YOSH Yoshiharu Global Co. - 10-K

Item 1A. Risk Factors.

Risks Related to Our Business

We have incurred operating losses and may not be profitable in the future. Our plans to maintain and increase liquidity may not be successful.

We incurred a net loss of $2.7 million and $3.0 million for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. We must raise capital through the sale of equity in order to continue to sustain our operations.

On January 5, 2024, we entered into a securities purchase agreement (the “Securities Purchase Agreement”) with Alumni Capital LP, a Delaware limited partnership (“Alumni”) whereby we sold to Alumni 45,000 shares of Class A Common Stock in exchange for $118 thousand on November 20, 2024. This Purchase Agreement terminated on December 31, 2024.

On January 6, 2025, the Company issued and sold to Crom Structured Opportunities Fund I, LP, a Delaware limited partnership (“Crom”) a 10% OID promissory note in the aggregate principal amount of $1,100,000 (the “Note”) for a purchase price of $1,000,000. The Company repaid such Note on March 7, 2025 with the proceeds from a loan made to the Company on or about March 6, 2025. Also on January 6, 2025, we entered into an equity purchase agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”) with Crom (the “Investor”) pursuant to which the Company shall have the right, but not the obligation, to sell to the Investor up to $10,000,000 (the “ELOC Shares”) of the Company’s Class A common stock, $0.0001 par value per share (“Class A Common Stock”). However, we have not yet been able to access capital under this agreement since we must first register shares issuable under the Purchase Agreement, which we may only do after the filing of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

On March 12, 2025, we entered into private placements with three investors for the sale of Class A common stock at a price of $2.50 per share for gross proceeds of $714,000. However, we are obligated to register those shares and if we fail to do so in accordance with those agreements, we may be forced to repurchase those shares at the price we had sold them for. On March 17, 2025 we sold penny warrants at a price of $2.50 per share for gross proceeds of $1,200,000. We are obligated to register the shares underlying such warrants and if we fail to do so in accordance with those agreements, we may be forced to repurchase those warrants for the price we sold them for.

Furthermore, on August 21, 2024, we received a notification letter (the “Letter”) from the Nasdaq Listing Qualifications Staff of The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (“Nasdaq”) notifying the Company that its amount of stockholders’ equity has fallen below the $2,500,000 required minimum for continued listing set forth in Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(b)(1). On February 18, 2025, we received another notification letter (the “2nd Letter”) from Nasdaq notifying the Company that it has scheduled the Company’s securities for delisting from The Nasdaq Capital Market. Pursuant to the procedures set forth in the Nasdaq Listing Rule 5800 series, we appealed Nasdaq’s determination to a Hearings Panel (the “Panel”) and a hearing request has stayed the suspension of the Company’s securities and the filing of the Form 25-NSE pending the Panel’s decision after a hearing scheduled for April 1, 2025. If we fail to remedy our stockholder deficiency prior to April 1, 2025, we will be required to convince Nasdaq that we have a viable plan to correct the deficiency. If Nasdaq rejects our plan, we may be delisted, which will make it more difficult for us to raise capital in order to sustain our operations.

Notwithstanding our current belief that our expected cash flow from operations, and the proceeds from the Purchase Agreement and from the private placements set forth above (including our belief that we will satisfy our registration requirements so that we are not forced to redeem the equity previously sold to such private placement investors) will be adequate to fund operating lease obligations, capital expenditures and working capital obligations for at least the next 12 months and thereafter, there are no assurances that we will be able to do so. If we fail to generate adequate capital, we may be forced to curb our operations or cease to continue our operations altogether.

Our long-term success is highly dependent on our ability to successfully identify and secure appropriate sites and timely develop and expand our operations in existing and new markets.

One of the key means of achieving our growth strategies will be through opening and operating new restaurants on a profitable basis for the foreseeable future. We opened two new restaurants in 2023 and in 2024, respectively, we currently have two new locations under construction/development. We identify target markets where we can enter or expand, taking into account numerous factors such as the locations of our current restaurants, demographics, traffic patterns and information gathered from various sources. We may not be able to open our planned new restaurants within budget or on a timely basis, if at all, given the uncertainty of these factors, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. As we operate more restaurants, our rate of expansion relative to the size of our restaurant base will eventually decline.

The number and timing of new restaurants opened during any given period may be negatively impacted by a number of factors including, without limitation:

identification and availability of locations with the appropriate size, traffic patterns, local retail and business attractions and infrastructure that will drive high levels of guest traffic and sales per unit;

competition in existing and new markets, including competition for restaurant sites;

the ability to negotiate suitable lease terms;

the lack of development and overall decrease in commercial real estate due to a macroeconomic downturn;

recruitment and training of qualified personnel in the local market;

our ability to obtain all required governmental permits, including zonal approvals, on a timely basis;

our ability to control construction and development costs of new restaurants;

landlord delays;

the proximity of potential sites to an existing restaurant, and the impact of cannibalization on future growth;

anticipated commercial, residential and infrastructure development near our new restaurants; and

the cost and availability of capital to fund construction costs and pre-opening costs.

Accordingly, we cannot assure you that we will be able to successfully expand as we may not correctly analyze the suitability of a location or anticipate all of the challenges imposed by expanding our operations. Our growth strategy, and the substantial investment associated with the development of each new restaurant, may cause our operating results to fluctuate and be unpredictable or adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations. If we are unable to expand in existing markets or penetrate new markets, our ability to increase our sales and profitability may be materially harmed or we may face losses.

Our restaurant base is geographically concentrated in California, and we could be negatively affected by conditions specific to California.

Adverse changes in demographic, unemployment, economic, regulatory or weather conditions in California have had, and may continue to have, material adverse effects on our business, financial condition or results of operations. As a result of our concentration in California, we have been, and in the future may be, disproportionately affected by adverse conditions in this specific market compared to other chain restaurants with a national footprint.

Our expansion into new markets may present increased risks due in part to our unfamiliarity with the areas and may make our future results unpredictable.

We opened two new restaurants in 2023 and in 2024, respectively, and completed the acquisition of three existing restaurants in April 2024. We plan to continue to increase the number of our restaurants in the next several years as part of our expansion strategy and expect to open an additional two to four new restaurants in 2024. We may in the future open restaurants in markets where we have little or no operating experience. This growth strategy and the substantial investment associated with the development of each new restaurant may cause our operating results to fluctuate and be unpredictable or adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations. Restaurants we open in new markets may take longer to reach expected sales and profit levels on a consistent basis and may have higher construction, occupancy or operating costs than restaurants we open in existing markets, thereby affecting our overall profitability. New markets may have competitive conditions, consumer tastes and discretionary spending patterns that are more difficult to predict or satisfy than our existing markets and there may be little or no market awareness of our brand in these new markets. We may need to make greater investments than we originally planned in advertising and promotional activity in new markets to build brand awareness. We also may find it more difficult in new markets to hire, motivate and keep qualified employees who share our vision, passion and business culture. If we do not successfully execute our plans to enter new markets, our business, financial condition or results of operations could be materially adversely affected.

New restaurants, once opened, may not be profitable, and the increases in average restaurant sales and comparable restaurant sales that we have experienced in the past may not be indicative of future results.

New restaurants may not be profitable and their sales performance may not follow historical patterns. In addition, our average restaurant sales and comparable restaurant sales may not increase at the rates achieved over the past several years. Our ability to operate new restaurants profitably and increase average restaurant sales and comparable restaurant sales will depend on many factors, some of which are beyond our control, including:

consumer awareness and understanding of our brand;

general economic conditions, which can affect restaurant traffic, local labor costs and prices we pay for the food products and other supplies we use;

changes in consumer preferences and discretionary spending;

competition, either from our competitors in the restaurant industry or our own restaurants;

temporary and permanent site characteristics of new restaurants; and

changes in government regulation.

If our new restaurants do not perform as planned, our business and future prospects could be harmed. In addition, if we are unable to achieve our expected average restaurant sales, our business, financial condition or results of operations could be adversely affected.

Our sales and profit growth could be adversely affected if comparable restaurant sales are less than we expect.

The level of comparable restaurant sales growth, which represents the change in year-over-year sales for restaurants open for at least three months, could affect our sales growth. Our ability to increase comparable restaurant sales depends in part on our ability to successfully implement our initiatives to build sales. It is possible such initiatives will not be successful, that we will not achieve our target comparable restaurant sales growth or that the change in comparable restaurant sales could be negative, which may cause a decrease in our profitability and would materially adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations. See “ Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations .”

Our failure to manage our growth effectively could harm our business and operating results.

Our growth plan includes opening new restaurants. Our existing restaurant management systems, financial and management controls and information systems may be inadequate to support our planned expansion. Managing our growth effectively will require us to continue to enhance these systems, procedures and controls and to hire, train and retain managers and team members. We may not respond quickly enough to the changing demands that our expansion will impose on our management, restaurant teams and existing infrastructure which could harm our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Our limited number of restaurants, the significant expense associated with opening new restaurants, and the unit volumes of our new restaurants makes us susceptible to significant fluctuations in our results of operations.

As of December 31, 2023 and 2024, we operated ten and fifteen restaurants, respectively. We have opened two new restaurants in February and October 2024, respectively, and acquired three restaurants in April 2024. We currently have two new locations under construction/development. We also plan to open an additional two to four new restaurants in 2025. The capital resources required to develop each new restaurant are significant. On average, we estimate that our restaurants require a cash build-out cost of approximately $350,000-$550,000 per restaurant, net of landlord tenant improvement allowances and pre-opening costs and assuming that we do not purchase the underlying real estate. Actual costs may vary significantly depending upon a variety of factors, including the site and size of the restaurant and conditions in the local real estate and labor markets. The combination of our relatively small number of existing restaurants, the significant investment associated with each new restaurant, variance in the operating results in any one restaurant, or a delay or cancellation in the planned opening of a restaurant could materially affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.

A decline in visitors to any of the retail centers, shopping malls, lifestyle centers, or entertainment centers where our restaurants are located could negatively affect our restaurant sales.

Our restaurants are primarily located in high-activity areas such as retail centers, shopping malls, lifestyle centers, and entertainment centers. We depend on high visitor rates at these centers to attract guests to our restaurants. Factors that may result in declining visitor rates include economic or political conditions, anchor tenants closing in retail centers or shopping malls in which we operate, changes in consumer preferences or shopping patterns, changes in discretionary consumer spending, increasing petroleum prices, or other factors, which may adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Opening new restaurants in existing markets may negatively affect sales at our existing restaurants.

The consumer target area of our restaurants varies by location, depending on a number of factors, including population density, other local retail and business attractions, area demographics and geography. As a result, the opening of a new restaurant in or near markets in which we already have restaurants could adversely affect the sales of these existing restaurants and thereby adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations. Existing restaurants could also make it more difficult to build our consumer base for a new restaurant in the same market. Our core business strategy does not entail opening new restaurants that we believe will materially affect sales at our existing restaurants, but we may selectively open new restaurants in and around areas of existing restaurants that are operating at or near capacity to effectively serve our guests. Sales cannibalization between our restaurants may become significant in the future as we continue to expand our operations and could affect our sales growth, which could, in turn, materially adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Our operating results and growth strategies will be closely tied to the success of our future franchise partners and we will have limited control with respect to their operations. Additionally, our franchise partners’ interests may conflict or diverge with our interests in the future, which could have a negative impact on our business.

As we grow, we will depend on the financial success and cooperation of our future franchise partners for our success. Our franchise partners will be independent business operators and will not be our employees, and as such we have limited control over how our franchise partners will run their businesses, and their inability to operate successfully could adversely affect our operating results.

We will receive royalties, franchise fees, contributions to our marketing development fund, and other fees from our franchise partners. Additionally, we will sell proprietary products to our franchise partners at a markup over our cost to produce. We expect to establish operational standards and guidelines for our franchise partners; however, we will have limited control over how our franchise partners’ businesses are run, including day to day operations. Even with these operation standards and guidelines, the quality of franchised stores may be diminished by any number of factors beyond our control. Consequently, our franchise partners may not successfully operate stores in a manner consistent with our standards and requirements, such as quality, service and cleanliness, or may not hire and train qualified store managers and other store personnel or may not implement marketing programs and major initiatives such as store remodels or equipment or technology upgrades, which may require financial investment. Even if such unsuccessful operations do not rise to the level of breaching the related franchise documents, they may be attributed by customers to our brand and could have a negative impact on our business.

Our franchise partners may not be able to secure adequate financing to open or continue operating their stores. If they incur too much debt or if economic or sales trends deteriorate such that they are unable to repay existing debt, our franchise partners could experience financial distress or even bankruptcy. If a significant number of our franchise partners were to become financially distressed, it could harm our operating results through reduced royalty revenue, marketing fees, and proprietary product sales and the impact on our profitability could be greater than the percentage decrease in these revenue streams.

While we are responsible for ensuring the success of our entire system of stores and for taking a longer term view with respect to system improvements, our franchise partners will have individual business strategies and objectives, which might conflict with our interests. Our future franchise partners may from time to time disagree with us and our strategies and objectives regarding the business or our interpretation of our respective rights and obligations under the franchise agreement and the terms and conditions of the franchise partner relationship. This may lead to disputes with our franchise partners and we expect such disputes to occur from time to time in the future. Such disputes may result in legal action against us. To the extent we have such disputes, the attention, time and financial resources of our management and our future franchise partners will be diverted from our stores, which could harm our business even if we have a successful outcome in the dispute.

Actions or omissions by our future franchise partners in violation of various laws may be attributed to us or result in negative publicity that affects our overall brand image, which may decrease consumer demand for our products. Franchise partners may engage in online activity via social media or activity in their personal lives that negatively impacts public perception of our franchise partners’ or our operations or our brand as a whole. This activity may negatively affect franchise partners’ sales and in turn impact our revenue.

In addition, various state and federal laws govern our relationship with our future franchise partners and our potential sale of a franchise. A future franchise partner and/or a government agency may bring legal action against us based on the franchisee/franchisor relationships that could result in the award of damages to a franchise partner and/or the imposition of fines or other penalties against us.

Operating results at our restaurants could be significantly affected by competition in the restaurant industry in general and, in particular, within the dining segments of the restaurant industry in which we compete.

We face significant competition from a variety of restaurants offering both Asian and non-Asian cuisine, as well as takeout offerings from grocery stores and other outlets where Asian food is sold. These segments are highly competitive with respect to, among other things, product quality, dining experience, ambience, location, convenience, value perception, and price. Our competition continues to intensify as competitors increase the breadth and depth of their product offerings and open new locations. These competitors may have, among other things, chefs who are widely known to the public that may generate more notoriety for those competitors as compared to our brand. We also compete with many restaurant and retail establishments for site locations and restaurant-level employees.

Several of our competitors offering Asian and related choices may look to compete with us on price, quality and service. Any of these competitive factors may materially adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.

We rely significantly on certain vendors and suppliers, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Our ability to maintain consistent price and quality throughout our restaurants depends in part upon our ability to acquire specified food products and supplies in sufficient quantities from third-party vendors and suppliers at a reasonable cost. We do not control the businesses of our vendors and suppliers and our efforts to specify and monitor the standards under which they perform may not be successful. Furthermore, certain food items are perishable, and we have limited control over whether these items will be delivered to us in appropriate condition for use in our restaurants. If any of our vendors or other suppliers are unable to fulfill their obligations to our standards, or if we are unable to find replacement providers in the event of a supply or service disruption, we could encounter supply shortages and incur higher costs to secure adequate supplies, which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.

In addition, we use various third-party vendors to provide, support and maintain most of our management information systems. We also outsource certain accounting, payroll and human resource functions to business process service providers. The failure of such vendors to fulfill their obligations could disrupt our operations. Additionally, any changes we may make to the services we obtain from our vendors, or new vendors we employ, may disrupt our operations. These disruptions could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Continued supply chain disruptions and other forces beyond our control, and resulting changes in food and supply costs have and could continue to adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Our profitability depends in part on our ability to anticipate and react to changes in food and supply costs, especially in light of recent supply chain disruptions. We believe we have experienced higher costs due to increased commodity prices and challenges sourcing our supplies due in part to global supply chain disruptions. For example, we believe that the cost of certain essential supplies (i.e. gloves and canola oil) has increased as a result of lower supply attributable to supply chain disruptions. Shortages or interruptions in the availability of certain supplies caused by unanticipated demand, problems in production or distribution, food contamination, inclement weather or other conditions beyond our control could also adversely affect the availability, quality and cost of our ingredients, which could harm our operations. Although historically and as of December 31, 2024, global supply chain disruptions have not materially adversely affected our business, a substantial increase in the cost of, or inability to procure, the food products most critical to our menu, such as canola oil, rice, meats, fish and other seafood, as well as fresh vegetables, could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition or results from operations. Although we try to manage the impact that these fluctuations have on our operating results by, for example, diversifying our suppliers, we remain susceptible to continued increases in food and other essential supply costs as a result of factors beyond our control, such as the current supply chain interruptions, general economic conditions, seasonal fluctuations, weather conditions, demand, food safety concerns, generalized infectious diseases, product recalls and government regulations.

If any of our distributors or suppliers performs inadequately, or our distribution or supply relationships are disrupted for any reason, our business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows could be adversely affected. If we cannot replace or engage distributors or suppliers who meet our specifications in a short period of time, that 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 that were to happen, affected restaurants could experience significant reductions in sales during the shortage or thereafter, if guests change their dining habits as a result. In addition, because we provide moderately priced food, we may choose not to, or may be unable to, pass along commodity price increases to consumers. These potential changes in food and supply costs could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Our operations may be subject to the effects of a rising rate of inflation which may adversely impact our financial condition and results of operations.

Supply chain risk could increase our costs and limit the availability of ingredients and supplies that are critical to our restaurant operations. The markets for some of our ingredients, such as beef and produce, are particularly volatile due to factors beyond our control such as limited sources, seasonal shifts, climate conditions, recent inflationary trends, military and geopolitical conflicts and industry demand, including as a result of animal disease outbreaks, international commodity markets, food safety concerns, product recalls and government regulation. In addition, for certain of our ingredients and other materials, we have a limited number of suppliers and distributors. We remain in regular contact with our major suppliers and to date we have not experienced significant disruptions in our supply chain; however, in 2022 costs for certain supplies and ingredients, such as produce, packaging, dairy, beef and chicken increased materially and rapidly, and inflationary pressures could continue and/or spread to more categories as inflation increases continue across the global supply chain. Our efforts to mitigate future price risk through forward contracts, strong partnerships with key suppliers, careful planning and other activities may not fully insulate us from increases in commodity costs, which could have an adverse impact on our profitability.

Any increase in the prices of the ingredients most critical to our menu, such as chicken, beef, dairy, wheat, produce, rice, and pork, would have a particularly adverse effect on our operating results. If the cost of one or more ingredients significantly increases, we may choose to temporarily suspend serving menu items that use those ingredients, or one of our proteins, rather than pay the increased cost. Any such changes to our available menu may negatively impact our restaurant traffic and could adversely impact our sales and brand.

Changes in economic conditions could materially affect our ability to maintain or increase sales at our restaurants or open new restaurants.

The restaurant industry depends on consumer discretionary spending. The United States in general or the specific markets in which we operate may suffer from depressed economic activity, recessionary economic cycles, higher fuel or energy costs, low consumer confidence, high levels of unemployment, reduced home values, increases in home foreclosures, investment losses, personal bankruptcies, reduced access to credit or other economic factors that may affect consumers’ discretionary spending. Sales in our restaurants could decline if consumers choose to dine out less frequently or reduce the amount they spend on meals while dining out. Negative economic conditions might cause consumers to make long-term changes to their discretionary spending behavior, including dining out less frequently on a permanent basis. If restaurant sales decrease, our profitability could decline as we spread fixed costs across a lower level of sales. Reductions in staff levels, asset impairment charges and potential restaurant closures could result from prolonged negative restaurant sales, which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.

We may need capital in the future, and we may not be able to raise that capital on favorable terms.

Developing our business will require significant capital in the future. To meet our capital needs, we expect to rely on equipment financing and facility improvements, cash flows from operations, the proceeds from the IPO, future offerings and other third-party financing. Third-party financing in the future may not, however, be available on terms favorable to us, or at all. Our ability to obtain additional funding will be subject to various factors, including market conditions, our operating performance, lender sentiment. These factors may make the timing, amount, or terms and conditions of additional financings unattractive. Our inability to raise capital could impede our growth and could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Risks Related to Our Brand

Negative publicity relating to one of our restaurants could reduce sales at some or all of our other restaurants.

Our success is dependent in part upon our ability to maintain and enhance the value of our brand and consumers’ connection to our brand. We may, from time to time, be faced with negative publicity relating to food quality, restaurant facilities, guest complaints or litigation alleging illness or injury, health inspection scores, integrity of our or our suppliers’ food processing, employee relationships or other matters, regardless of whether the allegations are valid or whether we are held to be responsible. The negative impact of adverse publicity relating to one restaurant may extend far beyond the restaurant involved to affect some or all of our other restaurants, thereby causing an adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations. A similar risk exists with respect to unrelated food service businesses, if consumers associate those businesses with our own operations.

The considerable expansion in the use of social media over recent years can further amplify any negative publicity that could be generated by such incidents. 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 may be adverse to our interests and/or may be inaccurate. The dissemination of inaccurate or irresponsible information online could harm our business, reputation, prospects, financial condition, or results of operations, regardless of the information’s accuracy. The damage may be immediate without affording us an opportunity for redress or correction.

Additionally, employee claims against us based on, among other things, wage and hour violations, discrimination, harassment or wrongful termination may also create negative publicity that could adversely affect us and divert our financial and management resources that would otherwise be used to benefit the future performance of our operations. A significant increase in the number of these claims or an increase in the number of successful claims could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations. Consumer demand for our restaurants and our brand’s value could diminish significantly if any such incidents or other matters create negative publicity or otherwise erode consumer confidence in us or our restaurants, which would likely result in lower sales and could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Food safety and foodborne illness concerns could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

We cannot guarantee that our internal controls and training will be fully effective in preventing all food safety issues at our restaurants, including any occurrences of foodborne illnesses such as salmonella, E. coli and hepatitis A. In addition, there is no guarantee that our restaurant locations will maintain the high levels of internal controls and training we require at our restaurants. Furthermore, we rely on third-party vendors, making it difficult to monitor food safety compliance and increasing the risk that foodborne illness would affect multiple locations rather than a single restaurant. Some foodborne illness incidents could be caused by third-party vendors and transporters outside of our control. New illnesses resistant to our current precautions may develop in the future, or diseases with long incubation periods could arise, that could give rise to claims or allegations on a retroactive basis. One or more instances of foodborne illness in any of our restaurants or markets or related to food products we sell could negatively affect our restaurant sales nationwide if highly publicized on national media outlets or through social media. This risk exists even if it were later determined that the illness was wrongly attributed to us or one of our restaurants. A number of other restaurant chains have experienced incidents related to foodborne illnesses that have had a material adverse effect on their operations. The occurrence of a similar incident at one or more of our restaurants, or negative publicity or public speculation about an incident, could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.

We have, from time to time, received borrowings from a related party controlled by James Chae, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, which may become repayable on demand. Any unexpected calls for repayment of a significant amount of such borrowings may adversely affect our business.

We have, from time to time, received unsecured borrowings from our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, James Chae and his affiliate APIIS Financial, Inc., a company 100% owned and controlled by Mr. Chae, which is unsecured, non-interest bearing, and is repayable on demand. As of December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, the balance was $732,710 and $24,176, respectively. If James Chae or his affiliate APIIS Financial, Inc. chooses to call for repayment of a significant of such borrowings, we may need to use the net proceeds from the IPO, which may adversely impact our operations. Any failure to service such indebtedness or comply with any such obligations may also cause us to incur legal fees if lender brings an action for breach of contract, or otherwise adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operation and prospects.

We are subject to all of the risks associated with leasing space subject to long-term non-cancelable leases.

We do not own any real property. Payments under our operating leases account for a significant portion of our operating expenses and we expect the new restaurants we open in the future will similarly be leased. The majority of our operating leases have lease terms of 10 years, inclusive of customary extensions which are at the option of our company. Most of our leases require a fixed annual rent which generally increases each year, and some require the payment of additional rent if restaurant sales exceed a negotiated amount. Generally, our leases are “net” leases, which require us to pay all of the cost 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. If an existing or future restaurant is not profitable, and we decide to close it, we may nonetheless be committed to perform our obligations under the applicable lease including, among other things, paying the base rent for the balance of the lease term. In addition, as each of our leases expires, we may fail to negotiate renewals, either on commercially acceptable terms or at all, which could cause us to pay increased occupancy costs or to close restaurants in desirable locations. If we fail to negotiate renewals, we may have to dispose of assets at such restaurant locations and incur closure costs as well as impairment of property and equipment. Furthermore, if we fail to negotiate renewals, we may incur additional costs associated with moving transferable furniture, fixtures and equipment. These potential increased occupancy and moving costs, as well as closures of restaurants, could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Macroeconomic conditions, including economic downturns, may cause landlords of our leases to be unable to obtain financing or remain in good standing under their existing financing arrangements, resulting in failures to pay required tenant improvement allowances or satisfy other lease covenants to us. In addition, tenants at shopping centers in which we are located or have executed leases, or to which our locations are near, may fail to open or may cease operations. Decreases in total tenant occupancy in shopping centers in which we are located, or to which our locations are near, may affect traffic at our restaurants. All of these factors could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Failure to receive frequent deliveries of fresh food ingredients and other supplies could harm our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Our ability to maintain our menu depends in part on our ability to acquire ingredients that meet our specifications from reliable suppliers. To date, notwithstanding the current supply chain disruptions which we believe have attributed to increased costs, deliveries have been consistent and not a source of material disruption to our business. However, shortages or interruptions in the supply of ingredients caused by unanticipated demand, problems in production or distribution, food contamination, inclement weather or other conditions could adversely affect the availability and quality of our ingredients in the future, which could harm our business, financial condition or results of operations. If any of our distributors or suppliers performs inadequately, or our distribution or supply relationships are materially disrupted for any reason, our business, financial condition or results of operations could be adversely affected. If we cannot replace or engage distributors or suppliers who meet our specifications in a short period of time, that 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 that were to happen, affected restaurants could experience significant reductions in sales during the shortage or thereafter, if guests change their dining habits as a result. This reduction in sales could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.

In addition, our approach to competing in the restaurant industry depends in large part on our continued ability to provide authentic and traditional Japanese cuisine that is free from artificial ingredients. As we increase our use of these ingredients, the ability of our suppliers to expand output or otherwise increase their supplies to meet our needs may be constrained. We could face difficulties to obtain a sufficient and consistent supply of these ingredients on a cost-effective basis.

New information or attitudes regarding diet and health could result in changes in regulations and consumer consumption habits that could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Changes in attitudes regarding diet and health or new information regarding the adverse health effects of consuming certain foods could result in changes in government regulation and consumer eating habits that may impact our business, financial condition or results of operations. These changes have resulted in, and may continue to result in, laws and regulations requiring us to disclose the nutritional content of our food offerings, and they have resulted in, and may continue to result in, laws and regulations affecting permissible ingredients and menu offerings. For example, a number of jurisdictions have enacted menu labeling laws requiring multi-unit restaurant operators to disclose to consumers certain nutritional information, or have enacted legislation restricting the use of certain types of ingredients in restaurants. These requirements may be different or inconsistent with requirements we are subject to under the ACA which establishes a uniform, federal requirement for certain restaurants to post nutritional information on their menus. Specifically, the ACA requires chain restaurants with 20 or more locations operating under the same name and offering substantially the same menus to publish the total number of calories of standard menu items on menus and menu boards, along with a statement that puts this calorie information in the context of a total daily calorie intake. The ACA also requires covered restaurants to provide to consumers, upon request, a written summary of detailed nutritional information for each standard menu item, and to provide a statement on menus and menu boards about the availability of this information upon request. Unfavorable publicity about, or guests’ reactions to, our menu ingredients, the size of our portions or the nutritional content of our menu items could negatively influence the demand for our offerings, thereby adversely affecting our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Compliance with current and future laws and regulations regarding the ingredients and nutritional content of our menu items may be costly and time-consuming. Additionally, if consumer health regulations or consumer eating habits change significantly, we may be required to modify or discontinue certain menu items, and we may experience higher costs associated with the implementation of those changes, as well as adversely affect the attractiveness of our restaurants to new or returning guests. We cannot predict the impact of any new nutrition labeling requirements. The risks and costs associated with nutritional disclosures on our menus could also impact our operations, particularly given differences among applicable legal requirements and practices within the restaurant industry with respect to testing and disclosure, ordinary variations in food preparation among our own restaurants, and the need to rely on the accuracy and completeness of nutritional information obtained from third-party suppliers.

We may not be able to effectively respond to changes in consumer health perceptions or successfully implement the nutrient content disclosure requirements and to adapt our menu offerings to trends in eating habits. The imposition of menu labeling laws and an inability to keep up with consumer eating habits could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations, as well as our position within the restaurant industry in general.

We rely significantly on information technology, and any material failure, weakness, interruption or breach of security could prevent us from effectively operating our business.

We rely significantly on information systems, including point-of-sale processing in our restaurants for management of our supply chain, payment of obligations, collection of cash, credit and debit card transactions and other processes and procedures. Our ability to efficiently and effectively manage our business depends significantly on the reliability and capacity of these systems. Failures of these systems to operate effectively, maintenance problems, upgrading or transitioning to new platforms, or a breach in security of these systems could result in delays in customer service and reduce efficiency in our operations. Remediation of such problems could result in significant, unplanned capital investments.

Our marketing programs may not be successful, and our new menu items, advertising campaigns and restaurant designs and remodels may not generate increased sales or profits.

We incur costs and expend other resources in our marketing efforts on new menu items, advertising campaigns and restaurant designs and remodels to raise brand awareness and attract and retain guests. These initiatives may not be successful, resulting in expenses incurred without the benefit of higher sales. Additionally, some of our competitors have greater financial resources, which enable them to spend significantly more on marketing and advertising and other initiatives than we are able to. Should our competitors increase spending on marketing and advertising and other initiatives or our marketing funds decrease for any reason, or should our advertising, promotions, new menu items and restaurant designs and remodels be less effective than our competitors, there could be a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Our inability or failure to recognize, respond to and effectively manage the accelerated impact of social media could materially adversely impact our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Our marketing efforts rely heavily on the use of social media. In recent years, there has been a marked increase in the use of social media platforms, including weblogs (blogs), mini-blogs, chat platforms, social media websites, and other forms of Internet-based communications which allow individuals access to a broad audience of consumers and other interested persons. 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. We also continue to invest 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 brand. These initiatives may not be successful, resulting in expenses incurred without the benefit of higher sales or increased brand recognition.

Risks Related to Our People and Culture

We depend on our senior management team and other key employees, and the loss of one or more key personnel or an inability to attract, hire, integrate and retain highly skilled personnel could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Our success depends largely upon the continued services of our key executives, including James Chae. We also rely on our leadership team in setting our strategic direction, operating our business, identifying, recruiting and training key personnel, identifying expansion opportunities, arranging necessary financing, and for general and administrative functions. From time to time, there may be changes in our executive management team resulting from the hiring or departure of executives, which could disrupt our business. The loss or replacement of one or more of our executive officers or other key employees could have a serious adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

To continue to execute our growth strategy, we also must identify, hire and retain highly skilled personnel. We might not be successful in continuing to attract and retain qualified personnel. Failure to identify, hire and retain necessary key personnel could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Labor disputes may disrupt our operations and affect our profitability, thereby causing a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

As an employer, we are presently, and may in the future be, subject to various employment-related claims, such as individual or class actions or government enforcement actions relating to alleged employment discrimination, employee classification and related withholding, wage-hour, labor standards or healthcare and benefit issues. Any future actions if brought against us and successful in whole or in part, may affect our ability to compete or could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.

The minimum wage, particularly in California, continues to increase and is subject to factors outside of our control.

We have a substantial number of hourly employees who are paid wage rates based on the applicable federal or state minimum wage. Since January 1, 2024, the State of California has a minimum wage of $16.00 per hour. Moreover, municipalities may set minimum wages above the applicable state standards, including in the municipalities in which we operate.

The federal minimum wage has been $7.25 per hour since July 24, 2009. Any of federally-mandated, state-mandated or municipality-mandated minimum wages may be raised in the future which could have a materially adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations. If menu prices are increased by us to cover increased labor costs, the higher prices could adversely affect sales and thereby reduce our margins and adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Changes in employment laws may adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flow.

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, tips and gratuity payments, unemployment tax rates, workers’ compensation rates, immigration status and other wage and benefit requirements. Significant additional government-imposed increases in the following areas could materially affect our business, financial condition, operating results or cash flow:

minimum wages;

tips and gratuities;

mandatory health benefits;

vacation accruals;

paid leaves of absence, including paid sick leave; and

tax reporting.

If we face labor shortages, increased labor costs or unionization activities, our growth, business, financial condition and operating results could be adversely affected.

Labor is a primary component in the cost of operating our restaurants. We are currently experiencing labor shortages which is a risk that we share with our competitors. The availability of qualified employees is scarce. Additionally, labor costs have increased due to recent minimum wage increases in California and the fact that we employ fewer employees who are working extended hours and therefore we are experiencing an increase of overtime payable to such employees, If we continue to face labor shortages or increased labor costs because of these factors or as a result of increased competition for employees, higher employee turnover rates, additional increases in federal, state or local minimum wage rates or other employee benefits costs (including costs associated with health insurance coverage), our operating expenses could increase and our growth could be adversely affected. In addition, our success depends in part upon our ability to attract, motivate and retain a sufficient number of well-qualified restaurant operators and management personnel, as well as a sufficient number of other qualified employees, to keep pace with our expansion schedule. Qualified individuals needed to fill these positions are in short supply in some geographic areas. In addition, restaurants have traditionally experienced relatively high employee turnover rates. We are experiencing problems in recruiting and retaining employees, and our ability to recruit and retain such individuals may delay the planned openings of new restaurants or result in higher employee turnover in existing restaurants, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

If we are unable to recruit and retain sufficiently qualified individuals, our business and our growth could be adversely affected, thereby adversely affecting or business, financial condition or results of operations. Competition for these employees could require us to pay higher wages, which could result in higher labor costs. In addition, additional increases in the minimum wage would increase our labor costs. Additionally, costs associated with workers’ compensation are rising, and these costs may continue to rise in the future. We may be unable to increase our menu prices in order to pass these increased labor costs on to consumers, in which case our margins would be negatively affected, which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Although none of our employees are currently covered under collective bargaining agreements, our employees may elect to be represented by labor unions in the future. If a significant number of our employees were to become unionized and collective bargaining agreement terms were significantly different from our current compensation arrangements, it could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Our business could be adversely affected by a failure to obtain visas or work permits or to properly verify the employment eligibility of our 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. 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 may negatively impact our brand and may make it more difficult to hire and keep qualified employees. Termination of a significant number of employees who are unauthorized employees may disrupt our operations, cause temporary increases in our labor costs as we train new employees and result in 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. These factors could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Risks Related to Regulation and Litigation

Failure to comply with antibribery or anticorruption laws could adversely affect our reputation, business, financial condition or results of operations.

The U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and other similar applicable laws prohibiting bribery of government officials and other corrupt practices are the subject of increasing emphasis and enforcement around the world. Although we have implemented policies and procedures designed to promote compliance with these laws, there can be no assurance that our employees, contractors, agents, or other third parties will not take actions in violation of our policies or applicable law. Any such violations or suspected violations could subject us to civil or criminal penalties, including substantial fines and significant investigation costs, and could also materially damage our reputation, brands, international expansion efforts and growth prospects, business, financial condition and results of operations. Publicity relating to any noncompliance or alleged noncompliance could also harm our reputation and adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Delays In Obtaining Construction Permits Can Have A Material Adverse Effect on Our Business.

We typically are able to negotiate approximately 6 months to complete a construction/development of our stores before we have to make our first lease payment. Construction/development of a new restaurant takes approximately three - six months once construction permits (e.g., Health and City) are issued. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, permits took approximately two months to obtain. During the pandemic and as of December 31, 2024, construction permits have been significantly delayed, causing us to incur lease payments prior to the opening of such locations, which means prior to the generation of any revenues from such stores. A delay in construction permits has had a direct impact on our ability to open our three stores currently under construction/development. We are also making lease payments on all three of such stores. There can be no assurance that construction permits will be timely obtained on future stores, or that they will ever be obtained (including with respect to the two restaurants under construction/development). There is also no assurance that we can successfully negotiate an abatement on any of our existing non-cancelable leases to alleviate such costs, or that we will have the leverage to negotiate longer periods before the first rental payment is required to be made on future leases. A significant increase in lease payments prior to opening our stores could have a material adverse effect on our profitability and growth potential, since increased lease costs could cause us to divert cash away from opening new stores. If we are unable to open new stores, we could be forced to cease operations.

We may become involved in lawsuits involving Yoshiharu Holdings Co. as the owner of intellectual property, or us as a licensee of intellectual property from Yoshiharu Holdings Co., to protect or enforce intellectual property rights, which could be expensive, time consuming, and unsuccessful.

Third parties may sue Yoshiharu Holdings Co., our wholly owned subsidiary, or us for alleged infringement of their proprietary rights. The party claiming infringement might have greater resources than we do to pursue its claims, and we could be forced to incur substantial costs and devote significant management resources to defend against such litigation, even if the claims are meritless and even if we ultimately prevail. If the party claiming infringement were to prevail, we could be forced to pay significant damages, or enter into expensive royalty or licensing arrangements with the prevailing party. In addition, any payments we are required to make, and any injunction we are required to comply with as a result of such infringement, could harm our reputation and our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Infringements on Yoshiharu Holdings Co.’s intellectual property rights, including Yoshiharu Holdings Co.’s service marks and trade secrets, could result in additional expense and could devalue our brand equity, as well as substantially affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Other parties may infringe on our intellectual property rights, including those which we develop or otherwise license to use, and may thereby dilute our brand in the marketplace. Any such infringement of our intellectual property rights would also likely result in a commitment of our time and resources to protect these rights through litigation or otherwise.

Our business prospects depend in part on our ability to develop favorable consumer recognition of the Yoshiharu name. Although the “YOSHIHARU RAMEN” word and design marks are federally registered marks owned by Yoshiharu Holdings Co., such marks could be imitated in ways that we or Yoshiharu Holdings Co. cannot prevent. Alternatively, third parties may attempt to cause us to change our name or not operate in a certain geographic region if our name is confusingly similar to their name. In addition, we rely on trade secrets, proprietary know-how, concepts, and recipes, some of which we license from Yoshiharu Holdings Co. Our methods or Yoshiharu Holdings Co.’s methods of protecting this information may not be adequate. Moreover, we or Yoshiharu Holdings Co. may face claims of misappropriation or infringement of third parties’ rights that could interfere with our use of this information. Defending these claims may be costly and, if unsuccessful, may prevent us from continuing to use this proprietary information in the future, and may result in a judgment or monetary damages. We do not maintain confidentiality and non-competition agreements with all of our executives, key personnel, or suppliers. If competitors independently develop or otherwise obtain access to the trade secrets, proprietary know-how, concepts, or recipes we rely upon to operate our restaurants, some of which we license from Yoshiharu Holdings Co., the appeal of our restaurants could be significantly reduced and our business, financial condition or results of operations could be adversely affected.

Governmental regulation may adversely affect our ability to open new restaurants or otherwise adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.

We are subject to various federal, state and local regulations. Our restaurants are subject to state and local licensing and regulation by health, alcoholic beverage, sanitation, food and occupational safety and other agencies. We may experience material difficulties or failures in obtaining the necessary licenses, approvals or permits for our restaurants, which could delay planned restaurant openings or affect the operations at our existing restaurants. In addition, stringent and varied requirements of local regulators with respect to zoning, land use and environmental factors could delay or prevent development of new restaurants in particular locations.

We are subject to the U.S. Americans with Disabilities Act and similar state laws that give civil rights protections to individuals with disabilities in the context of employment, public accommodations and other areas, including our restaurants. We may in the future have to modify restaurants, for example, by adding access ramps or redesigning certain architectural fixtures, to provide service to or make reasonable accommodations for disabled persons. The expenses associated with these modifications could be material.

Our operations are also subject to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Act, which governs worker health and safety, the U.S. Fair Labor Standards Act, which governs such matters as minimum wages and overtime, and a variety of similar federal, state and local laws that govern these and other employment law matters. In addition, federal, state and local proposals related to paid sick leave or similar matters could, if implemented, materially adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Compliance with environmental laws may negatively affect our business.

We are subject to federal, state and local laws and regulations concerning waste disposal, pollution, protection of the environment, and the presence, discharge, storage, handling, release and disposal of, and exposure to, hazardous or toxic substances. These environmental laws provide for significant fines and penalties for noncompliance and liabilities for remediation, sometimes without regard to whether the owner or operator of the property knew of, or was responsible for, the release or presence of hazardous toxic substances. Third parties may also make claims against owners or operators of properties for personal injuries and property damage associated with releases of, or actual or alleged exposure to, such hazardous or toxic substances at, on or from our restaurants. Environmental conditions relating to releases of hazardous substances at prior, existing or future restaurant sites could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations. Further, environmental laws, and the administration, interpretation and enforcement thereof, are subject to change and may become more stringent in the future, each of which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.

A breach of security of confidential consumer information related to our electronic processing of credit and debit card transactions, as well as a breach of security of our employee information, could substantially affect our reputation, business, financial condition of results of operations.

The majority 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 has been stolen. We may in the future become subject to claims for purportedly fraudulent transactions arising out of the actual or alleged theft of credit or debit card information, and we may also be subject to lawsuits or other proceedings relating to these types of incidents. We may ultimately be held liable for the unauthorized use of a cardholder’s card number in an illegal activity and be required by card issuers to pay charge-back fees. In addition, most states have enacted legislation requiring notification of security breaches involving personal information, including credit and debit card information. Any such claim or proceeding could cause us to incur significant unplanned expenses, which could have an adverse impact on our business, financial condition or results of operations. Further, adverse publicity resulting from these allegations may have a material adverse effect on us and could substantially affect our reputation and business, financial condition or results of operations.

In addition, our business requires the collection, transmission and retention of large volumes of guest and employee data, including personally identifiable information, in various information technology systems that we maintain and in those maintained by third parties with whom we contract to provide services. The collection and use of such information is regulated at the federal and state levels, as well as at the international level, in which regulatory requirements have been increasing. As our environment continues to evolve in the digital age and reliance upon new technologies becomes more prevalent, it is imperative we secure the privacy and sensitive information we collect. Failure to do so, whether through fault of our own information systems or those of outsourced third-party providers, could not only cause us to fail to comply with these laws and regulations, but also could cause us to face litigation and penalties that could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations. Our brand’s reputation and image as an employer could also be harmed by these types of security breaches or regulatory violations.

We could be party to litigation that could adversely affect us by distracting management, increasing our expenses or subjecting us to material money damages and other remedies.

Our guests may file complaints or lawsuits against us alleging we caused an illness or injury they suffered at or after a visit to our restaurants, or that we have problems with food quality or operations. We may also be subject to a variety of other claims arising in the ordinary course of our business, including personal injury claims, contract claims and claims alleging violations of federal and state law regarding workplace and employment matters, equal opportunity, discrimination and similar matters, and we are presently subject to class action and other lawsuits with regard to certain of these matters and could become subject to additional class action or other lawsuits related to these or different matters in the future. Regardless of whether any claims against us are valid, or whether we are ultimately held liable, claims may be expensive to defend and may divert time and money away from our operations and hurt our performance. A judgment in excess of our insurance coverage for any claims could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations. Any adverse publicity resulting from these allegations may also materially and adversely affect our reputation or prospects, which in turn could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.

We are subject to state and local “dram shop” statutes, which may subject us to uninsured liabilities. These statutes generally allow a person injured by an intoxicated person to recover damages from an establishment that wrongfully served alcoholic beverages to the intoxicated person. Because a plaintiff may seek punitive damages, which may not be fully covered by insurance, this type of action could have an adverse impact on our business, financial condition or results of operations. A judgment in such an action significantly in excess of, or not covered by, our insurance coverage could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations. Further, adverse publicity resulting from any such allegations may adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Our current insurance may not provide adequate levels of coverage against claims.

There are types of losses we may incur that cannot be insured against or that we believe are not economically reasonable to insure. Such losses could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations. In addition, our current insurance policies may not be adequate to protect us from liabilities that we incur in our business in areas such as workers’ compensation, general liability, auto and property. In the future, our insurance premiums may increase, and we may not be able to obtain similar levels of insurance on reasonable terms, or at all. Any substantial inadequacy of, or inability to obtain, insurance coverage could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. As a public company, we intend to obtain directors’ and officers’ insurance. While we expect to obtain such coverage, we may not be able to obtain such coverage at all or at a reasonable cost now or in the future. Failure to obtain and maintain adequate directors’ and officers’ insurance would likely adversely affect our ability to attract and retain qualified officers and directors.

Failure to obtain and maintain required licenses and permits or to comply with alcoholic beverage or food control regulations could lead to the loss of our liquor and food service licenses and, thereby, harm our business, financial condition or results of operations.

The restaurant industry is subject to various federal, state and local government regulations, including those relating to the sale of food and alcoholic beverages. Such regulations are subject to change from time to time. The failure to obtain and maintain licenses, permits and approvals relating to such regulations could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations. Typically, licenses must be renewed annually and may be revoked, suspended or denied renewal for cause at any time if governmental authorities determine that our conduct violates applicable regulations. Difficulties or failure to maintain or obtain the required licenses and approvals could adversely affect our existing restaurants and delay or result in our decision to cancel the opening of new restaurants, which would adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Alcoholic beverage control regulations generally require our restaurants to apply to a state authority and, in certain locations, county or municipal authorities for a license that must be renewed annually and may be revoked or suspended for cause at any time. Alcoholic beverage control regulations relate to numerous aspects of daily operations of our restaurants, including minimum age of patrons and employees, hours of operation, advertising, trade practices, wholesale purchasing, other relationships with alcohol manufacturers, wholesalers and distributors, inventory control and handling, storage and dispensing of alcoholic beverages. Any future failure to comply with these regulations and obtain or retain liquor licenses could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Risks Related to Our Organizational Structure & Ownership of Our Common Stock

If we fail to develop and maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting, we may not be able to accurately report our financial results in a timely manner, which may adversely affect investor confidence in our company.

If material weaknesses or control deficiencies occur in the future, we may be unable to report our financial results accurately on a timely basis, which could cause our reported financial results to be materially misstated and result in the loss of investor confidence or delisting and cause the market price of our common stock to decline.

We have not performed an evaluation of our internal control over financial reporting, such as required by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, nor have we engaged our independent registered public accounting firm to perform an audit of our internal control over financial reporting as of any balance sheet date or for any period reported in our financial statements.

Changes to accounting rules or regulations may adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Changes to existing accounting rules or regulations may impact our business, financial condition or results of operations. Other new accounting rules or regulations and varying interpretations of existing accounting rules or regulations have occurred and may occur in the future. For instance, accounting regulatory authorities have recently issued new accounting rules which require lessees to capitalize operating leases in their financial statements in the next few years. When adopted, such change would require us to record significant operating lease obligations on our balance sheet and make other changes to our financial statements. This and other future changes to accounting rules or regulations could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.

We will incur increased costs as a result of being a public company.

As a public company, we expect to incur significant legal, accounting and other expenses that we did not incur as a private company, particularly after we are no longer an “emerging growth company” as defined under the JOBS Act. In addition, new and changing laws, regulations and standards relating to corporate governance and public disclosure, including the Dodd-Frank Act and the rules and regulations promulgated and to be promulgated thereunder, as well as under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the JOBS Act, have created uncertainty for public companies and increased costs and time that boards of directors and management must devote to complying with these rules and regulations. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act and related rules of the SEC and the Nasdaq Stock Market regulate corporate governance practices of public companies. We expect compliance with these rules and regulations to increase our legal and financial compliance costs and lead to a diversion of management time and attention from sales-generating activities. For example, we will be required to adopt new internal controls and disclosure controls and procedures. In addition, we will incur additional expenses associated with our SEC reporting requirements and increased compensation for our management team. We cannot predict or estimate the amount of additional costs we will incur as a public company or the specific timing of such costs.

We are an “emerging growth company,” and we cannot be certain if the reduced reporting and disclosure requirements applicable to emerging growth companies will make our common stock less attractive to investors.

For as long as we remain an “emerging growth company” as defined in the JOBS Act, we may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies.” These exceptions provide for, but are not limited to, relief from the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, less extensive disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, exemptions from the requirements to hold a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved and an extended transition period for complying with new or revised accounting standards. We may take advantage of these reporting exemptions until we are no longer an “emerging growth company.” We will remain an “emerging growth company” until the earliest of: (i) the last day of the fiscal year in which we have $1.07 billion or more in annual gross revenues; (ii) the date on which we become a “large accelerated filer” (which means the year-end at which the total market value of our common equity securities held by non-affiliates is $700 million or more as of the last business day of our most recently completed second fiscal quarter); (iii) the date on which we have issued more than $1 billion of non-convertible debt securities over a three-year period; and (iv) the last day of the fiscal year following the fifth anniversary of our initial public offering. We cannot predict if investors will find our common stock less attractive because we may rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our common stock to be less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our common stock and the market price of our common stock may be more volatile.

Our management does not have experience managing a U.S. public company and our current resources may not be sufficient to fulfill our public company obligations.

Following the closing of the IPO, we are subject to various regulatory requirements, including those of the SEC and Nasdaq Stock Market. These requirements include recordkeeping, financial reporting and corporate governance rules and regulations. Our management team does not have experience in managing a U.S. public company and, historically, has not had the resources typically found in a public company. Our internal infrastructure may not be adequate to support our increased reporting obligations and we may be unable to hire, train or retain necessary staff and may be reliant on engaging outside consultants or professionals to overcome our lack of experience or employees. Our business, financial condition or results of operations could be adversely affected if our internal infrastructure is inadequate, including if we are unable to engage outside consultants or are otherwise unable to fulfill our public company obligations.

Pursuant to the JOBS Act, our independent registered public accounting firm will not be required to attest to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act for so long as we are an “emerging growth company.”

Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires annual management assessments of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting, starting with the second annual report that we file with the SEC as a public company, and generally requires in the same report a report by our independent registered public accounting firm on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. However, under the JOBS Act, our independent registered public accounting firm will not be required to attest to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act until we are no longer an “emerging growth company.” We will be an “emerging growth company” until the earliest of: (i) the last day of the fiscal year in which we have $1.07 billion or more in annual gross revenues; (ii) the date on which we become a “large accelerated filer” (which means the year-end at which the total market value of our common equity securities held by non-affiliates is $700 million or more as of the last business day of our most recently completed second fiscal quarter); (iii) the date on which we have issued more than $1 billion of non-convertible debt securities over a three-year period; and (iv) the last day of the fiscal year following the fifth anniversary of our initial public offering.

In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an “emerging growth company” can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. An “emerging growth company” can therefore delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. However, we are choosing to “opt out” of such extended transition period and, as a result, we will comply with new or revised accounting standards on the relevant dates on which adoption of such standards is required for non-emerging growth companies. Section 107 of the JOBS Act provides that our decision to opt out of the extended transition period for complying with new or revised accounting standards is irrevocable.

If our stockholders’ equity fails to comply with the continued listing requirements of the Nasdaq Capital Market, we would face possible delisting, which would result in a limited public market for our Class A Common Stock and make obtaining future debt or equity financing more difficult for us.

Companies listed on Nasdaq are subject to delisting for, among other things, failure to maintain stockholders’ equity of at least $2,500,000 for continued listing, or to meet the alternatives of market value of listed securities or net income from continuing operations. On February 18, 2025, we received a letter from Nasdaq indicating that Nasdaq has scheduled our securities for delisting from The Nasdaq Capital Market for failure to comply with the stockholders’ equity requirement pursuant to pursuant to Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(b)(1).

This letter was sent pursuant to an earlier notification letter warning us that we were out of compliance with Listing Rule 5550(b)(1). We were provided an opportunity to provide Nasdaq with a specific plan to achieve and sustain compliance with all Nasdaq listing requirements, which Nasdaq accepted such plan for compliance provided that we achieved compliance by February 17, 2025. We had not regained compliance within the applicable timeframe and were not eligible for a further period to regain compliance.

Pursuant to the procedures set forth in the Nasdaq Listing Rule 5800 series, we may appeal Nasdaq’s determination to a Hearings Panel (the “Panel”), which we did on March 20, 2025 by submitting a request for hearing. A hearing request stayed the suspension of our securities and the filing of the Form 25-NSE pending the Panel’s decision. Upon paying the non-refundable $20,000 fee, we have an opportunity to present a plan to regain compliance to the Panel on April 1, 2025. There can be no assurance that Nasdaq will grant our request for approval of our compliance plan, or otherwise reverse its determination that our securities ought to be delisted.

Even if we are successful in our hearing before the Panel, we cannot guarantee that our stockholders’ equity will comply with the Nasdaq Listing Rules for continued listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market in the future. If we cannot comply with the Nasdaq Listing Rules either now or in the future, our Class A Common Stock would be subject to delisting and would likely trade on the over-the-counter market. If our Class A Common Stock were to trade on the over-the-counter market, selling shares of our Class A Common Stock could be more difficult because smaller quantities of shares would likely be bought and sold, transactions could be delayed, and security analysts’ coverage of us may be reduced. In addition, broker-dealers have certain regulatory burdens imposed upon them, which may discourage broker-dealers from effecting transactions in shares of our Class A Common Stock, further limiting the liquidity of our Class A Common Stock. As a result, the market price of our Class A Common Stock may be depressed, and you may find it more difficult to sell shares of our Class A Common Stock. Such delisting from the Nasdaq and continued or further declines in our stock price could also greatly impair our ability to raise additional necessary capital through equity or debt financing.

Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.

You should read this discussion and analysis together with our audited financial statements, the notes to such statements and the other financial information included in this Form 10-K. This discussion contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. As a result of many factors, such as those set forth under the section entitled “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Form 10-K, our actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements. See “CAUTIONARY STATEMENTS REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS” for a discussion of the uncertainties, risks and assumptions associated with these statements.

Overview of Yoshiharu

We are a fast-growing Japanese restaurant operator and was borne out of the idea of introducing the modernized Japanese dining experience to customers all over the world. Specializing in Japanese ramen, we gained recognition as a leading ramen restaurant in Southern California within six months of our 2016 debut and have continued to expand our top-notch restaurant service across Southern California, currently owning and operating ten restaurant stores. We have opened two new restaurants in February and October 2024 and currently have two new locations under construction/development. We also consummated the acquisition of three existing restaurants in Las Vegas in June 2024.

We take pride in our warm, hearty, smooth, and rich bone broth, which is slowly boiled for over twelve hours. Customers can taste and experience supreme quality and deep flavors. Combining the broth with the fresh, savory, and highest-quality ingredients, we serve the perfect, ideal ramen, as well as offers customers a wide variety of sushi rolls, bento menu and other favorite Japanese cuisine. Our acclaimed signature Tonkotsu Black Ramen has become a customer favorite with its slow cooked pork bone broth and freshly made, tender chashu (braised pork belly).

Our mission is to bring our Japanese ramen and cuisine to the mainstream, by providing a meal that customers find comforting. Since the inception of the business, we have been making our own ramen broth and other key ingredients such as pork chashu and flavored eggs from scratch, whereby upholding the quality and taste of our foods, including the signature texture and deep, rich flavor of our handcrafted broth. Moreover, we believe that slowly cooking the bone broth makes it high in collagen and rich in nutrients. We also strive to present food that is not only healthy, but also affordable. We feed, entertain and delight our customers, with our active kitchens and bustling dining rooms providing happy hours, student and senior discounts, and special holiday events. As a result of our vision, customers can comfortably enjoy our food in a friendly and welcoming atmosphere.

We operate in a large and rapidly growing market. We believe the consumer appetite for Asian cuisine is widespread across many demographics and have an opportunity to expand in both existing and new U.S. markets, as well as internationally.

Our Growth Strategies

Pursue New Restaurant Development.

We have pursued a disciplined new corporate owned growth strategy. Having expanded our concept and operating model across varying restaurant sizes and geographies, we plan to leverage our expertise by opening new restaurants to fill in existing markets and expand into new geographies. While we currently aim to achieve in excess of 100% annual unit growth rate over the next three to five years, we cannot predict the time period of which we can achieve any level of restaurant growth or whether we will achieve this level of growth at all. Our ability to achieve new restaurant growth is impacted by a number of risks and uncertainties beyond our control, including but not limited to landlord delays; competition in existing and new markets, including competition for restaurant sites; and the lack of development and overall decrease in commercial real estate due to macroeconomic decline. We believe there is a significant opportunity to employ this strategy to open additional restaurants in our existing markets and in new markets with similar demographics and retail environments.

Deliver Consistent Comparable Restaurant Sales Growth .

We have achieved positive comparable restaurant sales growth in recent periods. We believe we will be able to generate future comparable restaurant sales growth by growing traffic through increased brand awareness, consistent delivery of a satisfying dining experience, new menu offerings, and restaurant renovations. We will continue to manage our menu and pricing as part of our overall strategy to drive traffic and increase average check. We are also exploring initiatives to grow sales of alcoholic beverages at our restaurants, including the potential of a larger format restaurant with a sake bar concept. In addition to the strategies stated above, we expect to initiate sales of franchises in late 2024 or early 2025.

Increase Profitability .

We have invested in our infrastructure and personnel, which we believe position us to continue to scale our business operations. As we continue to grow, we expect to drive higher profitability both at a restaurant-level and corporate-level by taking advantage of our increasing buying power with suppliers and leveraging our existing support infrastructure. Additionally, we believe we will be able to optimize labor costs at existing restaurants as our restaurant base matures and average revenues per restaurant increase. We believe that as our restaurant base grows, our general and administrative costs will increase at a slower rate than our sales.

Heighten Brand Awareness .

We intend to continue to pursue targeted local marketing efforts and plan to increase our investment in advertising. We also are exploring the development of instant ramen noodles which we would distribute through retail channels. We intend to explore partnerships with grocery retailers to provide for small-format Yoshiharu kiosks in stores to promote a limited selection of Yoshiharu cuisine.

Appointment of New Director

On February 13, 2025, we accepted independent director Jay Kim’s formal resignation, effective immediately. Mr. Kim’s decision to resign was not due to any disagreement with the company on any matter relating to our operations, policies or practices (financial or otherwise).

On March 17, 2025, we appointed Mr. Sungjoon Chae to fill the vacancy on the Board created by the departure of Mr. Jay Kim. Mr. S. Chae will serve on the Board until the Company’s next annual stockholder meeting or until his successor has been duly appointed and qualified or until his earlier death, resignation, retirement, disqualification, removal from office or other cause. He will not serve on any of the committees of the Board.

Components of Our Results of Operations

Revenue. Revenue represents sales of food and beverages in restaurants. Restaurant sales in a given period are directly impacted by the number of restaurants we operate and comparable restaurant sales growth.

Food and beverage. Food and beverage costs are variable in nature, change with sales volume and are influenced by menu mix and subject to increases or decreases based on fluctuations in commodity costs. Other important factors causing fluctuations in food and beverage costs include seasonality and restaurant-level management of food waste. Food and beverage costs are a substantial expense and are expected to grow proportionally as our sales grow.

Labor. Labor includes all restaurant-level management and hourly labor costs, including wages, employee benefits and payroll taxes. Similar to the food and beverage costs that we incur, labor and related expenses are expected to grow proportionally as our sales increase. Factors that influence fluctuations in our labor and related expenses include minimum wage and payroll tax legislation, the frequency and severity of workers’ compensation claims, healthcare costs and the performance of our restaurants.

Rent and utilities. Rent and utilities include rent for all restaurant locations and related taxes.

Depreciation and amortization expenses. Depreciation and amortization expenses are periodic non-cash charges that consist of depreciation of fixed assets, including equipment and capitalized leasehold improvements. Depreciation is determined using the straight-line method over the assets’ estimated useful lives, ranging from three to ten years.

Delivery and service fees. Our customers may order online through third party service providers such as Uber Eats, Door Dash, Grubhub and others. These third-party service providers charge delivery and order fees to the company.

General and administrative expenses. General and administrative expenses include expenses associated with corporate and regional supervision functions that support the operations of existing restaurants and development of new restaurants, including compensation and benefits, travel expenses, stock-based compensation expenses for corporate-level employees, legal and professional fees, marketing costs, information systems, corporate office rent and other related corporate costs. General and administrative expenses are expected to grow as our sales grows, including incremental legal, accounting, insurance and other expenses incurred as a public company.

Advertising and marketing expenses. Advertising and marketing expenses include expenses associated with marketing campaigns and periodic advertising. Advertising and marketing expenses are expected to grow leading up to planned openings of restaurant locations and is expected to stabilize as an average by location as our sales grows.

Interest expenses. Interest expenses include non-cash charges related to our capital lease obligations and bank notes payable.

Income tax provision (benefit). Provision for income taxes represents federal, state and local current and deferred income tax expenses.

Results of Operations

The following table presents selected comparative results of operations from our audited financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to the year ended December 31, 2023. Our financial results for these periods are not necessarily indicative of the financial results that we will achieve in future periods. Certain totals for the table below may not sum to 100% due to rounding.

Years ended

December 31,

Increase / (Decrease)

Revenue

Restaurant operating expenses:

Food, beverages and supplies

Labor

Rent and utilities

Delivery and service fees

Depreciation

Total restaurant operating expenses

Net restaurant operating income

General and administrative

Compensation to related party

Advertising and marketing

Total operating expenses

Loss from operations

Other income (expense):

RRF loan forgiveness

Gain on disposal of fixed asset

Other income

Interest

Loss before income taxes

Income tax provision

Net loss

Revenues. Revenues were $12.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to $9.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, representing an increase of approximately $3.6 million, or 39.3%. The increase in sales for the year was primarily driven by $3.5 million in sales from the acquisition of three restaurants in Las Vesgas, and another $1.0 million in sales from two new restaurants opened in February and October 2024, which were offset by a $0.8 million decrease in sales at other restaurants.

Food, beverage and supplies . Food, beverage and supplies costs were approximately $3.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to $2.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, representing an increase of approximately $1.0 million, or 41.5%. The increase in costs for the year ended December 31, 2024 was primarily driven by increases in revenues from the acquisition of three restaurants in Las Vegas. As a percentage of sales, food, beverage and supply costs were comparable during the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023.

Labor . Labor and related costs were approximately $4.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to $4.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, representing an increase of approximately $0.6 million, or 14.2%. The increase in costs was largely driven by additional labor costs incurred with respect to the three acquired restaurants in Las Vegas and the two new restaurant opened in 2024. As a percentage of sales, labor and related costs decreased during the comparable years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 due to comparatively lower labor costs in Las Vegas.

Rent and utilities . Rent and utilities expenses for the year ended December 31, 2024 increased compared to the year ended in December 31, 2023 by $0.6 million primarily due to the acquisition of three restaurants in Las Vegas. As a percentage of sales, rent and utilities expenses slightly increased to 13.7% in the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to 12.3% for the year ended December 31, 2023. The increase in costs as a percentage of sales was primarily driven by the opening of new restaurants towards the end of the year.

Delivery and service fees . Delivery and service fees incurred were approximately $529 thousand for the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to $564 thousand for the year ended December 31, 2023, representing a decrease of approximately $35 thousand or 6.3%, primarily due to a decrease in food sales via delivery during the comparable period due to the post COVID effect. As a percentage of sales, delivery and service fees ratio for the year ended December 31, 2024 decreased due to increase in sales percentage of the dining-in compared to take-out.

Depreciation and amortization expenses . Depreciation and amortization expenses incurred were approximately $822 thousand for the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to $546 thousand for the year ended December 31, 2023, representing an increase of approximately $277 thousand, or 50.7%. The increase was primarily due to the acquisition of three restaurants in Las Vegas together new two newly opened restaurants in 2024. The depreciation and amortization expenses as a percentage of sales was 6.4% for the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to 5.9% for year ended December 31, 2023.

General and administrative expenses . General and administrative expenses were approximately $3.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to $3.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, representing an increase of approximately $0.4 million or 12.1%. This increase in general and administrative expenses was primarily due to the acquisition of three restaurants in Las Vegas, hiring of additional administrative employees, increases in professional services and corporate-level costs to support growth plans, and the construction/development of new restaurants. As a percentage of sales, general and administrative expenses decreased to 29.7% for the year ended December 31, 2024 from 37.1% for the year ended December 31, 2023, primarily due to the significant management efforts to control manageable expenses.

Related party compensation: Compensation to James Chae was approximately $140 thousand for the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to $340 thousand for the year ended December 31, 2023, representing a decrease of approximately $200 thousand. The decrease was primarily due to the management efforts to control expenses. As a percentage of sales, related party compensation was 1.1% for the year ended December 31, 2024 and 3.7% for the year ended December 31, 2023.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Our primary uses of cash are for operational expenditures and capital investments, including new restaurants, costs incurred for restaurant remodels and restaurant fixtures. Historically, our main sources of liquidity have been cash flows from operations, borrowings from banks, and sales of common shares.

On January 5, 2024, we entered into a securities purchase agreement (the “Securities Purchase Agreement”) with Alumni Capital LP, a Delaware limited partnership (“Alumni”) whereby we sold to Alumni 45,000 shares of Class A Common Stock in exchange for $118 thousand on November 20, 2024. This Purchase Agreement terminated on December 31, 2024.

On January 6, 2025, the Company issued and sold to Crom Structured Opportunities Fund I, LP, a Delaware limited partnership (“Crom”) a 10% OID promissory note in the aggregate principal amount of $1,100,000 (the “Note”) for a purchase price of $1,000,000. The Company repaid such Note on March 7, 2025 with the proceeds from a loan made to the Company on or about March 6, 2025. Also on January 6, 2025, we entered into an equity purchase agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”) with Crom (the “Investor”) pursuant to which the Company shall have the right, but not the obligation, to sell to the Investor up to $10,000,000 (the “ELOC Shares”) of the Company’s Class A common stock, $0.0001 par value per share (“Class A Common Stock”). However, we have not yet been able to access capital under this agreement since we must first register shares issuable under the Purchase Agreement, which we may only do after the filing of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

On March 12, 2025, we entered into private placements with three investors for the sale of Class A common stock at a price of $2.50 per share for gross proceeds of $714,000. However, we are obligated to register those shares and if we fail to do so in accordance with those agreements, we may be forced to repurchase those shares at the price we had sold them for. On March 17, 2025 we sold penny warrants at a price of $2.50 per share for gross proceeds of $1,200,000. We are obligated to register the shares underlying such warrants and if we fail to do so in accordance with those agreements, we may be forced to repurchase those warrants for the price we sold them for.

On March 17, 2025, the Company sold 480,000 warrants for a purchase price of $1,200,000, or $2.50 per share. Each warrant is exercisable for one share of the Company’s Class A common stock pursuant to the terms of a warrant agreement dated as of March 17, 2025. Pursuant to the terms of the Warrant Agreement, in the event that the Company has not obtained stockholder approval, the Company may not issue upon exercise of the Warrants a number of shares of Common Stock, which, when aggregated with any shares of Common Stock issued pursuant to the subscription agreements executed contemporaneously between the Company and other investors or holders of Warrants (whether for Common Stock or Warrants) would equal twenty (20%) percent or more of the Common Stock or twenty (20%) percent or more of the voting power of the Company outstanding before the issuance. The Company is also obligated to file a registration statement to the SEC within thirty (30) calendar days following the filing of this Annual Report on Form 10-K with the SEC. If the Company fails to (i) submit the registration statement within the timeline specified above or if the registration statement is denied, withdrawn or not declared effective by the SEC within one-hundred twenty (120) days from the filing date or (ii) fail to obtain the requisite stockholder approval within 75 days from the date of the Subscription Agreements, the investors will have the option, in their sole discretion, to: (1) with respect to (i), require the Company to assist it in filing for an exemption under Rule 144 or other applicable SEC regulations to remove the transfer restrictions from the Shares, or, if such exemption is unavailable, demand the Company to repurchase the Warrants or underlying shares at the original purchase price; or (2) demand a full refund of the subscription amount, subject to the Company’s financial capability as verified by an independent audit conducted within 15 days of the demand.

On March 25, 2025, the Company entered into Subscription Agreements with certain investors pursuant to which the investors agreed to pay $1,650,000 in aggregate to purchase an aggregate of 660,000 warrants. The Subscription Agreements contain customary representations, warranties, and indemnification provisions and were entered into in reliance on self-certification as an accredited investor pursuant to Regulation D promulgated under the Securities Act. Each warrant is exercisable for one share of the Company’s Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (“Class A Common Stock”), at an exercise price of $0.01 (the “Shares”) pursuant to the terms of warrant agreements dated as of March 24, 2025 (the “Warrant Agreement”). Pursuant to the Subscription Agreements, the Company is obligated to file a registration statement to register these shares with the SEC within thirty (30) calendar days following the filing of this Annual Report on Form 10-K with the SEC. If the Company fails to submit the registration statement within the timeline specified above or if the registration statement is denied, withdrawn or not declared effective by the SEC within one-hundred twenty (120) days from the filing date, Good Mood Studio will have the option, in its sole discretion, to: (1) require the Company to assist it in filing for an exemption under Rule 144 or other applicable SEC regulations to remove the transfer restrictions from the shares, or, if such exemption is unavailable, demand the Company to repurchase the shares at the original purchase price or (2) demand a full refund of the subscription amount subject to the Company’s financial capability as verified by an independent audit conducted within 15 days of the demand.

On August 21, 2024, we received a notification letter (the “Letter”) from the Nasdaq Listing Qualifications Staff of The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (“Nasdaq”) notifying the Company that its amount of stockholders’ equity has fallen below the $2,500,000 required minimum for continued listing set forth in Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(b)(1). On February 18, 2025, we received another notification letter (the “2nd Letter”) from Nasdaq notifying the Company that it has scheduled the Company’s securities for delisting from The Nasdaq Capital Market. Pursuant to the procedures set forth in the Nasdaq Listing Rule 5800 series, we appealed Nasdaq’s determination to a Hearings Panel (the “Panel”) and a hearing request has stayed the suspension of the Company’s securities and the filing of the Form 25-NSE pending the Panel’s decision after a hearing scheduled for April 1, 2025. If we fail to remedy our stockholder deficiency prior to April 1, 2025, we will be required to convince Nasdaq that we have a viable plan to correct the deficiency. If Nasdaq rejects our plan, we may be delisted, which will make it more difficult for us to raise capital in order to sustain our operations.

Notwithstanding our current belief that our expected cash flow from operations, and the proceeds from the Purchase Agreement and from the private placements set forth above (including our belief that we will satisfy our registration requirements so that we are not forced to redeem the equity previously sold to such private placement investors) will be adequate to fund operating lease obligations, capital expenditures and working capital obligations for at least the next 12 months and thereafter, there are no assurances that we will be able to do so. If we fail to generate adequate capital, we may be forced to curb our operations or cease to continue our operations altogether.

Summary of Cash Flows

The following table summarizes our cash flows for the periods presented:

Years ended December 31,

Statement of Cash Flow Data:

Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities

Net cash used in investing activities

Net cash provided by financing activities

Cash Flows Used in Operating Activities

Net cash provided by operating activities during the year ended December 31, 2024 was $875,224, which resulted from net loss of $2,665,869, a non-cash charge of $822,318 for depreciation and $39,828 for amortization which was offset by and net cash inflows of $2,678,947 from changes in operating assets and liabilities. The net cash inflows from changes in operating assets and liabilities were primarily the result of decreases in other assets of $896,567, and increases in accounts payable and accrued expenses of $198,979, due to related party of $708,534 and other payables of $1,012,591, which was offset by an increase in accounts receivable of $84,110 and inventory of $53,614. The decrease in other assets of $896,567 primarily consists of the escrow deposit of $729,352 to acquire assets of three restaurants in Las Vegas in 2023 which was consummated in April 2024. The increase in other payable of $1,012,591 is primarily due to a deposit of $1,000,000 from an individual who wanted to participate in the acquisition of Korea BBQ restaurant.

Net cash used in operating activities during the year ended December 31, 2023 was $4,591,656, which resulted from net loss of $3,040,364, a non-cash charge of $545,549 for depreciation and amortization which was offset by the forgiveness of Restaurant Revitalization Fund (“RRF”) of $700,454, a gain on disposal of fixed asset of $8,920 and net cash outflows of $1,387,467 from changes in operating assets and liabilities. The net cash outflows from changes in operating assets and liabilities were primarily the result of an increase in other assets of $1,252,669, decreases due to related party expenses of $148,544 and accounts payable and accrued expenses of $33,915, which was offset by an increase in other payables of $59,785. The increase in other assets of $1,252,669 primarily consists of a payment of $729,352 in escrow to acquire assets of three restaurants in Las Vegas, $294,276 in escrow to purchase a restaurant in Southern California and an investment of $300,000 in a financial company for a fixed interest income.

Cash Flows Used in Investing Activities

Net cash used in investing activities during the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 was $2,561,527and $1,471,151, respectively. For the acquisition of Las Vegas restaurants in total price of $3.6 million, the Company used total $1.8 million of cash with non-cash financing for $1.8 million. Excluding the acquisition of Las Vegas restaurants, expenditures in each period are primarily related to purchases of property and equipment in connection with current and future restaurant openings.

Cash Flows Provided by Financing Activities

Net cash provided by financing activities during the year ended December 31, 2024 was $1,465,013 due to $2,130,980 cash received through bank borrowings, offset by $933,756 of repayment of bank borrowings and loan payable to financial institutions.

Net cash provided by financing activities during the year ended December 31, 2023 was $1,386,347, primarily due to $700,000 in advance from line of credit, refinanced and new bank borrowings of $812,000 and $595,400 in loan payable to financial institution, offset by $715,892 of repayment of bank borrowings and $61,161 repayment of loan payable to financial institutions.

Contractual Obligations

The following table presents our commitments and contractual obligations as of December 31, 2024, as well as our long-term obligations:

Payments due by period as of December 31, 2024

Total

Thereafter

Capital lease payments

Bank note payables

EIDL loan payables

Loans payable to financial institutions

Total contractual obligations

Income Taxes

We file income tax returns in the U.S. federal and California state jurisdictions.

We are considered a U.S. corporation and a regarded entity for U.S. federal, state and local income taxes. Accordingly, a provision will be recorded for the anticipated tax consequences of our reported results of operations for U.S. federal, state and foreign income taxes.

JOBS Act Accounting Election

We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the JOBS Act, and may take advantage of certain exemptions from various public company reporting requirements for up to five years or until we are no longer an emerging growth company, whichever is earlier. The JOBS Act provides that an “emerging growth company” can delay adopting new or revised accounting standards until those standards apply to private companies. We have elected to use this extended transition period under the JOBS Act. Accordingly, our financial statements may not be comparable to the financial statements of public companies that comply with such new or revised accounting standards.

Off Balance Sheet Arrangements

As of December 31, 2024, we did not have any material off-balance sheet arrangements.

Critical Accounting Policies

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to utilize estimates and make judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. These estimates are based on historical experience and on various other assumptions that management believes to be reasonable under the circumstances. The estimates are evaluated by management on an ongoing basis, and the results of these evaluations form a basis for making decisions about the carrying value of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Although actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions, management believes that the estimates used in the preparation of our financial statements are reasonable. The critical accounting policies affecting our financial reporting are summarized in Note 2 to the financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

We have determined that all other issued, but not yet effective accounting pronouncements are inapplicable or insignificant to us and once adopted are not expected to have a material impact on our financial position.