction on the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware, or (iv) action asserting a claim governed by the internal affairs doctrine of the law of the State of Delaware.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation also provides that the foregoing exclusive forum provision does not apply to actions brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) or Exchange Act, or any other claim or cause of action for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction.
 
Additionally, because the Securities Act provides for concurrent federal and state jurisdiction, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation also provides that, unless we consent in writing to an alternative forum, the federal district courts of the United States shall be the sole and exclusive forum for the resolution of any action asserting a claim arising under the Securities Act, or the rules and regulations 
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promulgated thereunder. Pursuant to the Exchange Act, claims arising there under must be brought in federal district courts of the United States.
To the fullest extent permitted by law, any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring or holding any interest in any shares of our capital stock shall be deemed to have notice of and consented to the forum provision in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. In any case, stockholders will not be deemed to have waived our compliance with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder. The enforceability of similar choice of forum provisions in other companies’ certificates of incorporation has been challenged in legal proceedings, and it is possible that a court could find these types of provisions to be inapplicable or unenforceable. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation also provides that any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in shares of our capital stock will be deemed to have notice of and consented to this choice of forum provision. These exclusive forum provisions may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against our directors and officers.
Corporate Opportunities
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that neither our Sponsor nor a director affiliated with a Sponsor has any obligation to offer us an opportunity to participate in business opportunities presented to such Sponsor even if the opportunity is one that we might reasonably have pursued (and therefore may be free to compete with us in the same business or similar businesses), and that, to the extent permitted by law, no Sponsor will be liable to us or our stockholders for breach of any duty by reason of any such activities.


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