EDGAR 10-K Filing

Company CIK: 1534992
Filing Year: 2022
Filename: 1534992_10-K_2022_0001534992-22-000007.json

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ITEM 1. BUSINESS
ITEM 1. BUSINESS
Overview
Our Company
We own, operate and franchise the restaurant brand Pollo Tropical®, which has over 30 years of operating history and a loyal customer base. Our Pollo Tropical restaurants feature fire-grilled and crispy citrus marinated chicken and other freshly prepared menu items. We believe the brand offers a distinct and unique flavor with broad appeal at a compelling value, which differentiates it in the competitive fast-casual and quick-service restaurant segments. All but one of our restaurants offer the convenience of drive-thru windows.
For the fiscal year ended January 2, 2022, average annual sales per restaurant was approximately $2.6 million for our Pollo Tropical restaurants. As of January 2, 2022, we owned and operated 138 Pollo Tropical restaurants, all of which are located in Florida. We franchise our Pollo Tropical restaurants primarily in international markets and, as of January 2, 2022, had 24 franchised Pollo Tropical restaurants outside the contiguous United States. In addition, as of January 2, 2022, we had five domestic non-traditional Pollo Tropical licensed locations on college campuses in Florida and locations at a hospital and a sports and entertainment stadium in Florida. For the fiscal year ended January 2, 2022, we generated revenues of $357.3 million, and comparable restaurant sales increased 16.0% for Pollo Tropical.
Sale of Taco Cabana
On July 1, 2021, we entered into a stock purchase agreement for the sale of all outstanding capital stock of Taco Cabana, Inc., the parent company of the Taco Cabana business, for a cash purchase price of $85.0 million, subject to reduction for (i) closing adjustments of approximately $4.6 million related to maintenance and repair work at the Taco Cabana restaurants and landscaping replacement as a result of Winter Storm Uri, and (ii) certain other working capital adjustments as set forth in the stock purchase agreement (the "Taco Cabana Divestiture"). The transaction was completed August 16, 2021, and the Company recognized a gain on the sale of Taco Cabana of $25.0 million during the year ended January 2, 2022, which is included within income from discontinued operations, net of tax, in the consolidated statements of operations. Additionally, we filed an insurance claim for winter storm damages in Texas that occurred in the first quarter of 2021 and retained the right to receive the insurance claim proceeds. We recognized $0.9 million of insurance proceeds within income (loss) from discontinued operations, net of tax, in the fourth quarter of 2021 based on a partial settlement reached with certain insurers. We expect to recognize additional proceeds when the claim is ultimately resolved. See Note 2 of the Notes to our Consolidated Financial Statements.
Proceeds from the sale were used to fully repay Fiesta's approximately $74.6 million of outstanding term loan borrowings under our senior credit facility and to pay divestiture transaction fees and a loan prepayment premium totaling approximately $4.2 million, comprised of a loan prepayment fee of 3.0% of the principal repaid of $2.2 million and divestiture transaction fees of approximately $2.0 million.
All revenues, costs and expenses and income taxes attributable to Taco Cabana, together with the gain on the sale of Taco Cabana and certain costs related to the transaction, have been aggregated within income (loss) from discontinued operations, net of tax, in the consolidated statements of operations for all periods presented. No amounts for shared general and administrative operating support expense were allocated to discontinued operations. Interest expenses, the amortization of premiums and debt issuance costs of our new and former senior credit facilities and the loss on extinguishment of debt under our new and former senior credit facilities are included within income (loss) from discontinued operations, net of tax.
COVID-19
The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic affected and is continuing to affect the restaurant industry and the economy. In response to COVID-19 and in compliance with governmental restrictions, we closed the dining room seating areas in all restaurants, limiting service to take-out, drive-thru, and delivery operations beginning in mid-March 2020. We re-opened certain dining rooms with limited capacity and hours during certain times in the second half of 2020. In 2021, we re-opened substantially all remaining dining rooms with limited hours by the end of February.
Based on current conditions, we do not expect sales trends to significantly deteriorate further as a direct result of COVID-19. However, labor shortages may negatively impact sales trends and there can be no assurance that sales trends will not deteriorate further. We have implemented measures to control costs to mitigate any negative impacts.
Labor Challenges
Hours of operations were limited in 2021 due to labor shortages which are affecting our brand and the restaurant industry. We estimate that operating hours were reduced by approximately 2.8% as a result of labor shortages in the second half of 2021. Additionally, in 2021 we experienced increased overtime due to training and staffing shortages. In response to these labor shortages and competition for labor, we implemented special incentive pay for our hourly restaurant employees from May 2021 through August 2021, provided sign-on and referral bonuses, and made permanent increases to hourly wage rates in late August 2021. We implemented a phased approach to price increases aimed at mitigating these additional labor costs with a 3.7% increase in late August 2021 and a 5.2% increase in mid-December 2021. As a result of this phased approach to price increases, Restaurant-level Adjusted EBITDA margin improvement is trailing the wage rate increases, which is expected to result in improved Restaurant-level Adjusted EBITDA margins in future quarters compared to 2021. In addition, we believe that approximately $1.7 million of the labor cost increases in the second half of 2021 for overtime and staffing-related incentives are short term in nature. We have intensified our focus on accelerating labor optimization efforts to improve staffing efficiency, which we believe will increase both staff availability and margins.
Our Brand
Our restaurants operate in the fast-casual and quick-service restaurant segments and feature fresh-made cooking, drive-thru service and catering.
Pollo Tropical. Our Pollo Tropical restaurants feature fresh chicken marinated in a proprietary blend of tropical fruit juices and spices, crispy or fire-grilled, boneless and bone-in. Other favorite menu items include Mojo Roast Pork and TropiChops® (a create your own bowl of fire-grilled or crispy chicken breast, roast pork or grilled vegetables served over white, brown or yellow rice, red or black beans, or mac and cheese, and topped with vegetables including tomatoes, kernel corn, peppers and sautéed onions), sandwiches, wraps and salads. Side dishes include rice, beans, french fries, plantains and balsamic tomatoes. The menu's emphasis is on freshness and quality. We also offer a wide selection of sauces, cilantro, onions and other items which allow our guests to further customize their orders. Dessert offerings include key lime pie, cuatro leches cake and flan, as well as limited-time seasonal items, and beverages include fountain soft drinks, flavored brewed teas, and other bottled drinks. Most menu items are prepared daily in each of our restaurants, which feature open display cooking on large, open-flame grills. We offer both individual and family meal-sized portions which enable us to provide a home meal replacement for our guests and catering for parties and corporate events. We began selling proprietary alcoholic beverages including wine and beer at most Pollo Tropical locations in 2020 to increase off-premise sales.
Our Pollo Tropical restaurant dining areas are designed to create an inviting, festive and tropical atmosphere. We also provide our guests the option of take-out, including the ability to order online in advance, and all but one of our restaurants provide the convenience of drive-thru windows. Delivery is available through third-party partnerships at all Pollo Tropical locations. Our Pollo Tropical restaurants are generally open for lunch, dinner, and late night seven days a week. As of January 2, 2022, substantially all of our Pollo Tropical restaurants were freestanding buildings. Our typical freestanding Pollo Tropical restaurant ranges from 2,800 to 3,700 square feet and provides interior seating for approximately 70 to 90 guests. During the year ended January 2, 2022, the majority of our sales were through drive-thru windows, take-out, or delivery. For the year ended January 2, 2022, the average sales transaction at our Pollo Tropical restaurants was $14.30, with sales at dinner and lunch representing 50.5% and 49.5%, respectively. For the year ended January 2, 2022, our Pollo Tropical brand generated total revenues of $357.3 million and Adjusted EBITDA of $36.8 million.
Pollo Tropical opened its first restaurant in 1988 in Miami, Florida. As of January 2, 2022, we owned and operated a total of 138 Pollo Tropical restaurants, all located in Florida.
We are franchising and licensing our Pollo Tropical restaurants internationally and in non-traditional domestic locations. As of January 2, 2022, we had 24 franchised Pollo Tropical restaurants located in Puerto Rico, Panama, Guyana, Ecuador, the Bahamas, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, five non-traditional licensed locations on college campuses in Florida, and locations at a hospital and a sports and entertainment stadium in Florida. We have agreements for the continued development of franchised Pollo Tropical restaurants in certain of our existing franchised markets.
Taco Cabana. Prior to the sale, our Taco Cabana restaurants served fresh, Mexican-inspired food. Typical freestanding Taco Cabana restaurants averaged approximately 3,500 square feet (exclusive of the exterior dining area) and provided seating for approximately 80 guests, with additional outside patio seating for approximately 50 guests.
Our Competitive Strengths
We believe our competitive strengths include the following key attributes:
Well Positioned and Differentiated in the Fast-Casual and Quick-Service Segments. As of January 2, 2022, we owned, operated and franchised 169 fast-casual restaurants under our Pollo Tropical brand which has over 30 years of operating history. We believe Pollo Tropical has compelling average annual sales per restaurant within the fast-casual and quick-service segments at $2.6 million for 2021, and we believe it is well positioned in the industry due to our high quality, freshly-prepared food, value and differentiation of flavor profiles.
Leading, Differentiated Brand Serving Freshly Prepared, High Quality Foods with Broad Appeal and a Compelling Value Proposition. Our Pollo Tropical brand is differentiated from other dining options and offers distinct flavor profiles and healthy menu choices at affordable prices that we believe has broad consumer appeal, provides guests with a compelling value proposition, attracts a diverse customer base and drives guest frequency and loyalty. Pollo Tropical is committed to serving freshly-prepared food using quality ingredients that are made-to-order and customized for each guest. Pollo Tropical offers a wide range of menu offerings and home meal replacement options in generous portion sizes and at affordable price points which appeal to a broad customer base. Our open display kitchen format allows guests to view and experience our food being freshly-prepared and cooked to order. We continue to refine our menus, including some seasonal offerings at our restaurants, in order to provide variety to our guests, address changes in consumer preferences, and maintain a speed of service that appeals to our customers. We also selectively use promotions and limited time offers which are intended to reinforce our value proposition and to introduce new products. Additionally, we offer our guests the convenience of drive-thru service, online ordering, curbside pickup, and delivery through third-party delivery services in order to provide a viable option for home meal replacement and family meals.
Compelling Business Model. We enjoy significant brand recognition due to high market penetration of our restaurants in our core markets which provides operating, marketing and distribution efficiencies and convenience for our guests. Pollo Tropical has a strong brand affinity in our core markets as evidenced by fast-casual and quick-service segment-leading average annual sales volumes, as noted above.
Growth Strategies
Our long-term strategy is focused on profitably building our base business, growing new distribution channels, including catering, delivery, licensed and franchised locations, and development of new restaurants.
Our strategies for growth primarily include:
Increase Comparable Restaurant Sales. Comparable restaurant sales increased 16.0% in 2021 compared to 2020 and decreased 1.1% compared to 2019. We experienced a decrease in comparable restaurant sales in 2020, which we believe was attributable to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and labor challenges. These challenges continued into 2021. We believe our significant mix of dine-in sales prior to the pandemic had a negative impact on comparable restaurant sales. We also experienced a decrease in comparable restaurant sales in 2019 which we believe was attributable to a decline in comparable restaurant transactions due in part to challenging market and industry conditions, discounted pricing and, for Pollo Tropical, the negative impact of Hurricane Dorian, partially offset by menu price increases and the introduction of higher priced shareables in 2019. We are focused on increasing comparable restaurant sales in the future by attracting new customers and increasing guest frequency through the following strategies:
•Focus on consistency of operations and food quality: We believe high quality food and hospitality, a comfortable ambience, and reasonable prices result in an enjoyable guest experience, which drives loyalty and guest frequency. We have improved systems, processes and equipment, implemented tighter management spans of control and enhanced our field leadership teams, and we continue to focus on improving systems and processes to ensure consistency of operations. In addition, supply chain and food preparation processes have been implemented to ensure high quality, freshness and consistency of our food, which we believe are critical components to the continued success of our brand.
•New product innovation: Our menu is centered on freshly prepared, quality food offerings that we believe have both broad appeal and provide everyday value. Pollo Tropical has a team of product research and development professionals that enables us to continually refine our menu offerings and develop new products, several of which are validated by consumer research. Maintaining a strong product pipeline is critical to keeping our offerings compelling, and we intend to introduce innovative new menu items and enhancements to existing menu favorites throughout the year to drive further guest traffic, maximize guest frequency, and increase average check.
•Focus on effective advertising to highlight our everyday value proposition: Pollo Tropical utilizes an integrated, multi-level marketing approach that includes periodic system-wide promotions, outdoor marketing including billboards, in-restaurant promotions, local trade area marketing, social media, digital and web-based marketing and other strategies, including the use of radio and television advertising and limited-time offer menu item and value promotions. In addition, we have email and app-based loyalty programs at Pollo Tropical (My Pollo™) to further connect with our guests to build affinity and frequency. In 2020, we introduced a new state-of-the-art mobile app for Pollo Tropical. As a percentage of Pollo Tropical restaurant sales, Pollo Tropical's advertising expenditures were 3.2% in 2021, 2.7% in 2020 and 3.4% in 2019.
•Grow our off-premise sales with focus on digital platform: The inclusion of portable menu items, such as wraps, sandwiches, bowls and salads, as well as family meals, and an increased focus on catering and delivery will continue to be a key focus for Pollo Tropical as we look to capture more off-premise meal occasions which we believe may be significant. Off-premise meal consumption increased significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic and we believe that off-premise sales may continue to be significant following the pandemic. In 2019, we invested in our catering business by adding dedicated catering sales managers and catering online ordering capabilities, we partnered with a third-party delivery partner to provide delivery services, and we created Rapid Pickup for online orders at Pollo Tropical. In 2020, we expanded our third-party delivery partnerships to include delivery through multiple delivery service providers. We engaged a third party to improve our mobile apps and enhance our digital connections and interactions to grow our digital business and create experiences that minimize friction within our digital platforms including creating a state-of-the-art mobile app. We also implemented curbside pickup functionality as an option with online ordering and began improving connectivity at our restaurants, upgrading portable tablets and enabling touchless payments. In 2021, we continued to invest in improving our digital platform and improving the speed and ease of use for off-premise sales channels including an enhanced drive-thru experience, geofencing technology for curbside orders and infrastructure changes to improve the speed of order cycle time for drive-thru and delivery orders in the second half of 2021. In 2021, we also completed design and began the implementation of digital drive-thru technology, which is designed to grow traffic and drive-thru check averages by improving speed of service at peak times, increasing promotion visibility and upselling opportunities and increasing order accuracy.
•Continue our reimage program: We believe ensuring a high-quality restaurant environment that complements our quality focus on food and hospitality will further drive incremental sales and profitability. We continue to implement restaurant enhancement initiatives to ensure safe, consistent and appealing experiences at our Pollo Tropical restaurants. During 2021, we developed an updated and more efficient restaurant design that reflects evolving post-COVID consumer behavior as well as consumer research. During 2021, we began testing the new design in remodels and refreshes. Three remodels and five refreshes were completed, with all but one completed late in the fourth quarter of 2021. We will continue to test and evaluate the new design in additional remodels and refreshes in 2022.
Non-Traditional License and International Franchise Development. We generally update our Pollo Tropical franchise disclosure documents each year to support potential franchise growth in the future. We are currently primarily focused on growing non-traditional domestic licensed locations on university campuses and non-traditional licensed locations in airports, events stadiums and highway rest stops, while modestly growing international locations with quality operators. In 2021, we opened our first licensed sports and entertainment location in a professional football stadium in Florida.
Improve Profitability and Optimize Our Infrastructure. We believe that our large restaurant base, skilled management team, operating systems, technology initiatives and training and development programs support our strategy of enhancing operating efficiencies while prudently growing our restaurant base. We continue to focus on maximizing cost efficiencies, including, among other things, implementing profit enhancement initiatives focused on food and labor costs, leveraging our purchasing power and enhancing our supply chain to optimize costs while delivering a high-quality guest experience with consistency. Our restaurant-level profitability at Pollo Tropical is very competitive within the restaurant industry segments in which we compete.
Develop New Restaurants. We believe that we have opportunities to develop additional Pollo Tropical restaurants in Florida, as well as potential future expansion opportunities in other regions of the United States that match our site selection criteria. We paused our new restaurant development plans in 2020 and 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, we intend to resume new restaurant development in the future. The development of new restaurants will incorporate what we have learned during the COVID-19 pandemic and our reimaging market research, both qualitative and quantitative. During 2021, we retained third-party consultants to assist in creating a new store design with a lower investment, optimized productivity and updated design features that we believe better match evolving consumer preferences. We began testing and refining the new design in remodels and refreshes in 2021 and will continue these tests with additional remodels and refreshes in 2022.
We target opening freestanding restaurants in order to provide drive-thru service which is an important convenience and sales component for our brand. The location of our restaurants is a critical component of each restaurant's success. We evaluate potential new sites on many criteria including accessibility, visibility, costs, surrounding traffic patterns, competition and demographic characteristics. Our senior management team determines the acceptability of all new sites based upon site visits, analyses prepared by our real estate, financial and operations professionals, and third-party proprietary location research and analysis. Historically, this process has typically resulted in entering into a long-term lease for the land followed by construction of the building or the conversion of an existing building using cash generated from our operations or with borrowings under our senior credit facility. While we have not yet entered into new unit lease agreements, we continue to evaluate opportunities for potential new sites.
The cost to construct a new or converted free-standing restaurant for our new restaurant design is estimated to be between $1.7 million to $1.9 million.
The cost of building and equipping new restaurants can vary significantly and depends on a number of factors, including the local economic conditions, geographic considerations, the size of the restaurant, the characteristics of a particular site, and whether we are constructing a new building or converting an existing building. Accordingly, the cost of opening new restaurants in the future may differ substantially from these estimates.
Competition
The restaurant industry is highly competitive with respect to price, service, location and food quality. In each of our markets, our restaurants compete with many national and regional quick service, fast casual, and in some cases casual dining restaurant chains, as well as locally owned restaurants. We also compete with delivered meal solutions, convenience stores, grocery stores and other restaurant retailers.
We believe that:
•Product quality and taste;
•Brand differentiation and recognition;
•Convenience of location;
•Speed of service;
•Menu variety;
•Comprehensive digital platform;
•Value perception;
•Ambience;
•Cleanliness; and
•Hospitality
are among the most important competitive factors in the fast-casual and quick-service restaurant segments and that Pollo Tropical effectively competes against those categories. Pollo Tropical's competitors include national and regional chicken-based concepts, as well as other concepts.
Restaurant Operating Data
Selected Pollo Tropical restaurant operating data is as follows:
Year Ended
January 2, 2022 January 3, 2021 December 29, 2019
Average annual sales per company-owned restaurant (in thousands) (1)
$ 2,576 $ 2,220 $ 2,576
Average sales transaction $ 14.3 $ 12.83 $ 11.71
Sales channel sales percentages:
Drive-thru sales as a percentage of total sales 57.8 % 61.1 % 46.8 %
Dine-in & counter take-out sales as a percentage of total sales 27.4 % 28.0 % 49.0 %
Delivery sales as a percentage of total sales 10.1 % 7.3 % 1.8 %
Online sales as a percentage of total sales 3.5 % 2.7 % 1.5 %
Catering sales as a percentage of total sales 1.2 % 0.9 % 0.9 %
Day-part sales percentages:
Lunch 49.5 % 49.65 % 47.4 %
Dinner and late night 50.5 % 50.34 % 52.6 %
(1) Average annual sales for company-owned restaurants are derived by dividing restaurant sales for such year by the average number of company-owned restaurants for such year. For comparative purposes, the calculation of average annual sales per company-owned restaurant is based on a 52-week fiscal year. Restaurant sales data for the extra week in the fiscal year ended January 3, 2021 have been excluded for purposes of calculating average annual sales per company-owned restaurant.
Seasonality
Our business is marginally seasonal due to regional weather conditions. Sales from our restaurants located in South Florida are generally higher during the winter months than during the summer months, while sales from our restaurants located in Central Florida and North Florida are generally higher during the summer months than the winter months. In addition, we have outdoor seating at many of our restaurants and the effects of adverse weather may impact the use of these areas and may negatively impact our restaurant sales.
Operations
Management Information Systems
Our management information systems provide us the ability to efficiently and effectively manage our restaurants and to ensure consistent application of operating controls at our restaurants.
In all corporate-owned restaurants, we use computerized management information systems, which we believe are scalable to support potential future growth plans. We use touch-screen point-of-sale (POS) systems, both fixed and mobile, designed specifically for the restaurant industry that facilitate accuracy and speed of order taking, are user-friendly, require limited cashier training, improve speed-of-service through the use of conversational order-taking techniques, and provide appropriate audit trails. We use credit card processing devices which utilize industry-leading Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE) that protect our customer's credit card data. The POS systems are integrated with above-store enterprise applications that are designed to facilitate financial and management control of our restaurant operations. All products sold and related prices at our restaurants are programmed into the system from our central support office.
We provide in-store access to enterprise systems that assist in labor scheduling and food cost management, allow online ordering from distributors, and reduce managers' administrative time. Critical information from such systems is available in near real-time to our restaurant managers, who are expected to react quickly to trends or situations in their restaurant. Our district managers also receive near real-time information from all restaurants under their control and have access to key operating data on a remote basis. Management personnel at all levels, from the restaurant manager through senior management, utilize key restaurant performance indicators to manage our business.
These enterprise systems provide daily tracking and reporting of traffic counts, menu item sales, labor and food data including costs, and other key operating information for each restaurant. These systems also provide the ability to monitor labor
utilization and sales trends on a real-time basis at each restaurant and provide analyses, reporting and tools to enable all levels of management to review a wide range of financial, product mix and operational data.
Our above-store digital ordering system is integrated with our POS system at each restaurant. Individual, group or catering orders placed on our website or that of our third-party delivery partners, mobile app or through our call center are transmitted electronically to the restaurants to provide a seamless ordering, payment and pickup or delivery experience for our guests. For mobile online ordering, we utilize a customized, proprietary consumer-facing mobile smartphone app developed in partnership with a leading third-party app developer.
In 2021, we made a number of improvements to our digital platform, including the following:
•Developed and deployed a curbside delivery program to help alleviate congestion at the drive-thru and in dining rooms;
•Completed the design and began the implementation of digital drive-thru technology, which is expected to grow traffic and drive-thru check averages by improving speed of service peak times, increase promotion visibility and upselling opportunities and increase order accuracy; and
•Continued Pollo Tropical app enhancements to improve ease-of-use and maximize revenue per online transactions.
In order to maintain security and compliance, in 2021 we rolled out a new Advanced Endpoint Protection service, conducted ongoing cybersecurity training and mock ethical phishing campaign testing, and installed new, more secure credit card terminals at our drive-thru windows. We also upgraded our in-store wireless infrastructure to enable better guest and employee experiences, especially for the drive-thru mobile POS systems, and upgraded older operating systems across a number of endpoints.
We expect to continue making significant investments in technology that we believe will drive sales, improve margins or upgrade infrastructure. In 2022, we intend to focus technology investments on the ongoing rollout of our digital drive-thru platform, enhancements to our loyalty platform including a higher level of loyalty integration and friction reduction across all channels, upgrading legacy POS workstations and continuing to proactively update infrastructure elements in the technology platform that are nearing end of life.
Community Social Impact
We are committed to being a deeply responsible company in the communities where we do business. Our focus is on serving high quality food to our guests and contributing positively to the communities where our restaurants are located. This is integral to our business strategy. Our initiatives include:
•Our chicken is free of hormones and trans-fats and our shrimp is Best Aquaculture certified;
•Our chicken is sourced from suppliers dedicated to uphold responsible animal welfare practices;
•We continue to pursue finding more earth-friendly serving and packaging materials for our products including bags that are made from recycled material, are 100% recyclable and reusable and are Rainforest Alliance certified, paper drink cups that are Sustainable Forest Initiative certified and aluminum that contains postindustrial re-processed and post-consumer material;
•Military veterans are actively recruited to work at our restaurants;
•We have military appreciation days and we provide discounts to military and first responders;
•We assist, through our non-profit Fiesta Family Foundation, many of our employees who have personally suffered losses or other hardships;
•During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Pollo Tropical provided approximately 113,000 free meals to school-aged children and approximately 22,000 free meals to first responders and healthcare professionals. Pollo Tropical also donated approximately $60 thousand in food donations to Miami Rescue Mission; and
•Immediately following the collapse of the Champlain Towers South in Surfside, Florida, Pollo Tropical was the first food provider on-site, distributing dinner to rescue workers the first night and continuing to deliver food on a weekly basis throughout the cleanup efforts. In addition to providing approximately 2,500 free meals to the rescue workers at the collapse site and to the Family Assistance Center at a nearby hotel, we also provided gift cards to displaced families from a nearby low-income condo building which was evacuated and shut down as a result of a safety audit immediately after the collapse.
•In 2021, we provided monetary and food donations or volunteered to the following organizations: Fire and Police departments, Federal Bureau of Investigation Headquarters, Baptist Hospital - Miami, Lotus House, Miami-Dade Firefighters Benevolent Association, Miami Dolphins Foundation, Miami Heat Charitable Fund, Miami Rescue Mission, the Motivational Edge, and Victim Service Center - Orlando.
•In 2020, we provided monetary and food donations or volunteered to the following organizations: Fire and Police departments, hospitals and COVID testing and vaccination sites throughout Florida, Big Brother Helping Hand, Farm Workers Association, Kidz Nation, L.O.V.E Our Youth Orlando, Miami Rescue Mission, Ronald McDonald House, Salvation Army, SOS Kids - Coconut Creek, St. Jude's Shelter, Star of Hope, United Way, YMCA, and Zebra Coalition.
As a result of these initiatives, we believe we deliver benefits to our stakeholders, including employees, business partners, customers, suppliers, stockholders, community members, and others.
Suppliers and Distributors
We have negotiated directly with local and national suppliers for the purchase of food and beverage products and supplies to ensure consistent quality and freshness and to obtain competitive prices. Supply contracts are negotiated on an annual basis in some cases to obtain favorable pricing and ensure consistent supply flow. Food and supplies are ordered from approved suppliers and are shipped to the restaurants via distributors. We are responsible for monitoring quality control, for the supervision of these suppliers and for conducting inspections to observe preparations and ensure the quality of products purchased.
We have service agreements with our primary distributors of food and paper products. Performance Food Group, Inc., is our primary distributor of food and beverage products and supplies for our Pollo Tropical restaurants under a distribution services agreement that expires on July 27, 2024. We also currently rely on two suppliers for chicken for our Pollo Tropical restaurants under agreements that expire on December 31, 2022.
Quality Assurance
Pollo Tropical is committed to obtaining quality ingredients and creating freshly-prepared food in a safe manner. In addition to operating in accordance with quality assurance and health standards mandated by federal, state and local governmental laws and regulations regarding minimum cooking times and temperatures, maximum time standards for holding prepared food, food handling guidelines and cleanliness, among other things, we have also developed our own internal quality control standards. We require our suppliers to adhere to our high quality control standards, and we regularly inspect their products and production and distribution facilities to ensure that they conform to those standards. In addition, we have implemented certain procedures to ensure that we serve safe, quality meals to our guests. As an example, we utilize the nationally-recognized ServSafe program to train our kitchen staff and managers on proper food handling and preparation techniques. In addition, we have hired a third-party specialized service provider that conducts unscheduled food safety inspections of our restaurants, and restaurant managers conduct internal inspections for taste, quality, cleanliness and food safety on a regular basis. These third-party inspections are one of the metrics used in our restaurant-level incentive bonus programs.
In addition to food safety, our operational focus is closely monitored to achieve a high level of guest satisfaction via speed of service, order accuracy and quality of service. Our senior management and restaurant management staffs are principally responsible for ensuring compliance with our operating policies. We have uniform operating standards and specifications relating to the quality, preparation and selection of menu items, maintenance and cleanliness of the restaurants and employee conduct. In order to maintain compliance with these operating standards and specifications, we distribute to our restaurant operations management team detailed reports measuring compliance with various guest service standards and objectives, including feedback obtained directly from our guests. The guest feedback is monitored by an independent agency and by us and consists of evaluations of speed of service, quality of service, quality of our menu items and other operational objectives including the cleanliness of our restaurants. We also have in-house guest service representatives that manage guest feedback and inquiries.
Trademarks
We believe that our trademarks, service marks, trade dress, logos and other proprietary intellectual property are important to our success. We have registered the principal Pollo Tropical logos and designs with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on the Principal Register as a service mark for our restaurant services. We also have secured or have applied for state and federal registrations for several other advertising or promotional marks, including variations of the Pollo Tropical principal marks as well as those related to our core menu offerings. In connection with our current and potential international franchising activities, we have applied for or been granted registrations in foreign countries of the Pollo Tropical principal marks and several other marks.
Other than the Pollo Tropical trademarks and the logo and trademark of Fiesta Restaurant Group (including Internet domain names and addresses) and proprietary rights relating to certain of our core menu offerings, we have no proprietary intellectual property.
Continued Commitment to Strong Governance
We declassified our board of directors so that beginning at our 2019 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, our entire board of directors stands for re-election for a one-year term. Additionally, in 2018, our board of directors adopted a mandatory maximum age of 75 for any director nominee.
Government Regulation
Various federal, state and local laws affect our business, including various health, sanitation, fire and safety standards. Restaurants to be constructed or reimaged are subject to state and local building code and zoning requirements. In connection with the development and reimaging of our restaurants, we may incur costs to meet certain federal, state and local regulations, including regulations promulgated under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
We are subject to the federal Fair Labor Standards Act and various other federal and state laws governing employment matters. While we pay, on average, rates that are above the federal minimum wage, and where applicable, state minimum wage, increases in those minimum wages have in the past increased wage rates at our restaurants and in the future will affect our labor costs. We are also subject to provisions of the comprehensive federal health care reform law. We anticipate that a combination of labor management, cost reduction initiatives, technology and menu price increases can materially offset the potential increased costs associated with future regulations.
Pollo Tropical is subject to alcoholic beverage control regulations that require state, county or municipal licenses or permits to sell alcoholic beverages at each restaurant location that sells alcoholic beverages. Typically, licenses must be renewed every one to two years and may be revoked or suspended for cause at any time. Licensing entities, authorized with law enforcement authority, may issue violations and conduct audits and investigations of the restaurant's records and procedures. Alcoholic beverage control regulations relate to numerous aspects of the daily operations of our restaurants including minimum age for consumption, certification requirements for employees, hours of operation, advertising, wholesale purchasing, inventory control and handling, storage and dispensing of alcoholic beverages. These regulations also prescribe certain required banking and accounting practices related to alcohol sales and purchasing. Our restaurants are subject to state "dram-shop" laws. Dram-shop laws provide a person injured by an intoxicated person the right to recover damages from an establishment that wrongfully served alcoholic beverages to the intoxicated or minor patron. We have specific insurance that covers claims arising under dram-shop laws. However, we cannot ensure that this insurance will be adequate to cover any claims that may be instituted against us.
Human Capital Management
As of January 2, 2022, we employed approximately 4,480 persons, of which approximately 110 were corporate and administrative personnel and approximately 4,370 were restaurant operations and other supervisory personnel. None of our employees are covered by collective bargaining agreements and we consider that overall relations with our employees are favorable.
Culture, Values & Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
At Fiesta, we are in the business of inclusive hospitality. We strive to create diverse, respectful spaces where innovation can thrive, where being courageous is rewarded, and where treating each other like family is a core value.
These qualities have supported over 30 years of successful operations for our Pollo Tropical brand. We believe that the investments we are making in our employees, our restaurants, and our communities will contribute to our continued success in the restaurant business.
As of January 2, 2022, approximately 61% of our U.S.-based employee population identified as female and approximately 92% of our U.S based employee population is comprised of racial and ethnic minorities. In addition, approximately 33% of our executive officers are female and approximately 50% are racial and ethnic minorities. Furthermore, approximately 59% of the restaurant field management of our restaurant brands identified as female and more than approximately 81% of this group is comprised of racial and ethnic minorities.
As a truly diverse organization, we foster a culture of inclusion that helps to remove some of the barriers to workplace entry and professional development that diverse groups might face. We provide opportunities for career progression through the training and development investments we make. Many of our field managers started as hourly team members and have had the
opportunity to move up and become managers and supervisors at the corporate level. We believe in developing and promoting from within and in 2021 promoted nearly 200 employees to management or leadership roles.
We are committed to enhancing equality in ongoing career advancement for women and minorities through targeted education and development programs. Relevant initiatives include:
•Ongoing assessment and management of our talent pipeline to support the career progression of high-potential women and minorities;
•Well defined Career Path Programs for hourly employees to advance to management;
•Cultural and Compliance training for all our employees; and
•Creating a Women's Forum.
Total Rewards
We believe rewarding our employees for their hard work and commitment starts with pay. We pay, on average, rates that are above the federal minimum wage. In addition to their fixed salary, restaurant and district managers are compensated with an incentive bonus, based upon the performance of the restaurants under their supervision. Additionally, in 2021 in response to emerging labor challenges, we examined our overall hourly compensation and benefits programs and adjusted our wages to reflect the broader market changes. We understand the importance of offering our employees benefits for all aspects of their lives and in 2021 added additional benefits in response to our employees' needs and consistent with this broader philosophy. Through our benefits program we hope to provide our employees with the stability they need to succeed not only in their careers, but in their personal lives as well. Benefits offered to all corporate employees, who work more than 24 hours per week include paid time-off programs including holiday, personal, vacation (adjusted in 2021 to accrue on monthly basis within 90 days of an associate's start date), family leave, commuter benefits, emergency child care, and volunteer time and retirement savings plan with company match. Additionally, all employees are eligible for assistance through our non-profit, Fiesta Family Foundation, which provides assistance to our employees who have personally suffered losses or other hardships.
Training and Development
We maintain a comprehensive training and development program for all our restaurant employees and provide both classroom and in-restaurant training for our salaried and hourly team members. Technology enhancements, expansion of leadership development curriculum and proven e-learning courses complement our Learning Management System platform to focus our team members on system-wide operating procedures by position, food preparation methods and guest service standards.
We have developed a comprehensive management training program, complemented by active coaching and dedicated field training manager supervision for all new managers. During the new manager onboarding process, we customize an intensive, self-paced ongoing development program designed to prepare each employee for the next level of management. The onboarding period also includes robust classroom training with an emphasis on skill and competency building.
Our Response to COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect the restaurant industry and the economy. In response to COVID-19 and in compliance with governmental restrictions, we closed the dining room seating areas in all restaurants, limiting service to take-out, drive-thru, and delivery operations beginning in mid-March 2020. We re-opened certain dining rooms with limited capacity and hours during certain times in the second half of 2020. In 2021, we re-opened substantially all remaining dining rooms. In addition, to protect the health and safety of our employees and guests, we have continued to provide face coverings for all restaurant employees and purchased additional sanitation supplies and personal protective materials, as well as tamper evident packaging seals for all digital orders, and implemented improvements to our restaurants, such as tempered glass shields at the counter and enhanced sanitation protocols. Furthermore, we continued our policies of sponsored employer paid COVID-19 testing for employees, ensured that associates were aware of our Employee Assistance Program coverage with a focus on mental health support for employees and their families, provided employees with additional two hours of paid time off for each COVID-19 vaccine shot (total of 4 hours) and maintained a program for providing employees with the necessary tools and resources to educate themselves about the benefits of the COVID-19 vaccine to enable employees to make the best decision for themselves.
Management Structure
We conduct substantially all of our operations, training, marketing, real estate, facilities and culinary research and development support functions from our Pollo Tropical division headquarters in Miami, Florida. Our executive management functions are primarily conducted from our offices in Dallas, Texas, and Miami, Florida. Our management team is led by Richard Stockinger, who serves as our President and Chief Executive Officer, Dirk Montgomery who serves as our Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, Louis DiPietro who serves as our Senior Vice President, Chief Legal and People Officer and Corporate Secretary, Hope Diaz who serves as our Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, and Patricia Lopez Calleja who serves as our Senior Vice President of Strategic Initiatives and Chief Experience Officer.
Availability of Information
We file annual, quarterly and current reports and other information with the SEC. The SEC maintains an Internet site that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC. The address of that site is http://www.sec.gov.
We make available free of charge through our internet website (www.frgi.com) 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 Exchange Act as soon as reasonably practicable after electronically filing such material with the SEC. The references to our website address and the SEC's website address are textual references only, meaning that they do not constitute incorporation by reference of the information contained on those websites and should not be considered part of this document. In addition, at our website you may also obtain, free of charge, copies of our corporate governance materials, including the charters for the committees of our board of directors and copies of various corporate policies including our Code of Business Ethics and Conduct, Code of Ethics for Executives and our "Whistle Blower" policy.

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ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
You should carefully consider the risks described below, as well as other information and data included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The risks and uncertainties described below are those that we have identified as material, but are not the only risks and uncertainties we face. Our business is also subject to general risks and uncertainties that affect many other companies, including overall economic and industry conditions. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently believe are not material also may impair our business, consolidated financial condition and results of operations.
Risks Related to the COVID-19 Pandemic
The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has adversely affected, and could continue to adversely affect, our operations and results of operations.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had and is likely to continue to have a significant impact on our restaurant operations and overall business. During the pandemic's peak, we temporarily shifted to a "to-go" only operating model at many of our Pollo Tropical in Florida, suspending sit-down dining and serving our guests through take-out, drive-thru and delivery. We also implemented closures, modified hours or reductions in on-site staff, resulting in canceled shifts for some of our employees. COVID-19 has also adversely affected our ability to implement our growth plans, including delays in construction of new restaurants. In addition, to protect the health and safety of our employees and guests, we have provided and may continue to provide face coverings for all restaurant employees, purchased additional sanitation supplies and personal protective materials, as well as tamper evident packaging seals for all digital orders and implemented improvements to our restaurants, such as tempered glass shields at the counter, which have increased our operating costs and adversely affected our liquidity.
In addition, our operations have been and could continue to be disrupted by employees who are unable or unwilling to work, whether because of illness, quarantine, fear of contracting COVID-19 or caring for family members due to a COVID-19 illness. Restaurant closures, menu changes or modified hours of operation due to staffing shortages could materially adversely affect our business or results of operations, liquidity or financial condition. Additionally, the so-called "great resignation" trend that began in 2021, in which U.S. employees voluntarily resigned from their jobs in large numbers, has further strained our ability to keep our restaurants fully staffed and negatively impacted employee satisfaction.
The COVID-19 pandemic also has impacted and is likely to continue to impact our supply chain, which could negatively impact our business. These impacts could include but are not limited to disruptions in our ability to obtain ingredients, packaging and cleaning supplies due to labor shortages at our suppliers and service providers, transportation bottlenecks, or increases in raw material and commodity costs. If our suppliers do not fulfill their obligations to us, we could face shortages of food items or other supplies at our restaurants, and our results of operations and sales could be adversely impacted.
We cannot predict how resurgences of the COVID-19 virus and new variants will impact the overall economy or our guests' purchasing behaviors, so we cannot predict how long our results of operations and financial performance will be adversely impacted.
Risks Related to Human Capital
If we are not able to hire, train, reward and retain qualified restaurant employees and/or appropriately maintain our workforce, our growth plan and profitability could be adversely affected.
We rely on our restaurant team members to consistently provide high-quality food and positive experiences to our guests. Staffing in our restaurants requires us to plan effectively, which has become more complex due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and other factors limiting the available pool of applicants. The market for qualified talent has become even more competitive and we must provide increasingly competitive wages, benefits and workplace conditions to retain qualified employees. We have experienced and may continue to experience challenges in recruiting and retaining restaurant employees and in maintaining full restaurant staffing in various locations, which has resulted and may continue to result in longer wait times for guest orders, temporary closures of the digital make line and decreased employee satisfaction. A shortage of qualified candidates who meet all legal work authorization requirements, our failure to recruit and retain new restaurant employees in a timely manner or higher than expected turnover levels could affect our ability to open new restaurants, maintain or grow sales at existing restaurants or meet our labor cost objectives. 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 results of operations.
Increases in labor costs could adversely impact our operating results.
Given that labor is a primary component in the cost of operating our restaurants, our business has been and could continue to be adversely impacted by increased labor costs resulting from factors such as federal, state, or local laws related to prevailing wages or in other employee benefits costs (including costs associated with health insurance coverage or workers' compensation insurance) as well as higher wages and costs of other benefits necessary to attract, hire and retain employees at all levels in a highly competitive job market. Our ability to offset higher labor costs by increasing menu prices depends on the willingness of our guests to pay the higher prices and the perceived value of our meals relative to competitors. If competitive pressures or other factors prevent us from fully offsetting higher labor costs with increased menu prices, our profitability may decline which could adversely impact our operating results.
While our employees are not currently subject to a collective bargaining agreement, if a significant portion of our employees were to become unionized and covered by a collective bargaining agreement, our labor costs could increase. Potential changes in labor laws could increase the likelihood of some or all of our employees being subjected to greater organized labor influence, which could have an adverse effect on our business and operating results by imposing requirements that could potentially increase our costs.
Our failure to comply with various applicable federal and state employment and labor laws and regulations could have an adverse impact on our business.
Various federal and state labor laws govern the relationship with our employees and affect operating costs. These laws include employee classification as exempt/non-exempt for overtime and other purposes, minimum wage requirements, unemployment tax rates, workers' compensation rates, immigration status and other wage and benefit requirements. In addition, states in which we operate are considering or have already adopted new immigration laws or enforcement programs, and the U.S. Congress and Department of Homeland Security from time to time consider and may implement changes to federal immigration laws, regulations or enforcement programs as well. Some of these changes may increase our obligations for compliance and oversight, which could subject us to additional costs and make our hiring process more cumbersome, or reduce the availability of potential employees. Although we require all workers to provide us with government-specified documentation evidencing their employment eligibility, some of our employees may, without our knowledge, be unauthorized workers. We currently participate in the E-Verify program, an Internet-based, free program run by the United States government to verify employment eligibility, in states in which participation is required. However, use of the E-Verify program does not guarantee that we will properly identify all applicants who are ineligible for employment. Unauthorized workers are subject to deportation and may subject us to fines or penalties, and if any of our workers are found to be unauthorized we could experience adverse publicity that negatively impacts our brand and may make it more difficult for us to hire and keep qualified employees. Termination of a significant number of employees who are found to be unauthorized employees may disrupt our operations, cause temporary increases in our labor costs as we train new employees and result in additional adverse publicity. We could also become subject to fines, penalties and other costs related to claims that we did not fully comply with all recordkeeping obligations of federal and state immigration compliance laws.
Although we believe that compliance with these laws has not had a material adverse effect on our operations to date, we may experience material difficulties or failures with respect to compliance with such laws in the future. Complying with these laws and regulations subjects us to substantial expense and non-compliance could expose us to significant liabilities. For example, lawsuits have been filed against us alleging violations of federal and state laws regarding employee wages and payment of overtime, meal and rest breaks, employee classification, employee record-keeping and related practices with respect to our employees. We may incur legal costs to defend such lawsuits, and we could suffer losses from, these and similar cases, and the amount of such losses or costs could be significant.
In addition, the amount that we pay our restaurant employees will likely be impacted by minimum wage laws. To the extent implemented, federal, state, and local proposals that increase minimum wage requirements or mandates or impact other employee matters could, to the extent implemented, materially increase our labor and other costs. For example, the state of Florida recently approved a minimum wage increase effective in September of 2021 which will increase the minimum wage gradually over a period of five years. Our ability to respond to minimum wage increases by increasing menu prices depends on the willingness of our guests to pay higher prices and recognize our perceived value relative to competitors. Our distributors and suppliers could also be affected by higher minimum wage, benefit standards and compliance costs, which could result in higher costs for goods and services supplied to us.
Additionally, while our employees are not currently covered by any collective bargaining agreements, union organizers have engaged in efforts to organize our employees and those of other restaurant companies. If a significant portion of our employees were to become covered by collective bargaining agreements, our labor costs could increase, and it could negatively impact our culture and reduce our flexibility to attract and retain top performing employees. Labor unions have attempted, and likely will continue to attempt, to attract media attention to their organizing efforts in our restaurants, and their organizing
efforts may include claims that we mistreat or undervalue our employees. Despite our efforts to provide more accurate information about our policies and practices, these messages may dissuade guests from patronizing our restaurants and could adversely impact our results of operations.
Risks Related to Our Business
The market in which we compete is highly competitive, and we may not be able to compete effectively.
The restaurant industry is highly competitive. In each of our markets, our restaurants compete with a large number of national and regional restaurant chains, as well as locally owned restaurants, offering low- and medium-priced fare. We also compete with delivered meal solutions, convenience stores, grocery stores and other restaurant retailers, including "ghost" or dark kitchens, where meals are prepared at separate premises rather than at a restaurant. Competition from food delivery services has also increased in recent years, particularly during COVID-19.
Pollo Tropical's competitors include national and regional chicken-based concepts as well as other types of quick-service and fast-casual restaurants. Many of our competitors or potential competitors have greater financial and other resources than we do, which may allow them to react to changes in pricing, marketing, and trends in the restaurant industry more quickly or effectively than we can. Additionally, to remain competitive, we have increasingly offered selected food items and combination meals at discounted prices. These pricing and other marketing strategies have had, and in the future may have, a negative impact on our sales and earnings. If our marketing efforts are unsuccessful, or if our restaurants are unable to compete effectively, our operations and financial performance could be adversely impacted.
Factors applicable to the quick-service and fast-casual restaurant segments may adversely affect our results of operations, which may cause a decrease in earnings and revenues.
The quick-service and fast-casual restaurant segments are highly competitive and can be materially adversely affected by many factors, including:
• Changes in local, regional or national economic conditions;
• Changes in demographic trends;
• Changes in consumer tastes;
• Changes in traffic patterns;
• Increases in fuel prices and utility costs;
• Consumer concerns about health, diet and nutrition;
• Instances of food-borne or localized illnesses or other food safety issues;
• Increases in the number of, and particular locations of, competing restaurants;
• Changes in discretionary consumer spending;
• Inflation;
• Availability of key commodities such as beef, chicken, eggs and produce;
• Increases in the cost of key commodities, such as beef, chicken, eggs and produce as well as the cost of paper goods and packaging;
• The availability of hourly-paid employees and experienced restaurant managers including a decrease in the labor supply due to changes in immigration policy such as barriers for entry into, working in, or remaining in the United States;
• Increased labor costs, including higher wages, unemployment insurance, unionization of restaurant employees and overtime requirements;
• Increases in the cost of providing healthcare and related benefits to employees, including the impact of the Affordable Care Act;
• Costs related to remaining competitive and current with regard to new technologies in our restaurants such as loyalty programs, gift cards, online ordering and credit card security; and
• Regional weather conditions including hurricanes, windstorms and flooding, and other natural disasters.
Our continued growth depends on our ability to open and operate new restaurants profitably, which in turn depends on our continued access to capital, and newly developed restaurants may not perform as we expect and there can be no assurance that our growth and development plans will be achieved.
While we have decreased the number of new restaurants which we plan to open in the near term, our continued growth still depends on our ability to develop additional Pollo Tropical restaurants. Development involves substantial risks, including the following:
•Developed restaurants that do not achieve desired revenue or cash flow levels or other operating and performance targets once opened;
•The inability to recruit and retain managers and other employees necessary to staff each new restaurant;
•Incurring substantial unrecoverable costs in the event a development project is abandoned prior to completion or a new restaurant is closed due to poor financial performance;
•Changes in general economic and business conditions;
•The inability to fund development;
•Increasing development costs or development costs that exceed budgeted amounts;
•Delays in completion of construction;
•The inability to obtain all necessary zoning and construction permits;
•The inability to identify, or the unavailability of, suitable sites on acceptable leasing or purchase terms; and
•Changes in governmental rules and regulations or enforcement thereof.
Our long-term development plans will require additional management, operational and financial resources. For example, we will be required to recruit managers and other personnel for each new restaurant. We cannot ensure that we will be able to manage our expanding operations effectively and our failure to do so could adversely affect our results of operations.
In addition, to maintain our competitive positioning and improve our sales and overall performance, we continue to look at ways to improve our existing restaurants through remodels, upgrades and regular maintenance. If the costs associated with these activities are higher than projected, restaurants are closed for periods longer than anticipated or such remodels do not perform as forecasted, we may not realize an acceptable return on investment, which could have a negative effect on our results of operations.
In addition, our ability to open new restaurants and to grow, as well as our ability to meet other anticipated capital needs, may depend on our continued access to external financing, including borrowing under our senior secured revolving credit facility, which we refer to as the "senior credit facility." There can be no assurance that we will have access to the capital we need at acceptable terms or at all, which could materially adversely affect our business. In addition, our need to manage our indebtedness levels to ensure continued compliance with financial leverage ratio covenants under our new senior credit facility may reduce our ability to develop new restaurants.
Customer preferences and traffic could be adversely impacted by health concerns about certain food products, reports of food-borne illnesses or food safety issues, any of which could result in a decrease in demand for our products.
Customer preferences and traffic could be adversely impacted by health concerns or negative publicity about the consumption of particular food products, which could cause a decline in demand for those products and adversely impact our sales.
Instances or reports, whether verified or not, of food-safety issues, such as food-borne illnesses, food tampering, food contamination or mislabeling, either during growing, manufacturing, packaging, storing or preparation, have in the past severely injured the reputations of companies in the food processing, grocery and quick-service and fast-casual restaurant sectors and could affect us as well. Any report linking us to food-borne illnesses or food tampering, contamination, mislabeling or other food-safety issues could damage our brand value and severely hurt sales of our food products and possibly lead to product liability claims, litigation (including class actions) or damages.
These problems, other food-borne illnesses (such as norovirus or hepatitis A), and injuries caused by the presence of foreign material could require us to temporarily close our restaurants. The occurrence of food-borne illnesses or food safety issues could also adversely affect the price and availability of affected ingredients, resulting in higher costs and a decrease in customer traffic to our restaurants. Furthermore, any instances of food contamination, whether or not at our restaurants, could subject us or our suppliers to a food recall pursuant to the United States Food and Drug Administration's recently enacted Food Safety Modernization Act.
An increase in food costs, including those caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, could adversely affect our operating results.
Our profitability and operating margins are dependent in part on our ability to anticipate and react to changes in food costs. Changes in the cost or availability of certain food products could affect our ability to offer a broad menu and maintain competitive prices and could materially adversely affect our profitability and reputation. The type, variety, quality and cost of produce, beef, poultry, cheese and other commodities can be subject to change and to factors beyond our control, including weather, governmental regulation, availability, seasonality and industry demand, each of which may affect our food costs or cause a disruption in our supply. While we have not experienced significant disruptions in our supply chain during 2021, costs for certain supplies and ingredients, such as packaging, chicken and freight, increased rapidly, which inflationary pressures could accelerate and/or spread to more commodities as the impacts of COVID-19 continue across the global supply chain. Although we utilize purchasing contracts to lock in the prices for a material portion of the food commodities used in our restaurants, some of the commodities used in our operations cannot be locked in for periods longer than one month. We do not use financial instruments to hedge our risk against market fluctuations in the price of commodities at this time. We may not be able to anticipate and react to changing food costs through our purchasing practices and menu price adjustments in the future, and failure to do so could negatively impact our revenues and results of operations.
We could also be adversely affected by price increases specific to ingredients we have chosen due to their specific quality profile or related criteria, the markets for which are generally smaller and more concentrated than the markets for other commodity food products.
If a significant disruption in service or supply by any of our suppliers or distributors were to occur, it could create disruptions in the operations of our restaurants, which could have a material adverse effect on our business.
Our restaurants depend on frequent deliveries of ingredients and other products. For our Pollo Tropical restaurants, we have service agreements with our primary distributors of food and paper products. Performance Food Group, Inc., is our primary distributor of food and beverage products and supplies for our Pollo Tropical restaurants under a distribution services agreement that expires on July 27, 2024. We also currently rely on two suppliers for chicken for our Pollo Tropical restaurants under agreements that expire on December 31, 2022. There are many factors which could cause shortages or interruptions in the supply of our ingredients and products, including adverse weather, unanticipated demand, labor or distribution problems, food safety issues by our suppliers or distributors, cost, and the financial health of our suppliers. If we cannot replace or engage distributors or suppliers who meet our specifications in a short period of time, this could increase our expenses and cause shortages of food and other items at our restaurants, which could cause a restaurant to remove items from its menu. If such actions were to occur, customers could change their dining habits and affected restaurants could experience significant reductions in sales during the shortage or thereafter.
The success of our marketing programs and the impact of those of our competitors could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.
If our competitors increase spending on advertising and promotions, or our advertising and other marketing programs do not result in increased net sales or if the costs of advertising, media, or marketing increase greater than expected, or are less effective than our competitors, our profitability could be materially adversely affected.
Our inability or failure to recognize, respond to and effectively manage the accelerated impact of social media could have a material adverse impact on our business.
There has been a marked increase in the use of social media platforms and similar devices which allow individuals access to a broad audience of consumers and others. Many social media platforms immediately publish the content their subscribers and participants post, often without filters or checks on accuracy of the content posted. Information posted on such platforms at any time may be adverse to our interests or may be inaccurate, each of which may harm our performance, prospects, or business. The harm may be immediate without affording us an opportunity for redress or correction. The dissemination of information online could harm our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations, regardless of the information's accuracy.
Many of our competitors are expanding their use of social media and new social media platforms are rapidly being developed, potentially making more traditional social media platforms obsolete. As a result, we need to continuously innovate and develop our social media strategies in order to maintain broad appeal with guests and brand relevance. As part of our marketing efforts, going forward we expect to increasingly rely on social media platforms and search engine marketing to attract and retain guests. We will also increase our investment in other digital marketing initiatives that allow us to reach our guests across multiple digital channels and build their awareness of, engagement with, and loyalty to our brands. These initiatives may not be successful, resulting in expenses incurred without the benefit of higher revenues, increased employee engagement or brand recognition. In addition, a variety of risks are associated with the use of social media, including the improper disclosure of proprietary information, negative comments about us, exposure of personally identifiable information, fraud, or out-of-date 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.
Cybersecurity breaches or other privacy or data security incidents that expose confidential guest, personal employee and other material, confidential information that is stored in our systems in connection with our electronic processing of credit and debit card transactions or security breaches of confidential employee information that is stored in our systems or by third parties on our behalf may adversely affect our business.
We rely heavily on information technology systems across our operations, including point-of-sale processing in our restaurants, gift and loyalty cards, online business, and various other processes and transactions. Our ability to effectively manage our business and coordinate the preparation and sale of our products depends significantly on the reliability and capacity of these systems. We expect to expand our utilization of technology throughout our business and the failure of these systems to operate effectively, problems with transitioning to upgraded or replacement systems, or a breach in security of these systems could cause reduced efficiency of our operations, and significant capital investments could be required to remediate the problem which could adversely affect our business. Any intentional attack or an unintentional event that results in unauthorized access to systems to disrupt operations, corrupt data or steal or expose confidential information or intellectual property that compromises the information of our guests or employees could result in widespread negative publicity, damage to our reputation, a loss of guests, disruption of our business and legal liabilities. As our reliance on technology has grown, the scope and severity of risks posed to our systems from cyber threats has increased. In addition, as more business activities have shifted online and more people are working remotely, including as a result of COVID-19, we have experienced an increase in cybersecurity threats and attempts to breach our security networks. The techniques and sophistication used to conduct cyber-attacks and breaches of information technology systems, as well as the sources and targets of these attacks, change frequently and are often not recognized until attacks are launched or have been in place for a period of time. We continuously monitor and develop our information technology networks and infrastructure to prevent, detect, address and mitigate the risk of unauthorized access, misuse, malware and other events that could have a security impact; however there can be no assurance that these measures will be effective.
A significant amount of our restaurant sales are by credit or debit cards. Other restaurants and retailers have experienced security breaches in which credit and debit card information of their guests has been stolen. We may in the future become subject to lawsuits or other proceedings for purportedly fraudulent transactions arising out of the actual or alleged theft of our guests' credit or debit card information. Any such claim or proceeding, or any adverse publicity resulting from these allegations, may have a material adverse effect on us and our restaurants.
From time to time we have been, and likely will continue to be, the target of cyber and other security threats. We may in the future become subject to other legal proceedings or governmental investigations for purportedly fraudulent transactions arising out of the actual or alleged theft of our consumers' credit or debit card information or if consumer or employee information is obtained by unauthorized persons or used inappropriately. Any such claim or proceeding, or any adverse publicity resulting from such an event, may have a material adverse effect on our business and we may incur significant remediation costs.
Such breaches also could result in a violation of applicable privacy and other laws, and subject us to private consumer, business partner, or securities litigation and governmental investigations and proceedings, any of which could result in our exposure to material civil or criminal liability. For example, many jurisdictions have adopted regulations which require companies to meet certain requirements regarding the handling of personal data and provide a private right of action for data breaches. These laws also typically require companies that process information on customers to make new disclosures to consumers about their data collection, use and sharing practices, allow consumers to opt out of certain data sharing with third parties and the right for consumers to request deletion of personal information. If we become subject to such laws in the markets in which we operate and we fail, or are perceived to have failed, to properly respond to security breaches of our or third party's information technology systems or fail to properly respond to consumer requests under such laws, we could experience reputational damage, adverse publicity, loss of consumer confidence, reduced sales and profits, complications in executing our growth initiatives and regulatory and legal risk, including criminal penalties or civil liabilities.
Compliance with current and future applicable privacy, cybersecurity and related laws can be costly and time-consuming. We make significant investments in technology, third-party services and internal personnel to develop and implement systems and processes that are designed to anticipate cyber-attacks and to prevent or minimize breaches of our information technology systems or data loss, but these security measures cannot provide assurance that we will be successful in preventing such breaches or data loss. In addition, media or other reports of existing or perceived security vulnerabilities in our systems or those of our third-party business partners or service providers can also adversely impact our brand and reputation and materially impact our business, even if no breach has been attempted or has occurred.
Our digital business, which we expect to grow as a percentage of sales, is subject to risks.
In 2020, we saw an increase in the number of digital orders, which includes delivery and customer pickup. The growth in digital orders is, in part, attributable to more guests dining at home due to COVID-19, our expanded partnerships with multiple third-party delivery services and our investments in our overall digital strategies. Depending on which ordering platform a digital order is placed-our platform or the platform of a third-party delivery service-the delivery fee we collect from the guest may be less than the actual delivery cost, which has a negative impact on our profitability. While we have implemented a menu price increase to partially offset higher delivery costs, this higher menu prices may cause some guests to shift their purchases to other restaurants offered on the platform. As our digital business grows, we are increasingly reliant on third-party delivery companies, which maintain control over data regarding guests that use their platform and over the customer experience. If a third-party delivery company driver fails to make timely deliveries or fails to deliver the complete order, our guests may attribute the bad customer experience to our brands and could stop ordering from us. The ordering and payment platforms used by these third-parties, or our mobile app or online ordering system, could be interrupted by technological failures, user errors, cyber-attacks or other factors, which could adversely impact sales through these channels and negatively impact our overall sales and reputation. The third-party delivery business is intensely competitive, with a number of players competing for market share, online traffic capital, and delivery drivers. If the third-party delivery companies we utilize cease or curtail operations, increase their fees, or give greater priority or promotions on their platforms to our competitors, our delivery business and our sales may be negatively impacted. The delivery business has been consolidating and may continue to consolidate, and fewer third-party delivery companies may give them more leverage in negotiating the terms and pricing of contracts, which could negatively impact our profits from delivery orders.
Our business is regional, and we therefore face risks related to reliance on certain markets as well as risks for other unforeseen events.
As of January 2, 2022, all of our Company-owned Pollo Tropical restaurants were located in Florida. Furthermore, 68% of our Company-owned Pollo Tropical restaurants were located in three counties in Florida which represents a significant amount of the brand's sales and Restaurant-level Adjusted EBITDA. Therefore, events and conditions specific to these regions, including economic conditions, state and local government regulations, weather conditions or other conditions affecting Florida and the tourism industry in Florida may have a material impact on the success of our restaurants in those locations.
Adverse weather conditions have impacted, and could in the future impact, guest traffic at our restaurants, cause the temporary underutilization of outdoor patio seating and, in more severe cases such as hurricanes, tornadoes or other natural disasters, cause temporary closures, sometimes for prolonged periods, which would negatively impact our restaurant sales. Changes in weather could result in construction delays, interruptions to the availability of utilities, and shortages or interruptions in the supply of food items and other supplies, which could increase our costs and could adversely impact our business. Some climatologists predict that the long-term effects of climate change and global warming may result in more severe, volatile weather or extended droughts, which could increase the frequency and duration of weather impacts on our operations.
Economic downturns may adversely impact consumer spending patterns.
Our business is dependent to a significant extent on national, regional and local economic conditions, particularly those that affect our guests that frequently patronize our restaurants. In particular, where our business is subject to factors which could reduce our guests' disposable income (such as by job losses, credit constraints and higher housing, tax, utility, gas, consumer credit or other costs) or where the perceived wealth of guests has decreased (because of circumstances such as lower residential real estate values, lower investment values, increased foreclosure rates, increased tax rates, social unrest, or other economic disruptions and governmental, political and budget concerns), our restaurants have in the past experienced, and may in the future experience, lower sales and guest traffic as guests choose lower-cost alternatives or choose alternatives to dining out. The resulting decrease in our guest traffic or average sales per transaction has had an adverse effect in the past, and could in the future have a material adverse effect, on our business. In addition, a new presidential and legislative administration recently took office and it is unknown what impact any changes made by this administration or policies implemented will have on the economy or restaurant spending.
Our expansion into new markets may present increased risks due to a lack of market awareness of our brands.
We have encountered and may continue to encounter difficulties developing restaurants outside of our more mature core markets. For example, we closed all Pollo Tropical restaurants in Texas, Tennessee and Georgia over the last three years. We may be unable to find attractive locations or successfully market our products as we attempt to expand beyond our existing markets, as the competitive circumstances and consumer characteristics in these new areas may differ substantially from those in areas in which we currently operate. It may be more challenging for us to attract guests to our restaurants in areas where there is a limited or a lack of market awareness of the Pollo Tropical brand. Restaurants opened in new markets where we have not reached media efficiency may open at lower sales volumes than restaurants opened in more mature markets, and may have lower restaurant-level operating margins than more mature markets. Sales at restaurants opened in new markets that are not yet media efficient have taken and may continue to take longer to reach average restaurant sales volumes, if at all, thereby adversely affecting our operating results, including the recognition of future impairment charges. Opening new restaurants in areas in which potential guests may not be familiar with our restaurants may include costs related to the opening and marketing of those restaurants that are substantially greater than those incurred by our restaurants in other areas. Even though we may incur substantial additional costs with respect to these new restaurants, they may attract fewer guests than our more established restaurants in existing markets. We may also not open a sufficient number of restaurants in new markets to adequately leverage distribution, supervision and marketing costs. As a result of the foregoing, we cannot ensure that we will be able to operate our new restaurants successfully or profitably outside our existing markets.
Changes in accounting standards or the recognition of impairment or other charges may adversely affect our future results of operations.
New accounting standards or changes in financial reporting requirements, accounting principles or practices, including with respect to our critical accounting estimates, could adversely affect our future results. We may also be affected by the nature and timing of decisions about underperforming markets or assets, including decisions that result in impairment or other charges that reduce our earnings. In assessing the recoverability of our long-lived assets, we consider changes in economic conditions and make assumptions regarding estimated future cash flows and other factors. These estimates are highly subjective and can be significantly impacted by many factors such as global and local business and economic conditions, operating costs, inflation, competition, and consumer and demographic trends. If our estimates or underlying assumptions change in the future, we may be required to record impairment charges. If we experience any such changes, they could have a significant adverse effect on our reported results for the affected periods.
Government regulation could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.
In connection with the operation of our business, we are subject to extensive federal, state, local, and foreign laws and regulations that are complex and vary from location to location, including those related to:
• Franchise relationships;
• Building construction and zoning requirements;
• Nutritional content labeling and disclosure requirements;
• Management and protection of the personal data of our employees and customers; and
• Environmental matters.
Our restaurants are licensed and subject to regulation under federal, state, local and foreign laws, including business, health, fire, sales of alcohol and safety codes. For example, we are subject to the U.S. Americans with Disabilities Act, or ADA, and similar state laws that give civil rights protections to individuals with disabilities in the context of employment, public accommodations and other areas.
In addition, new government initiatives or changes to existing laws, such as the adoption and implementation of national, state, or local government proposals relating to increases in minimum wage rates, may increase our costs of doing business and adversely affect our results of operations.
If one of our employees sells alcoholic beverages to an intoxicated patron or to a minor, we may be liable to third parties for the acts of the patron or incur significant fines or penalties.
We serve alcoholic beverages at our restaurants and are subject to the "dram-shop" statutes of the jurisdictions in which we serve alcoholic beverages. "Dram-shop" statutes generally provide that serving alcohol to an intoxicated patron is a violation of the law.
In most jurisdictions, if one of our employees sells alcoholic beverages to an intoxicated patron we may be liable to third parties for the acts of the patron. We cannot guarantee that those patrons will not be served or that we will not be subject to
liability for their acts. Our liquor liability insurance coverage may not be adequate to cover any potential liability and insurance may not continue to be available on commercially acceptable terms or at all, or we may face increased deductibles on such insurance. A significant dram-shop claim or claims could have a material adverse effect on us as a result of the costs of defending against such claims, paying deductibles and increased insurance premium amounts, implementing improved training and heightened control procedures for our employees, and paying any damages or settlements on such claims.
Additionally, we are subject to statutes of the jurisdictions in which we serve alcoholic beverages which prohibit us from selling or serving alcohol to minor patrons. These statutes generally provide that serving or selling alcohol to minors is a violation of the law, and will result in fines and other penalties including the suspension or loss of our license to sell alcohol in the future. If we were to incur a significant number of sale to minor violations the fines or penalties could have a material adverse effect on us.
We may incur significant liability or reputational harm if claims are brought against us or against our franchisees.
We or our franchisees may be subject to complaints, regulatory proceedings or litigation from guests or other persons alleging food-related illness, injuries suffered on our premises or other food quality, health, or operational concerns, including environmental claims. In addition, in recent years a number of restaurant companies have been subject to lawsuits, including class action lawsuits, alleging, among other things, violations of federal and state law regarding workplace and employment matters, discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination and wage, rest break, meal break and overtime compensation issues and, in the case of certain restaurants, alleging that they have failed to disclose the health risks associated with high-fat or high sodium foods and that their marketing practices have encouraged obesity. We may also be subject to litigation or other actions initiated by governmental authorities, our employees and our franchisees, among others, based upon these and other matters. Adverse publicity resulting from such allegations or occurrences or alleged discrimination or other operating issues stemming from one of our locations, a number of our locations or our franchisees could adversely affect our business, regardless of whether the allegations are true, or whether we are ultimately held liable. Any cases filed against us could materially adversely affect us if we lose such cases and have to pay substantial damages or if we settle such cases. In addition, any such cases may materially and adversely affect our operations by increasing our litigation costs and diverting our attention and resources to address such actions. In addition, if a claim is successful, our insurance coverage may not cover or be adequate to cover all liabilities or losses and we may not be able to continue to maintain such insurance, or to obtain comparable insurance at a reasonable cost, if at all. If we suffer losses, liabilities or loss of income in excess of our insurance coverage or if our insurance does not cover such loss, liability or loss of income, there could be a material adverse effect on our results of operations.
Our franchisees or licensees could take actions that harm our reputation.
As of January 2, 2022, a total of 31 Pollo Tropical restaurants were owned and operated by our franchisees and licensees. We do not exercise control of the day-to-day operations of our franchisees and licensees and the number of franchised or licensed restaurants may increase in the future. While we attempt to ensure that franchisee-owned and licensee-owned restaurants maintain the same high operating standards as our Company-owned restaurants, one or more of these franchisees or licensees may fail to meet these standards. Any shortcomings at our franchisee-owned and licensee-owned restaurants could be attributed to our company as a whole and could adversely affect our reputation and damage our brands.
Federal, state and local environmental regulations relating to the use, storage, discharge, emission and disposal of hazardous materials could expose us to liabilities, which could adversely affect our results of operations.
We are subject to a variety of federal, state and local environmental regulations relating to the use, storage, discharge, emission and disposal of hazardous substances or other regulated materials, release of pollutants into the air, soil and water, and the remediation of contaminated sites.
Failure to comply with environmental laws could result in the imposition of fines or penalties, restrictions on operations by governmental agencies or courts of law, as well as investigatory or remedial liabilities and claims for alleged personal injury or damages to property or natural resources. Some environmental laws impose strict, and under some circumstances joint and several, liability for costs of investigation and remediation of contaminated sites on current and prior owners or operators of the sites, as well as those entities that send regulated materials to the sites. We cannot ensure that we have been or will be at all times in complete compliance with such laws, regulations and permits. Therefore, our costs of complying with current and future environmental, health and safety laws could adversely affect our results of operations.
Major developments on trade relations could have a material adverse effect on our business.
The current political climate has introduced uncertainty with respect to trade policies, tariffs and government regulations impacting trade between the United States and other countries. We source several of our ingredients, paper products and other materials used within our business from suppliers outside of the United States, including Asia, Central America and Mexico.
Significant developments in trade relations, such as the imposition of tariffs on items imported by us, could increase our costs and materially and adversely affect our consolidated financial results.
We are subject to all of the risks associated with leasing property subject to long-term non-cancelable leases.
The leases for our restaurant locations generally have initial terms of 10 to 20 years, and typically provide for renewal options in five-year increments as well as for rent escalations. Generally, our leases are "net" leases, which require us to pay all of the costs of insurance, taxes, maintenance and utilities. We generally cannot cancel these leases. Additional sites that we lease are likely to be subject to similar long-term non-cancelable leases.
From time to time we have, and may in the future, close or relocate a restaurant if a current location becomes less profitable as a result of adverse economic conditions or other factors. If the closures continue for a long period of time, we may not be able to recover our investment due to the high rental rates. Because substantially all of our restaurants operate in leased facilities, we may incur significant lease termination expenses when we close or relocate a restaurant and are often obligated to continue rent and other lease related payments after restaurant closure. We also may incur significant asset impairment and other charges in connection with closures and relocations. If the lease termination cost is significant, we may decide to keep underperforming restaurants open. Ongoing lease obligations at closed or underperforming restaurant locations could decrease our results of operations. In addition, as each of our leases expire, we may fail to negotiate renewals, either on commercially acceptable terms or at all, which could cause us to close restaurants in desirable locations which could adversely affect our results of operations.
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 the Pollo Tropical name and logo, and proprietary rights relating to certain of our core menu offerings. We believe that our trademarks, service marks, trade dress and other proprietary rights are important to our success and our competitive position. We, therefore, devote appropriate resources to the protection of our trademarks and proprietary rights. If our efforts to protect our intellectual property are inadequate or if any third party misappropriates or infringes on our intellectual property either in print or on the internet, the value of our brands may be harmed which could have a material adverse effect on our business. We are aware of restaurants in foreign jurisdictions using menu items, logos or branding that we believe are based on our intellectual property and our ability to prevent these restaurants from using these elements may be limited in jurisdictions in which we are not operating. This could have an adverse impact on our ability to expand into other jurisdictions in the future.
We are not aware of any assertions that our trademarks or menu offerings infringe upon the proprietary rights of third parties, but we cannot ensure that third parties will not claim infringement by us in the future. 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 and financial condition.
Our new senior credit facility restricts our ability to engage in some business and financial transactions.
Our new senior credit facility restricts our ability in certain circumstances to, among other things:
•Incur additional debt;
•Pay dividends and make other distributions on, redeem or repurchase, capital stock;
•Make investments or other restricted payments;
•Enter into transactions with affiliates;
•Sell all, or substantially all, of our assets;
•Create liens on assets to secure debt; or
•Effect a consolidation or merger.
These covenants limit our operational flexibility and could prevent us from taking advantage of business opportunities as they arise, growing our business or competing effectively which could adversely impact our business. In addition, our new
senior credit facility requires us to maintain specified financial ratios and satisfy other financial condition tests. Our ability to meet these financial ratios and tests can be affected by events beyond our control, and we cannot ensure that we will meet these tests.
Risks Related to Our Common Stock
We do not expect to pay any cash dividends for the foreseeable future, and our senior credit facility limits our ability to pay dividends to our stockholders.
We do not anticipate that we will pay any cash dividends to holders of our common stock in the foreseeable future. The absence of a dividend on our common stock may increase the volatility of the market price of our common stock or make it more likely that the market price of our common stock will decrease in the event of adverse economic conditions or adverse developments affecting our company. Our new senior credit facility limits, and the debt instruments that we and our subsidiaries may enter into in the future may limit, our ability to pay dividends to our stockholders.
If securities analysts do not publish research or reports about our business or if they downgrade our stock, the price of our stock could decline.
The trading market for our common stock will rely in part on the research and reports that industry or financial analysts publish about us or our business. We cannot ensure that these analysts will publish research or reports about us or that any analysts that do so will not discontinue publishing research or reports about us in the future. If one or more analysts who cover us downgrade our stock, our stock price could decline rapidly. If analysts do not publish reports about us or if one or more analyst ceases coverage of our stock, we could lose visibility in the market, which in turn could cause our stock price to decline.
Percentage ownership of our common stock may be diluted in the future.
Percentage ownership of our common stock may be diluted in the future because of equity awards that we expect will be granted to our directors, officers and employees. The Fiesta Restaurant Group, Inc. 2021 Stock Incentive Plan (and any successor stock incentive plan that we may adopt) provides for the grant of equity-based awards, including restricted stock, restricted stock units, stock options, and other equity-based awards to our directors, officers and other employees, advisors and consultants. In addition, in the future we may also issue common stock or other securities to raise additional capital. Any new shares issued would dilute our existing shareholders.
Proxy contests threatened or commenced against us could be disruptive and costly, and adversely affect our business, operation results and financial condition.
Stockholders may from time to time attempt to effect changes, engage in proxy solicitations or advance stockholder proposals. Responding to proxy contests and related actions by activist stockholders can be costly and time-consuming, disrupt our operations, and divert the attention of our management and employees away from their regular duties and the pursuit of our business strategies, which could materially and adversely affect our business, operating results and financial conditions. Perceived uncertainties as to our future direction as a result of proxy contests and related actions by activist stockholders may lead to the perception of a change in the direction of our business, instability or lack of continuity. This may affect our relationship with current or potential suppliers, vendors, and other third parties, and make it more difficult to attract and retain management employees and executives which could adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition. Further, proxy contests and related actions by activist stockholders could cause significant fluctuations in our stock price based on temporary or speculative market perceptions or other factors that do not necessarily reflect the underlying fundamentals and prospects of our business.
Provisions in our restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws or Delaware law might discourage, delay or prevent a change of control of our company or changes in our management and, therefore, depress the trading price of our common stock.
Delaware corporate law and our restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws contain provisions that could discourage, delay or prevent a change in control of our company or changes in our management that the stockholders of our company may deem advantageous. These provisions:
•Require that special meetings of our stockholders be called only by our board of directors or certain of our officers, thus prohibiting our stockholders from calling special meetings;
•Deny holders of our common stock cumulative voting rights in the election of directors, meaning that stockholders owning a majority of our outstanding common stock will be able to elect all of our directors;
•Authorize the issuance of "blank check" preferred stock that our board could issue to dilute the voting and economic
rights of our common stock and to discourage a takeover attempt;
•Provide the approval of our board of directors or a supermajority of stockholders is necessary to make, alter or repeal our amended and restated bylaws and that approval of a supermajority of stockholders is necessary to amend, alter or change certain provisions of our restated certificate of incorporation;
•Establish advance notice requirements for stockholder nominations for election to our board or for proposing matters that can be acted upon by stockholders at stockholder meetings; and
•Require that any action required or permitted to be taken by our stockholders must be effected at a duly called annual or special meeting of stockholders and may not be effected by any consent in writing.

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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
As of January 2, 2022, we leased all 138 of our Company-owned Pollo Tropical restaurants, which includes six restaurants located in in-line or storefront locations. All but one of our restaurants offer the convenience of drive-thru windows. We typically enter into leases (including renewal options) ranging from 35 to 45 years. The average remaining term for all leases for operating restaurant properties, including renewal options, was approximately 25 years as of January 2, 2022. Generally, we have been able to renew leases, upon or prior to their expiration, at the prevailing market rates, although there can be no assurance that this will continue to occur.
Most leases require us to pay utility and water charges and real estate taxes. Certain leases also require contingent rentals based upon a percentage of gross sales of the particular restaurant that exceed specified minimums. In some of our mall locations, we are also required to pay certain other charges such as a pro-rata share of the mall's common area maintenance costs, insurance and security costs.
As of January 2, 2022, we had no restaurants under development, 38 closed restaurant properties subleased to third parties, three closed restaurant properties under contract for future sublease or assignment to third parties and four closed restaurant properties available for sublease.
In addition to the restaurant locations, we lease approximately 21,000 square feet at 14800 Landmark Boulevard, Suite 500, Dallas, Texas which houses some of our executive offices and certain of our administrative functions. We also lease approximately 19,500 square feet at 7255 Corporate Center Drive, Miami, Florida, which houses some of our executive offices and administrative operations for our Pollo Tropical restaurants. In addition, we lease an office facility located at 3220 Keller Springs Road, Suite 108, Carrollton, Texas, which is subleased to a third party.

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ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
We are a party to various litigation matters incidental to the conduct of business. We do not believe that the outcome of any of these matters will have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations or financial condition.

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ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURE
ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES
None.
PART II

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ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT'S COMMON EQUITY
ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT'S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES
Our common stock trades on The NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol "FRGI". On March 4, 2022, shares of our common stock outstanding were held by 432 holders of record. This excludes persons whose shares are held by a brokerage house or clearing agency.
Dividends
We did not pay any cash dividends during 2021 or 2020. We do not anticipate paying any cash dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future. We currently intend to retain the majority of available funds to fund the development and growth of our business or to use for other corporate related purposes. In addition, we are a holding company and conduct all of our operations through our direct and indirect subsidiaries. As a result, for us to pay dividends, we need to rely on dividends and distributions to us from our subsidiaries. Our new senior credit facility limits, and debt instruments that we and our subsidiaries may enter into in the future may limit, our ability to pay dividends to our stockholders.
Stock Performance Graph
The following performance graph compares our cumulative total stockholder return on our common stock with the cumulative total returns of The NASDAQ Composite Index and a peer group, The S&P Small Cap 600 Restaurant Index. We have elected to use the S&P Small Cap 600 Restaurant Index in compiling our stock performance graph because we believe that index represents a comparison to competitors with similar market capitalization as us. The graph and table below assume that $100 was invested on January 1, 2017, with dividends reinvested quarterly.
The trading price of our common stock on January 1, 2017, was $29.85 and the closing price of our common stock on December 31, 2021, the last trading day before our fiscal year end date of January 2, 2022, was $11.01.
Total Cumulative Shareholder Returns
1/1/2017 12/31/2017 12/30/2018 12/29/2019 1/3/2021 1/2/2022
Fiesta Restaurant Group, Inc. $ 100.00 $ 63.65 $ 51.06 $ 31.76 $ 38.19 $ 36.88
NASDAQ Composite 100.00 129.64 124.98 172.81 249.51 300.25
S&P Small Cap 600 Restaurants 100.00 102.27 116.42 135.74 165.98 189.12
Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
During the years ended December 30, 2018, and December 29, 2019, our board of directors authorized the repurchase of an aggregate 3.0 million shares of our common stock through the following actions:
• 1.5 million shares of common stock were authorized for repurchase on February 26, 2018;
• An additional 0.5 million shares of common stock were authorized for repurchase on August 7, 2019; and
• An additional 1.0 million shares of common stock were authorized for repurchase on November 5, 2019.
Under the share repurchase program, shares may be repurchased from time to time in open market transactions at prevailing market prices, in privately negotiated transactions or by other means in accordance with federal securities laws, including Rule 10b-18 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The number of shares repurchased and the timing of repurchases will depend on a number of factors, including, but not limited to, stock price, trading volume, general market and economic conditions, and other corporate considerations. The share repurchase program has no time limit and may be modified, suspended, superseded or terminated at any time by our board of directors.
The following table sets forth information with respect to the Company's repurchases of common stock during the quarter ended January 2, 2022:
Period Total Number of
Shares Purchased(1)
Average Price
Paid
per Share Total Number of
Shares Purchased as
Part of Publicly
Announced Plans or
Programs Maximum Number of Shares that
May Yet Be Purchased
Under the Plans or
Programs
October 4, 2021 to November 7, 2021 153,918 $ 10.99 153,918 514,364
November 8, 2021 to December 5, 2021 156,691 10.41 156,691 357,673
December 6, 2021 to January 2, 2022 205,465 10.22 205,465 152,208
Total 516,074 $ 10.51 516,074
(1) Shares purchased in open market transactions, including pursuant to a 10b5-1 plan.

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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 following Management's Discussion and Analysis of financial condition and results of operations ("MD&A") is written to help the reader understand our company. The MD&A is provided as a supplement to, and should be read in conjunction with, our audited consolidated financial statements and the accompanying notes. Any reference to restaurants refers to company-owned restaurants unless otherwise indicated.
We use a 52- or 53-week fiscal year ending on the Sunday closest to December 31. The fiscal years ended January 2, 2022 and December 29, 2019 each contained 52 weeks. The fiscal year ended January 3, 2021 contained 53 weeks. The next fiscal year to contain 53 weeks will be the fiscal year ending January 3, 2027.
Company Overview
We own, operate and franchise the restaurant brand Pollo Tropical®, which has over 30 years of operating history and a loyal customer base. Our Pollo Tropical restaurants feature fire-grilled and crispy citrus marinated chicken and other freshly prepared menu items. We believe the brand offers a distinct and unique flavor with broad appeal at a compelling value, which differentiates it in the competitive fast-casual and quick-service restaurant segments. All but one of our restaurants offer the convenience of drive-thru windows. As of January 2, 2022, we had 138 Company-owned Pollo Tropical restaurants, all of which are located in Florida.
We franchise our Pollo Tropical restaurants primarily in international markets, and as of January 2, 2022, we had 24 franchised Pollo Tropical restaurants located in Puerto Rico, Panama, Guyana, Ecuador, the Bahamas and the U.S Virgin Islands, five on college campuses in Florida and locations at a hospital and a sports and entertainment stadium in Florida. We have agreements for the continued development of franchised Pollo Tropical restaurants in certain of our existing franchised markets.
Events Affecting Our Results of Operations
Sale of Taco Cabana
On July 1, 2021, we entered into a stock purchase agreement for the sale of all outstanding capital stock of Taco Cabana, Inc., the parent company of the Taco Cabana business, for a cash purchase price of $85.0 million, subject to reduction for (i) closing adjustments of approximately $4.6 million related to maintenance and repair work at the Taco Cabana restaurants and landscaping replacement as a result of Winter Storm Uri, and (ii) certain other working capital adjustments as set forth in the stock purchase agreement (the "Taco Cabana Divestiture"). The transaction was completed August 16, 2021, and the Company recognized a gain on the sale of Taco Cabana of $25.0 million during the year ended January 2, 2022, which is included within income from discontinued operations, net of tax, in the consolidated statements of operations. Additionally, we filed an insurance claim for winter storm damages in Texas that occurred in the first quarter of 2021 and retained the right to receive the insurance claim proceeds. We recognized $0.9 million of insurance proceeds within income (loss) from discontinued operations, net of tax, in the fourth quarter of 2021 based on a partial settlement reached with certain insurers. We expect to recognize additional proceeds when the claim is ultimately resolved. See Note 2 of the Notes to our Consolidated Financial Statements.
Proceeds from the sale were used to fully repay Fiesta's approximately $74.6 million of outstanding term loan borrowings under our new senior credit facility and to pay divestiture transaction fees and a loan prepayment premium totaling approximately $4.2 million, comprised of a loan prepayment fee of 3.0% of the principal repaid of $2.2 million and divestiture transaction fees of approximately $2.0 million.
All revenues, costs and expenses and income taxes attributable to Taco Cabana, together with the gain on the sale of Taco Cabana and certain costs related to the transaction, have been aggregated within income (loss) from discontinued operations, net of tax, in the consolidated statements of operations for all periods presented. No amounts for shared general and administrative operating support expense were allocated to discontinued operations. Interest expenses, the amortization of premiums and debt issuance costs of our new and former senior credit facilities and the loss on extinguishment of debt under our new and former senior credit facilities are included within income (loss) from discontinued operations, net of tax. The results from discontinued operations are presented separately from the results from continuing operations within MD&A. Unless otherwise noted, amounts and disclosures throughout the MD&A relate to the Company's continuing operations.
COVID-19 Pandemic
The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has affected and is continuing to affect the restaurant industry and the economy. In response to COVID-19 and in compliance with governmental restrictions, we closed the dining room seating areas in all restaurants, limiting service to take-out, drive-thru, and delivery operations beginning in mid-March 2020. We re-opened certain dining rooms with limited capacity and hours during certain times in the second half of 2020. In 2021, we re-opened substantially all remaining dining rooms with limited hours by the end of February.
Based on current conditions, we do not expect sales trends to significantly deteriorate further as a direct result of COVID-19. However, labor shortages may negatively impact sales trends and there can be no assurance that sales trends will not deteriorate further. We have implemented measures to control costs to mitigate any negative impact from the COVID-19 pandemic and labor shortages.
Labor Challenges
Hours of operations were limited in 2021 due to labor shortages which are affecting our brand and the restaurant industry. We estimate that operating hours were reduced by approximately 2.8% as a result of labor shortages in the second half of 2021. Additionally, in 2021 we experienced increased overtime due to training and staffing shortages. In response to these labor shortages and competition for labor, we implemented special incentive pay for our hourly restaurant employees from May 2021 through August 2021, provided sign-on and referral bonuses, and made permanent increases to hourly wage rates in late August 2021. We implemented a phased approach to price increases aimed at mitigating these additional labor costs with a 3.7% increase in late August 2021 and a 5.2% increase in mid-December 2021. As a result of this phased approach to price increases, Restaurant-level Adjusted EBITDA margin improvement, which is trailing the wage rate increases, is expected to result in improved Restaurant-level Adjusted EBITDA margins in future quarters compared to 2021. In addition, we believe that approximately $1.7 million of the labor cost increases in the second half of 2021 for overtime and staffing-related incentives are short term in nature. We have intensified our focus on accelerating labor optimization efforts to improve staffing efficiency, which we believe will increase both staff availability and margins.
Executive Summary-Consolidated Operating Performance for the Year Ended January 2, 2022
Our fiscal year 2021 results include the following:
•We recognized net income of $10.4 million, or $0.40 per diluted share, in 2021 compared to a net loss of $(10.2) million, or $(0.40) per diluted share in 2020, due primarily to the impact of income from discontinued operations of $18.5 million in 2021 compared to a loss from discontinued operations of $(6.8) million in 2020 due primarily to the gain on the sale of Taco Cabana in 2021. Higher Pollo Tropical labor costs, advertising costs, general and administrative expenses, repair and maintenance costs and delivery fees in 2021 were partially offset by increased comparable restaurant sales at Pollo Tropical. The impact of income from discontinued operations was also partially offset by an increase in unallocated general and administrative costs and the impact of the extra week in 2020.
•We recognized a loss from continuing operations of $(8.1) million, or $(0.31) per diluted share, in 2021 compared to a loss from continuing operations of $(3.4) million, or $(0.13) per diluted share, in 2020 primarily as a result of the foregoing.
•Total revenues increased 13.3% in 2021 to $357.3 million from $315.4 million in 2020, driven primarily by an increase in comparable restaurant sales at Pollo Tropical due in part to lapping the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Comparable restaurant sales increased 16.0% for our Pollo Tropical restaurants resulting from an increase in the net impact of product/channel mix and pricing of 11.8% and an increase in comparable restaurant transactions of 4.2%.
•Continuing Operations Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA decreased $1.0 million for the year ended January 2, 2022 to $25.0 million compared to $26.0 million for the year ended January 3, 2021, driven primarily by higher labor costs, advertising costs, general and administrative expenses, repair and maintenance costs and delivery fees, as well as the impact of the extra week in 2020, partially offset by higher restaurant sales. Continuing Operations Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial measure of performance. For a discussion of our use of Continuing Operations Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA and a reconciliation from net income (loss) to Continuing Operations Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA, see "Management's Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures."
•Within discontinued operations, the impact of the gain on the sale of Taco Cabana, the impact of classifying Taco Cabana as held for sale-including the absence of depreciation and amortization related to property and equipment and lease ROU assets-in the third quarter of 2021, and higher Taco Cabana restaurant sales were partially offset by a loss on extinguishment of the outstanding term loan borrowings under our senior credit facility, higher interest costs and additional costs related to the sale of Taco Cabana.
Results of Operations
Unless otherwise noted, this discussion of operating results relates to our continuing operations.
The following table summarizes the changes in the number and mix of Pollo Tropical Company-owned and franchised restaurants in each fiscal year:
2021 2020 2019
Owned Franchised Total Owned Franchised Total Owned Franchised Total
Pollo Tropical:
Beginning of year 138 29 167 142 32 174 139 30 169
New - 2 2 - 2 2 3 2 5
Closed - - - (4) (5) (9) - - -
End of year 138 31 169 138 29 167 142 32 174
The following table sets forth, for the years ended January 2, 2022, January 3, 2021 and December 29, 2019, selected consolidated operating results as a percentage of restaurant sales:
Year Ended
January 2, 2022 January 3, 2021 December 29, 2019
Pollo Tropical
Costs and expenses:
Cost of sales 30.5 % 31.9 % 31.8 %
Restaurant wages and related expenses 25.8 % 23.7 % 23.5 %
Restaurant rent expense 6.6 % 7.2 % 6.1 %
Other restaurant operating expenses 16.1 % 15.1 % 13.8 %
Advertising expense 3.2 % 2.7 % 3.4 %
Pre-opening costs - % - % 0.1 %
Revenues. Revenues include restaurant sales and franchise royalty revenues and fees. Restaurant sales consist of food and beverage sales, net of discounts, at our restaurants. Franchise royalty revenues and fees represent ongoing royalty payments that are determined based on a percentage of franchisee sales and the amortization of initial franchise fees and area development fees associated with the opening of new franchised restaurants. Restaurant sales are influenced by new restaurant openings, closures of restaurants and changes in comparable restaurant sales.
Total revenues increased 13.3% to $357.3 million in 2021 from $315.4 million in 2020, while the 2020 total revenues represent a decrease of 13.2% from $363.5 million in 2019. Restaurant sales increased 13.2% to $355.5 million in 2021 from $314.1 million in 2020, while 2020 restaurant sales represent a decrease of 13.2% from $361.7 million in 2019.
The following table presents the primary drivers of the increase or decrease in restaurant sales for Pollo Tropical (in millions):
2021 vs. 2020 2020 vs. 2019
Pollo Tropical:
Increase (decrease) in comparable restaurant sales $ 48.7 $ (51.7)
Decrease in sales related to closed restaurants, net of new restaurants and other (1.5) (1.7)
Additional week in 2020 (5.8) 5.8
Total increase (decrease) $ 41.4 $ (47.6)
Restaurants are included in comparable restaurant sales after they have been open for 18 months. Restaurants are excluded from comparable restaurant sales for any fiscal month in which the restaurant was closed for more than five days. Comparable restaurant sales are compared to the same period in the prior year. For comparative purposes, the calculation of the changes in comparable restaurant sales is based on a 52-week fiscal year. Restaurant sales for the extra week in the fiscal year ended January 3, 2021 have been excluded for purposes of calculating the change in comparable company-owned restaurant sales. Comparable restaurant sales in 2020 were negatively impacted by governmental restrictions, closed dining rooms, reductions in operating hours and reduced staffing as a result of COVID-19. We believe our significant mix of dine-in sales prior to the pandemic had a negative impact on comparable restaurant sales.
Comparable restaurant sales increased 16.0% for Pollo Tropical restaurants in 2021. Increases or decreases in comparable restaurant sales result primarily from an increase or decrease in comparable restaurant transactions and in average check. Changes in average check are primarily driven by changes in sales channel and sales mix, and to a lesser extent, menu price increases net of discounts and promotions.
An increase in the net impact of product/channel mix and pricing of 11.8% was coupled with an increase in comparable restaurant transactions of 4.2% in 2021 compared to 2020. The increase in product/channel mix and pricing was driven primarily by increases in delivery and drive-thru average check and sales channel penetration, and menu price increases of 4.6%. Comparable restaurant sales in 2021 decreased 1.1% compared to 2019. We believe restaurant sales were negatively impacted by staffing challenges and reduced operating hours and sales channels due to labor shortages in 2021. Comparable restaurant sales in adequately staffed markets increased 18.7% in 2021 compared to 2020. Hurricane Dorian negatively impacted comparable restaurant sales in 2019.
Comparable restaurant sales decreased 14.7% for Pollo Tropical in 2020. A decrease in comparable restaurant transactions of 22.1% was partially offset by an increase in the net impact of product/channel mix and pricing of 7.4% in 2020 compared to 2019. The increase in product/channel mix and pricing was driven primarily by increases in delivery and drive-thru average check and sales channel penetration, and menu price increases of 0.4%.
Franchise revenues increased $0.5 million to $1.8 million in 2021 compared to 2020 due to higher sales at franchised restaurants in 2021 primarily as a result of the impact of COVID-19 in 2020. Franchise revenues decreased $0.5 million to $1.2 million in 2020 compared to 2019 due to lower sales at franchised restaurants as a result of the impact of COVID-19 in 2020.
Operating costs and expenses. Operating costs and expenses include cost of sales, restaurant wages and related expenses, other restaurant expenses and advertising expenses. Cost of sales consists of food, paper and beverage costs including packaging costs, less rebates and purchase discounts. Cost of sales is generally influenced by changes in commodity costs, the sales mix of items sold and the effectiveness of our restaurant-level controls to manage food and paper costs. Key commodities, including chicken, are generally purchased under contracts for future periods of up to one year. While we have not experienced significant disruptions in our supply chain or food costs during 2021, costs for certain commodities are expected to increase in 2022.
Restaurant wages and related expenses include all restaurant management and hourly productive labor costs, employer payroll taxes, restaurant-level bonuses and related benefits. Payroll and related taxes and benefits are subject to inflation, including from factors such as labor supply and changing market conditions, as well as minimum wage increases and changes in costs for health insurance, workers' compensation insurance and state unemployment insurance.
Other restaurant operating expenses include all other restaurant-level operating costs, the major components of which are utilities, repairs and maintenance, general liability insurance, sanitation, supplies and credit card and delivery fees.
Advertising expense includes all promotional expenses including television, radio, billboards and other sponsorships and promotional activities and agency fees.
Pre-opening costs include costs incurred prior to opening a restaurant, including restaurant employee wages and related expenses, travel expenditures, recruiting, training, promotional costs associated with the restaurant opening and rent, including any non-cash rent expense recognized during the construction period. Pre-opening costs are generally incurred beginning four to six months prior to a restaurant opening.
The following table presents the primary drivers of the changes in the components of restaurant operating margins for Pollo Tropical. All percentages are stated as a percentage of restaurant sales.
2021 vs. 2020 2020 vs. 2019
Pollo Tropical:
Cost of sales:
Menu price increases (0.9) % (0.2) %
Lower promotions and discounts (0.5) % (0.2) %
Sales mix (0.3) % 0.8 %
Higher commodity costs 0.4 % 0.1 %
Operating inefficiencies (efficiencies) 0.1 % (1.0) %
Lower rebates and discounts from suppliers - % 0.3 %
Other(1)
(0.2) % 0.3 %
Net increase (decrease) in cost of sales as a percentage of restaurant sales (1.4) % 0.1 %
Restaurant wages and related expenses:
Higher (lower) labor costs due to higher wage rates and overtime partially offset by the impact of labor efficiencies(2)
1.3 % (0.3) %
Higher labor costs including special incentive pay and sign-on bonuses(3)
0.4 % 0.5 %
Higher incentive bonus(4)
0.3 % - %
Higher payroll taxes and workers' compensation costs 0.3 % - %
Lower medical benefits costs (0.3) % - %
Other(1)
0.1 % - %
Net increase in restaurant wages and related expenses as a percentage of restaurant sales 2.1 % 0.2 %
Other operating expenses:
Higher delivery fee expense due to higher delivery channel sales 0.7 % 1.5 %
Higher (lower) repairs and maintenance costs 0.6 % (0.3) %
Impact of higher restaurant sales on utilities costs (0.3) % - %
Other(1)
- % 0.1 %
Net increase in other restaurant operating expenses as a percentage of restaurant sales 1.0 % 1.3 %
Advertising expense:
Increased (reduced) advertising 0.5 % (0.7) %
Net increase (decrease) in advertising expense as a percentage of restaurant sales 0.5 % (0.7) %
Pre-opening costs:
Decrease in number of restaurant openings - % (0.1) %
Net change in pre-opening costs as a percentage of restaurant sales - % (0.1) %
(1) Other consists of any other driver with an impact of less than 20 basis points.
(2) Higher wage rates and overtime pay due in part to labor shortages in 2021. Lower labor costs in 2020 compared to 2019 resulted from labor efficiencies in 2020.
(3) Change in 2020 compared to 2019 primarily includes the impact of COVID-19 related special incentive pay and quarantine pay, which is partially offset (0.1%) by lower incentive bonus resulting from the special incentive pay.
(4) Primarily due to guaranteed bonus payments due to staffing challenges. Guaranteed bonus payments, which were lower in 2020, are included in other labor costs in 2020.
Restaurant Rent Expense. Restaurant rent expense includes base rent, contingent rent and common area maintenance and property taxes related to our leases characterized as operating leases. Restaurant rent expense, as a percentage of total restaurant sales, decreased to 6.6% in 2021 from 7.2% in 2020, due primarily to the impact of higher comparable restaurant sales which were partially offset by higher rental costs related to sale-leasebacks and lease renewals. Restaurant rent expense, as a percentage of total restaurant sales, was 7.2% in 2020 compared to 6.1% in 2019, due primarily to the impact of lower comparable restaurant sales.
General and Administrative Expenses. General and administrative expenses are comprised primarily of (1) salaries and expenses associated with the development and support of our Company and brand and the management oversight of the operation of our restaurants; and (2) legal, auditing and other professional fees, corporate system costs, and stock-based compensation expense.
General and administrative expenses increased to $45.5 million in 2021 from $39.8 million in 2020, and as a percentage of total revenues, were 12.7% in 2021 and 12.6% in 2020 due primarily to higher digital and brand repositioning costs, higher continuing mobile app development and maintenance costs and higher incentive and other support center costs including additional costs related to the sale of Taco Cabana, partially offset by higher total revenues. General and administrative expenses include corporate overhead costs allocated to Taco Cabana that are not included in discontinued operations. General and administrative expenses in 2021 also included $3.3 million related to digital and brand repositioning costs. General and administrative expense in 2020 included $0.7 million related to severance costs associated with positions eliminated in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, $0.4 million related to digital and brand repositioning costs, and $0.1 million related to search fees for senior executive positions.
General and administrative expenses decreased to $39.8 million in 2020 from $41.9 million in 2019, and as a percentage of total revenues, were 12.6% in 2020 and 11.5% in 2019 due primarily to the impact of lower total revenues partially offset by lower management support costs primarily as a result of headcount reductions in the second quarter of 2020, reduced travel and other cost savings initiatives. General and administrative expense in 2019 included $0.9 million related to restructuring costs due to eliminated or relocated positions, $0.2 million related to digital and brand repositioning costs and $0.5 million related to search fees for senior executive positions.
Adjusted EBITDA. Adjusted EBITDA is the primary measure of segment profit or loss used by our chief operating decision maker for purposes of allocating resources and assessing performance and is defined as earnings before interest expense, income taxes, depreciation and amortization, impairment and other lease charges, goodwill impairment, closed restaurant rent expense, net of sublease income, stock-based compensation expense, other expense (income), net, and certain significant items that management believes are related to strategic changes and/or are not related to the ongoing operation of our restaurants.
Adjusted EBITDA may not necessarily be comparable to other similarly titled captions of other companies due to differences in methods of calculation. Adjusted EBITDA includes an allocation of certain general and administrative expenses associated with administrative support for executive management, information systems and certain finance, legal, supply chain, human resources, development, and other administrative functions. Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial measure of performance. For a discussion of our use of Adjusted EBITDA and Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA and a reconciliation from net income (loss) to Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA, see the heading titled "Management's Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures."
Adjusted EBITDA for Pollo Tropical restaurants increased to $36.8 million, or 10.3% of total revenues, in 2021 from $36.5 million, or 11.6% of total revenues, in 2020 due primarily to the impact of higher restaurant sales and improved cost of sales margins, partially offset by higher labor costs, delivery fees, repair and maintenance costs, advertising and general and administrative costs, and the impact of the extra week in 2020. Continuing Operations Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA, a non-GAAP financial measure, decreased to $25.0 million in 2021 from $26.0 million in 2020. For a reconciliation from net income (loss) to Continuing Operations Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA, see the heading titled "Management's Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures."
Adjusted EBITDA for Pollo Tropical restaurants decreased to $36.5 million, or 11.6% of total revenues, in 2020 from $50.6 million (which includes the estimated negative impact of Hurricane Dorian of $0.6 million), or 13.9% of total revenues, in 2019 due primarily to the impact of lower restaurant sales, including the impact of COVID-19, higher delivery fee expense, and additional costs related to the COVID-19 pandemic, partially offset by lower advertising expense, labor costs as a percentage of restaurant sales due to labor efficiencies, certain other operating expenses, and general and administrative expenses. In addition, we estimate the additional week of sales in our fiscal 2020 had a $1.7 million favorable impact on Adjusted EBITDA for Pollo Tropical in 2020.
Restaurant-level Adjusted EBITDA. We also use Restaurant-level Adjusted EBITDA, a non-GAAP financial measure, as a supplemental measure to evaluate the performance and profitability of our restaurants in the aggregate, which is defined as Adjusted EBITDA excluding franchise royalty revenues and fees, pre-opening costs and general and administrative expenses (including corporate-level general and administrative expenses).
Restaurant-level Adjusted EBITDA for Pollo Tropical was $63.1 million (17.7% of restaurant sales), $61.3 million (19.5% of restaurant sales) and $77.6 million (which includes the estimated negative impact of Hurricane Dorian of $0.6 million) (21.4% of restaurant sales) in 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively. The changes in Restaurant-level Adjusted EBITDA were primarily due to the foregoing. In addition, we estimate the additional week of sales in our fiscal 2020 had a $2.0 million favorable impact on Restaurant-level Adjusted EBITDA for Pollo Tropical in 2020 compared to 2019 and an unfavorable impact in 2021 compared to 2020. For a reconciliation from Adjusted EBITDA to Restaurant-level Adjusted EBITDA, see the heading titled "Management's Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures."
Depreciation and Amortization. Depreciation and amortization expense decreased to $20.6 million in 2021 from $22.0 million in 2020 due primarily to decreased depreciation as a result of entering into sale-leaseback transactions for several owned restaurant locations and impairing closed restaurant assets, partially offset by an increase in depreciation related to ongoing reinvestment and enhancements to our restaurants. Depreciation and amortization expense decreased to $22.0 million in 2020 from $22.2 million in 2019 due primarily to decreased depreciation as a result of impairing closed restaurant assets, partially offset by an increase in depreciation related to new restaurant openings and ongoing reinvestment and enhancements to our restaurants.
Impairment and Other Lease Charges. Impairment and other lease charges decreased to $1.5 million in 2021 from $8.0 million in 2020.
Impairment and other lease charges in 2021 include impairment charges of $2.1 million related primarily to the impairment of assets from five underperforming Pollo Tropical restaurants and impairment of equipment from previously closed restaurants, partially offset by net gains from lease terminations of $(0.6) million.
Impairment and other lease charges increased to $8.0 million in 2020 from less than $0.1 million in 2019. Impairment and other lease charges in 2020 include impairment charges of $7.3 million related primarily to the impairment of assets from three underperforming Pollo Tropical restaurants, two of which we closed in the third quarter of 2020, the write-down of saucing islands and self-service soda machines that are being removed from dining rooms as a result of COVID-19 and the write-down of assets held for sale to their fair value less costs to sell, and lease termination charges of $0.9 million for restaurant locations we decided not to develop, net of a gain from lease terminations of $(0.2) million.
Impairment and other lease charges in 2019 consisted of impairment charges of $0.8 million and net lease charge recoveries of $(0.8) million. Impairment charges in 2019 also included right-of-use assets and were related primarily to previously closed Pollo Tropical restaurants, while the net lease charge recoveries were related primarily to lease terminations for previously closed restaurants.
Each quarter we assess the potential impairment of any long-lived assets that have experienced a triggering event, including restaurants for which the related trailing twelve-month cash flows are below a certain threshold. We determine if there is impairment at the restaurant level by comparing undiscounted future cash flows from the related long-lived assets, exclusive of operating lease payments, to their respective carrying values, excluding operating lease liabilities. In determining future cash flows, significant estimates are made by us with respect to future operating results of each restaurant over its remaining lease term, including sales trends, labor rates, commodity costs and other operating cost assumptions. If assets are determined to be impaired, the impairment charge is measured by calculating the amount by which the asset group's carrying amount exceeds its fair value. This process of assessing fair values requires the use of estimates and assumptions, including our ability to sell or reuse the related assets and market conditions, and for right-of-use lease assets, current market lease rent and discount rates, which are subject to a high degree of judgment. If these assumptions change in the future, we may be required to record impairment charges for these assets and these charges could be material. Due to the uncertainty associated with the unprecedented nature of the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact it will continue to have on restaurant operations and future cash flows, it is reasonably possible that the estimates of future cash flows used in impairment assessments will change in the near term and the effect of the change could be material.
For seven Pollo Tropical restaurants with combined carrying values (excluding right-of-use lease assets) of $4.9 million, projected cash flows are not substantially in excess of their carrying values. If the performance of these restaurants does not improve as projected, an impairment charge could be recognized in future periods, and such charge could be material.
Closed Restaurant Rent Expense, Net of Sublease Income. Closed restaurant rent expense, net of sublease income was $3.0 million in 2021 and consisted of closed restaurant rent and ancillary lease costs of $9.1 million net of sublease income of $(6.1) million.
Closed restaurant rent expense, net of sublease income was $4.3 million in 2020 and consisted of closed restaurant rent and ancillary lease costs of $9.2 million net of sublease income of $(4.9) million.
Closed restaurant rent expense, net of sublease income was $3.3 million in 2019 and consisted of closed restaurant rent and ancillary lease costs of $6.8 million net of sublease income of $(3.4) million.
Other Expense (Income), Net. Other expense (income), net was $0.5 million in 2021 and primarily consisted of costs for the removal, transfer and storage of equipment from closed restaurants. Other expense (income), net in 2020 primarily consisted of total gains of $(3.3) million on the sale-leaseback of five restaurant properties and the sale of three restaurant properties, partially offset by $0.5 million in costs for the removal, transfer and storage of equipment from closed restaurants and other closed restaurant costs and $0.7 million for the write-off of site development costs. Other expense (income), net in 2019 primarily consisted of $0.7 million in costs for the removal, transfer and storage of equipment from closed restaurants and $0.1 million for the write-off of site development costs.
Interest Expense. Interest expense increased $0.1 million to $0.4 million in 2021 from 2020. Interest expense remained flat at $0.3 million in 2020 compared to 2019. Interest charges related to our new senior credit facility and former amended senior credit facility are included in discontinued operations for all periods presented.
Provision for (Benefit from) Income Taxes. The effective tax rate was (15.5)% for the year ended January 2, 2022, and 67.5% for the year ended January 3, 2021. The provision for income taxes for 2021 includes changes in the valuation allowance as a result of originating temporary differences during the year and a reserve for unrecognized tax benefits.
The effective tax rate was 67.5% for 2020 and 120.3% for 2019. The benefit from income taxes for 2020 includes a benefit related to the carryback of net operating losses and reclassifying certain assets as qualified improvement property as permitted by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the "CARES Act") and other changes to depreciation methods for certain assets made in conjunction with a cost segregation study conducted prior to filing our 2019 federal income tax return, as well as a decrease to the valuation allowance on our deferred tax assets related to changes in our deferred tax assets and liabilities. The provision for income taxes for 2019 included the effect of establishing a valuation allowance on our deferred income taxes.
The CARES Act, which was signed into law on March 27, 2020, includes provisions that allow net operating losses arising in 2018, 2019, and 2020 to be carried back for up to five years and includes technical amendments that are retroactive to 2018 which permit certain assets to be classified as qualified improvement property and expensed immediately.
Income from Discontinued Operations, Net of Tax. All revenues, costs and expenses and income taxes attributable to Taco Cabana have been aggregated within income (loss) from discontinued operations, net of tax, in the consolidated statements of operations for all periods presented. Income from discontinued operations, net of tax, was $18.5 million in 2021 compared to a loss from discontinued operations, net of tax, of $(6.8) million and $(82.4) million in 2020 and 2019, respectively. Taco Cabana results of operations are included through August 15, 2021 for the year ended January 2, 2022 compared to a full year in 2020 due to the sale of Taco Cabana on August 16, 2021.
A gain of $25.0 million was recognized on the sale of Taco Cabana in 2021. See Note 2 of the Notes to our Consolidated Financial Statements.
Net Income (Loss). As a result of the foregoing, we had net income of $10.4 million in 2021 compared to a net loss of $(10.2) million and $(84.4) million in 2020 and 2019, respectively.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Unless otherwise noted, this discussion of liquidity and capital resources relates to our combined operations.
We do not have significant receivables or inventory and receive trade credit based upon negotiated terms in purchasing food products and other supplies. Although, as a result of our substantial cash balance, we did not have a working capital deficit at January 2, 2022, we have the ability to operate with a substantial working capital deficit (and we have historically operated with a working capital deficit) because:
•Restaurant operations are primarily conducted on a cash basis;
•Rapid turnover results in a limited investment in inventories; and
•Cash from sales is usually received before related liabilities for supplies and payroll become due.
Operating Activities. Net cash provided by operating activities for 2021, 2020, and 2019 was $14.1 million, $40.3 million and $65.0 million, respectively. The $26.2 million decrease in net cash provided by operating activities in 2021 compared to 2020 was driven primarily by the timing of payments, including the impact of the timing of payments related to Taco Cabana and vendor and landlord payment term renegotiations in 2020, and a decrease in Adjusted EBITDA. The $24.8 million decrease in net cash provided by operating activities in 2020 compared to 2019 was driven primarily by a decrease in Adjusted EBITDA and the receipt of a tax refund in 2019, partially offset by the timing of payments. The impact of extended vendor payment terms in 2020 was partially offset by the payment of January 2021 rent in fiscal 2020 as a result of the 53rd week in fiscal 2020.
Investing Activities. Net cash provided by investing activities in 2021 and 2020 was $59.8 million and $8.4 million, respectively. Net cash used in investing activities 2019 was $39.4 million. Capital expenditures are typically the largest component of our investing activities and include: (1) new restaurant development, which may include the purchase of real estate; (2) restaurant remodeling/reimaging, which includes the renovation or rebuilding of the interior and exterior of our existing restaurants; (3) other restaurant capital expenditures, which include capital maintenance expenditures for the ongoing reinvestment and enhancement of our restaurants; and (4) corporate and restaurant information systems.
The following table sets forth our capital expenditures from continuing operations for the periods presented (dollars in thousands):
Pollo
Tropical Other Continuing Operations
Year ended January 2, 2022:
New restaurant development $ - $ - $ -
Restaurant remodeling 1,097 - 1,097
Other restaurant capital expenditures(1)
9,682 - 9,682
Corporate and restaurant information systems 1,645 602 2,247
Total capital expenditures $ 12,424 $ 602 $ 13,026
Number of new restaurant openings - -
Year ended January 3, 2021:
New restaurant development $ 1,009 $ - $ 1,009
Restaurant remodeling 358 - 358
Other restaurant capital expenditures(1)
6,542 - 6,542
Corporate and restaurant information systems 1,254 1,320 2,574
Total capital expenditures $ 9,163 $ 1,320 $ 10,483
Number of new restaurant openings - -
Year ended December 29, 2019:
New restaurant development $ 7,325 $ - $ 7,325
Restaurant remodeling 1,654 - 1,654
Other restaurant capital expenditures(1)
10,069 - 10,069
Corporate and restaurant information systems 2,873 1,201 4,074
Total capital expenditures $ 21,921 $ 1,201 $ 23,122
Number of new restaurant openings 3 3
(1)Excludes restaurant repair and maintenance expenses included in other restaurant operating expenses in our consolidated financial statements. For the years ended January 2, 2022, January 3, 2021 and December 29, 2019, total restaurant repair and maintenance expenses were approximately $12.5 million, $9.3 million, and $11.7 million, respectively.
The following table sets forth our capital expenditures from discontinued operations for the periods presented (dollars in thousands):
Taco
Cabana
Year ended January 2, 2022:
New restaurant development $ -
Restaurant remodeling 1,283
Other restaurant capital expenditures(1)
5,050
Corporate and restaurant information systems 169
Total capital expenditures $ 6,502
Number of new restaurant openings -
Year ended January 3, 2021:
New restaurant development $ 854
Restaurant remodeling 745
Other restaurant capital expenditures(1)
4,728
Corporate and restaurant information systems 1,559
Total capital expenditures $ 7,886
Number of new restaurant openings 1
Year ended December 29, 2019:
New restaurant development $ 4,065
Restaurant remodeling 919
Other restaurant capital expenditures(1)
9,266
Corporate and restaurant information systems 3,875
Total capital expenditures $ 18,125
Number of new restaurant openings 3
(1)Excludes restaurant repair and maintenance expenses included in income (loss) from discontinued operations in our consolidated financial statements. For the years ended January 2, 2022, January 3, 2021 and December 29, 2019, total restaurant repair and maintenance expenses were approximately $5.5 million, $8.1 million, and $11.5 million, respectively.
Cash provided by investing activities from continuing operations in 2020 included net proceeds of $13.3 million from the sale-leaseback of five restaurant properties and $5.3 million from the sale of an additional three restaurant properties. In 2019, investing activities from continuing operations also included net proceeds of $1.8 million from the sale of one restaurant property.
Cash provided by investing activities from discontinued operations in 2021 included net proceeds of $74.9 million from the sale of Taco Cabana, $3.1 million from the sale-leaseback of two restaurant properties and $1.3 million from the sale of an additional restaurant property. Cash provided by investing activities from discontinued operations in 2020 included net proceeds of $4.0 million from the sale-leaseback of two restaurant properties and $4.3 million from the sale of an additional three restaurant properties.
Total capital expenditures in 2022 are expected to be between $25.0 million and $30.0 million.
Financing Activities. Net cash used in financing activities in 2021 was $86.8 million and included term loan borrowing repayments under our new senior credit facility of $75.0 million, $9.4 million in payments to repurchase our common stock and a $2.2 million payment for a premium associated with extinguishment of the term loan under our new senior credit facility.
Net cash used in financing activities in 2020 included net revolving credit borrowing repayments under our former amended senior credit facility of $75.0 million, $3.0 million in payment of debt issuance costs associated with our former amended senior credit facility and new senior credit facility combined with $3.7 million in payments to repurchase our common stock, partially offset by proceeds of $73.5 million under our new senior credit facility.
Net cash used in financing activities in 2019 included $14.3 million in payments to repurchase our common stock combined with net revolving credit borrowing repayments under our former senior credit facility of $3.0 million.
New Senior Credit Facility. On November 23, 2020, we terminated our former amended senior secured revolving credit facility, referred to as the "former senior credit facility," and entered into a new senior secured credit facility, which is referred to as the "new senior credit facility." The new senior credit facility was comprised of a term loan facility (the "term loan facility") of $75.0 million and a revolving credit facility (the "revolving credit facility") of up to $10.0 million and matures on November 23, 2025. The new senior credit facility also provides for potential incremental term loan borrowing increases of up to $37.5 million in the aggregate, subject to, among other items, compliance with a minimum Total Leverage Ratio and other terms specified in the new senior credit facility. As required by the terms of the new senior credit facility, the proceeds from the sale of Taco Cabana were used to fully repay our outstanding term loan borrowings on August 16, 2021. The early repayment was subject to a 103% loan prepayment premium.
The new senior credit facility provides that we must maintain minimum Liquidity (as defined in the new senior credit facility) of $20.0 million (the "Liquidity Threshold") until January 3, 2022. The new senior credit facility also provides that we are not required to be in compliance with the Total Leverage Ratio under the new senior credit facility until the earlier of January 3, 2022, or the date in which Liquidity is less than the Liquidity Threshold. We will be permitted to exercise equity cure rights with respect to compliance with the Total Leverage Ratio subject to certain restrictions as set forth in the new senior credit facility.
Borrowings under the new senior credit facility bear interest at a rate per annum, at our option, equal to either (all terms as defined in the new senior credit facility):
1) the Base Rate plus the Applicable Margin of 6.75% with a minimum Base Rate of 2.00%, or
2) the LIBOR (or Benchmark Replacement) Rate plus the Applicable Margin of 7.75%, with a minimum LIBOR (or Benchmark Replacement) Rate of 1.00%.
In addition, the new senior credit facility requires us to pay a commitment fee of 0.50% per annum on the daily amount of the unused portion of the revolving credit facility.
The outstanding borrowings under the revolving credit facility are prepayable without penalty or premium (other than customary breakage costs). The outstanding borrowings under the term loan facility were voluntarily prepayable by us, and the term loan facility provided that each of the following required a mandatory prepayment of outstanding term loan borrowings by us as follows: (i) 100% of any cash Net Proceeds (as defined in the new senior credit facility) in excess of $2.0 million individually or in the aggregate over the term of the new senior credit facility in respect of any Casualty Event (as defined in the new senior credit facility) affecting collateral provided that we were permitted to reinvest such Net Proceeds in accordance with the new senior credit facility, (ii) 100% of any Net Proceeds of a Specified Equity Contribution (as defined in the new senior credit facility), (iii) 100% of any cash Net Proceeds from the issuance of debt issued by us or our subsidiaries other than Permitted Debt (as defined in the new senior credit facility), (iv) 100% of any Net Proceeds from the Disposition (as defined in the new senior credit facility) of certain assets individually, or in the aggregate, in excess of $2.0 million in any fiscal year provided that we were permitted to reinvest such Net Proceeds in accordance with the new senior credit facility and (v) beginning with the fiscal year ending January 2, 2022, an amount equal to the Excess Cash Flow (as defined in the new senior credit facility) in accordance with the new senior credit facility.
Our new senior credit facility contains customary default provisions, including without limitation, a cross default provision pursuant to which it is an event of default under this facility if there is a default under any of our indebtedness having an outstanding principal amount in excess of $5.0 million which results in the acceleration of such indebtedness prior to its stated maturity or is caused by a failure to pay principal when due.
The new senior credit facility contains certain covenants, including, without limitation, those limiting our ability to, among other things, incur indebtedness, incur liens, sell or acquire assets or businesses, change the character of our business in any material respects, engage in transactions with related parties, make certain investments, make certain restricted payments or pay dividends.
Our obligations under the new senior credit facility are secured by all of our and our subsidiaries' assets (including a pledge of all of the capital stock and equity interests of our subsidiaries).
Under the new senior credit facility, the lenders may terminate their obligation to advance and may declare the unpaid balance of borrowings, or any part thereof, immediately due and payable upon the occurrence and during the continuance of customary defaults which include, without limitation, payment default, covenant defaults, bankruptcy type defaults, defaults on other indebtedness, certain judgments or upon the occurrence of a change of control (as specified in the new senior credit facility).
As of January 2, 2022, we were in compliance with the financial covenants under our new senior credit facility. At January 2, 2022, $10.0 million was available for borrowing under the revolving credit facility.
Former Senior Credit Facility and Former Amended Senior Credit Facility. On July 10, 2020, we entered into the Second Amendment to Credit Agreement (as previously defined as the "former amended senior credit facility") among Fiesta and a syndicate of lenders that included adjustments to our covenants that were more reflective of current sales and profit trends. Pursuant to the former amended senior credit facility, the available revolving credit borrowings under the former amended senior credit facility were reduced from $150.0 million to $95.0 million in a phased reduction beginning with a $30.0 million permanent reduction that occurred on July 10, 2020. The former amended senior credit facility was terminated on November 23, 2020.
Share Repurchase Plan
In 2018, our board of directors approved a share repurchase program for up to 1.5 million shares of our common stock. In 2019, our board of directors approved increases to the share repurchase program of an additional 1.5 million shares of our common stock. Under the share repurchase program, shares may be repurchased from time to time in open market transactions at prevailing market prices, in privately negotiated transactions or by other means in accordance with federal securities laws, including Rule 10b-18 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The number of shares repurchased and the timing of repurchases will depend on a number of factors, including, but not limited to, stock price, trading volume, general market and economic conditions, and other corporate considerations. The share repurchase program has no time limit and may be modified, suspended, superseded or terminated at any time by our board of directors.
Cash Requirements
Our significant cash requirements within the next twelve months include working capital requirements, operating lease obligations and capital expenditures, as well as purchase obligations and insurance liabilities. We believe our cash reserves, cash generated from our operations, and availability of borrowings under our new senior credit facility will provide sufficient cash availability to cover our anticipated working capital needs and capital expenditures for the next twelve months. We used the net proceeds from the sale of Taco Cabana to repay all of the outstanding term loan borrowings under our new senior credit facility in the third quarter of 2021.
Our significant cash requirements under our various contractual obligations and commitments include:
• Operating Lease Obligations. See Note 8 of the Notes to our Consolidated Financial Statements for information on our operating and finance lease obligations and the amount and timing of future payments.
•Capital Expenditures. See Investing Activities subsection in this MD&A under the heading titled Liquidity and Capital Resources.
• Insurance Liabilities. Insurance liabilities include obligations associated with employee health care, workers' compensation claims and general liability claims, all of which have some inherent uncertainty as to the amount and timing of payments and were reflected on our Consolidated Balance Sheet as of January 2, 2022. See Note 7 of the Notes to our Consolidated Financial Statements for more information about our insurance liabilities.
•Purchase Obligations. Purchase obligations include agreements to purchase goods or services that are legally binding on us and that specify all significant terms. Our purchase obligations are primarily related to our Enterprise Resource planning systems for which an aggregate of $2.5 million is due in 2022.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
We have no off-balance sheet arrangements.
Inflation
The inflationary factors that have historically affected our results of operations include increases in food and paper costs, labor and other operating expenses and energy costs. Labor costs in our restaurants are impacted by a number of factors such as labor supply and changing market conditions, as well as changes in the federal and state hourly minimum wage rates as well as changes in payroll related taxes, including federal and state unemployment taxes. Labor supply across other industries also negatively impacts the costs of supplies, commodities, logistics, and utilities. We typically attempt to offset the effect of inflation, at least in part, through periodic menu price increases and various cost reduction programs. However, no assurance can be given that we will be able to fully offset such inflationary cost increases in the future.
Critical Accounting Estimates
Our Consolidated Financial Statements and accompanying Notes are prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. Preparing consolidated financial statements requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue and expenses. These estimates and assumptions are affected by the application of our accounting policies. Our significant accounting policies are described in Note 1-Basis of Presentation in the Notes to our Consolidated Financial Statements. Critical accounting estimates are those that require application of management's most difficult, subjective, or complex judgments, often as a result of matters that are inherently uncertain and may change in subsequent periods. These estimates involve a significant level of estimation uncertainty and are reasonably likely to have a material impact of the financial condition or results of operations.
Sales recognition at our restaurants is straightforward as customers pay for products at the time of sale and inventory turns over very quickly. Payments to vendors for products sold in the restaurants are generally settled within 60 days. The earnings reporting process is covered by our system of internal controls and generally does not require significant management estimates and judgments. However, critical accounting estimates and judgments, as noted below, are inherent in the assessment and recording of insurance liabilities, the valuation of goodwill for impairment, assessing impairment of long-lived assets, lease accounting matters and the valuation of deferred income tax assets. While we apply our judgment based on assumptions believed to be reasonable under the circumstances, actual results could vary from these assumptions. It is possible that materially different amounts would be reported using different assumptions.
Insurance Liabilities. We are insured for workers' compensation, general liability and medical insurance claims under policies where we pay all claims, subject to annual stop-loss limitations both for individual claims and for general liability, medical insurance and certain workers' compensation claims in the aggregate. At January 2, 2022, we had $9.5 million accrued for these insurance claims. At January 3, 2021, we had $10.4 million accrued for these insurance claims. We record insurance liabilities based on historical and industry trends, which are continually monitored, with the assistance of actuaries, and adjust accruals as warranted by changing circumstances. Since there are estimates and assumptions inherent in recording these insurance liabilities, including the ability to estimate the future development of incurred claims based on historical trends or the severity of the claims, differences between actual future events and prior estimates and assumptions could result in adjustments to these liabilities and those adjustments could be material.
Evaluation of Goodwill. We must evaluate our recorded goodwill for impairment annually or more frequently when events and circumstances indicate that the carrying amount may be impaired. We have elected to conduct our annual impairment review of goodwill assets as of the last day of our fiscal year. We may first qualitatively assess goodwill impairment to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount. This qualitative analysis is performed by examining key events and circumstances affecting fair value. If it is determined it is more likely than not that the reporting unit's fair value is not greater than its carrying amount, we perform a quantitative assessment. We adopted ASU No. 2017-04, Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment ("ASU 2017-04") in 2019, which eliminates the requirement to calculate the implied fair value of goodwill if the fair value of a reporting unit is less than the carrying amount of the reporting unit. Instead, if the carrying amount of a reporting unit exceeds its fair value, an impairment loss will be recognized in an amount equal to that excess, limited to the total amount of goodwill allocated to that reporting unit.
In performing a quantitative assessment for impairment, we compare the net book value of our reporting unit to its estimated fair value. In determining the estimated fair value of the reporting unit, we employ a combination of a discounted cash flow analysis based on management's best estimates of future cash flows and one or two market-based approaches. The results of these analyses are corroborated with other value indicators where available, such as comparable company earnings multiples. This evaluation of goodwill requires us to make estimates and assumptions to determine the fair value of our reporting unit including projections regarding future operating results, anticipated growth rates, the weighted average cost of capital used to discount projected cash flows, and market multiples.
We performed a qualitative assessment, which included examining key events and circumstances affecting fair value, for our annual impairment review as of January 2, 2022, and determined it was more likely than not that the Pollo Tropical reporting unit's fair value was greater than its carrying amount. As of January 2, 2022, our Pollo Tropical reporting unit goodwill has a carrying value of $56.3 million. See Note 5 of the Notes to our Consolidated Financial Statements.
We estimate the fair value of the Pollo Tropical reporting unit significantly exceeds its carrying value as of January 2, 2022. The estimates and assumptions used to determine and assess fair value may differ from actual future events and if these estimates or related projections change significantly in the future, we may be required to record material impairment charges for goodwill assets.
Impairment of Long-lived Assets. We assess the potential impairment of long-lived assets, principally property and equipment and operating lease right-of-use assets, whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of the restaurant asset group may not be recoverable. In addition to considering management's plans, known regulatory/governmental actions and damage due to acts of God (hurricanes, tornadoes, etc.), we consider an event indicating that the carrying value may not be recoverable to have occurred related to a specific restaurant if the restaurant's cash flows for the last twelve months are less than a minimum threshold or if consistent levels of cash flows for the remaining lease period are less than the carrying value of the restaurant's assets. We determine if there is impairment at the restaurant level by comparing undiscounted future cash flows from the related long-lived assets to their respective carrying values. We have elected to exclude operating lease payments and liabilities from future cash flows and carrying values, respectively, in the comparison. In determining future cash flows, significant estimates are made by us with respect to future operating results of each restaurant over its remaining lease term, including sales trends, labor rates, commodity costs and other operating cost assumptions. Our estimates of future cash flows are highly subjective judgments based on internal projections and knowledge of our operations, historical performance and current trends in sales and restaurant operating costs. If assets are determined to be impaired, the impairment charge is measured by calculating the amount by which the asset carrying amount exceeds its fair value. This process of assessing fair values requires the use of estimates and assumptions, including our ability to sell or reuse the related assets and market conditions and, for right-of-use lease assets, current market lease rent and discount rates, which are subject to a high degree of judgment. If these estimates or assumptions change in the future, we may be required to record impairment charges for these assets and these charges could be material.
For seven Pollo Tropical restaurants with combined carrying values (excluding right-of-use lease assets) of $4.9 million, projected cash flows are not substantially in excess of their carrying values. If the performance of these restaurants does not improve as projected, an impairment charge could be recognized in future periods, and such charge could be material. See Note 6 of the Notes to our Consolidated Financial Statements.
Lease Accounting. Judgments made by management for our lease obligations include the determination of our incremental borrowing rate, the determination of standalone selling prices used to allocate the consideration in the contract, and the length of the lease term, which includes the determination of renewal options that are reasonably assured. The lease term can affect the classification of a lease as finance or operating for accounting purposes, the amount of the lease liability and corresponding right-of-use lease asset recognized, the term over which related leasehold improvements for each restaurant are amortized and any rent holidays and/or changes in rental amounts for recognizing rent expense over the term of the lease. These judgments may produce materially different amounts of depreciation, amortization and rent expense than would be reported if different assumed lease terms were used.
We use our estimated incremental borrowing rate in determining the present value of lease payments for purposes of determining lease classification and recording lease liabilities and lease assets on our consolidated balance sheet. Our incremental borrowing rate is determined based on a synthetic credit rating, determined using a valuation model, adjusted to reflect a secured credit rating and a developed spread curve, if applicable, applied to a risk-free rate yield curve. If the estimate of our incremental borrowing rate was changed, our operating lease assets and liabilities could differ materially. Changes in the determination of our incremental borrowing rate could also have an impact on the depreciation and interest expense recognized for finance leases. See Note 8 of the Notes to our Consolidated Financial Statements.
Valuation of Deferred Income Tax Assets. Deferred tax assets and liabilities, which represent temporary differences between the financial statement and tax basis of assets and liabilities, are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to the years in which those differences are expected to be recovered or settled. Deferred tax assets are recognized to the extent we believe these assets will more likely than not be realized. A valuation allowance is established to reduce the carrying amount of deferred tax assets if we believe it is more likely than not that a portion or all of the tax benefit from these deferred tax assets will not be realized. The realization of a deferred tax asset is dependent on the generation of sufficient taxable income in future periods, and the reversal of existing taxable temporary differences in the applicable periods. In evaluating the realizability of our deferred tax assets, we perform an assessment of positive and negative evidence. The weight given to negative and positive evidence is commensurate only to the extent that such evidence can be objectively verified. Objective historical evidence is given greater weight than subjective evidence such as forecasts of future taxable income. We considered three years of cumulative operating income (loss) in evaluating the objective evidence that historical results provide. Objective negative evidence limits our ability to consider other subjective evidence, such as our future earnings projections. Based on our evaluation of all available positive and negative evidence, and placing greater weight on the objective evidence, we determined that it is more likely than not that our deferred tax assets will not be fully realized in future periods. We recorded a $9.3 million valuation allowance to reduce our deferred tax assets in 2019, which increased our tax expense. Based on changes in our deferred tax assets and liabilities in 2020, adjustments to our valuation allowance totaling $0.4 million were recorded in 2020 resulting in a valuation allowance of $9.7 million as of January 3, 2021. Based on changes in our deferred tax assets and liabilities in 2021, adjustments to our valuation allowance totaling $0.2 million were recorded in 2021 resulting in a valuation
allowance of $9.9 million as of January 2, 2022. If we generate sufficient taxable income in the future to fully utilize the tax benefits of the deferred tax assets on which a valuation allowance was recorded, a portion or all of the valuation allowance could be reversed, which would decrease our tax expense in the period or periods in which the valuation allowance is reversed. We will continue to monitor and evaluate the positive and negative evidence considered in arriving at the above conclusion in order to assess whether such conclusion remains appropriate in future periods. Separate valuation allowances, not subject to the critical accounting estimates, for the income tax capital loss generated on the sale of Taco Cabana in 2021 and a foreign tax credit have been established as we do not expect to generate sufficient future taxable income related to those tax attributes. See Note 10 of the Notes to our Consolidated Financial Statements.
New Accounting Pronouncements
See Note 1 of the Notes to our Consolidated Financial Statements for a discussion of recently issued and adopted accounting standards.
Management's Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures
Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA (including Continuing Operations Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA and Continuing Operations Adjusted EBITDA) is a non-GAAP financial measure. We use Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA in addition to net income and income from operations to assess our performance, and we believe it is important for investors to be able to evaluate us using the same measures used by management. We believe this measure is an important indicator of our operational strength and the performance of our business and it provides a view of operations absent non-cash activity and items that are not related to the ongoing operation of our restaurants or affect comparability period over period. Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA as calculated by us is not necessarily comparable to similarly titled measures reported by other companies and should not be considered as an alternative to net income (loss), earnings (loss) per share, cash flows from operating activities or other financial information determined under GAAP.
The primary measure of segment profit or loss used by the chief operating decision maker to assess performance and allocate resources is Adjusted EBITDA, which is defined as earnings before interest expense, income taxes, depreciation and amortization, impairment and other lease charges, goodwill impairment, closed restaurant rent expense, net of sublease income, stock-based compensation expense, other expense (income), net, and certain significant items that management believes are related to strategic changes and/or are not related to the ongoing operation of our restaurants as set forth in the reconciliation table below. Adjusted EBITDA includes an allocation of certain general and administrative expenses associated with administrative support for executive management, information systems and certain finance, legal, supply chain, human resources, construction and other administrative functions. See Note 12 of the Notes to our Consolidated Financial Statements.
We also use Restaurant-level Adjusted EBITDA as a supplemental measure to evaluate the performance and profitability of our restaurants in the aggregate, which is defined as Adjusted EBITDA excluding franchise royalty revenues and fees, pre-opening costs, and general and administrative expenses (including corporate-level general and administrative expenses). Restaurant-level Adjusted EBITDA margin is derived by dividing Restaurant-level Adjusted EBITDA by restaurant sales. Restaurant-level Adjusted EBITDA is also a non-GAAP financial measure.
Management believes that Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA and Restaurant-level Adjusted EBITDA, when viewed with our results of operations calculated in accordance with GAAP and our reconciliation of net income (loss) to Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA and Restaurant-level Adjusted EBITDA (i) provide useful information about our operating performance and period-over-period changes, (ii) provide additional information that is useful for evaluating the operating performance of our business and (iii) permit investors to gain an understanding of the factors and trends affecting our ongoing earnings, from which capital investments are made and debt is serviced. However, such measures are not measures of financial performance or liquidity under GAAP and, accordingly, should not be considered as alternatives to net income or cash flow from operating activities as indicators of operating performance or liquidity. Also, these measures may not be comparable to similarly titled captions of other companies.
All such financial measures have important limitations as analytical tools. These limitations include the following:
•Such financial information does not reflect our capital expenditures, future requirements for capital expenditures or contractual commitments to purchase capital equipment;
•Such financial information does not reflect interest expense or the cash requirements necessary to service payments on our debt;
•Although depreciation and amortization are non-cash charges, the assets that we currently depreciate and amortize will likely have to be replaced in the future, and such financial information does not reflect the cash required to fund such replacements; and
•Such financial information does not reflect the effect of earnings or charges resulting from matters that our management does not consider to be indicative of our ongoing operations. However, some of these charges and gains (such as impairment and other lease charges, closed restaurant rent expense, net of sublease income, other income and expense, and stock-based compensation expense) have recurred and may recur.
A reconciliation from consolidated net income (loss) to Continuing Operations Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA follows (in thousands). All amounts are from continuing operations unless otherwise indicated.
Year Ended
January 2, 2022 January 3, 2021 December 29, 2019
Net income (loss) $ 10,370 $ (10,211) $ (84,386)
Loss (income) from discontinued operations (18,455) 6,825 82,391
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes 1,083 (7,044) 11,830
Income (loss) before taxes (7,002) (10,430) 9,835
Add:
Non-general and administrative adjustments:
Depreciation and amortization 20,574 22,009 22,186
Impairment and other lease charges 1,538 8,023 15
Interest expense 374 292 325
Closed restaurant rent expense, net of sublease income(1)
2,999 4,331 3,260
Other expense (income), net 478 (2,098) 862
Stock-based compensation expense 53 73 70
Total non-general and administrative adjustments 26,016 32,630 26,718
General and administrative adjustments:
Stock-based compensation expense 4,163 2,681 2,320
Restructuring costs and retention bonuses(2)
18 686 891
Digital and brand repositioning costs(3)
1,821 424 207
Total general and administrative adjustments 6,002 3,791 3,418
Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA $ 25,016 $ 25,991 $ 39,971
Total revenues $ 357,277 $ 315,358 $ 363,473
Adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of total revenues 7.0 % 8.2 % 11.0 %
(1) Closed restaurant rent, net of sublease income, for the years ended January 2, 2022, January 3, 2021 and December 29, 2019 primarily consists of closed restaurant lease costs of $9.1 million, $9.2 million and $6.8 million, respectively, partially offset by sublease income of $(6.1) million, $(4.9) million and $(3.4) million, respectively.
(2) Restructuring costs and retention bonuses for the year ended January 3, 2021, include severance costs related to eliminated positions related to terminations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Restructuring costs and retention bonuses for the year ended December 29, 2019, include severance costs related to eliminated positions.
(3) Digital and brand repositioning costs for the years ended January 2, 2022, January 3, 2021 and December 29, 2019 include consulting costs related to repositioning the brand and digital experience for our customers.
A reconciliation from Adjusted EBITDA to Restaurant-level Adjusted EBITDA follows (in thousands):
Year Ended Pollo Tropical Other Continuing Operations
January 2, 2022:
Adjusted EBITDA(1)
$ 36,802 $ (11,786) $ 25,016
Restaurant-level adjustments:
Add: Other general and administrative expense(2)
28,041 11,481 39,522
Less: Franchise royalty revenue and fees 1,785 - 1,785
Restaurant-level Adjusted EBITDA(1)
$ 63,058 $ (305) $ 62,753
Restaurant sales $ 355,492 $ 355,492
Restaurant-level Adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of restaurant sales 17.7 % 17.7 %
January 3, 2021:
Adjusted EBITDA(1)
$ 36,517 $ (10,526) $ 25,991
Restaurant-level adjustments:
Add: Other general and administrative expense(2)
25,995 10,062 36,057
Less: Franchise royalty revenue and fees 1,246 - 1,246
Restaurant-level Adjusted EBITDA(1)
$ 61,266 $ (464) $ 60,802
Restaurant sales $ 314,112 $ 314,112
Restaurant-level Adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of restaurant sales 19.5 % 19.4 %
December 29, 2019:
Adjusted EBITDA(1)
$ 50,560 $ (10,589) $ 39,971
Restaurant-level adjustments:
Add: Pre-opening costs 380 - 380
Add: Other general and administrative expense(2)
28,400 10,088 38,488
Less: Franchise royalty revenue and fees 1,780 - 1,780
Restaurant-level Adjusted EBITDA(1)
$ 77,560 $ (501) $ 77,059
Restaurant sales $ 361,693 $ 361,693
Restaurant-level Adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of restaurant sales 21.4 % 21.3 %
(1) Corporate overhead that was previously allocated to Taco Cabana is now included within "Other" because it is not a component of discontinued operations.
(2) Excludes general and administrative adjustments included in Adjusted EBITDA.

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ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
Interest Rate Risk
We are exposed to market risk associated with fluctuations in interest rates, primarily limited to our new senior credit facility, under which we did not have any outstanding borrowings as of January 2, 2022. Borrowings under our new senior credit facility bear interest at a per annum rate, at our option, of either (all terms as defined in the senior credit facility):
1) the Base Rate plus the Applicable Margin of 6.75% with a minimum Base Rate of 2.00%, or
2) the LIBOR (or Benchmark Replacement) Rate plus the Applicable Margin of 7.75%, with a minimum LIBOR (or Benchmark Replacement) Rate of 1.00%.
For variable rate debt instruments, market risk is defined as the potential change in earnings resulting from a hypothetical adverse change in interest rates. As of January 2, 2022, we had no outstanding borrowings, thus minimal market risk. Future market risk will be limited to the borrowings made on our revolving credit facility.
Commodity Price Risk
We purchase certain products which are affected by commodity prices and are, therefore, subject to price volatility caused by weather, market conditions and other factors which are not considered predictable or within our control. Although many of the products purchased are subject to changes in commodity prices, certain purchasing contracts or pricing arrangements have been negotiated in advance to minimize price volatility. Where possible, we use these types of purchasing techniques to control costs as an alternative to using financial instruments to hedge commodity prices. In many cases, we believe we will be able to address commodity cost increases that are significant and appear to be long-term in nature by adjusting our menu pricing. However, long-term increases in commodity prices may result in lower restaurant-level operating margins.

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ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
The financial statements and supplementary data of Fiesta Restaurant Group, Inc. required by this Item are described in Item 15 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K and are presented beginning on page.

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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
Not applicable.

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ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
Disclosure Controls and Procedures. Our senior management is responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 13a-15(e) and Rule 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act")), designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by us in the reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the Securities and Exchange Commission's rules and forms. Disclosure controls and procedures include, without limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by an issuer in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to the issuer's management, including its principal executive officer or officers and principal financial officer or officers, or persons performing similar functions, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures. We have evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act) as of the end of the period covered by this report, with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as well as other key members of our management. Based on this evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of January 2, 2022.
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting. No change occurred in our internal control over financial reporting during the fourth quarter of 2021 that materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
Management's Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting
Our senior management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rule 13a-15(f) and Rule 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act), designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by us in the reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the Securities and Exchange Commission's rules and forms.
Because of inherent limitations, a system of internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
Management has evaluated the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting as of January 2, 2022 based on the criteria set forth in a report titled Internal Control-Integrated Framework (2013), issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). Based on this evaluation, we have concluded that, as of January 2, 2022, our internal control over financial reporting was effective based on those criteria.
Our independent registered public accounting firm, Deloitte & Touche LLP, has issued an audit report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting and their report is included herein.
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To the stockholders and the Board of Directors of Fiesta Restaurant Group, Inc.
Opinion on Internal Control over Financial Reporting
We have audited the internal control over financial reporting of Fiesta Restaurant Group, Inc. and subsidiaries (the "Company") as of January 2, 2022, based on criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). In our opinion, the Company maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of January 2, 2022, based on criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013) issued by COSO.
We have also audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), the consolidated financial statements as of and for the year ended January 2, 2022, of the Company and our report dated March 9, 2022, expressed an unqualified opinion on those financial statements.
Basis for Opinion
The Company's management is responsible for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, included in the accompanying Management's Annual Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting under Item 9A. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company's internal control over financial reporting based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects. Our audit included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk, and performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.
Definition and Limitations of Internal Control over Financial Reporting
A company's internal control over financial reporting is a process designed 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. A company's internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company's assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.
Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
/s/ Deloitte & Touche LLP
Dallas, Texas
March 9, 2022

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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
Incorporated by reference from our Definitive Proxy Statement to be filed in connection with the 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.
We have adopted a written code of ethics applicable to our directors, officers and employees in accordance with the rules of The NASDAQ Stock Market and the SEC. We make our code of ethics available free of charge through our internet website, www.frgi.com. We will disclose on our website amendments to or waivers from our code of ethics in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations.

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ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
Incorporated by reference from our Definitive Proxy Statement to be filed in connection with the 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.

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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 filed in connection with the 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.

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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 filed in connection with the 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.

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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 filed in connection with the 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.
PART IV

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ITEM 15. EXHIBITS, FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES
ITEM 15. EXHIBITS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES
(a) (1) Financial Statements - Fiesta Restaurant Group, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Page
FIESTA RESTAURANT GROUP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm (PCAOB ID No. 34)
Financial Statements:
Consolidated Balance Sheets
Consolidated Statements of Operations
Consolidated Statements of Changes in Stockholders' Equity
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(a) (2) Financial Statement Schedules
Schedule
Description Page
II Valuation and Qualifying Accounts
Schedules other than those listed are omitted for the reason that they are not required, not applicable, or the required information is shown in the financial statements or notes thereto.
(a) (3) Exhibits
Exhibit
No. Description
2.1
Stock Purchase Agreement dated as of July 1, 2021 among Fiesta Restaurant Group, Inc. ("Fiesta"), YTC Enterprises, LLC and Yadav Enterprises, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.1 to Fiesta's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on July 7, 2021)
2.2
Amendment to Stock Purchase Agreement dated as of August 16, 2021 among Fiesta, YTC Enterprises, LLC and Yadav Enterprises, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to Fiesta's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on August 20, 2021)
2.3
Second Amendment to Stock Purchase Agreement dated as of November 10, 2021 among Yadav Enterprises, Inc., YTC Enterprises, LLC and Fiesta (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to Fiesta's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended October 3, 2021)
3.1
Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Fiesta (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to Amendment No. 3 to Fiesta's Form 10, File No. 001-35373, filed on April 5, 2012)
3.2
Certificate of Amendment to Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Fiesta (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 of Fiesta's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended July 2, 2017)
3.3
Certificate of Amendment to Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Fiesta (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 of Fiesta's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended April 1, 2018)
3.4
Amended and Restated Bylaws of Fiesta (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 to Amendment No. 1 to Fiesta's Form 10, File No. 001-35373, filed on January 26, 2012)
3.5
Amendment to Amended and Restated Bylaws of Fiesta (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 of Fiesta's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended July 2, 2017)
3.6
Amendment to Amended and Restated ByLaws of Fiesta (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 of Fiesta's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended April 1, 2018)
4.1
Form of Stock Certificate for Common Stock (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.4 to Amendment No.2 to Fiesta's Form 10, File No. 001-35373, filed on March 14, 2012)
4.2
Description of Common Stock (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.2 to Fiesta's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 29, 2019)
10.1
Form of Separation and Distribution Agreement among Fiesta, Carrols Restaurant Group, Inc. ("Carrols Restaurant Group") and Carrols Corporation ("Carrols") (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to Amendment No. 3 to Fiesta's Form 10, File No. 001-35373, filed on April 5, 2012)
10.2
Form of Tax Matters Agreement between Fiesta, Carrols and Carrols Restaurant Group (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to Amendment No. 3 to Fiesta's Form 10, File No. 001-35373, filed on April 5, 2012)
10.3
Form of Employee Matters Agreement between Fiesta, Carrols and Carrols Restaurant Group (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to Amendment No. 3 to Fiesta's Form 10, File No. 001-35373, filed on April 5, 2012)
10.4
Form of Transition Services Agreement among Fiesta, Carrols Restaurant Group and Carrols (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.4 to Amendment No. 3 to Fiesta's Form 10, File No. 001-35373, filed on April 5, 2012)
10.5
Fiesta Restaurant Group, Inc. 2012 Stock Incentive Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to Fiesta's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on May 8, 2012)+
10.6
Executive Employment Agreement, dated as of February 24, 2017, between Fiesta and Richard Stockinger (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 of Fiesta's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on February 27, 2017)+
10.7
Fiesta Restaurant Group, Inc. and Subsidiaries Deferred Compensation Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.10 of Fiesta's Amendment No. 1 to Registration Statement on Form 10 filed on January 26, 2012)+
10.8
Offer letter dated November 2, 2018 between Fiesta and Louis DiPietro (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.16 to Fiesta's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 29, 2019)+
10.9
Offer letter dated as of September 9, 2019 between Fiesta and Dirk Montgomery (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 of Fiesta's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended September 29, 2019)+
10.10
Form of Agreement (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.18 to Fiesta's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 29, 2019)+
10.11
Credit Agreement, dated as of November 30, 2017, among Fiesta, the guarantors named therein, the lenders named therein and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., as administrative agent (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 of Fiesta's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on December 4, 2017)
10.12
Pledge and Security Agreement, dated as of November 30, 2017, among Fiesta, the guarantors named therein and JP Morgan Chase Bank, N,A., as administrative agent (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 of Fiesta's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on December 4, 2017)
10.13
Amendment to Credit Agreement, dated as of March 9, 2018. among Fiesta, the guarantors named therein, the lenders named therein and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., individually as a lender and as administrative agent (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 of Fiesta's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on March 12, 2018)
10.14
Amendment to Fiesta Restaurant Group, Inc. 2012 Stock Incentive Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 of Fiesta's Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on February 19, 2015)+
10.15
Cooperation Agreement, dated February 5, 2020, by and among Fiesta, AREX Capital Management, LP, AREX Capital Master Fund, LP, AREX Capital GP, LLC, AREX Capital Management GP, LLC and Andrew Rechtschaffen (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 of Fiesta's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on February 7, 2020)
10.16
Second Amendment to Credit Agreement dated as of July 10, 2020 among Fiesta, the guarantors named therein, JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., as administrative agent, and the lenders party thereto (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to Fiesta's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on July 16, 2020)
10.17
First Amended and Restated Pledge and Security Agreement dated as of July 10, 2020 among Fiesta, the guarantors named therein and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., as administrative agent (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to Fiesta's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on July 16, 2020)
10.18
Credit Agreement dated as of November 23, 2020 among Fiesta, Fortress Credit Corp., as administrative agent and collateral agent, and the lenders party thereto (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to Fiesta's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on November 30, 2020)
10.19
Security Agreement dated as of November 23, 2020 among Fiesta, the guarantors named therein and Fortress Credit Corp., as administrative agent and collateral agent (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to Fiesta's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on November 30, 2020)
10.20
Guarantee Agreement dated as of November 23, 2020 among the guarantors named therein and Fortress Credit Corp., as administrative agent and collateral agent (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to Fiesta's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on November 30, 2020)
10.21
Offer letter dated as of August 5, 2019 between Fiesta and Hope Diaz (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.21 to Fiesta's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the period ended January 3, 2021)+
10.22
Fiesta Restaurant Group, Inc. 2021 Stock Incentive Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to Fiesta's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on May 4, 2021)+
10.23
First Amendment to Credit Agreement dated as of September 10, 2021 among Fiesta, Fortress Credit Corp., as administrative agent, and the lenders party thereto (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to Fiesta's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on September 16, 2021)
10.24
Amendment to Form of Agreement#+
21.1
Subsidiaries of Fiesta#
23.1
Consent of Deloitte & Touche LLP#
31.1
Chief Executive Officer's Certificate Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 for Fiesta Restaurant Group, Inc.#
31.2
Chief Financial Officer's Certificate Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 for Fiesta Restaurant Group, Inc.#
32.1
Chief Executive Officer's Certificate Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, As Adopted Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 for Fiesta Restaurant Group, Inc.#
32.2
Chief Financial Officer's Certificate Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, As Adopted Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 for Fiesta Restaurant Group, Inc.#
101.INS Inline XBRL Instance Document-the instance document does not appear in the Interactive Data File because its XBRL tags are embedded within the Inline XBRL document
101.SCH Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document
101.CAL Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document
101.DEF Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document
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# Filed herewith.
+ Compensatory plan or arrangement.