EDGAR 10-K Filing

Company CIK: 1289460
Filing Year: 2023
Filename: 1289460_10-K_2023_0001558370-23-001979.json

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ITEM 1. BUSINESS
ITEM 1 - BUSINESS
Texas Roadhouse, Inc. (collectively, the "Company," "we," "our" and/or "us") was incorporated under the laws of the state of Delaware in 2004. The principal executive office is located in Louisville, Kentucky.
Introduction
The Company is a growing restaurant company operating predominately in the casual dining segment. Our late founder, W. Kent Taylor, started the business in 1993 with the opening of the first Texas Roadhouse restaurant in Clarksville, Indiana. Since then, we have grown to three concepts with 697 restaurants in 49 states and ten foreign countries. Our mission statement is "Legendary Food, Legendary Service®." Our operating strategy is designed to position each of our casual dining restaurants as the local hometown favorite for a broad segment of consumers seeking high quality, affordable meals served with friendly, attentive service. As of December 27, 2022, we owned and operated 597 restaurants and franchised an additional 62 domestic restaurants and 38 international restaurants.
Restaurant Concepts
Of the 597 restaurants we owned and operated at the end of 2022, we operated 552 as Texas Roadhouse restaurants, 40 as Bubba’s 33 restaurants and five as Jaggers restaurants.
Texas Roadhouse is a moderately priced, full-service, casual dining restaurant concept offering an assortment of specially seasoned and aged steaks hand-cut daily on the premises and cooked to order over open grills. In addition to steaks, we also offer our guests a selection of ribs, seafood, chicken, pork chops, pulled pork and vegetable plates, and an assortment of hamburgers, salads and sandwiches. The majority of our entrées include two made-from-scratch side items, and we offer all our dine-in guests free roasted in-shell peanuts and fresh baked yeast rolls.
Bubba’s 33 is a family-friendly restaurant concept featuring scratch-made food for all with a little rock 'n' roll, ice-cold beer and signature drinks. Our menu features burgers, pizza and wings as well as a wide variety of appetizers, sandwiches and dinner entrées. Our first Bubba’s 33 restaurant opened in May 2013 in Fayetteville, North Carolina.
Jaggers is a fast-casual restaurant concept offering burgers, hand-breaded chicken tenders and chicken sandwiches served with scratch-made sauces. In addition, we offer fresh salads that are tossed when ordered and served with homemade dressings. Jaggers offers drive-thru, carry-out, and dine-in service options. Our first Jaggers restaurant opened in December 2014 in Noblesville, Indiana.
Throughout this report, we use the term "restaurants" to include Texas Roadhouse and Bubba’s 33, unless otherwise noted.
Segment Information
We manage our restaurant and franchising operations by concept and as a result have identified Texas Roadhouse, Bubba’s 33, Jaggers and retail initiatives (including our online store and royalty-based licensing arrangements) as separate operating segments. In addition, we have identified Texas Roadhouse and Bubba's 33 as reportable segments.
COVID-19 and Related Impacts
The Company has been subject to risks and uncertainties as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic (the "pandemic"). These include federal, state and local restrictions on restaurants, some of which limited capacity or seating in dining rooms while others allowed to-go or curbside service only. In 2022, all of our domestic company and franchise restaurants operated without restriction. We also experienced and expect to continue to experience commodity inflation and certain food and supply shortages as well as a more competitive labor market. To the extent these challenges persist, we will continue to experience increased costs.
Operating Strategy
The operating strategy that underlies the growth of our restaurants is built on the following key components:
● Offering high quality, freshly prepared food. We place a great deal of emphasis on providing our guests with high quality, freshly prepared food. As part of our process, we have developed proprietary recipes to provide consistency in quality and taste throughout all restaurants. We expect a management level employee to inspect every entrée before it leaves the kitchen to confirm it matches the guest’s order and meets our standards for quality, portion size, appearance and presentation. In addition, we employ a team of product coaches whose function is to provide continual, hands-on training and education to our kitchen staff for the purpose of promoting consistent adherence to recipes, food preparation procedures, food safety standards and overall food quality.
● Creating a fun and comfortable atmosphere with a focus on high quality service. We believe the service quality and atmosphere we establish in our restaurants is a key component for fostering repeat business. We focus on keeping our table-to-server ratios low to allow our servers to truly focus on their guests and serve their needs in a personal, individualized manner. Our Texas Roadhouse restaurants feature a rustic southwestern lodge décor accentuated with hand-painted murals, neon signs, and southwestern prints, rugs and artifacts. Additionally, our restaurants continuously play upbeat country hits. Our Bubba’s 33 restaurants feature walls lined with televisions playing sporting events and music videos and are decorated with sports jerseys, neon signs and other local flair.
● Offering performance-based manager compensation. We offer a performance-based compensation program to our individual restaurant managers and multi-restaurant operators, who are called "managing partners" and "market partners," respectively. Each of these partners earns a base salary plus a performance bonus, which represents a percentage of each of their respective restaurant’s pre-tax income. By providing our partners with a significant stake in the success of our restaurants, we believe that we are able to attract and retain talented, experienced and highly motivated managing and market partners.
● Offering attractive price points. When we evaluate menu pricing, we focus on remaining disciplined as we balance short-term pressures with long-term growth while always keeping our guest top of mind. Prices are reviewed individually in each local market and are offered at moderate price points that we believe are as low as or lower than those offered by our competitors without sacrificing food quality. Within each menu category, we offer a choice of several price points with the goal of fulfilling each guest’s budget and value expectations. Based on the results of our pricing evaluations, we will continue to take pricing actions as we feel are needed.
● Focusing on dinner. In nearly all of our Texas Roadhouse restaurants, we limit our operating hours to dinner only during the weekdays with approximately one half of our restaurants offering lunch on Friday. This focus on dinner allows our restaurant teams to prepare for and manage only one shift per day during the week and to prepare for the significant volumes of sales our restaurants generate.
Restaurant Development and Unit Economics
We consistently evaluate opportunities to develop restaurants in new and existing markets. Our site selection process is critical to our growth strategy. In analyzing each prospective site, our real estate team and our restaurant market partners devote significant time and resources to the evaluation of local market demographics, population density, household income levels and site-specific characteristics such as visibility, accessibility, traffic generators, proximity of other retail activities and competitors, traffic counts and parking. We work actively with experienced real estate brokers in target markets to select high quality sites and to maintain and regularly update our database of potential sites.
We design our restaurant prototypes to provide a relaxed atmosphere for our guests, while also focusing on restaurant-level returns over time. Our current prototypical Texas Roadhouse restaurant consists of a freestanding building with approximately 7,600 to 8,400 square feet with seating for approximately 270 to 325 guests and parking for approximately 180 vehicles either on-site or in combination with some form of off-site cross parking arrangement. Our current prototypes are adaptable to in-line and end-cap locations and/or spaces within an enclosed mall or a shopping center.
Our current prototypical Bubba’s 33 restaurant consists of a freestanding building with approximately 7,600 square feet with seating for approximately 270 to 330 guests. Some locations include patio seating for approximately 60 guests. Parking is targeted for approximately 180 vehicles either on-site or in combination with some form of off-site cross parking arrangement.
Our capital investment (including cash and non-cash costs) for new restaurants varies significantly depending on a number of factors including, but not limited to: the concept, square footage, layout, scope of required site work, geographical location, supply chain costs, type of construction labor (union or non-union), local permitting requirements, our ability to negotiate with landowners and/or landlords, cost of liquor and other licenses and pre-opening expense.
For 2022 and 2021, our average capital investment for Texas Roadhouse restaurants, which includes a 10x initial base rent factor in the event the land is leased, was $6.9 million and $5.7 million, respectively. The increase in our 2022 average capital investment was primarily due to a larger building prototype and higher supply costs. We expect our average capital investment for restaurants to be opened in 2023 to remain flat at approximately $6.9 million with lower site costs offset by higher rent expense.
For 2022 and 2021, our average capital investment for Bubba’s 33 restaurants, which includes a 10x initial base rent factor in the event the land is leased, was $7.8 million and $7.4 million, respectively. The increase in our 2022 average capital investment was primarily due to higher supply costs. We expect our average capital investment for restaurants to be opened in 2023 to decrease to approximately $7.4 million due to lower site costs.
Existing Restaurant Locations
As of December 27, 2022, we had 597 company restaurants and 100 franchise restaurants in 49 states and ten foreign countries as shown in the chart below.
Number of Restaurants
Company
Franchise
Total
Alabama
-
Alaska
-
Arizona
-
Arkansas
-
California
Colorado
Connecticut
-
Delaware
Florida
-
Georgia
Idaho
-
Illinois
-
Indiana
Iowa
-
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
-
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
-
Mississippi
-
Missouri
-
Montana
-
Nebraska
-
Nevada
-
New Hampshire
-
New Jersey
-
New Mexico
-
New York
-
North Carolina
-
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
-
Oregon
-
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
-
South Carolina
-
South Dakota
-
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
-
Virginia
-
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
-
Total domestic restaurants
Bahrain
-
China
-
South Korea
-
Kuwait
-
Mexico
-
Philippines
-
Qatar
-
Saudi Arabia
-
Taiwan
-
United Arab Emirates
-
Total international restaurants
-
Total system-wide restaurants
Food
Menu. Our restaurants offer a wide variety of menu items at attractive prices that are designed to appeal to a broad range of consumer tastes. At Texas Roadhouse restaurants, we offer a broad assortment of specially seasoned and aged steaks, all cooked over open grills and all but one hand-cut daily on the premises. We also offer our guests a selection of ribs, seafood, chicken, pork chops, pulled pork and vegetable plates, and an assortment of burgers, salads and sandwiches. Entrée prices include roasted in-shell peanuts, fresh baked yeast rolls and most include the choice of two made-from-scratch sides. Other menu items include specialty appetizers such as the "Cactus Blossom®" and "Rattlesnake Bites". We also provide a "12 & Under" menu for children that includes a selection of smaller-sized entrées served with one side item and a beverage.
At Bubba’s 33 restaurants, we offer a broad assortment of burgers, pizza and wings as well as a wide variety of appetizers, sandwiches and dinner entrées. Our Bubba’s 33 restaurants also offer an extensive selection of draft beer and signature cocktails. We provide a "12 & Under" menu for children that includes a selection of items, including a beverage.
Most of our restaurants feature a full bar that offers a selection of draft and bottled beer, major brands of liquor and wine as well as made in-house margaritas. Managing partners are encouraged to tailor their beer selection to include regional and local brands. Alcoholic beverages at all company restaurants accounted for 11.0% of restaurant sales in fiscal 2022.
We always strive to maintain a consistent menu at our restaurants. We continually review our menu to consider enhancements to existing menu items or the introduction of new items. We change our menu only after guest feedback and an extensive study of the operational and economic implications. To maintain our high levels of food quality and service, we generally remove one menu item for every new menu item introduced to facilitate our ability to execute high quality meals on a focused range of menu items.
We work with a third-party vendor to manage an online tool to provide nutritional information as well as help customers identify known allergens in each of our menu items. This information is currently available for all concepts.
Food Quality and Safety. We are committed to serving a varied menu of high quality, great tasting food items with an emphasis on freshness. We have developed proprietary recipes to promote consistency in quality and taste throughout all restaurants and provide a unique flavor experience to our guests. At each domestic Texas Roadhouse restaurant, a trained meat cutter hand cuts our steaks and other restaurant employees prepare our side items and yeast rolls from scratch in the restaurants daily. At both Texas Roadhouse and Bubba’s 33 restaurants, we assign individual kitchen employees to the preparation of designated food items in order to focus on quality, consistency, speed and food safety. Additionally, we expect a management level employee to inspect every entrée before it leaves the kitchen to confirm it matches the guest’s order and meets our standards for quality, portion size, appearance and presentation.
We employ a team of product coaches whose function is to provide continual, hands-on training and education to the kitchen staff in all of our restaurants for the purpose of reinforcing food quality, recipe consistency, food preparation procedures, food safety and sanitation standards, food appearance, freshness and portion size. The product coach team supports substantially all domestic system-wide stores.
Food safety and sanitation is of utmost importance to us. We currently utilize several additional programs to help facilitate adherence to proper food preparation procedures and food safety standards including our daily taste and temperature procedures. We have a food team whose function, in conjunction with our product coaches, is to develop, enforce and maintain programs designed to promote compliance with food safety guidelines. As a requirement of our quality assurance process, primary food items are purchased from qualified vendors who are regularly audited by reputable, outside inspection services confirming that the vendor is compliant with United States Food and Drug Administration and United States Department of Agriculture guidelines, the results of which are reviewed by our food safety team.
We perform regular food safety and sanitation audits on our restaurants and these results are reviewed by various members of operations and management. To maximize adherence to food safety protocols, we have incorporated Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points principles and critical procedures (such as hand washing) in each recipe. All restaurant managers are required to complete the American National Standards Institute Certified Food Manager training. In addition, most of our product coaches and food team members have obtained or are in the process of obtaining their Certified Professional-Food Safety designation from the National Environmental Health Association.
Procurement. Our procurement philosophy is designed to supply fresh, quality products to the restaurants at competitive prices while maximizing operating efficiencies. We negotiate directly with suppliers for substantially all food and beverage products to maximize quality and freshness and obtain competitive prices.
Food and supplies are ordered by and shipped directly to our domestic restaurants. Most food products used in the operation of our restaurants are distributed to individual restaurants through an independent national distribution company. We strive to qualify more than one supplier for all key food items and believe that beef of comparable quality as well as all other essential food and beverage products are available, upon short notice, from alternative qualified suppliers.
Service
Service Quality. We believe that guest satisfaction and our ability to continually evaluate and improve the guest experience at each of our restaurants is important to our success. We employ a team of service coaches whose function is to provide consistent, hands-on training and education to our managers and service staff in our domestic restaurants for the purpose of reinforcing service quality and consistency, teamwork, responsible alcohol service, staff attentiveness and guest interactions in the dining room.
Guest Satisfaction. Through the use of guest surveys, our websites, "texasroadhouse.com," "bubbas33.com," or "eatjaggers.com," a toll-free guest response telephone line, emails, letters, social media and personal interaction in the restaurant, we receive valuable feedback from guests. We have implemented several programs to evaluate guest satisfaction, with particular attention given to food, beverage and service quality, cleanliness, staff attitude and teamwork, and manager visibility and interaction. We continue to evaluate and implement processes relating to guest satisfaction, including reducing guest wait times, improving host interaction with the guest and improving the to-go experience for our guests.
Atmosphere. The atmosphere of our restaurants is intended to appeal to broad segments of the population. Substantially all Texas Roadhouse restaurants are of our prototype design, reflecting a rustic southwestern lodge atmosphere. The interiors feature wood walls and stained concrete floors and are decorated with hand-painted murals, neon signs, southwestern prints, rugs and artifacts. The restaurants continuously play upbeat country hits. Guests may also view a display-baking area, where our fresh baked yeast rolls are prepared, and a meat cooler displaying fresh cut steaks. While waiting for a table, guests can enjoy complimentary roasted in-shell peanuts and upon being seated at a table, guests can enjoy fresh baked yeast rolls along with roasted in-shell peanuts. Our Bubba’s 33 restaurants feature walls lined with televisions playing a variety of sports events and music videos and are decorated with sports jerseys, neon signs and other local flair.
People
Management Personnel. Each of our restaurants is generally staffed with one managing partner and a combination of operations, kitchen and service managers as well as assistant managers. Managing partners are single restaurant operators who have primary responsibility for the day-to-day operations of the entire restaurant. Operations managers support the managing partner in overall operations including both departments for kitchen and service. Kitchen managers have primary responsibility for managing sections of the kitchen staff and certain kitchen operations including food production, preparation, execution and quality standards. Service managers have primary responsibility for managing sections of the front of house staff and certain dining room, bar and to-go operations including service quality and the guest experience. Assistant managers support our managing partners, operations managers and kitchen and service managers. All managers are responsible for maintaining our standards of quality and performance.
We use market partners to oversee the operation of our restaurants. Each market partner oversees a group of varying sizes of managing partners and their respective management teams. Market partners are also responsible for the hiring and development of each restaurant’s management team and assisting in the site selection process. Through regular visits to the restaurants, the market partners facilitate adherence to all aspects of our concepts, strategies and standards of quality. To further facilitate adherence to our standards of quality and to maximize uniform execution throughout the system, we employ product coaches and service coaches who regularly visit the restaurants to assist in training of both new and existing employees and to grade food and service quality. The attentive service and high quality food, which results from each restaurant having a managing partner, at least two to four managers and the hands-on assistance of a product coach and a service coach, are critical to our success.
Managing partners and market partners are required, as a condition of employment, to sign a multi-year employment agreement. The annual compensation of our managing partners and market partners incudes a base salary plus a percentage of pre-tax income of the restaurant(s) they operate or supervise. Managing partners and market partners are eligible to participate in our equity incentive plan and are required to make refundable deposits at the time of hire that reinforces an ownership mentality. Generally, the deposits are refunded after five years of continuous service.
Training and Development. All restaurant employees are required to complete varying degrees of training before and during employment. Our comprehensive training program emphasizes our operating strategy, procedures and standards, including responsible alcohol service, and is typically conducted individually at our restaurants or in groups throughout the country.
Our managing and market partners are generally required to have significant experience in the full-service restaurant industry and are generally hired at a minimum of nine months before their placement in a new or existing restaurant to allow time to fully train in all aspects of restaurant operations. All managing partners, kitchen and service managers and other management employees are required to complete an extensive training program of up to 20 weeks, which includes training for every position in the restaurant. Trainees are validated at pre-determined points during their training by a market partner, managing partner, product coach and service coach.
We have designated a number of our restaurants to be certified as training centers by our training department. These stores are utilized to train our new and existing managers to ensure compliance with all operating procedures and guidelines. Additionally, most restaurants are staffed with training coordinators responsible for ongoing daily training needs.
For new restaurant openings, a full team of designated trainers, each specializing in a specific restaurant position, is deployed to the restaurant at least ten days before opening. Formal employee training begins seven days before opening and follows a uniform, comprehensive training course as directed by a service coach.
Marketing
Our marketing strategy aims to promote our brands while retaining a localized focus. We strive to increase comparable restaurant sales by increasing the frequency of visits by our current guests and attracting new guests to our restaurants and also by communicating and promoting our concepts’ food quality, the guest experience and value. We accomplish these objectives through three major initiatives.
Local Restaurant Marketing. Given our strategy to be a neighborhood destination, local restaurant marketing is integral in developing brand awareness in each market. Managing partners are encouraged to participate in creative community-based marketing. We also engage in a variety of promotional activities, such as contributing time, money and complimentary meals to charitable, civic and cultural programs. We employ marketing coordinators at the restaurant and market level to develop and execute the majority of the local marketing strategies.
In-restaurant Marketing. A significant portion of our marketing fund is spent communicating with our guests inside our restaurants through point of purchase materials. We believe special promotions such as Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day and Veterans Day drive notable repeat business. Our eight-week holiday gift card campaign is one of our most impactful promotions.
Advertising. Our restaurants do not rely on national television or print advertising to promote our brands. Earned local media is a critical part of our strategy that features our products and people. Our restaurants use a permission-based email loyalty program, as well as social media and digital marketing, to promote the brand and engage with our guests. Our approach to media aligns with our focus on local store marketing and community involvement. Additionally, we continue to look for ways through various strategic initiatives to drive awareness and guest engagement with our brands. This includes the introduction of branded food and retail products that are available for purchase online or in select retailers. These products include non-royalty based food and accessories as well licensing arrangements for certain alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.
Restaurant Franchise Arrangements
Franchise Restaurants. As of December 27, 2022, we had 22 franchisees that operated 100 Texas Roadhouse restaurants in 21 states and ten foreign countries. Domestically, franchise rights for our Texas Roadhouse restaurants are granted for specific restaurants only, as we have not granted any rights to develop a territory. We are currently not
accepting new domestic Texas Roadhouse franchisees. Approximately 80% of our franchise restaurants are operated by ten franchisees and no franchisee operates more than 16 restaurants.
Our standard Texas Roadhouse domestic franchise agreement has a term of ten years with two renewal options for an additional five years each if certain conditions are satisfied. Our current form of domestic franchise agreement generally requires the franchisee to pay a royalty fee based on a percentage of gross sales. In addition, domestic Texas Roadhouse franchisees are required to pay a percentage of gross sales to a national marketing fund for system-wide promotions and related efforts.
Our standard Texas Roadhouse domestic franchise agreement gives us the right, but not the obligation, to compel a franchisee to transfer its assets to us in exchange for shares of our stock, or to convert its equity interests into shares of our stock. The amount of shares that a franchisee would receive is based on a formula that is included in the franchise agreement.
We have entered into area development and franchise agreements for the development and operation of Texas Roadhouse restaurants in several foreign countries and one U.S. territory. For the existing international agreements, the franchisee is generally required to pay us a development fee for our grant of development rights in the named countries, a franchise fee for each restaurant to be opened and royalties on the sales of each restaurant.
In 2021, we entered into our first two area development agreements for Jaggers, our fast-casual concept. These agreements allow for the development and operation of restaurants in specific territories in Texas, Oklahoma, and North Carolina. As part of these agreements, the franchisees are required to pay us a development fee for our grant of development rights in the named territories, a franchise fee for each restaurant to be opened and royalties on the sales of each restaurant. We expect our first Jaggers franchise restaurant to open in 2023.
Any of our area development or franchise agreements, whether domestic or international, may be terminated if the franchisee defaults in the performance of any of its obligations under the development or franchise agreement, including its obligations to develop the territory or operate its restaurants in accordance with our standards and specifications. A franchise agreement may also be terminated if a franchisee becomes insolvent, fails to make its required payments, creates a threat to the public health or safety, ceases to operate the restaurant, or misuses our trademarks.
Franchise Compliance Assurance. We have various systems in place to promote compliance with our systems and standards, both during the development and operation of franchise restaurants. We actively work with our franchisees to support successful franchise operations as well as compliance with our standards and procedures. During the restaurant development phase, we consent to the selection of restaurant sites and make available copies of our prototype building plans to franchisees. In addition, we ensure that the building design is in compliance with our standards. We provide training to the managing partner and up to three other managers of a franchisee’s first restaurant. We also provide trainers to assist in the opening of every domestic franchise restaurant and we provide trainers to assist our international franchisees in the opening of their restaurants until such time as they develop an approved restaurant opening training program. Finally, on an ongoing basis, we conduct reviews on all franchise restaurants to determine their level of effectiveness in executing our concept at a variety of operational levels. Our franchisees are required to follow the same standards and procedures regarding equipment and food purchases, preparation and safety procedures as we maintain in our company restaurants. Reviews are conducted by seasoned operations teams and focus on key areas including health, safety and execution proficiency.
Management Services. We provide management services to certain domestic franchise restaurants, some of which we have an ownership interest and others in which we have no ownership interest. Such management services may include accounting, operational supervision, human resources, training, and food, beverage and equipment consulting for which we receive monthly fees. We also make available to these restaurants certain legal services, restaurant employees and employee benefits on a pass-through cost basis.
Information Technology
All of our company restaurants utilize computerized management information systems, which are designed to improve operating efficiencies, provide restaurant and Support Center management with timely access to financial and operating data and reduce administrative time and expense. With our current information systems, we have the ability to query, report and analyze this intelligent data on a daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and year-to-date basis and beyond, on a company-wide, concept, regional, market or individual restaurant basis. Together, this enables us to closely monitor sales, food and beverage costs and labor and operating expenses at each of our restaurants. We have a number
of systems and reports that provide comparative information that enables both restaurant and Support Center management to supervise the financial and operational performance of our restaurants and to recognize and understand trends in the business.
Restaurant hardware and software support for all of our restaurants is provided and coordinated from the restaurant Support Center in Louisville, Kentucky. We guard against business interruption by maintaining a disaster recovery plan, which includes, among other things, storing critical business information off-site, maintaining a redundant data center, testing the disaster recovery plan and providing on-site power backup.
We accept credit cards, debit cards and gift cards as payment at our restaurants. We have systems and processes in place that focus on the protection of our guests’ credit and debit card information and other private information that we are required to protect, such as our employees’ personal information. Our systems have been carefully designed and configured to safeguard against data loss or compromise. We submit our systems to regular audit and review, ensuring compliance with the requirements of Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards and to assess vulnerability in our systems. See Risk Factors in Item 1A of this Form 10-K for a discussion of risks associated with breaches of security related to confidential guest and/or employee information.
We have made several digital enhancements to improve the guest experience and better support increased volumes at our restaurants. These enhancements include a new, fully customized digital experience that allows our guests to get on the waitlist or place an order for pickup or curbside service. The new digital experience also has added gift card and payment functionality. We have also implemented texting systems which allow our dine-in guests to wait outside or in their cars and improved the to-go experience. In addition, we have implemented systems that enable touchless menus and contactless payments, providing a smoother guest checkout experience and enhanced turnaround times.
We believe that our current systems and practice of implementing regular updates will position us well to support our current needs and future growth. Information systems projects are prioritized based on strategic, financial, regulatory and other business advantage criteria.
Competition
Competition in the restaurant industry is intense. We compete with well-established food service companies on the basis of taste, quality and price of the food offered, service, atmosphere, location, take-out and delivery options as well as the overall dining experience. Our competitors include a large and diverse group of restaurant chains and individual restaurants that range from independent local operators that have opened restaurants in various markets to well-capitalized national restaurant chains. We also face competition from meal kit delivery services as well as the supermarket industry. In addition, improving product offerings of fast casual and quick-service restaurants and better execution of to-go sales, together with negative economic conditions could cause consumers to choose less expensive alternatives. Although we believe that we compete favorably with respect to each of the above channels, other restaurants and retail establishments compete for the same casual dining guests, quality site locations and restaurant-level employees as we do. We expect intense competition to continue across all aspects of the restaurant industry.
Trademarks
Our registered trademarks and service marks include, among others, our trade names and our logo and proprietary rights related to certain core menu offerings. We have registered all of our significant marks for our restaurants with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. We have registered or have registrations pending for our most significant trademarks and service marks in multiple foreign jurisdictions. To better protect our brands, we have also registered various Internet domain names. We believe that our trademarks, service marks and other proprietary rights have significant value and are important to our brand-building efforts and the marketing of our restaurant concepts.
Government Regulation
We are subject to a variety of federal, state, local and international laws affecting our business. For a discussion of the risks and potential impact on our business of a failure by us to comply with applicable laws and regulations, see Item 1A, Risk Factors.
Each of our restaurants is subject to permitting and licensing requirements and regulations by a number of government authorities, which may include, among others, alcoholic beverage control, health and safety, sanitation,
labor, zoning and public safety agencies in the state and/or municipality in which each restaurant is located. The development and operation of restaurants depends on selecting and acquiring suitable sites that satisfy our financial targets, which are subject to zoning, land use, environmental, traffic and other regulations.
In addition to domestic regulations, our international business exposes us to additional regulations, including antitrust and tax requirements, anti-boycott legislation, import/export and customs regulations and other international trade regulations, the USA Patriot Act and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. We are also subject to laws and regulations relating to the preparation and sale of food, including regulations regarding product safety, nutritional content and menu labeling.
In order to serve alcoholic beverages in our restaurants, we must comply with alcoholic beverage control regulations which require each of our restaurants to apply to a state authority, and, in certain locations, county or municipal authorities, for a license or permit to sell alcoholic beverages on the premises. These licenses or permits must be renewed annually and may be revoked or suspended for cause at any time. We are also subject in certain states to "dram shop" statutes, which generally provide a person injured by an intoxicated person the right to recover damages from an establishment that served alcoholic beverages to the intoxicated person. Consistent with industry standards, we focus on responsible alcohol service training and carry liquor liability coverage as part of our existing comprehensive general liability insurance as well as excess umbrella coverage.
Our restaurant operations are also subject to federal and state labor laws governing such matters as minimum and tipped wage requirements, overtime pay, health benefits, unemployment taxes, workers’ compensation, work eligibility requirements, working conditions, safety standards, and hiring and employment practices. A significant number of our hourly restaurant personnel receive tips as part of their compensation and are paid at or above a minimum wage rate after giving effect to applicable tips. We rely on our employees to accurately disclose the full amount of their tip income. We base our FICA tax reporting on the disclosures provided to us by our tipped employees.
Our facilities must comply with the applicable requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 ("ADA") and related state accessibility statutes. Under the ADA and related state laws, we must provide equivalent service to disabled persons and make reasonable accommodation for their employment. In addition, when constructing or undertaking remodeling of our restaurants, we must make those facilities accessible.
We are subject to laws relating to information security, privacy, cashless payments and consumer credit protection and fraud. An increasing number of governments and industry groups worldwide have established data privacy laws and standards for the protection of personal information, including social security numbers, financial information (including credit and debit card numbers) and health information.
Seasonality
Our business is subject to seasonal fluctuations. Historically, sales in most of our restaurants have been higher during the winter months of each year. Holidays, changes in weather, severe weather and similar conditions may impact sales volumes seasonally in some operating regions. As a result, our quarterly operating results and comparable restaurant sales may fluctuate due to seasonality. Accordingly, results for any one quarter are not necessarily indicative of results to be expected for any other quarter or for any year and comparable restaurant sales for any particular future period may decrease.
Human Capital Management
As of December 27, 2022, we employed approximately 82,000 people. These employees included 784 executive and administrative personnel and 3,080 restaurant management personnel, while the remainder were hourly restaurant personnel. Many of our hourly restaurant employees work part-time. None of our employees are covered by a collective bargaining agreement and we consider our employee relations to be good.
Our business relies on our ability to attract and retain talented employees. To attract and retain talent, we strive to maintain our culture through shared core values, a performance-based compensation program supported by competitive benefits and health programs, and a diverse, inclusive and supportive workplace, with opportunities for our employees to grow and develop in their careers.
Maintaining our Culture and Core Values. In our restaurants and at our Support Center, we are committed to our shared "Core Values of Passion, Partnership, Integrity, and Fun…all with Purpose". These Core Values form the foundation of who we are as a company and how we interact with respect, appreciation, and fairness towards one another every day. We also believe that diversity and inclusion are vital parts of our culture. We value and welcome employees of all walks of life to share their gifts and strengths while working in our restaurants and the Support Center, as we strive to reflect the communities we are proud to serve. As a result, we are committed to attracting, retaining, engaging and developing a workforce that mirrors the diversity of our guests and is committed to upholding our shared values.
Performance-based Compensation and Benefits. We support our employees by offering competitive wages and benefits for eligible employees. We also offer a performance-based compensation program to our managing partners and market partners. Each of these positions earn a base salary plus a performance bonus, which represents a percentage of each of their respective restaurant’s pre-tax income. By providing our partners with a significant stake in the success of our restaurants, we believe that we are able to attract and retain talented, experienced and highly motivated managing and market partners. In addition to salaries, these programs (which vary by employee level) include, among other items, bonuses, stock awards, retirement savings plans with employer matching contributions, healthcare and insurance benefits, health savings and flexible spending accounts, tuition reimbursement, paid time off, paid parental leave and various employee assistance programs.
Personal Development. We motivate and develop our employees by providing them with opportunities for increased responsibilities and advancement. We provide numerous training opportunities for our employees, with a focus on continuous learning and development. With thousands of leadership positions across our restaurants, we provide a pathway and training for thousands of individuals across the country to advance from entry-level jobs into management roles. In addition, our geographic footprint often allows us to offer our restaurant team members relocation options at similar roles when personal circumstances require it.
Health and Safety. The health and safety of our employees is a top priority and we are committed to providing a safe workplace, ensuring the safety and well-being of all team members while also ensuring that we are in compliance with all laws and regulations as well as internal policies. This commitment includes the deployment of specific sanitary protocols and safety standards to our restaurants that focus on maintaining the health and safety of our employees.
Website Access to Reports
We make our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports, filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, available, free of charge on or through our Internet website, www.texasroadhouse.com, as soon as reasonably practical after we electronically file such material with, or furnish it to, the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). The SEC maintains an internet site at www.sec.gov that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC.
Information about our Executive Officers
Set forth below are the name, age, position and a brief account of the business experience of each of our executive officers. Executive officers are appointed by our Board of Directors and serve until their successors are appointed or until resignation or removal, in accordance with their employment agreements, if applicable. There are no family relationships among any of our executive officers.
Name
Age
Position
Gerald L. Morgan
Chief Executive Officer
Regina A. Tobin
President
S. Chris Jacobsen
Chief Marketing Officer
Christopher C. Colson
Chief Legal and Administrative Officer
Hernan E. Mujica
Chief Technology Officer
Keith V. Humpich
Interim Chief Financial Officer
Gerald L. Morgan. Mr. Morgan was appointed Chief Executive Officer in March 2021. Mr. Morgan joined Texas Roadhouse in 1997, during which time he has held the positions of Managing Partner, Market Partner and Regional Market Partner. Mr. Morgan also served as President from December 2020 to January 2023. Mr. Morgan has more than 35 years of restaurant management experience with Texas Roadhouse, Bennigan’s Restaurants and Burger King.
Regina A. Tobin. Ms. Tobin was appointed President in January 2023. Ms. Tobin joined Texas Roadhouse in 1996, during which time she has held the positions of Managing Partner, Market Partner, Vice President of Training and served as Chief Learning and Culture Officer from June 2021 through her appointment as President. Ms. Tobin has more than 30 years of restaurant management experience.
S. Chris Jacobsen. Mr. Jacobsen was appointed Chief Marketing Officer in February 2016. Mr. Jacobsen joined Texas Roadhouse in January 2003 where he served as Vice President of Marketing until his appointment as Chief Marketing Officer. Mr. Jacobsen has more than 30 years of restaurant marketing experience with Texas Roadhouse, Papa John’s International and Waffle House, Inc.
Christopher C. Colson. Mr. Colson was appointed Chief Legal and Administrative Officer in January 2023 and Corporate Secretary in August 2019. Mr. Colson joined Texas Roadhouse in 2005, during which time he has held the positions of Senior Counsel, Associate General Counsel, Executive Director of the Global Development Group and General Counsel, a position he held from March 2021 through his appointment as Chief Legal and Administrative Officer. Mr. Colson has over 20 years of restaurant industry experience with Texas Roadhouse, Frost Brown Todd LLC (serving as outside counsel to Texas Roadhouse), YUM! Brands, Inc. and as assurance staff at KPMG LLP.
Hernan E. Mujica. Mr. Mujica was appointed Chief Technology Officer in January 2023. Mr. Mujica joined Texas Roadhouse in January 2012 as Vice President of Information Technology and then Chief Information Officer, a position he held from March 2021 through his appointment as Chief Technology Officer. Prior to joining Texas Roadhouse, Mr. Mujica held senior management positions at The Home Depot and Arthur Andersen. Mr. Mujica has over 30 years of experience in both industry and consulting roles.
Keith V. Humpich. Mr. Humpich was appointed Interim Chief Financial Officer in January 2023. Mr. Humpich joined Texas Roadhouse in 2005, during which time he has held the positions of Director of Internal Audit, Senior Director of Internal Audit and Vice President of Finance. Prior to joining Texas Roadhouse, Mr. Humpich held several accounting, finance and audit positions at Lexmark International and Ernst & Young, LLP. Mr. Humpich has over 30 years of accounting and finance experience.

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ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
Careful consideration should be given to the risks described below. If any of the risks and uncertainties described in the cautionary factors described below actually occurs, our business, financial condition and results of operations, and the trading price of our common stock could be materially and adversely affected. Moreover, we operate in a very competitive and rapidly changing environment. New factors emerge from time to time and it is not possible to predict the impact of all these factors on our business, financial condition or results of operations.
Risks Related to our Growth and Operating Strategy
Our quarterly operating results may fluctuate significantly and could fall below the expectations of securities analysts and investors due to a number of factors, many of which are beyond our control, resulting in a decline in our stock price.
Our quarterly operating results may fluctuate significantly because of several factors, including:
● the timing of new restaurant openings and related expenses;
● restaurant operating costs for our newly-opened restaurants, which are often significantly higher during the first several months of operation than thereafter;
● labor availability and costs for hourly and management personnel including increases relating to unionization and mandated changes in federal and/or state minimum and tipped wage rates, overtime regulations, state unemployment taxes, sick pay or health benefits and other regulatory changes relating to any of the foregoing;
● fluctuations in commodity prices and utility and energy costs;
● profitability of our restaurants, particularly in new markets;
● the impact of litigation, including negative publicity;
● decreases in average unit volume and comparable restaurant sales, including to-go sales;
● impairment of long-lived assets, including goodwill, and any loss on restaurant relocations or closures;
● general economic conditions, including an economic recession, which can affect restaurant traffic, local labor costs, and prices we pay for the food products and other supplies we use;
● negative publicity regarding food safety and other food and beverage related matters, including the integrity of our, and/or our suppliers’ food processing;
● negative publicity relating to the consumption of beef or other products we serve;
● negative publicity regarding health concerns and/or global pandemics;
● closures and/or dining rooms operating at limited capacity due to government mandated restaurant closures and/or limited availability of staff to meet our business standards;
● changes in consumer preferences and competitive conditions including changes related to environmental, social and/or governance ("ESG") pressures;
● expansion to new domestic and/or international markets;
● the impact of inclement weather, natural disasters and other calamities which impact guest traffic or product availability at our restaurants;
● increases in infrastructure costs;
● changes in interest rates;
● adoption of new, or changes in existing, accounting policies or practices;
● changes in and/or interpretations of federal and state tax laws;
● actual self-insurance claims varying from actuarial estimates; and
● competitive actions.
Our business is also subject to seasonal fluctuations. Historically, sales in most of our restaurants have been higher during the winter months of each year. Holidays, changes in weather, severe weather and similar conditions may impact sales volumes seasonally in some operating regions. As a result, our quarterly operating results and comparable restaurant sales may fluctuate as a result of seasonality. Accordingly, results for any one quarter are not necessarily indicative of results to be expected for any other quarter or for any year and comparable, restaurant sales for any particular future period may decrease. In the future, operating results may fall below the expectations of securities analysts and investors. In that event, the price of our common stock could decrease.
Our growth strategy, which primarily depends on our ability to open new restaurants that are profitable, is subject to many factors, some of which are beyond our control.
We cannot assure you that we will be able to open new restaurants that are profitable in accordance with our expansion plans. We have experienced delays in opening some of our restaurants in the past and may experience delays in the future. Delays or failures in opening new restaurants could adversely affect our growth strategy. One of our biggest challenges in executing our growth strategy may be locating and securing an adequate supply of suitable new
restaurant sites that satisfy our financial targets. Competition for suitable restaurant sites in our target markets may be intense.
Once opened, we anticipate that our new restaurants will generally take several months to reach planned operating levels due to start-up inefficiencies typically associated with new restaurants. We cannot assure you that any restaurant we open will be profitable or obtain operating results similar to those of our existing restaurants. Some of our new restaurants will be located in areas where we have little or no meaningful experience. Those new markets may have smaller trade areas and different competitive conditions, consumer tastes and discretionary spending patterns than our traditional, existing markets, which may cause our new store locations to be less successful than restaurants in our existing market areas. Restaurants opened in new markets may open at lower average weekly sales volume than restaurants opened in existing markets and may have higher restaurant-level operating expense ratios than in existing markets. Sales at restaurants opened in new markets may take longer to reach average unit volume, if at all, thereby affecting our overall profitability. Additionally, the opening of a new restaurant could negatively impact sales at one or more of our existing nearby restaurants, which could adversely affect our financial performance.
Our ability to open new restaurants that are profitable will also depend on numerous other factors, many of which are beyond our control, including, but not limited to, the following:
● our ability to hire, train and retain qualified operating personnel, especially market partners, managing partners, and/or other restaurant management personnel who can execute our business strategy and maintain our culture and brand standards;
● our ability to negotiate suitable purchase or lease terms to execute our business strategy;
● the availability of construction materials, equipment and labor;
● our ability to control construction and development costs of new restaurants (including increased site, supply chain and distribution costs);
● our ability to secure required governmental approvals and permits in a timely manner, or at all;
● road construction and other factors limiting access to the restaurant;
● delays by our landlord or other developers in constructing other parts of a development adjacent to our premises in a timely manner;
● redevelopment of other parts of a development adjacent to our premises that affect the parking available for our restaurant;
● our ability to secure liquor licenses, or at all;
● general economic conditions, including an economic recession;
● changes in federal, state and/or local tax laws;
● the cost and availability of capital to fund construction costs and pre-opening expenses; and
● the impact of inclement weather, natural disasters and other calamities.
You should not rely on past changes in our average unit volume or our comparable restaurant sales as an indication of our future results of operations because they may fluctuate significantly.
A number of factors have historically affected, and will continue to affect, our average unit volume and comparable restaurant sales, including, among other factors:
● consumer awareness and understanding of our concepts;
● our ability to execute our business strategy effectively;
● our ability to maintain and manage the increased levels of to-go sales at our restaurants;
● competition, from our competitors in the restaurant industry, our own restaurants, and/or other food service providers (such as delivery services and grocery stores);
● the impact of permanent changes in weather patterns that can cause inclement weather, natural disasters and other calamities;
● consumer trends and seasonality;
● our ability to increase menu prices without adversely impacting guest traffic counts or per person average check growth;
● introduction of new menu items;
● loss of parking and/or access rights due to government action (such as eminent domain actions) or through private transactions;
● government mandated dining room closures and/or dining rooms operating at limited capacity due to health epidemics or pandemics;
● negative publicity regarding food safety, health concerns, quality of service, and other food or beverage related matters, including the integrity of our or our suppliers’ food processing;
● general economic conditions, including an economic recession, which can affect restaurant traffic, local labor costs and prices we pay for the food and beverage products and other supplies we use;
● legislation that impacts our suppliers’ ability to maintain compliance with laws and regulations and impacts our ability to source product; and
● effects of actual or threatened terrorist attacks (including cyber and/or ransomware attacks).
Our average unit volume and comparable restaurant sales may not increase at rates achieved in the past, which may affect our sales growth and will continue to be a critical factor affecting our profitability. In addition, changes in our average unit volume and comparable restaurant sales could cause the price of our common stock to significantly fluctuate.
The development and/or acquisition of new restaurant concepts may not contribute to our growth.
The development of new restaurant concepts, including Bubba’s 33 and Jaggers, created internally or acquired as a part of our other strategic initiatives may not be as successful as our experience in the development of the Texas Roadhouse concept. These concepts may have lower brand awareness and less operating experience than most Texas Roadhouse restaurants. In addition, they may have a higher initial investment cost and/or a lower per person average check amount. As a result, the development and/or acquisition of new restaurant concepts may not contribute to our average unit volume growth and/or profitability in an incremental way. We can provide no assurance that new units will be accepted in the markets targeted for expansion and/or that we or our franchisees will be able to achieve our targeted returns when opening new locations. In the future, we may determine not to move forward with any further expansion and/or acquisition of new restaurant concepts. These decisions could limit or delay our overall long-term growth. Additionally, expansion and/or acquisition of new restaurant concepts might divert our management’s attention from other business concerns or initiatives and could have an adverse impact on our core Texas Roadhouse business.
Our expansion into international markets presents increased economic, political, regulatory and other risks.
As of December 27, 2022, our operations include 38 Texas Roadhouse franchise restaurants in ten countries outside the United States, and we expect to have further international expansion in the future with one or more of our concepts. The entrance into international markets may not be as successful as our experience in the development of the Texas Roadhouse concept domestically or any success we have had with the Texas Roadhouse concept in other international markets. In addition, operating in international markets may require significant resources and management attention and will subject us to economic, political and regulatory risks that are different from and incremental to those in the United States. In addition to the risks that we face in the United States, our international operations involve risks that could adversely affect our business, including:
● the need to adapt our concepts for specific cultural and language differences;
● new and different sources of competition;
● the ability to identify appropriate business partners;
● difficulties and costs associated with staffing and managing foreign operations;
● difficulties in adapting and sourcing product specifications for international restaurant locations;
● fluctuations in currency exchange rates, which could impact royalties, revenue and expenses of our international operations and expose us to foreign currency exchange rate risk;
● difficulties in complying with local laws, regulations, and customs in foreign jurisdictions;
● unexpected changes in regulatory requirements or tariffs on goods needed to construct and/or operate our restaurants;
● political or social unrest, economic instability and destabilization of a region;
● effects of actual or threatened terrorist attacks;
● health concerns from global pandemics;
● compliance with U.S. laws such as the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and similar laws in foreign jurisdictions;
● differences in the registration and/or enforceability of intellectual property and contract rights;
● adverse tax consequences;
● profit repatriation and other restrictions on the transfer of funds; and
● different and more stringent user protection, data protection, privacy and other laws.
Our failure to manage any of these risks successfully could harm our future international operations and our overall business and results of our operations.
We are also subject to governmental regulations throughout the world impacting the way we do business with our international franchisees. These include antitrust and tax requirements, anti-boycott regulations, import/export/customs, tariffs and other international trade regulations, the USA Patriot Act and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Failure to comply with any such legal requirements could subject us to monetary liabilities and other sanctions, which could adversely impact our business and financial performance.
Acquisition of existing restaurants from our domestic franchisees and other strategic initiatives may have unanticipated consequences that could harm our business and our financial condition.
We plan to continue to opportunistically acquire existing restaurants from our domestic franchisees over time. Additionally, from time to time, we evaluate potential mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures or other strategic initiatives
(including retail initiatives utilizing our intellectual property or other brand extensions) to acquire or develop additional business channels or concepts, and/or change the business strategy regarding an existing concept. To successfully execute any acquisition or development strategy, we will need to identify suitable acquisition or development candidates, negotiate acceptable acquisition or development terms and possibly obtain appropriate financing.
Any acquisition or future development that we pursue, including the on-going development of new concepts or retail initiatives utilizing our intellectual property, whether or not successfully completed, may involve risks, including:
● material adverse effects on our operating results, particularly in the fiscal quarters immediately following the acquisition or development as the restaurants are integrated into our operations;
● risks associated with entering into new domestic markets or conducting operations where we have no or limited prior experience;
● risks associated with successfully integrating new employees, processes and systems while also maintaining our culture and brand standards;
● risks inherent in accurately assessing the value, future growth potential, strengths, weaknesses, contingent and other liabilities and potential profitability of acquisition candidates, and our ability to achieve projected economic and operating synergies, without impacting our underlying business; and
● the diversion of management’s attention from other business concerns.
Future acquisitions of existing restaurants from our franchisees or other strategic partners, which may be accomplished through a cash purchase transaction, the issuance of shares of common stock or a combination of both, could have a dilutive impact on holders of our common stock, and result in the incurrence of debt and contingent liabilities and impairment charges related to goodwill and other tangible and intangible assets, any of which could harm our business and financial condition. Additionally, following a franchise acquisition, we may be required to incur substantial capital improvement costs to meet company standards, which could impact our return on such acquisition.
Additionally, we may evaluate other means to leverage our competitive strengths, including the expansion of our products across other strategic initiatives or business opportunities (including retail initiatives utilizing our intellectual property). The expansion of our products may damage our reputation if products bearing our brands are not of the same quality or value that guests associate with our concepts. In addition, we may experience dilution of the goodwill associated with our concepts as they become more common and increasingly accessible.
We are subject to all of the risks associated with leasing space subject to long-term non-cancelable leases, as well as risks related to renewal.
The majority of our company restaurants are located on leased premises. Additional sites that we lease are likely to be subject to similar long-term non-cancelable leases. In connection with the relocation, other operational changes, or closure of any restaurant, we may nonetheless be committed to perform on our obligations under the applicable lease including, among other things, paying the base rent and real estate taxes for the balance of the lease term. We also are subject to landlord actions that could negatively impact our business or operations.
In addition, as each of our leases expires, there can be no assurance we will be able to renew our expiring leases after the expiration of all remaining renewal options, either on commercially acceptable terms or at all. As a result, at the end of the lease term and expiration of all renewal periods, we may be unable to renew the lease without substantial additional cost, if at all. As a result, we may be required to relocate or close a restaurant, which could subject us to construction and other costs and risks, and may have an adverse effect on our operating performance.
Approximately 21% of our company restaurants are located in Texas and Florida and, as a result, we are sensitive to economic and other trends and developments in those states.
As of December 27, 2022, we operated a total of 81 company restaurants in Texas and 44 company restaurants in Florida. As a result, we are particularly susceptible to adverse trends and economic conditions in those states, including any state mandated changes in minimum and tipped wage rates and economic pressures that may result in lower sales and profits at our restaurants. In addition, given our geographic concentration in these states, negative publicity regarding any of our restaurants in either Texas or Florida could have a material adverse effect on our business and
operations, as could other occurrences in either Texas or Florida such as health epidemics or pandemics, local strikes, energy shortages or extreme fluctuations in energy prices, droughts, earthquakes, hurricanes, fires or other natural disasters.
Changes in consumer preferences and discretionary spending could adversely affect our business.
Our success depends, in part, upon the popularity of our food products. Continued social concerns or shifts in consumer preferences away from our restaurants or food offerings, particularly beef, could harm our business. Also, our success depends to a significant extent on discretionary consumer spending, which is influenced by general economic conditions and the availability of discretionary income. Accordingly, we may experience declines in sales during economic downturns, pandemics or other periods of uncertainty. Any material decline in the amount of discretionary spending could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition or liquidity.
We may not be able to obtain and maintain licenses and permits necessary to operate our restaurants and compliance with governmental laws and regulations could adversely affect our operating results.
The restaurant industry is subject to various federal, state and local government regulations, including those relating to the sale of food and alcoholic beverages. Such regulations are subject to change from time to time, sometimes without notice to us. The failure to obtain and maintain these licenses, permits and approvals, including liquor licenses, could adversely affect our operating results. Difficulties or failure to obtain the required licenses and approvals could delay or result in our decision to cancel the opening of new restaurants. Local authorities may revoke, suspend or deny renewal of our liquor licenses if they determine that our conduct violates applicable regulations.
In addition to our having to comply with these licensing requirements, various federal and state labor laws govern our relationship with our employees and affect operating costs. These laws include minimum and tipped wage requirements, overtime pay, health benefits, unemployment taxes, workers’ compensation, work eligibility requirements and working conditions. A number of factors could adversely affect our operating results, including:
● additional government-imposed increases in minimum and/or tipped wages, hourly and overtime pay, paid leaves of absence, sick leave, and mandated health benefits;
● increased tax reporting and tax payment requirements for employees who receive gratuities;
● any failure of our employees to comply with laws and regulations governing work authorization or residency requirements resulting in disruption of our work force and adverse publicity;
● a reduction in the number of states that allow gratuities to be credited toward minimum wage requirements, or a federal mandate prohibiting such credits; and
● increased litigation including claims under federal and/or state wage and hour laws.
The federal Americans with Disabilities Act prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in public accommodations and employment. Although our restaurants and other places of accommodation are designed to be accessible to the disabled, we could be required to make unexpected modifications to provide service to, or make reasonable accommodations, for disabled persons.
Our failure or inability to enforce our trademarks or other proprietary rights could adversely affect our competitive position or the value of our brand.
We own certain common law trademark rights and a number of federal and international trademark and service mark registrations, including our trade names and logos, and proprietary rights relating to certain of our core menu offerings. We believe that our trademarks and other proprietary rights are important to our success and our competitive position. Therefore, we devote appropriate resources to the protection of our trademarks and proprietary rights. However, the protective actions that we take may not be enough to prevent unauthorized usage or imitation by others, which could harm our image, brand or competitive position and, if we commence litigation to enforce our rights, cause us to incur significant legal fees. Our inability to register or protect our marks and other proprietary rights in foreign jurisdictions could adversely affect our competitive position in international markets.
We cannot assure you that third parties will not claim that our trademarks or menu offerings infringe upon their proprietary rights. Any such claim, whether or not it has merit, could be time-consuming, result in costly litigation, cause delays in introducing new menu items in the future or require us to enter into royalty or licensing agreements. As a result, any such claim could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition or liquidity.
Issues relating to ESG topics could adversely affect our operating results.
Entities across all industries are facing increased interest related to their ESG compliance and practices. Evolving consumer and investor interest and preferences as well as governmental regulation may result in additional transparency, due diligence, reporting and specific target-setting with regard to our business and supply chain that could result in additional costs to comply with such demands. Failure to comply with the increased demands could result in public or investor scrutiny and/or litigation and could have an adverse effect on our business. Establishing targets or making other public commitments due to these demands, without a full or complete understanding of the cost or operational impact of changes in our supply chain or operating model, could also adversely affect our business and financial condition.
We are subject to increasing legal complexity and could be party to litigation that could adversely affect us.
Increasing legal complexity will continue to affect our operations and results. We could be subject to legal proceedings that may adversely affect our business, including class actions, administrative proceedings, government investigations, employment and personal injury claims, claims alleging violations of federal and state laws regarding consumer, workplace and employment matters, wage and hour claims, discrimination and similar matters, landlord/tenant disputes, disputes with current and former suppliers, claims by current and former franchisees, data privacy claims and intellectual property claims (including claims that we infringed upon another party’s trademarks, copyrights or patents). Inconsistent standards imposed by governmental authorities can adversely affect our business and increase our exposure to litigation which could result in significant judgments, including punitive and liquidated damages, and injunctive relief.
Occasionally, our guests file complaints or lawsuits against us alleging that we are responsible for an illness or injury they suffered as a result of a visit to our restaurants, or that we have problems with food quality or operations. As a Company, we take responsible alcohol service seriously. However, we are subject to "dram shop" statutes. These statutes generally allow a person injured by an intoxicated person to recover damages from an establishment that served alcoholic beverages to the intoxicated person. Some litigation against restaurant chains has resulted in significant judgments, including punitive damages, under dram shop statutes. Because a plaintiff may seek punitive damages, which may not be covered by insurance, this type of action could have an adverse impact on our financial condition and results of operations.
Litigation involving our relationship with franchisees and the legal distinction between our franchisees and us for employment law purposes, if determined adversely, could increase costs, negatively impact the business prospects of our franchisees and subject us to incremental liability for their actions.
Our operating results could also be affected by the following:
● The relative level of our defense costs and nature and procedural status of pending proceedings;
● The cost and other effects of settlements, judgments or consent decrees, which may require us to make disclosures or to take other actions that may affect perceptions of our brands and products;
● Adverse results of pending or future litigation, including litigation challenging the composition and preparation of our products, or the appropriateness or accuracy of our marketing or other communication practices; and
● The scope and terms of insurance or indemnification protections that we may have (if any).
Regardless of whether any claims against us are valid or whether we are liable, claims may be expensive to defend and may divert time, attention and money away from our operations and hurt our performance. A judgment significantly in excess of any applicable insurance coverage could have significant adverse effect on our financial condition or results of operations. Further, adverse publicity resulting from these claims may hurt our business.
Our current insurance may not provide adequate levels of coverage against claims.
We currently maintain insurance customary for businesses of our size and type. However, there are types of losses we may incur that cannot be insured against or that we believe are not economically reasonable to insure. Such damages could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and/or liquidity. In addition, we self-insure a significant portion of expected losses under our health, workers’ compensation, general liability, employment practices liability, cybersecurity and property insurance programs. Unanticipated changes in the actuarial assumptions and management estimates underlying our reserves for these losses could result in significantly different amounts of expense under these programs, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and liquidity.
Decreased cash flow from operations, or an inability to access credit, could negatively affect our business initiatives or may result in our inability to execute our revenue, expense, and capital allocation strategies.
Our ability to fund our operating plans and to implement our capital allocation strategies depends on sufficient cash flow from operations and/or other financing, including the use of funding under our amended revolving credit facility. We also may seek access to the debt and/or equity capital markets. There can be no assurance, however, that these sources of financing will be available on terms favorable to us, or at all. Our capital allocation strategies include, but are not limited to, new restaurant development, payment of dividends, refurbishment or relocation of existing restaurants, repurchases of our common stock and franchise acquisitions. If we experience decreased cash flow from operations, our ability to fund our operations and planned initiatives, and to take advantage of growth opportunities, may be delayed or negatively affected. In addition, these disruptions or a negative effect on our revenue could affect our ability to borrow or comply with our covenants under our amended revolving credit facility. If we are unable to raise additional capital, our growth could be impeded.
Our existing credit facility limits our ability to incur additional debt.
The lenders’ obligation to extend credit under our amended revolving credit facility depends on our maintaining certain financial covenants. If we are unable to maintain these covenants, we would be unable to obtain additional financing under this amended revolving credit facility. The amended revolving credit facility permits us to incur additional secured or unsecured indebtedness outside the revolving credit facility, except for the incurrence of secured indebtedness that in the aggregate is equal to or greater than $125.0 million and 20% of our consolidated tangible net worth or circumstances where the incurrence of secured or unsecured indebtedness would prevent us from complying with our financial covenants. If we are unable to borrow additional capital or have sufficient liquidity to either repay or refinance the then outstanding balance at the expiration of our amended revolving credit facility, or upon violation of the covenants, our growth could be impeded and our financial performance could be significantly adversely affected.
Changes in tax laws and unanticipated tax liabilities could adversely affect our financial results.
We are primarily subject to income and other taxes in the United States. Our effective income tax rate and other taxes in the future could be affected by a number of factors, including changes in the valuation of deferred tax assets and liabilities, changes in tax laws or other legislative changes and the outcome of income tax audits. Any significant increases in income tax rates, changes in income tax laws or unfavorable resolution of tax matters could have a material adverse impact on our financial results.
We may be required to record additional impairment charges in the future.
In accordance with accounting guidance as it relates to the impairment of long-lived assets, we make certain estimates and projections with regard to company restaurant operations, as well as our overall performance in connection with our impairment analysis for long-lived assets. When impairment triggers are deemed to exist for any company restaurant, the estimated undiscounted future cash flows for the restaurant are compared to its carrying value. If the carrying value exceeds the undiscounted cash flows, an impairment charge would be recorded equal to the difference between the carrying value and the estimated fair value.
We review the value of our goodwill on an annual basis and also when events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of goodwill or other intangible assets may exceed the fair value of such assets. The estimates of fair value are based upon the best information available as of the date of the assessment and incorporate management assumptions about expected future cash flows and contemplate other valuation measurements and techniques.
The estimates of fair value used in these analyses require the use of judgment, certain assumptions and estimates of future operating results. If actual results differ from our estimates or assumptions, additional impairment charges may be required in the future. If impairment charges are significant, our results of operations could be adversely affected.
Failure to retain the services of our key management personnel, or to successfully execute succession planning and attract additional qualified personnel could harm our business.
Our future success depends on the continued services and performance of our key management personnel and our ability to develop future successors of such personnel as a part of our succession planning. Our future performance will depend on our ability to motivate and retain these and other key officers, employees and managers, particularly regional market partners, market partners and managing partners. Competition for these employees is intense. The loss of the services of members of our senior management team or other key officers or managers or the inability to attract additional qualified personnel as needed could significantly harm our business. In addition, our business could suffer from any actual or alleged misconduct of any of our key personnel.
Our franchisees could take actions that could harm our business.
Both our domestic and international franchisees are contractually obligated to operate their restaurants in accordance with our applicable restaurant operating standards. We also provide training and support to franchisees. However, most franchisees are independent third parties that we do not control, and these franchisees own, operate and oversee the daily operations of their restaurants. As a result, the ultimate success and quality of any franchise restaurant rests with the franchisee. If franchisees do not successfully operate restaurants in a manner consistent with our standards, our image and reputation could be harmed, which in turn could adversely affect our business and operating results.
Risks Related to Information Technology and Privacy
We rely heavily on information technology, and any material failure, weakness, ransomware or interruption could prevent us from effectively operating our business.
We rely heavily on information systems in all aspects of our operations, including point-of-sale systems, digital apps, financial systems, marketing programs, e-commerce and various other processes and transactions. This reliance has significantly increased in recent years as we have had to rely to a greater extent on systems such as online ordering, contactless payments, online waitlists, and systems supporting a more remote workforce as our guests are increasingly using our website and digital applications to place and pay for their orders. Our point-of-sale processing in our restaurants includes collection of cash, credit cards, debit cards, gift cards and other processes and procedures. Our ability to efficiently and effectively manage our business depends significantly on the reliability, security and capacity of these systems. As our business needs continue to evolve, these systems will require upgrading and maintenance over time, consequently requiring significant future commitments of resources and capital. Additionally, as we become increasingly reliant on digital ordering and payment as a sales channel, our business could be negatively impacted if we are unable to successfully implement, execute or maintain our consumer-facing digital initiatives.
The failure of these systems to operate effectively, maintenance problems, upgrading or transitioning to new platforms or a material breach in the security of these systems could result in delays or errors to guest service and reduce efficiency in our operations. In addition, as we implement new technology platforms to improve the overall guest experience, there can be no guarantees that these platforms will operate as reliably or be as operationally impactful as intended.
We have disaster recovery procedures and business continuity plans in place to address events of a crisis nature, including tornadoes and other natural disasters, and back up off-site locations for recovery of electronic and other forms of data information. However, if we are unable to fully implement our disaster recovery plans, we may experience delays in recovery of data, inability to perform vital corporate functions, tardiness in required reporting and compliance, failures to adequately support field operations and other breakdowns in normal communication and operating procedures that could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and exposure to administrative and other legal claims.
We outsource certain business processes to third-party vendors that subject us to risks, including disruptions in business and increased costs.
Some business processes are currently outsourced to third parties, including such processes as information technology, gift card tracking, credit and debit card authorization and processing, insurance claims processing, unemployment claims processing, payroll tax filings, vendor payment processing and other accounting processes. We continually evaluate our other business processes to determine if additional outsourcing is a viable, and the most appropriate, option to accomplish our goals. We make a diligent effort to validate that all providers of outsourced services maintain customary internal controls, such as redundant processing facilities and adequate security frameworks to guard against breaches or data loss; however, there are no guarantees that failures will not occur. Failure of third parties to provide adequate services or internal controls over their processes could have an adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition or ability to accomplish our financial and management reporting.
We may incur increased costs to comply with privacy and data protection laws and, if we fail to comply or our systems are compromised by a security breach, we could be subject to government enforcement actions, private litigation and adverse publicity.
New, modified and existing privacy and data protection laws and regulations may result in significant costs and compliance challenges and adversely affect our business and financial condition. These privacy laws and regulations, which are constantly evolving, may be interpreted by regulatory authorities in new and differing manners and such interpretations may be inconsistent among jurisdictions. We may incur increased costs to comply with increasingly demanding privacy laws and regulations. We could also be subject to government enforcement actions, private litigation and adverse publicity including reputational damage and loss of guest confidence.
We receive and maintain certain personal, financial or other information about our guests, vendors and employees. In 2022, approximately 85% of our transactions were by credit or debit cards. In addition, certain of our vendors receive and/or maintain certain personal, financial and other information about our employees and guests on our behalf. The use and handling, including security, of this information is regulated by privacy and data protection laws and regulations in various jurisdictions, as well as by certain third-party contracts, frameworks and industry standards, such as the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard. Hardware, software or other applications we develop and procure from third parties may contain defects in design or manufacture or other problems that could unexpectedly compromise information security. Unauthorized parties may also attempt to gain access to our systems and facilities through fraud, trickery or other forms of deceiving our employees or vendors.
In addition, if our security and information systems are compromised as a result of data corruption or loss, cyber-attack or a network security incident, or if our employees or vendors (or other persons or entities with which we do business with) fail to comply with such laws and regulations or fail to meet industry standards and this information is obtained by unauthorized persons or used inappropriately, it could result in liabilities and penalties and could damage our reputation, cause interruption of normal business performance, cause us to incur substantial costs and result in a loss of guest confidence, which could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition. Additionally, we could be subject to litigation and government enforcement actions as a result of any such failure. Any such claim or proceeding could cause us to incur significant unplanned expenses in excess of our insurance coverage, which could have a material impact on our financial condition and results of operations. In addition, if there are malfunctions or other problems with our processing vendors, billing software or payment processing systems, it may cause interruption of normal business performance.
Risks Related to the Restaurant Industry
Changes in food and supply costs and/or availability of products could adversely affect our results of operations.
Our profitability depends in part on our ability to anticipate and react to changes in food and supply costs and/or the availability of products necessary to operate our business, including increased costs arising from federal and/or state mandated requirements. Any increase in food prices or loss of supply, particularly proteins, could adversely affect our operating results. In addition, we are susceptible to increases in food costs as a result of factors beyond our control, such as food supply constrictions, weather conditions, food safety concerns, global pandemics, product recalls, global market and trade conditions, and government regulations. We cannot predict whether we will be able to anticipate and react to changing food costs and/or loss of supply by adjusting our purchasing practices, menu prices or menu offerings, and a failure to do so could adversely affect our operating results. Extreme and/or long term increases in commodity prices
could adversely affect our future results, especially if we are unable, primarily due to competitive reasons, to increase menu prices. Additionally, if there is a time lag between the increasing commodity prices and our ability to increase menu prices or if we believe the commodity price increase to be short in duration and we choose not to pass on the cost increases, our short-term results could be negatively affected. Also, if we adjust pricing there is no assurance that we will realize the full benefit of any adjustment due to changes in our guests’ menu item selections and guest traffic.
We currently purchase the majority of our beef from four beef suppliers with all of our beef coming from the United States or Canada. While we maintain relationships with additional suppliers, if any of these vendors were unable to fulfill its obligations under its contracts, we could encounter supply shortages and incur higher costs to secure adequate supplies, either of which would harm our business.
Our business could be adversely affected by increased labor costs or labor shortages.
Labor is a primary component in the cost of operating our business. We devote significant resources to recruiting and training our restaurant managers and hourly employees. Increased labor costs due to competition, unionization, increased minimum and tipped wages, changes in hourly and overtime pay, state unemployment rates, sick pay or other employee benefits costs (including workers’ compensation and health insurance), company staffing initiatives or otherwise any regulatory changes resulting from any of the foregoing would adversely impact our operating expenses. In addition, failure to adequately monitor and proactively respond to employee dissatisfaction could lead to poor guest satisfaction, higher turnover, litigation and unionization efforts, which could negatively impact our financial results.
Increased competition for qualified employees caused by a shortage in the labor pool exerts upward pressure on wages paid to attract and retain such personnel, resulting in higher labor costs, together with greater recruitment and training expense. We could suffer from significant indirect costs, including restaurant disruptions due to management or hourly labor turnover and potential delays in new restaurant openings. A shortage in the labor pool could also cause our restaurants to be required to operate with reduced staff which could negatively impact our ability to provide adequate service levels to our guests resulting in adverse guest reactions and a possible reduction in guest traffic counts. Additionally, personal or public health concerns might make some existing personnel or potential candidates reluctant to work in enclosed restaurant environments.
We have many restaurants located in states or municipalities where the minimum and/or tipped wage is greater than the federal minimum and/or tipped wage. We anticipate that additional legislation significantly increasing minimum and/or tipped wage standards will be enacted in future periods and in other jurisdictions. In addition, regulatory actions which result in changes to healthcare eligibility, design and cost structure could occur. Any increases in minimum and/or tipped wages or increases in employee benefits costs will result in higher labor costs.
Our operating margin will be adversely affected to the extent that we are unable or are unwilling to offset any increase in these labor costs through higher prices on our products. Our distributors and suppliers also may be affected by higher minimum wage and benefit standards which could result in higher costs for goods and services supplied to us. Our success depends on our ability to attract, motivate and retain qualified employees to keep pace with our growth strategy. If we are unable to do so, our results of operations may also be adversely affected.
Our objective to increase sales and profits at existing restaurants could be adversely affected by macroeconomic conditions.
In future periods, the U.S. and global economies could further suffer from a downturn in economic activity. Recessionary economic cycles, higher interest rates, higher fuel and other energy costs, inflation, increases in commodity prices, higher levels of unemployment, higher consumer debt levels, higher tax rates and other changes in tax laws, financial market volatility, social unrest, government spending, a low or stagnant pace of economic recovery and growth, or other economic factors that may affect consumer spending or buying habits could adversely affect the demand for our products. In addition, there is no assurance that any governmental plans to stimulate the economy will foster growth in consumer spending or buying habits. As in the past, we could experience reduced guest traffic or we may be unable or unwilling to increase the prices we charge for our products to offset higher costs or fewer transactions, either of which could reduce our sales and profit margins. Also, landlords or other tenants in the shopping centers in which some of our restaurants are located may experience difficulty as a result of macroeconomic trends or cease to operate, which could in turn negatively affect guest traffic at our restaurants. All of these factors could have a material adverse impact on our business, results of operations, financial condition or liquidity.
Our success depends on our ability to compete with many food service businesses.
The restaurant industry is intensely competitive. We compete with many well-established food service companies on the basis of taste, quality and price of products offered, guest service, atmosphere, location, take-out and delivery options and overall guest experience. Our competitors include a large and diverse group of restaurant chains and individual restaurants that range from independent local operators that have opened restaurants in various markets to well-capitalized national restaurant chains. We also face competition from meal kit delivery services as well as the supermarket industry. In addition, improving product offerings of fast casual and quick-service restaurants, together with negative economic conditions could cause consumers to choose less expensive alternatives. As our competitors expand their operations, we expect competition to intensify. We also compete with other restaurant chains and other retail establishments for quality site locations and employees. Additionally, our competitors may generate or better implement business strategies that improve the value and the relevance of their brands and reputation, relative to ours. This could include the testing of delivery via internal or third-party methods or better execution around guests’ to-go experience.
The food service industry is affected by litigation and publicity concerning food quality, health and other issues, which can cause guests to avoid our restaurants and result in significant liabilities or litigation costs.
Food service businesses can be adversely affected by litigation and complaints from guests, consumer groups or government authorities resulting from food quality, illness, injury or other health concerns or operating issues stemming from one restaurant or a limited number of restaurants. Adverse publicity about these allegations may negatively affect us, regardless of whether the allegations are true, by discouraging guests from eating at our restaurants. We could also incur significant liabilities if a lawsuit or claim results in a decision against us or litigation costs regardless of the result.
Our business could be adversely affected by our inability to respond to or effectively manage social media.
As part of our marketing strategy, we utilize social media platforms to promote our concepts and attract and retain guests. Our strategy may not be successful, resulting in expenses incurred without improvement in guest traffic or brand relevance. In addition, a variety of risks are associated with the use of social media, including improper disclosure of proprietary information, negative comments about us, exposure of personally identifiable information, fraud, or dissemination of false information. The inappropriate use of social media vehicles by our guests or employees could increase our costs, lead to litigation or result in negative publicity that could damage our reputation and adversely affect our results of operations.
Given the marked increase in the use of social media platforms, individuals have access to a broad audience of consumers and other interested persons. The availability of information on social media platforms is virtually immediate as is its impact. Many social media platforms immediately publish the content their subscribers and participants post, often without filters or checks on the accuracy of the content posted. Information concerning our Company may be posted on such platforms at any time. Additionally, social media has increasingly been utilized to target specific companies or brands as a result of a variety of actions or inactions, or perceived actions or inactions, that are disfavored by interest groups and such campaigns can rapidly accelerate and impact consumer behavior. If we are unable to quickly and effectively respond to such reports, we may suffer declines in guest traffic. The impact may be immediate without affording us an opportunity for redress or correction. These factors could have a material adverse impact on our business.
Health, social and environmental concerns relating to the consumption or sourcing of beef or other food products could affect consumer preferences and could negatively impact our results of operations.
Like other restaurant chains, consumer preferences could be affected by concerns about the consumption or sourcing of beef, the key ingredient in many of our menu items, or negative publicity concerning food quality and food safety, including food-borne illnesses. In addition, consumer preferences may be impacted by current and future menu-labeling requirements or social and environmental concerns about the sourcing of food products throughout our supply chain. Future regulatory action may occur which could result in further changes in the nutritional and environmental disclosure requirements. We cannot make any assurances regarding our ability to effectively respond to changes in consumer perceptions and to adapt our menu offerings to prevailing trends. The imposition of menu-labeling and food sourcing laws or regulations could have an adverse effect on our results of operations and financial position, as well as the restaurant industry in general. The labeling and sourcing requirements and any negative publicity concerning any of the food products we serve may adversely affect demand for our food and could result in a decrease in guest traffic to
our restaurants. If we react to labeling or sourcing requirements or negative publicity by changing our concepts or our menu offerings or their ingredients, we may lose guests who do not prefer the new concept or products, and we may not be able to attract sufficient new guests to produce the revenue needed to make our restaurants profitable. In addition, we may have different or additional competitors for our intended guests as a result of a change in our concept and may not be able to compete successfully against those competitors. A decrease in guest traffic to our restaurants as a result of these health, social and environmental concerns or negative publicity or as a result of a change in our menu or concept could significantly harm our business.
Food safety and sanitation, food-borne illness and health concerns may have an adverse effect on our business by reducing demand and increasing costs.
Food safety and sanitation is a top priority, and we dedicate substantial resources to help our guests enjoy safe, quality food products. However, food-borne illnesses and food safety issues occur in the food industry from time to time. Any report or publicity, whether true or not, linking us to instances of food-borne illness or other food safety issues, including food tampering or contamination, could adversely affect our concepts and reputation as well as our revenue and profits. In addition, instances of food-borne illness, food tampering or food contamination occurring solely at restaurants of our competitors could result in negative publicity about the food service industry generally and adversely impact our revenue and profits.
Furthermore, our reliance on third-party food suppliers and distributors increases the risk that food-borne illness incidents could be caused by factors outside of our control and that multiple locations would be affected rather than a single restaurant. While we attempt to minimize the risk, we cannot assure 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 and should not be used in our restaurants. If our guests become ill from food-borne illnesses, we could be forced to temporarily close some restaurants. Furthermore, any instances of food contamination, whether or not at our restaurants, could subject us or our suppliers to a food recall.
In addition to the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19, the United States and other countries have experienced, or may experience in the future, outbreaks of viruses, such as Hepatitis A, Norovirus, Ebola, Avian Flu, SARS and H1N1. To the extent that a virus is food-borne, future outbreaks may adversely affect the price and availability of certain food products and cause our guests to eat less of a product which may have a significant adverse effect on our business.
Risks Related to Our Corporate Structure
Provisions in our charter documents and Delaware law may delay or prevent our acquisition by a third party.
Our certificate of incorporation and by-laws contain several provisions that may make it more difficult for a third party to acquire control of us without the approval of our Board of Directors (the "Board"). These provisions include, among other things, advance notice for raising business or making nominations at meetings and "blank check" preferred stock. Blank check preferred stock enables our Board, without approval of the shareholders, to designate and issue additional series of preferred stock with such dividend, liquidation, conversion, voting or other rights, including the right to issue convertible securities with no limitations on conversion, as our Board may determine. The issuance of blank check preferred stock may adversely affect the voting and other rights of the holders of our common stock as our Board may designate and issue preferred stock with terms that are senior to our common stock. These provisions may make it more difficult or expensive for a third party to acquire a majority of our outstanding common stock. These provisions also may delay, prevent or deter a merger, acquisition, tender offer, proxy contest or other transaction that might otherwise result in our stockholders receiving a premium over the market price for their common stock. If we issue preferred shares in the future that have a preference over our common stock with respect to dividends or upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up, or if we issue preferred shares with voting rights that dilute the voting power of our common stock, the rights of our common stockholders or the market price of our common stock may be adversely affected.
The Delaware General Corporation Law prohibits us from engaging in "business combinations" with "interested shareholders" (with some exceptions) unless such transaction is approved in a prescribed manner. The existence of this provision could have an anti-takeover effect with respect to transactions not approved in advance by the Board, including discouraging attempts that might result in a premium over the market price for our common stock.
There can be no assurance that we will continue to pay dividends on our common stock or repurchase our common stock up to the maximum amounts permitted under our previously announced repurchase program.
Payment of cash dividends on our common stock or repurchases of our common stock are subject to compliance with applicable laws and depends on, among other things, our results of operations, financial condition, level of indebtedness, capital requirements, business prospects, macro-economic conditions and other factors that our Board may deem relevant. There can be no assurance that we will continue to pay dividends or repurchase our common stock at the same levels we have historically (if at all).
Our business could be negatively affected as a result of actions of activist shareholders, and such activism could impact the trading value of our common stock.
We value constructive input from our shareholders and the investment community. Our Board and management team are committed to acting in the best interests of all of our shareholders. There is no assurance that the actions taken by our Board and management in seeking to maintain constructive engagement with our shareholders will be successful.
Responding to actions by activist shareholders can be costly and time-consuming, disrupting our operations and diverting the attention of management and our employees. Such activities could interfere with our ability to execute our strategic plan. The perceived uncertainties as to our future direction also resulting from activist strategies could also affect the market price and volatility of our common stock.
Failure to achieve and maintain effective internal control over financial reporting may negatively impact our business and our financial results.
The Company is responsible for establishing and maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting. Despite its inherent limitations, effective internal control over financial reporting helps provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting for external purposes. A significant accounting error correction, financial reporting failure or material weakness in internal control over financial reporting could cause results in our consolidated financial statements that do not accurately reflect our financial condition, a loss of investor confidence and subsequent decline in the market price of our common stock, increase our costs and regulatory scrutiny, and lead to litigation or result in negative publicity that could damage our reputation.

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ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
ITEM 1B - UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
None.

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ITEM 2. PROPERTIES
ITEM 2 - PROPERTIES
Properties
Our Support Center is located in Louisville, Kentucky. We occupy this facility under a master lease with Paragon Centre Holdings, LLC, a limited liability company in which we have a minority ownership position. As of December 27, 2022, we leased 133,023 square feet. Our lease expires on October 31, 2048, including all applicable extensions.
Of the 597 company restaurants in operation as of December 27, 2022, we owned 150 locations and leased 447 locations, as shown in the following table.
State
Owned
Leased
Total
Alabama
Alaska
-
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
-
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
-
Maryland
-
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Nebraska
Nevada
-
New Hampshire
New Jersey
-
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
-
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
-
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
-
South Carolina
-
South Dakota
Tennessee
-
Texas
Utah
Vermont
-
Virginia
Washington
-
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
-
Total
Additional information concerning our properties and leasing arrangements is included in Note 2(h), Note 2(i) and Note 8 to the Consolidated Financial Statements appearing in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

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ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
ITEM 3 - LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
Information regarding legal proceedings is included in Note 13 to the Consolidated Financial Statements appearing in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

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ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURE
ITEM 4 - MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES
Not applicable.
PART II

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ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT'S COMMON EQUITY
ITEM 5 - MARKET FOR THE REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES
Our common stock is traded on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol TXRH.
The number of holders of record of our common stock as of February 15, 2023 was 159.
On February 14, 2023, our Board of Directors (the "Board") declared a quarterly dividend of $0.55 per share of common stock which will be distributed on March 24, 2023 to shareholders of record at the close of business on March 8, 2023. The declaration and payment of cash dividends on our common stock is at the discretion of our Board, and any decision to declare a dividend will be based on a number of factors including, but not limited to, earnings, financial condition, applicable covenants under our amended credit facility and other contractual restrictions, or other factors deemed relevant.
Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities
There were no equity securities sold by the Company during the period covered by this Annual Report on Form 10-K that were not registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
Issuer Repurchases of Securities
In 2008, our Board approved our first stock repurchase program. From inception through December 27, 2022, we have paid $633.5 million through our authorized stock repurchase programs to repurchase 21,041,442 shares of our common stock at an average price per share of $30.11. On March 17, 2022, the Board approved a stock repurchase program under which we may repurchase up to $300.0 million of our common stock. This stock repurchase program has no expiration date and replaced a previous stock repurchase program which was approved on May 31, 2019 that authorized the Company to repurchase up to $250.0 million of our common stock. All repurchases to date have been made through open market transactions. In 2022, we paid $212.9 million to repurchase 2,734,005 shares of our common stock. This includes $133.1 million repurchased under our current authorized stock repurchase program and $79.7 million repurchased under our prior authorization. For the 13 week period ended December 27, 2022, we did not repurchase any shares of our common stock. As of December 27, 2022, $166.9 million remains authorized for stock repurchases.
Stock Performance Graph
The following graph sets forth the cumulative total shareholder return experienced by holders of the Company’s common stock compared to the cumulative total return of the broad market indices of the S&P 500 Index and Russell 3000 Index as well as the industry specific indices of the S&P Composite 1500 Restaurant Sub-Index and Russell 3000 Restaurant Index for the five year period ended December 27, 2022, the last trading day of our fiscal year. The graph assumes the values of the investment in our common stock and each index was $100 on December 26, 2017 and the reinvestment of all dividends paid during the period of the securities comprising the indices.
Historically, we have presented the performance graph by comparing our cumulative total shareholder return against the Russell 3000 Index and Russell 3000 Restaurant Index. In 2022, we transitioned to the S&P 500 Index and S&P Composite 1500 Restaurant Sub-Index as these are more widely utilized industry indices. The performance graph below presents all the indices used for this transition year.
Note: The stock price performance shown on the graph below does not indicate future performance.
Comparison of Cumulative Total Return Since December 26, 2017
12/26/2017
12/24/2018
12/31/2019
12/29/2020
12/28/2021
12/27/2022
Texas Roadhouse, Inc.
$
100.00
$
106.69
$
108.05
$
152.59
$
175.44
$
188.43
S&P 500
$
100.00
$
89.44
$
125.44
$
147.34
$
191.93
$
156.08
S&P Composite 1500 Restaurant Sub-Index
$
100.00
$
104.87
$
135.44
$
161.06
$
196.79
$
181.84
Russell 3000
$
100.00
$
88.62
$
123.87
$
148.62
$
188.83
$
151.48
Russell 3000 Restaurant Index
$
100.00
$
100.16
$
130.00
$
147.41
$
170.36
$
159.21

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ITEM 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA
ITEM 6 - RESERVED

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ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS
ITEM 7 - MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
The discussion and analysis below of the financial condition and results of operations for Texas Roadhouse, Inc. (collectively, the "Company," "we," "our" and/or "us") should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and the notes to such financial statements (pages to), "Forward-looking Statements" (page 3) and Risk Factors set forth in Item 1A. For discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations for fiscal year 2021 compared to fiscal year 2020, see Part II, Item 7 of our 2021 Form 10-K.
Our Company
Texas Roadhouse, Inc. is a growing restaurant company operating predominately in the casual dining segment. Our late founder, W. Kent Taylor, started the business in 1993 with the opening of the first Texas Roadhouse restaurant in Clarksville, Indiana. Since then, we have grown to three concepts with 697 restaurants in 49 states and ten foreign countries. As of December 27, 2022, our 697 restaurants included:
● 597 "company restaurants," of which 577 were wholly-owned and 20 were majority-owned. Of the 597 restaurants we owned and operated at the end of 2022, we operated 552 as Texas Roadhouse restaurants, 40 as Bubba’s 33 restaurants and five as Jaggers restaurants. The results of operations of company restaurants are included in our consolidated statements of income and comprehensive income. The portion of income attributable to noncontrolling interests in company restaurants that are majority-owned is reflected in the line item entitled "Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests" in our consolidated statements of income and comprehensive income.
● 100 "franchise restaurants," 23 of which we have a 5.0% to 10.0% ownership interest. All of the franchise restaurants operated as Texas Roadhouse restaurants. The income derived from our minority interests in these franchise restaurants is reported in the line item entitled "Equity income from investments in unconsolidated affiliates" in our consolidated statements of income and comprehensive income. Additionally, we provide various management services to these 23 franchise restaurants, as well as five additional franchise restaurants in which we have no ownership interest. Of the 100 franchise restaurants, 62 were domestic restaurants and 38 were international restaurants.
We have contractual arrangements that grant us the right to acquire at pre-determined formulas the remaining equity interests in 18 of the 20 majority-owned company restaurants and 58 of the 62 domestic franchise restaurants.
Throughout this report, we use the term "restaurants" to include Texas Roadhouse and Bubba’s 33, unless otherwise noted.
Presentation of Financial and Operating Data
We operate on a fiscal year that ends on the last Tuesday in December. Fiscal year 2022 and fiscal year 2021 were both 52 weeks in length, and the fourth quarters were both 13 weeks in length.
COVID-19 and Related Impacts
The Company has been subject to risks and uncertainties as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic (the "pandemic"). These include federal, state and local restrictions on restaurants, some of which limited capacity or seating in dining rooms while others allowed to-go or curbside service only. In 2022, all of our domestic company and franchise locations operated without restriction. We also experienced and expect to continue to experience commodity inflation and certain food and supply shortages as well as a more competitive labor market. To the extent these challenges persist, we will continue to experience increased costs.
Long-term Strategies to Grow Earnings Per Share and Create Shareholder Value
Our long-term strategies with respect to increasing net income and earnings per share, along with creating shareholder value, include the following:
● Expanding Our Restaurant Base. We continue to evaluate opportunities to develop restaurants in existing markets and in new domestic and international markets. Domestically, we remain focused primarily on markets
where we believe a significant demand for our restaurants exists because of population size, income levels, the presence of shopping and entertainment centers and a significant employment base. In addition, we continue to pursue opportunities to acquire domestic franchise locations to expand our company restaurant base.
We have entered into area development and franchise agreements for the development and operation of Texas Roadhouse restaurants in numerous foreign countries and one U.S. territory. We have also entered into area development agreements for Jaggers, our fast-casual concept. We expect our first Jaggers franchise restaurant to open in 2023.
In 2022, we opened 23 company restaurants while our franchise partners opened seven restaurants internationally. The company restaurants included 18 Texas Roadhouse restaurants, four Bubba’s 33 restaurants, and one Jaggers restaurant. In 2023, we plan to open approximately 25 to 30 Texas Roadhouse and Bubba’s 33 company restaurants and three Jaggers company restaurants. In addition, we expect as many as nine Texas Roadhouse international and domestic franchise openings and three Jaggers domestic franchise openings in 2023.
In 2022, we completed the acquisition of eight domestic franchise Texas Roadhouse restaurants for an aggregate purchase price of $33.1 million. On our first day of fiscal year 2023, we completed the acquisition of eight domestic franchise Texas Roadhouse restaurants for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $39.0 million.
● Maintaining and/or Improving Restaurant Level Profitability. We continue to focus on driving comparable restaurant sales to maintain or improve store level profitability. This includes a pricing strategy that balances the impacts of inflationary pressures with our long-term value positioning. In terms of driving traffic at our restaurants, we remain focused on encouraging repeat visits by our guests and attracting new guests through our continued commitment to operational standards relating to food and service quality. To attract new guests and increase the frequency of visits of our existing guests, we continue to drive various localized marketing programs, focus on speed of service, increase throughput by adding seats and parking at certain restaurants and continue to enhance the guest digital experience.
At our high volume restaurants, we continue to look for opportunities to increase our dining room capacity by adding on to our existing building and/or to increase our parking capacity by leasing or purchasing property that adjoins our site. We also continue to make a number of building modifications and/or expansions to existing restaurants in order to better accommodate our increased dine-in and to-go sales. These modifications include room expansions which add additional guest seating, the addition of to-go areas, and cooler expansions to accommodate higher inventory levels.
In recent years, we have relocated several existing Texas Roadhouse locations at or near the end of their associated lease or as a result of eminent domain which allowed us to move to a better site, update them to a current prototypical design, construct a larger building with more seats and greater number of available parking spaces, accommodate increased to-go sales and/or obtain more favorable lease terms. We continue to evaluate these opportunities particularly as it relates to older locations with strong sales.
● Leveraging Our Scalable Infrastructure. To support our growth, we have made investments in our infrastructure across all critical functions, including the development of new strategic initiatives. Whether we are able to leverage our infrastructure in future years by growing our general and administrative costs at a slower rate than our revenue will depend, in part, on our new restaurant openings, our comparable restaurant sales growth rate going forward and the level of investment we continue to make in our infrastructure.
● Returning Capital to Shareholders. We continue to evaluate opportunities to return capital to our shareholders, including the payment of dividends and repurchase of common stock. In 2011, our Board of Directors (the "Board") declared our first quarterly dividend of $0.08 per share of common stock which has consistently grown over time. In 2022, the Board declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.46 per share of common stock. On February 14, 2023, the Board declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.55 per share of common stock, representing a 20% increase compared to the quarterly dividend declared in the prior year period.
In 2008, the Board approved our first stock repurchase program. From inception through December 27, 2022, we have paid $633.5 million through our authorized stock repurchase programs to repurchase 21,041,442 shares of our common stock at an average price per share of $30.11. On March 17, 2022, the Board approved a stock repurchase program under which we may repurchase up to $300.0 million of our common stock. In 2022, we paid $212.9 million to repurchase 2,734,005 shares of our common stock. This includes $133.1 million repurchased under our current authorized stock repurchase program and $79.7 million repurchased under our prior authorization. As of December 27, 2022, $166.9 million remains authorized for stock repurchases.
Key Measures We Use To Evaluate Our Company
Key measures we use to evaluate and assess our business include the following:
● Comparable Restaurant Sales. Comparable restaurant sales reflects the change in sales for all company restaurants over the same period of the prior year for the comparable restaurant base. We define the comparable restaurant base to include those restaurants open for a full 18 months before the beginning of the period measured excluding restaurants permanently closed during the period. Comparable restaurant sales can be impacted by changes in guest traffic counts or by changes in the per person average check amount. Menu price changes, the mix of menu items sold and the mix of dine-in versus to-go sales can affect the per person average check amount.
● Average Unit Volume. Average unit volume represents the average annual restaurant sales for Texas Roadhouse and Bubba’s 33 restaurants open for a full six months before the beginning of the period measured excluding sales of restaurants permanently closed during the period. Historically, average unit volume growth is less than comparable restaurant sales growth which indicates that newer restaurants are operating with sales levels lower than company average. At times, average unit volume growth may be more than comparable restaurant sales growth which indicates that newer restaurants are operating with sales levels higher than company average.
● Store Weeks and New Restaurant Openings. Store weeks represent the number of weeks that all company restaurants, unless otherwise noted, were open during the reporting period. Store weeks include weeks in which a restaurant is temporarily closed. Store week growth is driven by new restaurant openings and franchise acquisitions. New restaurant openings reflect the number of restaurants opened during a particular fiscal period, excluding store relocations. We consider store openings that occur simultaneous with a store closure in the same trade area to be a relocation.
● Restaurant Margin. Restaurant margin (in dollars and as a percentage of restaurant and other sales) represents restaurant and other sales less restaurant-level operating costs, including food and beverage costs, labor, rent and other operating costs. Restaurant margin is not a measurement determined in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP") and should not be considered in isolation, or as an alternative, to income from operations. This non-GAAP measure is not indicative of overall company performance and profitability in that this measure does not accrue directly to the benefit of shareholders due to the nature of the costs excluded. Restaurant margin is widely regarded as a useful metric by which to evaluate core restaurant-level operating efficiency and performance over various reporting periods on a consistent basis.
In calculating restaurant margin, we exclude certain non-restaurant-level costs that support operations, including general and administrative expenses, but do not have a direct impact on core restaurant-level operational efficiency and performance. We also exclude pre-opening expense as it occurs at irregular intervals and would impact comparability to prior period results. We also exclude depreciation and amortization expense, substantially all of which relates to restaurant-level assets, as it represents a non-cash charge for the investment in our restaurants. We also exclude impairment and closure expense as we believe this provides a clearer perspective of the Company’s ongoing operating performance and a more useful comparison to prior period results. Restaurant margin as presented may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures of other companies in our industry. A reconciliation of income from operations to restaurant margin is included in the Results of Operations section below.
Other Key Definitions
Restaurant and Other Sales. Restaurant sales include gross food and beverage sales, net of promotions and discounts, for all company restaurants. Sales taxes collected from customers and remitted to governmental authorities are accounted for on a net basis and therefore are excluded from restaurant sales in the consolidated statements of income and comprehensive income. Other sales include the amortization of fees associated with our third-party gift card sales net of the amortization of gift card breakage income.
Franchise Royalties and Fees. Franchise royalties consist of royalties, as defined in our franchise agreement, paid to us by our domestic and international franchisees. Domestic and international franchisees also typically pay an initial franchise fee and/or development fee for each new restaurant or territory.
Food and Beverage Costs. Food and beverage costs consists of the costs of raw materials and ingredients used in the preparation of food and beverage products sold in our company restaurants. Approximately half of our food and beverage costs relates to beef.
Restaurant Labor Expenses. Restaurant labor expenses include all direct and indirect labor costs incurred in operations except for profit sharing incentive compensation expenses earned by our restaurant managing partners and market partners. These profit sharing expenses are reflected in restaurant other operating expenses. Restaurant labor expenses also include share-based compensation expense related to restaurant-level employees.
Restaurant Rent Expense. Restaurant rent expense includes all rent, except pre-opening rent, associated with the leasing of real estate and includes base, percentage and straight-line rent expense.
Restaurant Other Operating Expenses. Restaurant other operating expenses consist of all other restaurant-level operating costs, the major components of which are credit card fees, utilities, supplies, repairs and maintenance, equipment rent, property taxes, profit sharing incentive compensation for our restaurant managing partners and market partners and general liability insurance.
Pre-opening Expenses. Pre-opening expenses, which are charged to operations as incurred, consist of expenses incurred before the opening of a new or relocated restaurant and are comprised principally of opening and training team compensation and benefits, travel expenses, rent, food, beverage and other initial supplies and expenses. On average, approximately 70% of total pre-opening costs incurred per restaurant opening relate to the hiring and training of employees. Pre-opening costs vary by location depending on a number of factors, including the size and physical layout of each location; the number of management and hourly employees required to operate each restaurant; the availability of qualified restaurant staff members; the cost of travel and lodging for different geographic areas; the timing of the restaurant opening; and the extent of unexpected delays, if any, in obtaining final licenses and permits to open the restaurants.
Depreciation and Amortization Expenses. Depreciation and amortization expenses include the depreciation of fixed assets and amortization of intangibles with definite lives, substantially all of which relates to restaurant-level assets.
Impairment and Closure Costs, Net. Impairment and closure costs, net include any impairment of long-lived assets, including property and equipment, operating lease right-of-use assets and goodwill, and expenses associated with the closure of a restaurant. Closure costs also include any gains or losses associated with a relocated restaurant or the sale of a closed restaurant and/or assets held for sale as well as lease costs associated with closed or relocated restaurants.
General and Administrative Expenses. General and administrative expenses are comprised of expenses associated with corporate and administrative functions that support development and restaurant operations and provide an infrastructure to support future growth. This includes software hosting fees, professional fees, group insurance, advertising expense, salary and share-based compensation expense related to executive officers, Support Center employees and market partners and the realized and unrealized holding gains and losses related to the investments in our deferred compensation plan.
Interest Expense, Net. Interest expense, net includes interest expense on our debt or financing obligations including the amortization of loan fees reduced by earnings on cash and cash equivalents and capitalized interest.
Equity Income (loss) from Unconsolidated Affiliates. Equity income (loss) includes our percentage share of net income earned by unconsolidated affiliates and our share of any gain on the acquisition of these affiliates. As of
December 27, 2022 and December 28, 2021, we owned a 5.0% to 10.0% equity interest in 23 and 24 domestic franchise restaurants, respectively. Additionally, we had a 40% equity interest in four non-Texas Roadhouse restaurants as part of a joint venture agreement with a casual dining restaurant operator in China that we fully impaired in 2021.
Net Income Attributable to Noncontrolling Interests. Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests represents the portion of income attributable to the other owners of the majority-owned restaurants. Our consolidated subsidiaries include 20 majority-owned restaurants for all periods presented.
2022 Financial Highlights
Total revenue increased $551.0 million or 15.9% to $4.0 billion in 2022 compared to $3.5 billion in 2021 primarily due to an increase in store weeks and an increase in comparable restaurant sales. Store weeks and comparable restaurant sales increased 6.1% and 9.7%, respectively, at company restaurants in 2022. The increase in store weeks was due to new store openings and the acquisition of franchise restaurants. The increase in comparable restaurant sales was due to an increase in per person average check and an increase in guest traffic.
Net income increased $24.5 million or 10.0% to $269.8 million in 2022 compared to $245.3 million in 2021 primarily due to higher restaurant margin dollars, as described below, partially offset by higher general and administrative expenses and higher depreciation and amortization expense. Diluted earnings per share increased 13.5% to $3.97 from $3.50 in the prior year due to the increase in net income and the benefit of share repurchases.
Restaurant margin dollars increased $45.8 million or 7.9% to $627.5 million in 2022 compared to $581.7 million in 2021 primarily due to higher sales. Restaurant margin, as a percentage of restaurant and other sales, decreased to 15.7% in 2022 compared to 16.9% in 2021. The decrease in restaurant margin, as a percentage of restaurant and other sales, was due to commodity and wage and other labor inflation partially offset by higher sales.
Results of Operations
Fiscal Year Ended
$
%
$
%
(In thousands)
Consolidated Statements of Income:
Revenue:
Restaurant and other sales
3,988,791
99.3
3,439,176
99.3
Franchise royalties and fees
26,128
0.7
24,770
0.7
Total revenue
4,014,919
100.0
3,463,946
100.0
Costs and expenses:
(As a percentage of restaurant and other sales)
Restaurant operating costs (excluding depreciation and amortization shown separately below):
Food and beverage
1,378,192
34.6
1,156,628
33.6
Labor
1,319,959
33.1
1,123,003
32.7
Rent
66,834
1.7
60,005
1.7
Other operating
596,305
14.9
517,808
15.1
(As a percentage of total revenue)
Pre-opening
21,883
0.5
24,335
0.7
Depreciation and amortization
137,237
3.4
126,761
3.7
Impairment and closure, net
1,600
NM
NM
General and administrative
172,712
4.3
157,480
4.5
Total costs and expenses
3,694,722
92.0
3,166,754
91.4
Income from operations
320,197
8.0
297,192
8.6
Interest expense, net
NM
3,663
0.1
Equity income (loss) from investments in unconsolidated affiliates
1,239
NM
(637)
NM
Income before taxes
321,312
8.0
292,892
8.5
Income tax expense
43,715
1.1
39,578
1.1
Net income including noncontrolling interests
277,597
6.9
253,314
7.3
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests
7,779
0.2
8,020
0.2
Net income attributable to Texas Roadhouse, Inc. and subsidiaries
269,818
6.7
245,294
7.1
NM - Not meaningful
Reconciliation of Income from Operations to Restaurant Margin
Fiscal Year Ended
(In thousands, except per store week)
Income from operations
$ 320,197
$ 297,192
Less:
Franchise royalties and fees
26,128
24,770
Add:
Pre-opening
21,883
24,335
Depreciation and amortization
137,237
126,761
Impairment and closure, net
1,600
General and administrative
172,712
157,480
Restaurant margin
$ 627,501
$ 581,732
Restaurant margin $/store week
$ 20,721
$ 20,389
Restaurant margin (as a percentage of restaurant and other sales)
15.7%
16.9%
Restaurant Unit Activity
Total
Texas Roadhouse
Bubba's 33
Jaggers
Balance at December 28, 2021
Company openings
Company closings
-
-
-
-
Franchise openings - Domestic
-
-
-
-
Franchise openings - International
-
-
Franchise closings
-
-
-
-
Balance at December 27, 2022
December 27, 2022
December 28, 2021
Company - Texas Roadhouse
Company - Bubba's 33
Company - Jaggers
Franchise - Texas Roadhouse - U.S.
Franchise - Texas Roadhouse - International
Total
Restaurant and Other Sales
Restaurant and other sales increased 16.0% in 2022 compared to 2021. The following table summarizes certain key drivers and/or attributes of restaurant sales at company restaurants for the periods presented. Company restaurant count activity is shown in the restaurant unit activity table above.
Company Restaurants:
Increase in store weeks
6.1
%
5.0
%
Increase in average unit volume
9.4
%
36.7
%
Other(1)
0.4
%
2.6
%
Total increase in restaurant sales
15.9
%
44.3
%
Other sales
0.1
%
0.2
%
Total increase in restaurant and other sales
16.0
%
44.5
%
Store weeks
30,284
28,531
Comparable restaurant sales
9.7
%
37.8
%
Texas Roadhouse restaurants:
Store weeks
28,127
26,622
Comparable restaurant sales
9.7
%
37.6
%
Average unit volume (in thousands)
$
6,962
$
6,358
Weekly sales by group:
Comparable restaurants (499 and 473 units)
$
134,085
$
123,064
Average unit volume restaurants (20 and 18 units)(2)
$
128,665
$
104,545
Restaurants less than six months old (33 and 35 units)
$
135,401
$
124,142
Bubba's 33 restaurants:
Store weeks
1,936
1,747
Comparable restaurant sales
10.5
%
43.0
%
Average unit volume (in thousands)
$
5,620
$
5,090
Weekly sales by group:
Comparable restaurants (30 and 25 units)
$
108,132
$
101,097
Average unit volume restaurants (4 and 5 units)(2)
$
107,636
$
81,813
Restaurants less than six months old (6 and 6 units)
$
121,791
$
115,554
(1) Includes the impact of the year-over-year change in sales volume of all Jaggers restaurants, along with Texas Roadhouse and Bubba’s 33 restaurants open less than six months before the beginning of the period measured and, if applicable, the impact of restaurants permanently closed or acquired during the period.
(2) Average unit volume restaurants include restaurants open a full six to 18 months before the beginning of the period measured, excluding sales from restaurants permanently closed during the period, if applicable.
The increase in restaurant sales for 2022 was primarily attributable to an increase in store weeks and an increase in comparable restaurant sales. The increase in store weeks was driven by the opening of new restaurants and the acquisition of franchise restaurants. The increase in comparable restaurant sales growth was driven primarily by increases in our per person average check as shown in the table below.
Guest traffic counts
1.9
%
27.6
%
Per person average check
7.8
%
10.2
%
Comparable restaurant sales growth
9.7
%
37.8
%
The increase in 2022 guest traffic counts was due to an increase in dining room traffic partially offset by a decrease in to-go traffic. The increase in dining room traffic counts was primarily driven by all of our company locations operating without capacity restrictions for the entire 2022 period. To-go sales as a percentage of total restaurant sales were 13.3% in 2022 compared to 17.1% in 2021.
Per person average check includes the benefit of menu price increases of approximately 3.2% and 2.9% implemented in Q2 2022 and Q4 2022, respectively, as well as increases of 1.8% and 4.2% implemented in Q2 2021 and Q4 2021, respectively.
In 2022, we opened 23 company restaurants, which included 18 Texas Roadhouse restaurants, four Bubba’s 33 restaurants and one Jaggers restaurant. We also completed the acquisition of eight franchise restaurants.
In 2023, we plan to open approximately 25 to 30 Texas Roadhouse and Bubba’s 33 company restaurants and three Jaggers company restaurants. On December 28, 2022, the first day of our 2023 fiscal year, we completed the acquisition of eight domestic franchise restaurants for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $39.0 million. In total, we expect store week growth of at least 6% in 2023, including the impact of the franchise restaurants acquired.
Other sales primarily represents the net impact of amortization of third-party gift card fees and gift card breakage income. The net impact was ($6.4) million and ($6.1) million for 2022 and 2021, respectively. The change was driven primarily by favorable adjustments of $6.6 million and $4.8 million recorded in 2022 and 2021, respectively. These adjustments related to a change in our estimate of breakage due to a shift in our historic redemption pattern which indicated that the percentage of gift cards sold that are not expected to be redeemed had increased. This shift in redemption patterns was primarily due to the increase in sales through our third-party gift card program. As a result, we adjusted our expected breakage assumptions on unredeemed gift cards. The adjustments were partially offset by an increase in amortization of third-party fees due to an increase in sales through our third-party gift card program.
Franchise Royalties and Fees
Franchise royalties and fees increased by $1.4 million or 5.5% compared to 2021 due to comparable restaurant sales growth and new store openings partially offset by decreased royalties related to the eight franchise acquisitions in 2022. Franchise comparable restaurant sales increased 10.3% in 2022.
In 2022, our franchise partners opened seven Texas Roadhouse international restaurants. In 2023, we expect as many as nine Texas Roadhouse international and domestic franchise openings and three Jaggers domestic franchise openings.
Food and Beverage Costs
Food and beverage costs, as a percentage of restaurant and other sales, increased to 34.6% in 2022 from 33.6% in 2021 primarily due to commodity inflation partially offset by the benefit of a higher guest check. Commodity inflation was 10.8% in 2022, with higher costs across the basket.
For 2023, we currently expect commodity cost inflation of 5% to 6% for the year with prices locked for approximately 40% of our forecasted costs and the remainder subject to floating market prices.
Restaurant Labor Expenses
Restaurant labor expense, as a percentage of restaurant and other sales, increased to 33.1% in 2022 compared to 32.7% in 2021. This increase was primarily due to wage and other labor inflation of 8.3% in 2022. Wage and other labor inflation was primarily due to higher wage and benefit expense driven by labor market pressures along with increases in state-mandated minimum and tipped wage rates and increased investment in our people. In addition, a higher mix of dining room sales versus to-go sales also contributed to the increase. The increase was partially offset by the benefit of a higher guest check as well as a decrease in group insurance and workers’ compensation expense due to favorable claims experience of $7.2 million as compared to the prior year.
In 2023, we anticipate our labor costs will continue to be pressured by wage and other labor inflation of 5% to 6% driven by labor market pressures, increases in state-mandated minimum and tipped wages and increased investment in our people.
Restaurant Rent Expense
Restaurant rent expense, as a percentage of restaurant and other sales, remained flat at 1.7% in both periods presented. The increase in average unit volume was offset by higher rent expense, as a percentage of restaurant and other sales, at our newer restaurants.
Restaurant Other Operating Expenses
Restaurant other operating expenses, as a percentage of restaurant and other sales, decreased to 14.9% in 2022 compared to 15.1% in 2021. The decrease was primarily due to the increase in average unit volume and lower supplies and bonus expense partially offset by higher credit card charges and repair and maintenance costs.
Restaurant Pre-opening Expenses
Pre-opening expenses were $21.9 million in 2022 compared to $24.3 million in 2021. Pre-opening costs will fluctuate from period to period based on the specific pre-opening costs incurred for each restaurant, the number and timing of restaurant openings and the number and timing of restaurant managers hired.
Depreciation and Amortization Expenses
Depreciation and amortization expenses, as a percentage of revenue, decreased to 3.4% in 2022 compared to 3.7% in 2021. The decrease was primarily due to the increase in average unit volume partially offset by higher depreciation at new restaurants and increased amortization of intangible assets generated from franchise restaurant acquisitions.
Impairment and Closure Costs, Net
Impairment and closure costs, net were $1.6 million and $0.7 million in 2022 and 2021, respectively. In 2022, impairment and closure costs, net included $1.7 million related to the impairment of land, building and operating lease right-of-use assets at three restaurants, two of which have relocated and $0.6 million related to ongoing closure costs. This was partially offset by a $0.7 million gain on the sale of land and building that was previously classified as assets held for sale. In 2021, impairment and closure costs, net included the impairment of the fixed assets and operating lease right-of-use assets at two restaurants, both of which have relocated.
General and Administrative Expenses
General and administrative expenses, as a percentage of total revenue, decreased to 4.3% in 2022 compared to 4.5% in 2021. The decrease was primarily driven by the increase in average unit volume and lower legal settlement expense partially offset by increased managing partner conference expense of $2.5 million.
Interest Expense, Net
Interest expense was $0.1 million in 2022 compared to $3.7 million in 2021. The decrease was primarily driven by increased earnings on our cash and cash equivalents and decreased borrowings on our amended revolving credit facility.
Income Taxes
Our effective tax rate increased to 13.6% in 2022 compared to 13.5% in 2021. The increase was primarily due to lower excess tax benefits related to our share-based compensation program partially offset by an increase in the FICA tip tax credit. For 2023, we expect our effective tax rate to be approximately 14% based on forecasted operating results, excluding the impact of any legislative changes enacted.
Segment Information
We manage our restaurant and franchising operations by concept and as a result have identified Texas Roadhouse, Bubba's 33, Jaggers and our retail initiatives as separate operating segments. Our reportable segments are Texas Roadhouse and Bubba's 33. The Texas Roadhouse reportable segment includes the results of our domestic company Texas Roadhouse restaurants and domestic and international franchise Texas Roadhouse restaurants. The Bubba's 33 reportable segment includes the results of our domestic company Bubba's 33 restaurants. Our remaining operating segments, which include the results of our domestic company Jaggers restaurants and the results of our retail initiatives, are included in Other.
Management uses restaurant margin as the measure for assessing performance of our segments. Restaurant margin (in dollars and as a percentage of restaurant and other sales) represents restaurant and other sales less restaurant-level operating costs, including food and beverage costs, labor, rent and other operating costs. Restaurant margin also includes sales and operating costs related to our non-royalty based retail initiatives. Restaurant margin is used by our chief operating decision maker ("CODM") to evaluate restaurant-level operating efficiency and performance. A reconciliation of income from operations to restaurant margin is included in the Results of Operations section above.
The following table presents a summary of restaurant margin by segment (in thousands):
52 Weeks Ended
December 27, 2022
December 28, 2021
Texas Roadhouse
$
600,197
16.0
%
$
552,039
16.9
%
Bubba's 33
26,934
12.7
28,862
16.6
Other
2.6
7.6
Total
$
627,501
15.7
%
$
581,732
16.9
%
In our Texas Roadhouse reportable segment, restaurant margin dollars increased $48.2 million or 8.7% in 2022. The increase was primarily due to higher sales which were partially offset by commodity and wage and other labor inflation. In addition, restaurant margin, as a percentage of restaurant and other sales, decreased to 16.0% in 2022 from 16.9% in 2021. Restaurant margin was negatively impacted by commodity and wage and other labor inflation which was partially offset by the benefit of an increase in comparable restaurant sales.
In our Bubba’s 33 reportable segment, restaurant margin dollars decreased $1.9 million or 6.7% in 2022. In addition, restaurant margin, as a percentage of restaurant and other sales, decreased to 12.7% in 2022 from 16.6% in 2021. These decreases were primarily driven by commodity and wage and other labor inflation which was partially offset by the benefit of an increase in comparable restaurant sales.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
The following table presents a summary of our net cash provided by (used in) operating, investing and financing activities (in thousands):
Fiscal Year Ended
Net cash provided by operating activities
$
511,725
$
468,826
Net cash used in investing activities
(263,734)
(195,104)
Net cash used in financing activities
(409,775)
(301,232)
Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents
$
(161,784)
$
(27,510)
Net cash provided by operating activities was $511.7 million in 2022 compared to $468.8 million in 2021. This increase was primarily due to an increase in net income, an increase in non-cash items such as depreciation and amortization and a favorable increase in working capital. The favorable increase in working capital was partially offset by the final remittance of our deferred payroll tax liability of $23.0 million related to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act.
Our operations have not required significant working capital and, like many restaurant companies, we have been able to operate with negative working capital. Sales are primarily for cash, and restaurant operations do not require significant inventories or receivables. In addition, we receive trade credit for the purchase of food, beverages and supplies, thereby reducing the need for incremental working capital to support growth.
Net cash used in investing activities was $263.7 million in 2022 compared to $195.1 million in 2021. The increase was due to the acquisition of eight franchise restaurants for a net purchase price of $33.1 million as well as an increase in capital expenditures, primarily driven by an increase in new company restaurant construction and refurbishments and relocations of existing restaurants.
We require capital principally for the development of new company restaurants, the refurbishment or relocation of existing restaurants and the acquisition of franchise restaurants, if any. We either lease our restaurant site locations under operating leases for periods generally of five to 30 years (including renewal periods) or purchase the land when appropriate. As of December 27, 2022, 150 of the 597 company restaurants have been developed on land which we own.
The following table presents a summary of capital expenditures (in thousands):
New company restaurants
$
139,210
$
123,044
Refurbishment or expansion of existing restaurants
84,414
64,146
Relocation of existing restaurants
18,478
8,374
Capital expenditures related to Support Center office
4,019
5,128
Total capital expenditures
$
246,121
$
200,692
Our future capital requirements will primarily depend on the number and mix of new restaurants we open, the timing of those openings and the restaurant prototype developed in a given fiscal year. These requirements will include costs directly related to new restaurant construction costs or relocating existing restaurants and may also include costs necessary to ensure that our infrastructure is able to support a larger restaurant base. In 2023, we expect our capital expenditures to be approximately $265 million as we currently plan to open approximately 25 to 30 Texas Roadhouse and Bubba’s 33 company restaurants. We also expect to have as many as four relocations in 2023. In addition, on the first day of our 2023 fiscal year, we completed the acquisition of eight domestic franchise restaurants for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $39.0 million. We intend to satisfy our capital requirements over the next 12 months with cash on hand, net cash provided by operating activities, and if needed, funds available under our amended credit facility.
Net cash used in financing activities was $409.8 million in 2022 compared to $301.2 million in 2021. The increase is primarily due to the significant increases in share repurchases and our dividend payment. These increases were partially offset by a decrease in repayments made on our amended revolving credit facility.
On March 17, 2022, the Board approved a stock repurchase program under which we may repurchase up to $300.0 million of our common stock. This stock repurchase program has no expiration date and replaced a previous stock repurchase program which was approved on May 31, 2019. All repurchases to date under our stock repurchase programs have been made through open market transactions. The timing and amount of any repurchases will be determined by management under parameters established by the Board, based on an evaluation of our stock price, market conditions and other corporate considerations.
In 2022, we paid $212.9 million to repurchase 2,734,005 shares of our common stock. This includes $133.1 million repurchased under our current authorized stock repurchase program and $79.7 million repurchased under our prior authorization. In 2021, we paid $51.6 million to repurchase 584,932 shares of our common stock. As of December 27, 2022, $166.9 million remained under our authorized stock repurchase program.
On February 17, 2022, our Board authorized the payment of a quarterly dividend of $0.46 per share of common stock. The payment of dividends totaled $124.1 million and $83.7 million in 2022 and 2021, respectively. On February 14, 2023, our Board declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.55 per share of common stock.
We paid distributions of $7.8 million and $8.2 million in 2022 and 2021, respectively, to equity holders of our majority-owned company restaurants.
On May 4, 2021, we entered into an agreement to amend our revolving credit facility with a syndicate of commercial lenders led by JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. and PNC Bank, N.A. The amended revolving credit facility remains an unsecured, revolving credit agreement and has a borrowing capacity of up to $300.0 million with the option to increase by an additional $200.0 million subject to certain limitations, including approval by the syndicate of lenders. The amendment also extended the maturity date to May 1, 2026.
The terms of the amendment require us to pay interest on outstanding borrowings at the London Interbank Offered Rate ("LIBOR") plus a margin of 0.875% to 1.875% and pay a commitment fee of 0.125% to 0.30% per year on any unused portion of the amended revolving credit facility, in each case depending on our leverage ratio. The agreement also provides an Alternate Base Rate that may be substituted for LIBOR.
As of December 27, 2022, we had $50.0 million outstanding on the amended revolving credit facility and $233.5 million of availability, net of $16.5 million of outstanding letters of credit. As of December 28, 2021, we had $100.0 million outstanding on the amended revolving credit facility and $189.1 million of availability, net of $10.9 million of outstanding letters of credit. These outstanding amounts are included as long-term debt on our consolidated balance sheets.
The interest rate for the $50.0 million outstanding as of December 27, 2022 was 5.21%. The interest rate for the $100.0 million outstanding as of December 28, 2021 was 0.98%.
The lenders’ obligation to extend credit pursuant to the amended revolving credit facility depends on us maintaining certain financial covenants. We were in compliance with all financial covenants as of December 27, 2022 and December 28, 2021.
Contractual Obligations
The following table summarizes the amount of payments due under specified contractual obligations as of December 27, 2022 (in thousands):
Payments Due by Period
Less than
More than
Total
1 year
1 - 3 Years
3 - 5 Years
5 years
Long-term debt obligation, including current maturities
$
50,000
$
-
-
$
50,000
$
-
Obligations under finance leases
2,750
-
-
-
2,750
Interest(1)
13,208
2,919
5,840
1,484
2,965
Real estate operating lease obligations
1,191,064
66,675
132,401
130,574
861,414
Capital obligations
205,663
205,663
-
-
-
Total contractual obligations(2)
$
1,462,685
$
275,257
$
138,241
$
182,058
$
867,129
(1) Includes interest on our revolving credit facility and interest on our financing leases. We used the interest rate on our amended revolving credit facility as of December 27, 2022 for our variable rate debt and assumed $50.0 million remains outstanding on our amended revolving credit facility through the respective maturity for all borrowings. We assumed a constant interest rate until maturity on our financing leases.
(2) Unrecognized tax benefits under Accounting Standards Codification 740, Income Taxes, are not significant and excluded from this amount.
We have no material minimum purchase commitments with our vendors that extend beyond a year. Refer to Notes 5, 8 and 13 to the consolidated financial statements for details of contractual obligations.
Guarantees
As of December 27, 2022 and December 28, 2021, we were contingently liable for $11.3 million and $12.2 million, respectively, for seven lease guarantees. These amounts represent the maximum potential liability of future payments under the guarantees. In the event of default, the indemnity and default clauses in our assignment agreements govern our ability to pursue and recover damages incurred. No liabilities have been recorded as of December 27, 2022 as the likelihood of default was deemed to be less than probable and the fair value of the guarantees is not considered significant.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
The above discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations are based upon our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with GAAP. The preparation of these financial statements requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue and expenses, and disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities. Our significant accounting policies are described in Note 2 to the accompanying consolidated financial statements. Critical accounting policies are those that we believe are most important to portraying our financial condition and results of operations and also require the greatest amount of subjective or complex judgments by management. Judgments or uncertainties regarding the application of these policies may result in significantly different amounts being reported under different conditions or using different assumptions. We consider the following policies to be the most critical in understanding the judgments that are involved in preparing the consolidated financial statements.
Impairment of Long-lived Assets. We evaluate long-lived assets related to each restaurant to be held and used in the business, such as property and equipment, operating lease right-of-use assets and intangible assets subject to amortization, for impairment whenever events and circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of a restaurant may not be recoverable. For the purposes of this evaluation, we define the asset group at the individual restaurant level. When we evaluate the restaurants, cash flows are the primary indicator of impairment. Recoverability of assets to be held and used is measured by comparison of the carrying amount of the restaurant to estimated undiscounted future cash flows expected to be generated by the restaurant. Under our policies, trailing 12-month cash flow results under a predetermined amount at the individual restaurant level signals a potential impairment. In our evaluation of restaurants that do not meet the cash flow threshold, we estimate future undiscounted cash flows from operating the restaurant over its estimated useful life, which is usually a period of 25 years. In the estimation of future cash flows, we consider the period of time the restaurant has been open, the trend of operations over such period and future periods and expectations for future sales growth. We limit assumptions about important factors such as trend of future operations and sales growth to those that are supportable based upon our plans for the restaurant and actual results at comparable restaurants. Both qualitative and quantitative information are considered when evaluating for potential impairments. As we assess the ongoing expected cash flows and carrying amounts of our long-lived assets, these factors could cause us to realize a material impairment charge.
If assets are determined to be impaired, we measure the impairment charge by calculating the amount by which the asset carrying amount exceeds its estimated fair value. The determination of asset fair value is also subject to significant judgment. We generally measure estimated fair value by discounting estimated future cash flows. When fair value is measured by discounting estimated future cash flows, the assumptions used are consistent with what we believe hypothetical market participants would use. We also use a discount rate that is commensurate with the risk inherent in the projected cash flows. If these assumptions change in the future, we may be required to record impairment charges for these assets.
In 2022, we recorded impairment and closure costs, net of $1.6 million. This included $1.7 million related to the impairment of land, building and operating lease right-of-use assets at three restaurants, two of which have relocated and $0.6 million related to ongoing closure costs. This was partially offset by a gain of $0.7 million associated with the sale of land and building that was previously classified as assets held for sale. Refer to Note 17 in the consolidated financial statements for further discussion regarding closures and impairments recorded in 2022, 2021 and 2020.
Goodwill. Goodwill is tested annually for impairment and is tested more frequently if events and circumstances indicate that the asset might be impaired. An impairment loss is recognized to the extent that the carrying amount exceeds the fair value of the reporting unit. Goodwill is required to be tested for impairment at the reporting unit level, or the level of internal reporting that reflects the way in which an entity manages its businesses. A reporting unit is defined as an operating segment, or one level below an operating segment. An entity may first assess qualitative factors
in order to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of the reporting unit is less than its carrying amount. The entity may also elect to bypass the qualitative assessment and determine the fair value of the reporting unit and compare it to its carrying amount. The fair value of the reporting unit may be based on several valuation approaches including capitalization of earnings, discounted cash flows, comparable public company market multiples and comparable acquisition market multiples. If the carrying amount of the reporting unit exceeds its fair value, an impairment loss is recognized for any excess of the carrying amount of the reporting unit’s goodwill over the fair value of the reporting unit.
At December 27, 2022, our Texas Roadhouse reporting unit had allocated goodwill of $148.7 million. No other reporting units had goodwill balances. In 2021, due to a change in our management reporting structure, we changed the designation of our operating segment and reporting unit to be at the concept level from the restaurant level. As a result of this change, in 2021, we performed the goodwill impairment analysis at both the individual restaurant and concept level to substantiate that our goodwill was not impaired under either reporting unit definition. In 2022, we performed the goodwill impairment analysis at the concept level.
In performing the qualitative assessment, we reviewed factors such as macroeconomic conditions, industry and market considerations, cost factors, changes in management or key personnel, sustained decreases in share price and the overall financial performance of the Company’s reporting units at the concept level. As a result of the qualitative assessment, no indicators of impairment were identified, and no additional indicators of impairment were identified through the end of the fourth quarter that would require additional testing. Changes in circumstances existing at the measurement date or at other times in the future could result in an impairment loss. Refer to Note 17 in the consolidated financial statements for further discussion regarding closures and impairments recorded, if any.
Effects of Inflation
We are currently operating in a period of high inflation, led primarily by commodity cost and wage and other labor inflation. Commodity cost inflation is due to increased costs incurred by our vendors related to increased labor, transportation, packaging, and raw materials costs. Wage and other labor inflation is driven by higher wage and benefit expense due to by labor market pressures along with increases in state-mandated minimum and tipped wage rates and increased investment in our people. Some of the impacts of inflation have been offset by menu price increases and other adjustments made during the year. Whether we are able and/or choose to continue to offset the effects of inflation will determine to what extent, if any, inflation affects our restaurant profitability in future periods.

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ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
ITEM 7A - QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
We are exposed to market risk from changes in interest rates on variable rate debt and changes in commodity prices. Our exposure to interest rate fluctuations is limited to our outstanding bank debt. The terms of the amended revolving credit facility require us to pay interest on outstanding borrowings at London Interbank Offering Rate ("LIBOR") plus a margin of 0.875% to 1.875% and pay a commitment fee of 0.125% to 0.30% per year on any unused portion of the amended revolving credit facility, in each case depending on our leverage ratio. The amended revolving credit facility also provides an Alternate Base Rate that may be substituted for LIBOR. As of December 27, 2022, we had $50.0 million outstanding on our amended credit agreement. This outstanding amount is included as long-term debt on our consolidated balance sheets.
The interest rate for the $50.0 million outstanding on our amended revolving credit facility as of December 27, 2022 was 5.21%. Should interest rates based on these variable rate borrowings increase by one percentage point, our estimated annual interest expense would increase by $0.5 million.
In an effort to secure high quality, low-cost ingredients used in the products sold in our restaurants, we employ various purchasing and pricing contract techniques. When purchasing certain types of commodities, we may be subject to prevailing market conditions resulting in unpredictable price volatility. For certain commodities, we may also enter into contracts for terms of one year or less that are either fixed price agreements or fixed volume agreements where the price is negotiated with reference to fluctuating market prices. We currently do not use financial instruments to hedge commodity prices, but we will continue to evaluate their effectiveness. Extreme and/or long-term increases in commodity prices could adversely affect our future results, especially if we are unable, primarily due to competitive reasons, to increase menu prices. Additionally, if there is a time lag between the increasing commodity prices and our ability to increase menu prices or if we believe the commodity price increase to be short in duration and we choose not to pass on the cost increases, our short-term financial results could be negatively affected.
We are subject to business risk as our beef supply is highly dependent upon four vendors. To date, we have been able to properly manage any supply shortages but have experienced increased costs. If these vendors are unable to fulfill their obligations under their contracts, we may encounter further supply shortages and/or higher costs to secure adequate supply and a possible loss of sales, any of which would harm our business.

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ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
ITEM 8 - FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY FINANCIAL DATA
See Index to Consolidated Financial Statements at Item 15.

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ITEM 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS
ITEM 9 - CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE
None.

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ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
ITEM 9A - CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
Evaluation of disclosure controls and procedures
We have evaluated the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures pursuant to, and as defined in, Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, as of the end of the period covered by this report. Based on the evaluation, performed under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including the Chief Executive Officer (the "CEO") and the Chief Financial Officer (the "CFO"), our management, including the CEO and CFO, concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of December 27, 2022.
Changes in internal control
There were no significant changes in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the quarter ended December 27, 2022 that materially affected or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.
Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting
Under Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, our management is required to assess the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of the end of each fiscal year and report, based on that assessment, whether the Company’s internal control over financial reporting is effective.
Management of the Company is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting. As defined in Exchange Act Rule 13a-15(f), internal control over financial reporting is a process designed by, or under the supervision of, our principal executive and principal financial officers and effected by our Board of Directors, management and other personnel, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. Therefore, internal control over financial reporting determined to be effective can provide only reasonable assurance with respect to financial statement preparation and may not prevent or detect all misstatements.
Under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our CEO and CFO, we assessed the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of the end of the period covered by this report. In this assessment, the Company applied criteria based on the "Internal Control-Integrated Framework (2013)" issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. These criteria are in the areas of control environment, risk assessment, control activities, information and communication, and monitoring. The Company’s assessment included documenting, evaluating and testing the design and operating effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting. Based upon this evaluation, our management concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was effective as of December 27, 2022.
KPMG LLP, the independent registered public accounting firm that audited our Consolidated Financial Statements included in the Annual Report on Form 10-K, has also audited the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 27, 2022 as stated in their report at.

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ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION
ITEM 9B - OTHER INFORMATION
None.

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ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
ITEM 10 - DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
Information regarding our directors is incorporated herein by reference to the information set forth under "Election of Directors" in our Definitive Proxy Statement to be dated on or about March 31, 2023.
Information regarding our executive officers has been included in Part I of this Annual Report under the caption "Executive Officers of the Company."
Information regarding our corporate governance is incorporated herein by reference to the information set forth in our Definitive Proxy Statement to be dated on or about March 31, 2023.

---

ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
ITEM 11 - EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
Incorporated by reference from our Definitive Proxy Statement to be dated on or about March 31, 2023.

---

ITEM 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS
ITEM 12 - SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS
Incorporated by reference from our Definitive Proxy Statement to be dated on or about March 31, 2023.
Equity Compensation Plan Information
As of December 27, 2022, shares of common stock authorized for issuance under our equity compensation plans are summarized in the following table. Refer to Note 14 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for a description of the plans.
Shares to Be
Shares
Issued Upon
Available for
Plan Category
Vest Date (1)
Future Grants
Plans approved by stockholders
524,439
6,598,721
Plans not approved by stockholders
-
-
Total
524,439
6,598,721
(1) Total number of shares consist of 494,839 restricted stock units and 29,600 performance stock units. Shares in this column are excluded from the Shares Available for Future Grants column. No stock options were outstanding as of December 27, 2022.

---

ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS
ITEM 13 - CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE
Incorporated by reference from our Definitive Proxy Statement to be dated on or about March 31, 2023.

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ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES
ITEM 14 - PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES
Incorporated by reference from our Definitive Proxy Statement to be dated on or about March 31, 2023.
PART IV

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ITEM 15. EXHIBITS, FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES
ITEM 15 - EXHIBITS, FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES
1.
Consolidated Financial Statements
Description
Page Number
in Report
Reports of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm (PCAOB ID: 185)
Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 27, 2022 and December 28, 2021
Consolidated Statements of Income and Comprehensive Income for the years ended December 27, 2022, December 28, 2021 and December 29, 2020
Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity for the years ended December 27, 2022, December 28, 2021 and December 29, 2020
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the years ended December 27, 2022, December 28, 2021 and December 29, 2020
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
2.
Financial Statement Schedules
Omitted due to inapplicability or because required information is shown in our Consolidated Financial Statements or Notes thereto.
3.
Exhibits
Exhibit
No.
Description
3.1
Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Registrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 of the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended June 28, 2016) (File No. 000- 50972)
3.2
Bylaws of Registrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.3 to the Registration Statement on Form S-1 of Registrant (File No. 333-115259))
4.1
Description of Securities (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.2 to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 (File No. 000-50972))
10.1*
Form of Indemnification Agreement for Director and Executive Officer
10.2
Form of Limited Partnership Agreement and Operating Agreement for certain company-managed Texas Roadhouse restaurants, including schedule of the owners of such restaurants and the aggregate interests held by directors, executive officers and 5% stockholders who are parties to such an agreement (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.10 to the Registration Statement on Form S-1 of Registrant (File No. 333-115259))
10.3
Form of Franchise Agreement and Preliminary Agreement for a Texas Roadhouse restaurant franchise, including schedule of directors, executive officers and 5% stockholders which have entered into either agreement (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.14 to the Registration Statement on Form S-1 of Registrant (File No. 333-115259))
10.4
Schedule of the owners of company-managed Texas Roadhouse restaurants and the aggregate interests held by directors, executive officers and 5% stockholders who are parties to Limited Partnership Agreements and Operating Agreements as of December 27, 2022 the form of which is set forth in Exhibit 10.2 of this Form 10-K
10.5
Schedule of the directors, executive officers and 5% stockholders which have entered into Franchise Agreements or Preliminary Agreements for a Texas Roadhouse Franchise as of December 27, 2022 the form of which is set forth in Exhibit 10.3 of this Form 10-K
10.6*
Texas Roadhouse, Inc. 2013 Long-Term Incentive Plan (incorporated by reference from Appendix A to the Texas Roadhouse, Inc. Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 5, 2013 (File No. 000-50972))
10.7*
Form of Restricted Stock Unit Award under the Texas Roadhouse, Inc. 2013 Long-Term Incentive Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 of Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 25, 2013 (File No. 000-50972))
Exhibit
No.
Description
10.8*
Texas Roadhouse, Inc. Cash Bonus Plan for cash incentive awards granted pursuant to the Texas Roadhouse, Inc. 2013 Long-Term Incentive Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 of Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 25, 2013 (File No. 000-50972))
10.9*
Form of Performance Stock Unit Award Agreement under the Texas Roadhouse, Inc. 2013 Long-Term Incentive Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.36 to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 29, 2015 (File No. 000-50972))
10.10*
Amended and Restated Form of Restricted Stock Unit Award Agreement under the Texas Roadhouse, Inc. 2013 Long-Term Incentive Plan for officers (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.40 to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 30, 2014 (File No. 000-50972))
10.11*
Amended and Restated Form of Restricted Stock Unit Award Agreement under the Texas Roadhouse, Inc. 2013 Long-Term Incentive Plan for non-officers (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.41 to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 30, 2014 (File No. 000-50972))
10.12*
Second Amended and Restated Deferred Compensation Plan of Texas Roadhouse Management Corp., as amended December 19, 2007 and December 31, 2008 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.42 to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 30, 2014 (File No. 000-50972))
10.13*
Third Amended and Restated Deferred Compensation Plan of Texas Roadhouse Management Corp., effective January 1, 2010 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.43 to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 30, 2014 (File No. 000-50972))
10.14*
Form of Nonqualified Stock Option Agreement under Texas Roadhouse, Inc. 2013 Long-Term Incentive Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.47 to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 29, 2015 (File No. 000-50972))
10.15
Master Lease Agreement dated October 26, 2018 between Paragon Centre Holdings, LLC and Texas Roadhouse Holdings LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 25, 2018 (File No. 000-50972))
10.16
Amended and Restated Credit Agreement dated as of August 7, 2017, by and among Texas Roadhouse Inc., and the lenders named therein and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., as Administrative Agent (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K dated August 7, 2017 (File No. 000-50972))
10.17
Assignment and Assumption Agreement between Texas Roadhouse Holdings LLC and Texas Roadhouse, Inc. dated October 26, 2018 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.27 to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 (File No. 000-50972))
10.18
First Amendment to Paragon Centre Master Lease Agreement between Paragon Centre Holdings, LLC and Texas Roadhouse, Inc. dated December 13, 2019 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.28 to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 (File No. 000-50972))
10.19
First Amendment to Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated as of May 11, 2020, by and among Texas Roadhouse, Inc., and the lenders named therein and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. as Administrative Agent (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant's Current Report on 8-K dated May 11, 2020 (File No. 000-50972))
10.20*
Employment Agreement between Registrant and Gerald L. Morgan entered into as of December 17, 2020 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.33 to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 29, 2020 (File No. 000-50972))
10.21*
Employment Agreement between Registrant and S. Chris Jacobsen entered into as of December 30, 2020 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.36 to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 29, 2020 (File No. 000-50972))
10.22*
Employment Agreement between Registrant and Tonya Robinson entered into as of December 30, 2020 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.37 to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 29, 2020 (File No. 000-50972))
10.23*
Employment Agreement between Registrant and Christopher C. Colson entered into as of March 31, 2021 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.6 of the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended March 30, 2021 (File No. 000- 50972))
Exhibit
No.
Description
10.24*
First Amendment to Employment Agreement between Texas Roadhouse Management Corp. and Gerald L. Morgan dated March 31, 2021, with a retroactive effective date of March 18, 2021 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K dated March 31, 2021 (File No. 000-50972))
10.25*
Employment Agreement between Registrant and Regina A. Tobin entered into as of June 15, 2021 with an effective date of June 30, 2021 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 of the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended June 29, 2021 (File No. 000- 50972))
10.26*
Employment Agreement between Registrant and Hernan E. Mujica entered into as of June 15, 2021 with an effective date of June 30, 2021 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.4 of the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended June 29, 2021 (File No. 000- 50972))
10.27
Second Amendment to Amended and Restated Credit Agreement dated as of May 4, 2021 by and among Texas Roadhouse, Inc. and the lenders named therein and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. as Administrative Agent (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K dated May 4, 2021 (File No. 000-50972)
10.28*
Texas Roadhouse, Inc. 2021 Long-Term Incentive Plan (incorporated by reference from Appendix A to the Texas Roadhouse, Inc. Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 2, 2021 (File No. 000-50972))
10.29*
Form of Texas Roadhouse, Inc. 2021 Long-Term Incentive Plan Performance Stock Unit Award Agreement (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 of Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K dated June 15, 2021 (File No. 000-50972))
10.30*
Form of Texas Roadhouse, Inc. 2021 Long-Term Incentive Plan Restricted Stock Unit Award Agreement (Officers) (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 of Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K dated June 15, 2021 (File No. 000-50972))
10.31*
Form of Texas Roadhouse, Inc. 2021 Long-Term Incentive Plan Restricted Stock Unit Award Agreement (Member of Board of Directors) (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 of Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K dated June 15, 2021 (File No. 000-50972))
10.32*
Second Amendment to Employment Agreement between Texas Roadhouse Management Corp. and Gerald L. Morgan dated January 9, 2023 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K dated January 6, 2023 (File No. 000-50972))
10.33*
First Amendment to Employment Agreement between Texas Roadhouse Management Corp. and Regina A. Tobin dated January 9, 2023 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K dated January 6, 2023 (File No. 000-50972))
10.34*
First Amendment to Employment Agreement between Texas Roadhouse Management Corp. and Hernan E. Mujica dated January 9, 2023 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K dated January 6, 2023 (File No. 000-50972))
10.35*
First Amendment to Employment Agreement between Texas Roadhouse Management Corp. and Christopher C. Colson dated January 9, 2023 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.4 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K dated January 6, 2023 (File No. 000-50972))
10.36*
Separation Agreement and Release of Claims dated January 5, 2023 by and between Tonya R. Robinson and Texas Roadhouse Management Corp. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K dated January 4, 2023 (File No. 000-50972))
21.1
List of Subsidiaries
23.1
Consent of KPMG LLP, Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
31.1
Certification of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
31.2
Certification of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
32.1
Certification of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
32.2
Certification of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
Exhibit
No.
Description
The following financial statements from the Texas Roadhouse, Inc. Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 27, 2022, filed February 24, 2023, formatted in inline eXtensible Business Reporting Language (iXBRL): (i) Consolidated Balance Sheets, (ii) Consolidated Statements of Income and Comprehensive Income, (iii) Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity, (iv) Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows, and (v) the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
Cover page, formatted in iXBRL and contained in Exhibit 101.
*
Management contract or compensatory plan or arrangement required to be filed as an exhibit to Form 10-K.