Insiders ranked by realized 90-day signed return on their open-market trades at Red Robin Gourmet Burgers Inc. Minimum 3 scored trades. Returns are signed - a sale followed by a rally counts against the insider.
Year-over-year tone shift - average net-tone change across Risk Factors and MD&A vs the prior 10-K. This filing is 0.17pp more bullish than last year's.
Why YoY instead of absolute: the LM lexicon has ~6.6× more negative words than positive (legal/risk-disclosure language is heavy on hedging), so every 10-K reads bearish on raw tone. Year-over-year change strips that bias and surfaces the actual shift in management's framing.
Tone shift by section
The two components the gauge averages: how Risk Factors and MD&A each shifted in net tone versus last year's 10-K. The headline above is their average, so a green needle over a soft section just means the other section carried it.
Risk Factors
+0.23pp
Flat
Net-tone change vs last year's 10-K.
MD&A
+0.12pp
Flat
Net-tone change vs last year's 10-K.
Per-snippet highlights
Sentence-level sentiment highlighting with category and subcategory filters is coming once the snippet-scoring pipeline lands. For now, dig into the actual section text on the Sections tab.
Language change vs prior 10-K
Risk Factors (Item 1A) - words with the biggest YoY frequency increase
Negative rising
adversely+8
litigation+4
volatility+3
divert+3
challenges+3
Positive rising
leadership+3
able+2
effective+2
improvements+2
achieve+1
Risk Factors (Item 1A)
9,124 words
ITEM 1A. Risk Factors
An investment in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully read and consider the risks described below before making an investment decision. The occurrence of any of the following risks could materially harm our business, financial condition, and results of operations. The trading price or value of our common stock could decline, and you could lose all or part of your investment. We may also be affected by unknown risks or risks that we currently think are immaterial. When making an investment decision with respect to our common stock, you should also refer to the other information contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including our Consolidated Financial Statements and the related notes.
Risks Related to Our Indebtedness and Liquidity
Our ability to extend or refinance maturing indebtedness is uncertain and could materially affect our liquidity, financial condition, and operations.
On November 7, 2025, the Company entered into the fourth amendment to our Credit Agreement (the "Fourth Amendment"). The Fourth Amendment extended the maturity dates for our term loans and revolving credit facility by six months, from March 4, 2027 to September 3, 2027, and we are actively working to secure long-term refinancing for our significant total borrowings, which was approximately $170.2 million as of December 28, 2025. Our ability to meet our liquidity and working capital needs depends on our ability to extend or refinance this maturing indebtedness; however, we may not be to obtain further extensions or refinancing on acceptable terms, or at all. Our ability to secure additional extensions or to refinance maturing indebtedness depends on our future cash flows, financial performance, compliance with the covenants in our credit facility, lender consent, and prevailing credit market conditions. in the financial markets can restrict the availability of funds for borrowing and may make it more or for us to raise capital. There can be no assurance that financing or refinancings will be available or that, if available, will be on terms acceptable to us. If we cannot extend or refinance the indebtedness when due, our lenders could accelerate repayment, and we may be required to repay the debt, sell assets at prices, seek alternative financing on terms, reduce or strategic initiatives or capital expenditures, or pursue other actions that could have a material effect on our business, financial condition, cash flows, and results of operations.
Language change vs prior 10-K
MD&A (Item 7) - words with the biggest YoY frequency increase
Negative rising
losses+4
closure+2
underperforming+1
litigation+1
closed+1
Positive rising
benefit+3
gains+2
efficiency+1
improved+1
MD&A (Item 7)
6,110 words
ITEM 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Management's discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations provides a narrative of our financial performance and condition that should be read in conjunction with the accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 - Financial Statements and Supplementary Data of this report.
The Company's fiscal year ends on the last Sunday of each calendar year. Most of our fiscal years have 52 weeks; however, we experience a 53rd week once every five to six years. Our discussion for fiscal 2025, which ended on December 28, 2025, referred to a 52-week period. Our discussion for fiscal 2024, which ended December 29, 2024, also referred to a 52-week period. The following discussion comparing our results in fiscal years 2025 and 2024 referred to the fifty-two weeks ended December 28, 2025 and December 29, 2024, respectively. For a discussion comparing our results from fiscal 2024 to fiscal
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2023, refer to "Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" in Part II, Item 7 of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 29, 2024, filed with the SEC on February 26, 2025.
Overview
Description of Business
Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Inc., a Delaware corporation, is the parent company for Red Robin International, Inc., a Nevada corporation that, together with its subsidiaries ("Red Robin," "we," "us," "our" or the "Company"), primarily operates, franchises, and develops casual dining restaurants with 475 locations in North America. As of December 28, 2025, the Company operated 385 Company-owned restaurants located in 39 states. The Company also had 90 franchised restaurants in 13 states and one Canadian province as of December 28, 2025. The Company operated its business as one operating and one reportable segment.
If we are unable to service our debt or comply with the financial and other covenants in our credit facility, our financial condition could be negatively affected.
A substantial portion of our cash flows are dedicated to debt service payments. Our business may not continue to generate cash flow from operations in the future that is sufficient to meet our debt service, working capital and capital expenditure needs. Additionally, our current credit facility contains financial and other restrictive covenants, including among others, a total net leverage ratio covenant. A breach of these covenants could result in default, and if such default is not cured or waived, our lenders could accelerate our debt and declare it immediately due and payable. If this occurs, we may not be able to repay or borrow sufficient funds to refinance the debt. We routinely seek to refinance and/or extend the maturity of our indebtedness. Financing may not be available to us due to factors beyond our control, and even if financing is available, it may not be on acceptable terms. A default under our credit facility could cause a material adverse effect on our financial condition, including our liquidity and cash flows.
Risks Related to Our Business
Our business strategy may not be successful or achieve the desired results, which may have an adverse impact on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
The Company is currently undergoing a significant transformation. In fiscal 2025, we appointed David Pace as our President and Chief Executive Officer and subsequently launched our "First Choice" plan, which is intended to drive long-term stockholder value and position Red Robin as the first choice for guests, team members, and investors. The First Choice plan includes initiatives to hold serve, drive traffic, find money, fix restaurants, and win together with a high performance environment.
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These strategies and related initiatives may not result in increased traffic and sustained higher sales or decreased debt and expenses, all of which are important to drive long-term stockholder value. Changes to our operations, capital structure, debt structure, restaurant portfolio, marketing strategies, technology, and restaurants, among other initiatives, may not achieve the business growth and results we expect, which may negatively affect guest satisfaction, guest traffic, sales, profits, or liquidity. Our business and desired results depend upon our ability to continue to grow and evolve through various important strategic initiatives. There can be no assurance we will be able to develop or implement these or other important strategic initiatives in accordance with our expectations or on the expected timeline, or that we have, or will have, sufficient resources to fully and successfully implement, sustain results from, or achieve additional expected benefits from them in accordance with our expectations or on the expected timeline, which could in turn adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
The global and domestic economic and geopolitical environment may negatively affect frequency of guest visits and average ticket spend at our restaurants, which would negatively affect our revenues and our results of operations.
The global and domestic economic and geopolitical environment affects the restaurant industry and may negatively affect us directly and indirectly through our customers, distributors, and suppliers. These conditions include unemployment, weakness in the housing markets, an economic recession or slowdown, volatility in the U.S. stock market and in other financial markets, inflationary pressures, wage rates, tariffs imposed on commodities and other trade barriers, global disputes and tensions, interest rate fluctuations and reduced access to credit or other economic or geopolitical factors that may affect consumer confidence. Additionally, periods of federal government shutdown or significant slowdowns in government operations may affect consumer confidence and delay routine government functions on which we and our suppliers rely. As a result of these conditions, our guests may be apprehensive about the economy and reduce their level of discretionary spending or our operations may be negatively affected. This could affect the frequency with which our guests choose to dine-out or the amount they spend on meals, thereby decreasing our revenues and potentially negatively affecting our operating results. We believe there is a risk that uncertain economic conditions might cause consumers to make long-lasting changes to their discretionary spending behavior, including dining out less frequently or at lower priced restaurants on a more permanent basis, which would have a negative effect on our profitability as we spread fixed costs across a lower level of sales.
Our success depends on our ability to effectively compete in the restaurant industry to attract and retain guests.
Competition in the restaurant industry is intense and barriers to entry are low. Our competitors include a large and diverse group of restaurants in all segments ranging from quick serve and fast casual to polished casual and those verging on fine dining. These competitors range from independent local operators that have opened restaurants in various markets, high growth targeted "better" burger concepts in the quick serve and fast casual space, to the well-capitalized national restaurant companies. Many of these concepts have already captured segments of the market that we are targeting, and are expanding faster than we are, penetrating both desirable geographic and demographic markets. Many of our competitors are well established in the casual dining market segment and in certain geographic locations and some of our competitors have substantially greater financial, marketing, and other resources than we have available. Accordingly, they may be better equipped than us to invest in improving and expanding restaurants and infrastructure, increase marketing, or to take other measures to maintain their competitive position, including the use of significant discount offers to attract guests. Additionally, our guests may choose alternatives to restaurants, including meal kit and food delivery service providers or purchasing meals at supermarkets, delis, or other food retailers.
Decreased cash flow from operations, or an inability to access capital or successfully execute our potential real property sales could negatively affect our business initiatives or may result in our inability to execute our revenue, expense, and capital deployment strategies.
Our ability to fund our operating plans and to implement our capital deployment strategies depends on sufficient cash flow from operations or other financing, including using funding under our revolving credit facility and from potential real property sales. We may also seek access to the debt or equity capital markets. Any additional capital raised through the sale of equity may dilute our stockholders' ownership percentages and could also result in a decrease in the market value of our securities.
Our capital deployment strategies include but are not limited to, improving existing restaurants and infrastructure, investing in new technology, paying down debt, investing in marketing to grow traffic, and executing on our long-term transformation strategy. If we experience decreased cash flow from operations, or an inability to access new capital on acceptable terms with acceptable interest rates if needed, our ability to fund our operations and planned initiatives, and to take advantage of growth opportunities, may be delayed or negatively affected. In addition, these disruptions and any resulting negative effect on our net income, cash flows, or other relevant financial performance metrics under our revolving credit facility could affect our ability to borrow or comply with our covenants under that facility.
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A privacy or security breach involving our information technology systems, or the failure of our data security measures could interrupt our business, damage our reputation, and negatively affect our operations and financial condition.
Protecting guest, team member, and Company data is critical. We are subject to numerous privacy and data protection laws and regulations and the regulatory environment surrounding information security and privacy is increasingly demanding, with the frequent imposition of new and constantly changing requirements including the California Consumer Privacy Act, the California Privacy Rights Act, and other similar legislative initiatives. Compliance with these requirements may result in cost increases due to necessary system changes and the development of new administrative processes, and if we fail to comply, we could be exposed to risks of fines, investigations, litigation, and disruption of our operations.
Our software and information technology systems, as well as those of third parties on which we rely, may contain material vulnerabilities. In the ordinary course of our business, we collect, store, and process personal and payment information relating to our guests, team members, and vendors. We also collect, store, and process sales data, financial information, human resources information, and other sensitive business data. Despite the cybersecurity measures we have implemented, we have experienced cybersecurity incidents in the past and may experience future incidents, including data breaches, phishing attacks, or other unauthorized access to our systems or those of our third-party service providers. In addition, the rapid evolution and increased adoption of artificial intelligence technologies may intensify cybersecurity risks. Our efforts to identify and remediate system vulnerabilities may not prevent or promptly resolve such incidents, which could result in the theft, loss, or unauthorized disclosure of confidential or proprietary information, disruption of restaurant or corporate operations or our supply chain, loss of guest confidence, reputational harm, and significant remediation, legal, regulatory, or other costs.
We maintain a separate insurance policy covering cyber security risks and such insurance coverage may, subject to policy terms and conditions, cover certain aspects of cyber risks, but is subject to a retention amount and may not be applicable to a particular incident or otherwise may be insufficient to cover all our losses beyond any retention.
Because of the number of credit card transactions we process, we are required to maintain PCI Data Security Standard compliance at our Restaurant Support Center and Company-owned restaurants. If we do not maintain the required level of PCI compliance, we could be subject to costlyfines or additional fees from the card brands that we accept or lose our ability to accept those payment cards. Our franchisees are separate businesses that have different levels of compliance required depending on the number of credit card transactions processed. If our franchisees fail to maintain the appropriate level of PCI compliance or they experience a security breach, it could negatively impact their business operations, and we could face a loss of royalties or other payments they are required to remit to us, and it could adversely affect our reputation and guest confidence.
If there is a material failure in our information technology systems, our business could be negatively affected, and our systems may be inadequate to support our future growth strategies.
We rely heavily on information technology systems in all aspects of our operations including our restaurant point-of sale systems, financial systems, marketing programs and guest engagement, team member engagement, supply chain management, cybersecurity, and various other processes and transactions. We also use information technology systems to process financial information and results of operations for internal reporting purposes and to comply with regulatory financial reporting, legal and tax requirements. Our ability to operate effectively depends on the reliability, capacity, and security of these systems, including systems operated by third parties.
In recent years, we have replaced large portions of our technology hardware. However, some of our information technology systems are aging, and while we continue to invest in upgrades and replacements, these efforts are complex, costly, and time-consuming. In addition, our systems and data may be vulnerable to damage or interruption from power outages, telecommunications failures, natural disasters, terrorism, cyber attacks or other events beyond our control. If these systems sufferseveredamage, disruption, or shutdown or if we fail to timely or successfully implement system upgrades, experience difficulties transitioning to new systems, encounter system failures, outages, or security vulnerabilities, or if our vendors experience similar issues, we could experience operational disruptions, delays in financial reporting, lost revenues, increased cost, or reputational harm. This could be further exacerbated if our business continuity or disaster recovery plans, or those of our vendors, are ineffective and we fail to resolve issues in a timely manner. Any such events could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
We have adopted and use artificial intelligence ("AI") and other automated technologies in various aspects of our business, including marketing, guest engagement, labor management, forecasting, and administrative functions. These technologies are complex and rapidly evolving, and their use involves risks and uncertainties. AI-based tools may produce inaccurate, incomplete, or biased outputs, may not perform as intended, or may rely on data that is flawed or outdated, which could result in ineffective decision-making or other harms. The use of AI may increase our exposure to cybersecurity, data privacy, and regulatory risks, particularly as legal standards governing AI continue to develop. If we do not effectively adopt and integrate these emerging technologies as quickly or successfully as our competitors, we may be at a competitive disadvantage, experience higher costs, or be less effective in engaging guests and operating our business.
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Our marketing and branding strategies to attract, engage, and retain our guests, including recent and future changes to our loyalty program, may not be successful, which could negatively affect our business.
We routinely refine our communication, advertising, branding, and other marketing strategies to effectively target and compete for customers, but there is no assurance these strategies will be effective. The Red Robin Royalty™ loyalty program has historically contributed to sales and guest count growth. We continue to evolve this program, including the structure, rewards, and guest participation requirements. These changes may not achieve their intended objectives and could result in reduced guest engagement, lower visit frequency, or decreased brand loyalty.
We increasingly rely on data, analytics, and digital tools to inform our marketing, promotional, and guest engagement strategies, including micro-targeting, personalization, and measurement of marketing effectiveness. These strategies depend on the accuracy, completeness, and timeliness of the data we collect and the assumptions and models we use to analyze that data. If our data is incomplete, inaccurate, or not effectively analyzed, or if our marketing strategies based on such data do not resonate with guests, our marketing investments may not generate the expected levels of guest traffic or sales. In addition, our ability to use guest data is subject to evolving privacy laws, regulatory requirements, platform policies, and consumer preferences, which may limit data collection, sharing, or usage and reduce the effectiveness of targeted marketing initiatives, and any failure to comply could subject us to liability.
Damage to our brand image or reputation, including due to unfavorable social and digital media, could adversely impact our business.
Maintaining and enhancing our brand image and reputation is critical to our success. Unfavorable events or rumors, poorly received advertising, negative publicity, and negative information disseminated through social and digital media could impact our brand image and reputation. As part of our marketing efforts, we use social media platforms to promote our concepts and attract and retain guests. Social media provides consumers, employees, and others with the ability to communicate approval or displeasure with a business, in near real time, and provides any individual with the ability to reach a broad audience and with comments that are often not filtered or checked for accuracy. If we are unable to quickly and effectively respond, any negative publicity could "go viral" causing nearly immediate and potentially significant harm to our brand and reputation, whether or not factually accurate. In addition, social media can facilitate the improper disclosure of proprietary information, exposure of personally identifiable information, fraud, or out-of-date information. The inappropriate use of social media by our guests or team members could increase our costs, lead to litigation, or result in negative publicity that could damage our reputation.
Changes in consumer preferences could negatively affect our results of operations.
The restaurant industry is characterized by the continual introduction of new concepts and is subject to rapidly changing consumer preferences, tastes, and eating and purchasing habits. Our restaurants provide a full-service casual dining experience and offer a varied menu consisting of burgers, salads, appetizers, other entrees, desserts, our signature alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, and Donatos® pizza available in a portion of our restaurants. Our success depends, in part, upon the continued popularity of these foods and this style of dining. Shifts in consumer preferences away from this cuisine or dining style could have a material adverse effect on our future profitability. In addition, competitors' use of significant advertising and food discounting could influence our guests' dining choices.
Further, changing health or dietary preferences and current and new medical advancements, such as weight loss medications, may cause consumers to avoid our products in favor of alternative foods or consume less of our products. Consumer preference could be affected by health concerns related to the consumption of beef, chicken, or other food products on our menu, or negative publicity concerning food quality, nutrition, illness, or injury, even if not valid, may negatively affect demand for our food and could result in decreased guest traffic in our restaurants. The food service industry as a whole rests on consumer preferences and demographic trends at the local, regional, and national levels. New information or changes in dietary, nutritional or health guidelines and preferences, among other things, may affect consumer choice and cause consumers to significantly alter their dining choices in ways that adversely affect our sales and profitability.
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We are subject to all of the risks associated with leasing space subject to long-term non-cancelable leases, and risks related to renewal.
As of December 28, 2025, 381 of our 385 Company-owned restaurants are located on leased premises. We have in the past, and may in the future, engage in sale-leaseback transactions, which could further increase the number of our leased properties. Payments under our operating leases account for a significant portion of our operating expenses. We cannot be certain that we will maintain a level of cash flow from operating activities sufficient for us to pay our operating lease expenses. Additional sites that we lease are likely to be subject to similar long-term non-cancelable leases. We have in the past and may in the future close restaurants, including as we continue to evaluate certain underperforming restaurants. In connection with closing restaurants, we may nonetheless be committed to performing our obligations under the applicable lease including, among other things, paying the base rent for the balance of the lease term, incurring termination fees, and other significant one-time cash expenditures. Additionally, closing restaurants has in the past and may in the future result in other significant non-cash charges, including impairments. The Company has a potential contingent lease liability for lease payments related to certain franchisees' lease arrangements. This potential contingent lease liability could increase if the Company sells restaurants to franchisees, as we may be required to remain responsible for lease payments for certain restaurants to the extent the purchasing franchisee defaults on the lease. Upon such default, we may be required to make lease payments and seek recourse against the franchisee or agree to repayment terms.
In addition, as our leases expire, there can be no assurance we will be able to renew our expiring leases after the expiration of renewal options, either on commercially acceptable terms or at all. As a result, we may incur additional costs to operate our restaurants, including increased rent and other costs related to the negotiation of terms of occupancy of an existing leased premise. If we are unable to renew a lease or determine not to renew a lease, there may be costs related to the relocation and development of a replacement restaurant or, if we are unable to relocate, reduced revenue.
Changes in consumer buying patterns, particularly due to declines in traffic near our leased locations, and increases in online sales, may affect our financial condition and results of operations.
The success of our restaurants depends in large part on the performance of our leased locations, which are generally situated in high-traffic retail and entertainment areas such as malls, lifestyle centers, and shopping centers. Our restaurants rely on customer traffic generated by these surrounding locations. Changes in demographic, economic, or consumer behavior patterns, including reduced foot traffic or business closures in these areas, may make certain locations less attractive or profitable. In addition, the continued growth of online shopping has negatively affected traffic at many traditional "brick and mortar" retail centers, which could reduce guest visits to our restaurants. Our ability to relocate underperforming restaurants may also be limited by the availability and cost of suitable alternative sites and by our inability to easilyterminate our long-term lease commitments.
We have invested in off-premises sales, including delivery, pickup options, and catering, to attract guests who are looking for convenience or want to enjoy our food off-premises. While we plan to continue to invest in the growth of our off-premises sales, there can be no guarantee we will maintain or increase such sales. Off-premises sales could also cannibalize dine-in sales, or our systems and procedures may require additional investments in technology or people. A significant portion of our delivery orders are fulfilled through third-party delivery providers, which charge commissions and over whom we have limited control. Delivery drivers may make errors, fail to make timely deliveries, damage our food or poorly represent our brand, which may lead to guest disappointment, reputational harm or unmet sales expectations. While we have introduced an alternative to third party delivery by offering an online Company platform to collect orders and outsource the "last mile" of delivery, we may not be able to convert guests to our platform and that model remains subject to some of the same risks.
Our operations are susceptible to the changes in cost and availability of commodities which could negatively affect our results of operations.
Our profitability depends in part on our ability to anticipate and react to changes in commodity costs. Various factors beyond our control, including adverse weather conditions, governmental regulation and monetary policy, new or increased trade barriers and import tariffs (including retaliatory trade actions), product availability, recalls of food products, and seasonality, as well as the effects of the current macroeconomic environment on our suppliers, may affect our commodity costs or cause a disruption in our supply chain. We seek to mitigate commodity price risk through a combination of purchasing strategies, including fixed-price contracts for certain food and beverage items. However, these arrangements may not fully offset future cost increases and typically cover only a portion of our total commodity needs for limited time periods. As contracts expire, we may be unable to renew them on favorable terms, which could result in higher costs, changes in supplier relationships, or the need to source products from alternative suppliers. In addition, we may not be able to fully pass increased commodity costs on to guests through menu pricing or other actions without adversely affecting guest traffic. If we are unable to effectively manage commodity cost increases or supply disruptions, our results of operations and profitability could be adversely affected.
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We may experience interruptions in the delivery of food and other products from third parties.
Our restaurants depend on frequent deliveries of fresh produce, food, beverages, and other products. This subjects us to the risk of interruptions in food and beverage supplies that may result from a variety of causes including, but not limited to, outbreaks of food-borne illness, disruption of operation of production facilities, transportation disruptions or delays, financial difficulties, including bankruptcy of our suppliers or other unforeseen circumstances, especially where a product comes from a single or small number of suppliers. Such shortages could adversely affect our revenue and profits. Our restaurants bear risks associated with the timeliness of deliveries by suppliers and distributors as well as the solvency, reputation, labor relationships, freight rates, and health and safety standards of each supplier and distributor. We strive to have multiple approved suppliers on key items; however, the Company is undertaking initiatives to consolidate suppliers and there are situations where we only have one approved supplier, which increases the risk to our supply chain if something were to happen to interrupt the supplier's ability to continue supplying the Company. Other significant risks associated with our suppliers and distributors include improper handling of food and beverage products, and/or the adulteration or contamination of such food and beverage products.
Price increases may negatively affect guest visits.
From time to time, we increase menu prices, primarily to offset increased costs and operating expenses. We cannot provide assurance that any future menu price increases will not deter guests from visiting our restaurants, reduce the frequency of their visits, or affect their purchasing decisions.
New or improved technologies or changes in consumer behavior facilitated by these technologies could negatively affect our business.
Consumer behavior continues to evolve regarding restaurant technology expectations, and we may not be able to meet those changing demands. Our competitors, some with greater resources, may capitalize on emerging technologies or shifts in consumer preferences, potentially weakening our competitive position. Certain technology initiatives require significant capital investment, including addressing aging hardware and software infrastructure and components nearing end-of-life, necessitating careful evaluation against other business priorities. Aging hardware and outdated systems, as well as the process to upgrade or replace hardware and systems, increases the risk of system failures, business disruptions, and degraded guest experiences.
We may expand our restaurant base as a component of our long-term growth, and our ability to open and profitably operate new restaurants is subject to factors beyond our control.
Our resources are currently allocated to increasing performance in our existing base of restaurants, but we may expand our restaurant base as a component of our long-term growth. The expansion of our restaurant base depends upon numerous factors, some of which are out of our control, including the cost and availability of capital, the ability to attract qualified operating team members to staff new restaurants, the ability to secure available and suitable restaurant sites on favorable lease and construction terms, timely adherence to development schedules, and competition that may affect consumer spending. New or less mature restaurants, once opened, may vary in profitability and levels of operating revenue for six months or more, and there are no assurance new restaurants will attain operating results similar to those of existing restaurants. Delays or failures in opening new restaurants, or the inability to profitably operate them once opened, could materially and adversely affect our planned growth.
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The ongoing need for maintenance and improvements at our existing restaurants requires us to spend significant capital and we may not achieve a return on investment.
Many of our existing restaurants are mature and require capital expenditures for maintenance and improvement to remain competitive and maintain our brand standard. Under our First Choice plan, we have begun, and plan to continue, investing in our restaurants by addressing critical deferred maintenance needs, such as flooring updates, internal finishings, furniture repairs, and exterior improvements that directly impact guest perceptions and experience, as well as in new technology. Additionally, we have evaluated and may undertake in the future a more substantial restaurant renovation program. These initiatives involve significant capital expenditures. If we do not make these capital investments or do not achieve a return on the investment, our business, financial condition, and our ability to compete effectively could be harmed.
Our tactical refranchising initiatives may not be completed on favorable terms or completed at all and may not result in the anticipated financial benefits.
As part of our First Choice plan, we are evaluating tactical refranchising opportunities to optimize our overall financing structure and strengthen our balance sheet. Tactical refranchising initiatives require significant management time and resources and may divert attention from day-to-day operations and other strategic priorities. The timing, pricing, and structure of any tactical refranchising transactions depend on market conditions and the availability and interest of qualified franchisees. Delays in execution, unexpected costs, or challenges in integrating franchisees into our system could limit the effectiveness of tactical refranchising efforts. Any such transactions are expected to result in a shift from Company-owned restaurant revenues to franchise royalty income. If our tactical refranchising initiatives are unsuccessful or do not achieve intended objectives, including improvements in liquidity and reductions in general and administrative expenses and long term debt, our business, financial condition, and results of operations could be materially adversely affected.
We are subject to the risks presented by acquisitions or dispositions of restaurants.
In the past, we have acquired franchised restaurants and disposed of restaurants. In the future, we may, from time to time, consider opportunistic acquisitions or dispositions of restaurants beyond the tactical refranchising initiatives described above. Any future acquisitions or dispositions will be accompanied by the risks commonly encountered in such transactions, including difficulty integrating operations and team members, potential disruption to our ongoing business, potential distraction of management, impact on the Company's financial condition, and the impairment of relationships with team members and guests as a result in changes in ownership and management.
The large number of Company-owned restaurants concentrated in the Western United States makes us susceptible to changes in economic and other trends in that region.
As of December 28, 2025, a total of 162 or 42% of our 385 Company-owned restaurants, representing 50% of restaurant revenues, were located in the Western United States (i.e., Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, and Washington). As a result of our geographic concentration, negative publicity regarding any of our restaurants in the Western United States, as well as regional differences in the legal, regulatory, and litigation environment, could have a material adverse effect on our business and operations, as could other regional occurrences such as local strikes, regional cost-of-living increases, energy shortages, or increases in energy prices, droughts, earthquakes, fires, or other natural disasters.
We rely on our management team for the development and execution of our business strategy and the loss of a member of our management team could negatively affect our operating results.
Our success depends in part on the contributions of our management team and other key personnel to develop and execute our business strategy. We recently experienced a transition in leadership, and the effects of this transition, or any future leadership changes, could disrupt our business and adversely affect our performance. Leadership transitions, even when planned, involve inherent risks, including potential disruptions to strategic continuity, loss of institutional knowledge, changes in management priorities, and challenges associated with integrating new leaders into the organization. The process of recruiting leadership is time-consuming and competitive and may divert management’s attention, and there can be no assurance we will be successful in identifying and retaining qualified candidates on acceptable terms or within desired timeframes. Additional turnover on our management team or the failure to implement an appropriate succession plan could disrupt our business and prevent us from achieving our business strategy and initiatives, which could adversely affect our operating results.
If we are unable to successfully attract, retain, and motivate qualified restaurant management and operations team members in a competitive market, we may be unable to effectively operate and grow our business and revenues, which could materially adversely affect our financial performance.
Our ability to attract, retain, and motivate qualified management and operations team members is central to providing the desired guest and team member experience in our restaurants and delivering on our business strategy. The market for qualified talent continues to be competitive, which could increase our labor costs if we need to take additional measures to provide competitive wages, benefits, and workplace conditions. Changes in immigration laws and regulations could decrease the pool of
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candidates with legal work authorizations, causing disruption in the workforce for all companies that rely on hourly workers. If we are unable to recruit, retain and motivate qualified people, our restaurants could be short staffed, we may be forced to incur overtime expenses, hourly team member turnover could increase, and our ability to operate our restaurants effectively could be limited, and the guest experience could be negatively affected, leading to a decline in traffic and sales, which could materially adversely affect our financial performance. Further, an inability to adequately monitor and proactively respond to any potential team member dissatisfaction could lead to poor guest satisfaction, higher turnover, litigation and unionization, which could impact our ability to effectively operate and grow our business and revenues.
Our ability to attract, motivate, and retain our management team and key personnel may be affected by the market price of our common stock and the availability of shares under our equity compensation plan, and we may need to provide alternative compensation incentives.
Equity-based compensation is an important component of our overall compensation strategy for our management team and key personnel. The market price and volatility of our common stock may affect the value or perceived value of equity awards and our ability to effectively use equity compensation to attract, motivate, and retain qualified personnel. Low stock price levels or significant volatility may require us to grant a greater number of shares to achieve intended compensation levels, which could increase dilution to existing stockholders. Our ability to grant equity-based compensation is subject to the availability of shares under our 2024 Performance Incentive Plan. If sufficient shares are not available, or if stockholder approval is required and not obtained to increase the number of authorized shares under such plan, our ability to continue granting equity awards could be limited and we may need to rely on cash compensation or alternative incentives to remain competitive, which could increase our compensation expense and adversely affect our operating results.
Our results of operations may fluctuate significantly due to various risks and unexpected circumstances, including adverse weather conditions, natural disasters, climate change, pandemics, catastrophic events, and other factors outside our control that could increase costs, disrupt our supply change, and impact seasonality, among other things.
We are subject to a number of significant risks that might cause our quarterly and annual results to fluctuate significantly or be negatively affected. Adverse weather conditions, natural disasters (such as earthquakes, hurricanes, and wildfires), climate change, pandemics, or catastrophic events, such as terrorist acts, can adversely impact restaurant sales, as they may keep customers in the affected area from dining out, adversely affect consumer spending and confidence levels. These events may also impact the cost and availability of key commodities such as beef, poultry, potatoes, and other important ingredients in our products; cause material disruptions in our supply chain; impact borrowings and interest rates; cause damage to or closure of restaurants, or result in lostopportunities for our restaurants.
Moreover, our business fluctuates seasonally. Historically, sales in most of our restaurants have been higher during the spring and summer months and winter holiday season due to factors including our retail-oriented location and family appeal. The timing of holidays and school vacations may affect the seasonal operating results in the areas impacted. As a result, our quarterly and annual operating results and comparable restaurant sales may fluctuate significantly as a result of seasonality and the factors outside of our control discussed above. Accordingly, results for any one quarter or year are not necessarily indicative of results to be expected for any other quarter or for any year, and comparable restaurant sales for any particular future period may decrease.
Our franchisees could take actions that could harm our business, expose us to liability, or damage our reputation.
Franchisees are independent entities and are not our employees, partners, or affiliates. If our franchised restaurant base grows due to tactical refranchising initiatives, then we may rely more heavily on franchisees to operate restaurants in compliance with our brand standards, operating procedures, and applicable law. If our franchisees are not successful, then our business, results of operations, and reputation could be disproportionatelyadversely affected by the relative scale of such franchise operations. We share with our franchisees what we believe to be best practices in the restaurant industry; however, franchisees operate their restaurants as independent businesses. Consequently, the quality of franchised restaurant operations may be diminished by any number of factors beyond our control. Moreover, franchisees may not successfully operate restaurants in a manner consistent with our standards and requirements or may not hire and train qualified managers and other restaurant team members. In addition, as independent businesses, franchisees may not be required to comply with the same levels of business or regulatory compliance we are. While we try to ensure the quality of our brand and compliance with our operating standards, and the confidentiality thereof, are maintained by all of our franchisees, we cannot provide assurance our franchisees will avoid actions that negatively affect the reputation of Red Robin or the value of our proprietary information. Our image and reputation and the image and reputation of other franchisees may suffer materially, and system-wide sales could significantly decline if our franchisees do not operate restaurants according to our standards.
We are subject to federal and state laws that regulate the offer and sale of franchises and aspects of the licensor-licensee relationship. Further, there have been historical actions before the National Labor Relations Board ("NLRB") where it was alleged that a parent company could be held liable for the actions of its franchisees, including potentially jointly liable for labor and wage violations by its franchisees. Failure to comply with the laws and regulations governing our franchisee relationships
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or adverse decisions similar to the above-described NLRB actions could subject us to liability for actions of the franchisees, or expose us to liability to franchisees, or fines and penalties for non-compliance.
Food safety and food-borne illness concerns, and any related unfavorable publicity could have an adverse effect on our business.
We dedicate substantial resources to ensuring our guests enjoy safe, quality food products. Nonetheless, restaurant businesses such as ours can be adversely affected by publicity resulting from complaints or litigation regarding poor food quality, food-borne illness, personal injury, food tampering, communicable disease, adverse health effects of consumption of various food products or high-calorie foods, or other concerns. Food safety issues also could be caused by food suppliers or distributors and, as a result, could be out of our control. Regardless of the source or cause, any report of food-borne illnesses such as E. coli, norovirus, listeria, hepatitis A, salmonella, or trichinosis, as well as other food safety issues including food tampering or contamination, at one of our or a franchisee's restaurants, could adversely affect our reputation and have a negative impact on our sales. Even instances of food-borne illness, food tampering or food contamination occurring solely at our competitors’ restaurants, suppliers or distributors (even if we do not work with them) could result in negative publicity about the food service industry generally and adversely impact our sales. The occurrence of food safety issues could also adversely affect the price and availability of affected ingredients, resulting in higher costs and lower margins.
Our business could be adversely affected by increased labor costs, including costs related to the increase in minimum wage and new health care laws.
Labor is a primary component in the cost of operating our business. Increased labor costs, whether due to our business model, competition, unionization, increased minimum and tip wage, state unemployment rates, employee benefits costs, or otherwise, may adversely impact our operating expenses. A considerable amount of our restaurant team members is paid at rates related to the federal, state, or local minimum wage. Further, we have a substantial number of restaurants located in states or municipalities where the minimum wage is greater than the current federal minimum wage, including California, Colorado, New York, Oregon, and Washington. Because we employ a large workforce, any wage increase and/or expansion of benefit mandates will have a particularly significant impact on our labor costs. Our vendors, contractors and business partners are similarly impacted by wage and benefit cost inflation, and many have or will increase their price for goods, construction and services in order to offset their increasing labor costs.
In the past, many of our eligible team members chose not to participate in our Company-sponsored health care plans for various reasons, but we may still experience higher health care costs due to increased utilization, medical cost trends, and regulatory or plan design changes. Our distributors and suppliers also may be affected by higher minimum wage or health care costs, which could result in higher costs for goods and services supplied to us. A shortage in the labor pool or other general inflationary pressures or changes could also increase our labor costs.
While we try to offset labor cost increases through price increases, more efficient purchasing practices, productivity improvements, changing staffing models, greater economies of scale and by offering a variety of health plans to our team members, there can be no assurance that these efforts will be successful. If we are unable to anticipate and offset increased labor costs, our financial performance could be materially adversely affected. Further, changes to our staffing models in our restaurants due to labor costs or any labor shortages could negatively impact our ability to provide adequate service levels to our guests, which could result in adverse guest reactions and a possible reduction in guest traffic at our restaurants.
Our failure to remain in compliance with governmental laws and regulations as they continually evolve, and the associated costs of compliance, could cause our business results to suffer.
Our business is subject to extensive and frequently changing government laws and regulations, including, among others, those relating to our employees, public health and safety, food safety, alcoholic beverage control, public accommodations, data privacy and security, securities regulation, and consumer health regulations, including those pertaining to nutritional content and menu labeling. Compliance with these laws and regulations can be complex, costly, and time-consuming, and we may not be able to maintain compliance in all circumstances despite our efforts. Changes in applicable laws or regulatory requirements, or failure to comply with them, could result in increased litigation, governmental investigations or enforcement actions, revocation of required licenses or permits, fines, penalties, or civil or criminal liability, any of which could increase our costs or interfere with our ability to operate our business and execute our strategies.
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Various employment and labor laws govern our relationship with team members and effect operating costs. These laws govern employee classification, wage rates, fair scheduling and payment requirements including tip credit laws and overtime pay, meal and rest breaks, unemployment and other taxes, health care and benefits, workers' compensation rates, labor relations, work authorization regulations, and discriminatory conduct. Changes in these laws, increased enforcement, or failure to comply could require operational changes that harm our operating results, increase labor costs, disrupt our workforce, or result in litigation or penalties. For example, we rely on team members to provide accurate work authorization documentation and to report gratuities received, which we use for payroll and FICA tax reporting purposes. Inaccurate reporting or noncompliance could subject us to monetary or other liabilities. In addition, our operating results could be adversely affected by increases in minimum or tipped wages, overtime requirements, paid leave mandates, health benefit obligations, tax reporting requirements related to gratuities, reductions in the availability of tip credits, or increased employee litigation, including claims under federal or state wage and hour laws.
In recent years, there has been an evolving public focus on corporate responsibility, including environmental, social, and governance matters. As a result, we have experienced increased expectations and costs to provide expanded disclosure and make commitments, establish goals or set targets with respect to various corporate responsibility issues, such as the reduction of greenhouse gases, and to take the actions necessary to meet those commitments, goals and targets, and these expectations and costs have and may continue to vary across jurisdictions in which we operate. If we are not effective in addressing these matters, consumer trust in our brand may suffer. As public and political sentiment regarding corporate responsibility has evolved, we may now also face the additional risk of reputational harm, litigation, or other challenges from stakeholders opposed to corporate responsibility initiatives. Our results of operation and financial condition could be adversely impacted if we are unable to effectively manage the risks and costs associated with corporate responsibility matters.
We are subject to "dram shop" statutes in some states. These statutes generally allow a person injured by an intoxicated person to recover damages from an establishment that wrongfully served alcoholic beverages to such intoxicated person. Failure to comply with alcoholic beverage control or dram shop regulations could subject us to liability and could negatively affect our business.
Our future success depends on our ability to protect our intellectual property.
Our business prospects will depend in part on our ability to protect our proprietary information and intellectual property, including the Red Robin, Red Robin Gourmet Burgers®, Red Robin America's Gourmet Burgers & Spirits®, YUMMM®, Red Robin Gourmet Burgers and Brews TM , and Red Robin Royalty TM names and logos. We have registered or filed applications for trademarks for these names and logos, among others, with the United States Patent and Trademark Office and in Canada and we have applied to register various trademarks in certain other international jurisdictions. Our trademarks could be infringed in ways that leave us without redress, such as by imitation or by filings by others in jurisdictions where we are not currently registered. In addition, we rely on trade secrets and proprietary know-how in operating our restaurants, and we employ various methods to protect these trade secrets and proprietary know-how. However, such methods may not afford adequate protection, and others could independently develop similar know-how or obtain access to our know-how, concepts, and recipes. Consequently, our business could be negatively affected and less profitable if we are unable to successfullydefend and protect our intellectual property.
Changes in tax laws and unanticipated tax liabilities could adversely affect our financial results.
We are primarily subject to income and other taxes in the United States. Our effective income tax rate and other taxes could be adversely affected by a number of factors, including changes in the valuation of deferred tax assets and liabilities, changes in tax laws, regulations, interpretations, or enforcement practices, and the outcome of income tax or other tax audits. Future change to tax laws could have a negative impact to the Company's effective tax rate and cash tax refunds. Additionally, while we believe our tax estimates are reasonable, the final determination of tax audits and tax litigation could be materially different from our historical income tax provisions and accruals. The results of a tax audit could have a material effect on our results of operations or cash flows in the period which the final determination is made.
A significant increase in litigation could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
As a member of the restaurant industry, we are sometimes the subject of complaints or litigation, including class action lawsuits, or from guests alleging illness, injury, or other food quality, health, or operational concerns. Negative publicity resulting from these allegations could harm our restaurants, regardless of whether the allegations are valid or whether we are liable. In addition, we are subject to the same risks of negative publicity resulting from these sorts of allegations even if the claim actually involves one of our franchisees.
Any failure by us (or claims of failure) to comply with the various federal and state labor laws governing our relationship with our team members including requirements pertaining to minimum wage, overtime pay, meal and rest breaks, unemployment tax rates, workers' compensation rates, work authorization, and discriminatory conduct, may have a material
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adverse effect on our business or operations. We have been subject to such claims from time to time. The possibility of a material adverse effect on our business relating to employment litigation is even more pronounced given the high concentration of team members employed in the Western United States, as this region, and California in particular, has a substantial amount of legislative and judicial activity pertaining to employment-related issues. Further, employee claimsagainst us based on, among other things, discrimination, harassment, or wrongfultermination may divert our financial and management resources that would otherwise be used to benefit the future performance of our operations. Litigation proceedings are subject to inherent uncertainties, and we have in the past received, and may in the future receive, unfavorable rulings.
Labor organizing could adversely affect our operations and harm our competitive position in the restaurant industry, which could harm our financial performance.
Our employees or others may attempt to unionize our workforce, establish boycotts or picket lines or interrupt our supply chains which could increase our labor costs, limit our ability to manage our workforce effectively, and cause disruptions to our operations. A loss of our ability to effectively manage our workforce and the compensation and benefits we offer to our staff members could harm our financial performance.
Our current insurance may not provide adequate levels of coverage againstclaims.
There are types of losses we may incur that cannot be insured against or that we believe are not economically reasonable to insure against. Such losses could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations. In addition, we self-insure a significant portion of expected losses under our employee health, workers' compensation, general liability, property, and cyber insurance programs. Unanticipated changes in the actuarial assumptions and management estimates underlying our reserves for these losses could result in materially different amounts of expense under these programs, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations, and liquidity. Failure to obtain and maintain adequate directors' and officers' insurance could materially adversely affect our ability to attract and retain qualified officers and directors.
Risks Related to Owning Our Stock
The market price of our common stock is subject to volatility, which has and may continue to attract the interest of activist stockholders or subject us to securities litigation, which could cause us to incur significant expenses, divert management attention, hinder execution of our strategy, and impact our stock price.
The market price of our common stock has experienced volatility and historic lows, and may continue to fluctuate significantly due to a number of factors, including actual or anticipated variations in our operating results or those of our competitors as compared to analyst expectations, changes in financial estimates or recommendations by research analysts, and announcements of significant transactions or strategic initiatives by us or other companies in the restaurant industry. In addition, the equity markets have experienced price and volume fluctuations that affect the stock price of companies in ways unrelated to the operating performance of individual companies.
Such volatility has recently, and may in the future, attract the interest of activist stockholders seeking to influence our strategic direction, governance practices, operations, or capital allocation decisions. In addition, volatility in stock prices could in the future result in securities class action litigation. Responding to activist stockholder activity or securities litigation is costly and time-consuming and diverts management and Board attention from executing our strategy. The uncertainty associated with such matters could further contribute to volatility in the market price of our common stock and adversely affect stockholder value.
We may not repurchase our common stock pursuant to our share repurchase program, and any repurchases may not enhance long-term stockholder value. Share repurchases could also increase the volatility of the price of our common stock and could diminish our cash reserves.
The Company has an authorized share repurchase program. We are not obligated to repurchase shares of common stock under the repurchase program, and the repurchase program may be suspended or terminated at any time. The amount, timing, and execution of repurchases under this repurchase program may fluctuate, and any repurchases by us of our shares of common stock may further reduce cash available for operations and future growth, as well as debt repayment. Our ability to repurchase stock will depend on our ability to generate sufficient cash flows from operations, as supplemented our capacity to borrow funds, which may be subject to economic, financial, competitive and other factors that are beyond our control. Further, our credit facility limits our ability to repurchase shares according to certain conditions set forth by the lenders. Making share repurchases, or alternatively limiting or halting share repurchases under our share repurchase program may negatively impact investor perception of us and may therefore affect the market price and volatility of our stock.
Our primary source of revenue is from the sale of food and beverages at Company-owned restaurants. We also earn revenue from royalties and fees from franchised restaurants.
Highlights for Fiscal 2025 Compared to Fiscal 2024
• Total revenues were $1.21 billion, a decrease of $38.3 million from fiscal 2024.
• Comparable restaurant revenue (1) decreased 0.3% from fiscal 2024, excluding a 0.4% unfavorable impact of deferred loyalty revenue.
• Net loss was $23.3 million, as compared to a net loss of $77.5 million in fiscal 2024.
• Adjusted EBITDA (2) was $69.7 million, a 52.8% increase from fiscal 2024.
(1) Comparable restaurant revenue represents revenue from Company-owned restaurants that have operated for at least 18 months as of the beginning of the period presented.
(2) See below for a reconciliation of adjusted EBITDA, a non-GAAP measure, to net income (loss).
Key Performance Indicators
Restaurant revenue, compared to the same period in the prior year, is presented in the table below:
(millions)
Restaurant revenue for the fifty-two weeks ended December 29, 2024
Change in comparable restaurant revenue
Change in non-comparable restaurant revenue
Total change
Restaurant revenue for the fifty-two weeks ended December 28, 2025
Restaurant Data
The following table details restaurant unit data for our Company-owned and franchised locations for the periods indicated:
Fifty-Two Weeks Ended
Fifty-Two Weeks Ended
December 28, 2025
December 29, 2024
Company-owned:
Beginning of period
Closed
End of period
Franchised:
Beginning of period
Closed
End of period
Total number of restaurants, end of period
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The following table presents total Company-owned and franchised restaurants by state or province as of December 28, 2025:
Company-Owned Restaurants
Franchised Restaurants
State:
Arkansas
Alaska
Alabama
Arizona
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Iowa
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Massachusetts
Maryland
Maine
Michigan
Minnesota
Missouri
Montana
North Carolina
Nebraska
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
Nevada
New York
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Virginia
Washington
Wisconsin
Province:
British Columbia
Total
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Results of Operations
Operating results for each fiscal period presented below are expressed as a percentage of total revenues, except for the components of restaurant operating costs, which are expressed as a percentage of restaurant revenue. Certain percentage amounts in the table below do not total due to rounding as well as restaurant operating costs being expressed as a percentage of restaurant revenue and not total revenues.
(1) Expressed as a percentage of restaurant revenue.
Revenues
(Revenues in thousands)
Percent Change
Restaurant revenue
Franchise revenue
Other revenue
Total revenues
Average weekly net sales volumes in Company-owned restaurants (1)
Total operating weeks
(1) Average weekly net sales volumes represents the total restaurant revenue for all Company-owned Red Robin restaurants for each time period presented, divided by the number of operating weeks in the period.
Restaurant revenue, which was comprised primarily of food and beverage sales, decreased $34.5 million in fiscal 2025, or 2.8%, as compared to fiscal 2024. Of the $34.5 million decrease, $8.3 million, or 0.7% including the change in recognition of
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deferred loyalty revenue, was due to a decrease in comparable restaurant revenue and the remaining $26.2 million decrease was due to non-comparable restaurants, primarily attributed to the closure of 22 locations during fiscal 2025. Excluding the change in deferred loyalty revenue, comparable restaurant revenue decreased by 0.3%, driven by a 3.8% decrease in guest count, partially offset by a 3.5% increase in average guest check. The increase in average guest check was driven by a 4.2% net price increase, offset partially by a 0.7% decrease in menu mix. The decrease in menu mix was primarily driven by guests' adoption of our new value offering and growth in our catering business that contributes to a lower average guest check when compared to our other channels. Dine-in sales comprised 75.6% of total food and beverage sales in fiscal 2025, as compared to 77.0% in fiscal 2024.
Franchise revenue primarily included royalty income and advertising fund contributions. Franchise revenue decreased $0.9 million, or 5.8%, in fiscal 2025 compared to fiscal 2024, driven by a decrease in the franchisee contribution rate for marketing programs and lower franchise royalties, offset partially by transfer fee revenue earned in conjunction with a franchisee to franchisee sale. The percentage of sales each franchisee is required to contribute could change in the future, as we expect to align contributions with spending levels, subject to compliance with the respective franchise agreement. Franchise restaurants reported a decrease of 2.4% in comparable restaurant revenue in fiscal 2025 compared to an increase of 2.6% in fiscal 2024.
Other revenue decreased by $3.0 million, or 32.0% in fiscal 2025 compared to fiscal 2024. The reduction in other revenue in fiscal 2025 compared to fiscal 2024 was primarily related to lower gift card breakage in the current year.
Cost of Sales
(In thousands, except percentages)
Percent Change
Cost of sales
As a percent of restaurant revenue
Cost of sales, which was comprised of food and beverage costs, was variable and generally fluctuated with sales volume. Cost of sales as a percentage of restaurant revenue was unchanged compared to the same period in fiscal 2024, primarily due to benefits from pricing and cost saving implementations that were offset by inflation.
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Labor
(In thousands, except percentages)
Percent Change
Labor
As a percent of restaurant revenue
Labor costs included restaurant-level hourly wages and management salaries as well as related taxes and benefits. Labor as a percentage of restaurant revenue decreased 250 basis points in fiscal 2025 as compared to fiscal 2024. The decrease was primarily driven by ongoing efforts to increase hourly and management labor efficiency, reduced turnover, and benefit from menu price increases, partially offset by wage inflation and deleverage from reduced guest counts.
Other Operating
(In thousands, except percentages)
Percent Change
Other operating
As a percent of restaurant revenue
Other operating costs included costs such as equipment repairs and maintenance costs, restaurant supplies, utilities, restaurant technology, and other miscellaneous costs. Other operating costs as a percentage of restaurant revenue increased 20 basis points in fiscal 2025 as compared to fiscal 2024. The increase was primarily driven by higher third party commission expenses associated with the increase in third party delivery sales and deleverage from reduced guest counts, partially offset by the benefit of menu price increases.
Occupancy
(In thousands, except percentages)
Percent Change
Occupancy
As a percent of restaurant revenue
Occupancy costs included fixed rents, property taxes, common area maintenance charges, general liability insurance, contingent rents, and other property costs. Occupancy costs as a percentage of restaurant revenues increased 30 basis points in fiscal 2025 compared to fiscal 2024, primarily due to increased general liability insurance reserves. The increase also reflected deleverage resulting from lower restaurant sales driven by reduced guest counts, partially offset in part by menu price increases and reduced costs associated with the closure of 22 locations in fiscal 2025.
Depreciation and Amortization
(In thousands, except percentages)
Percent Change
Depreciation and amortization
As a percent of total revenues
Depreciation and amortization included depreciation on capital expenditures for restaurants and corporate assets as well as amortization of reacquired franchise rights, leasehold interests, and certain liquor licenses. Depreciation and amortization expense as a percentage of revenue decreased 30 basis points in fiscal 2025 compared to fiscal 2024. The decrease was primarily due to asset impairments and restaurant closures, both of which reduced the depreciable asset base.
General and Administrative Expenses
(In thousands, except percentages)
Percent Change
General and administrative
As a percent of total revenues
General and administrative costs include all corporate and administrative functions. Components of this category included our restaurant support center, regional, and franchise support salaries and benefits, travel and meetings, professional and consulting fees, corporate information systems, legal expenses, and office rent.
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General and administrative expenses decreased $5.5 million or 6.7% in fiscal 2025 as compared to fiscal 2024. The decrease in fiscal 2025 as compared to fiscal 2024 was primarily related to a reduction in team member costs associated with lower headcount and cost incurred for annual partner recognition events in the prior year. This decrease was partially offset by higher accrued incentive compensation expense due to the Company's improved financial performance.
Selling Expenses
(In thousands, except percentages)
Percent Change
Selling
As a percent of total revenues
Selling costs were comprised of all marketing and advertising costs and decreased $5.4 million or 14.7% in fiscal 2025 as compared to fiscal 2024. The decrease was primarily driven by intentionally reducing paid media spend in the first half of the current fiscal year as we developed our new marketing strategy that launched in the third quarter of fiscal 2025.
Other (Gains) Charges, net
(In thousands)
Asset impairment and restaurant closure costs, net
Gain on sale of restaurant property
Severance and executive transition
Litigation contingencies
Asset disposal and other, net
Other (gains) charges, net
During fiscal 2025, the Company closed 22 locations and is continuing to evaluate alternatives for our remaining underperforming restaurant locations, including closure upon expiration of the current lease term. The Company recognized non-cash impairment charges of $2.7 million, which were primarily associated with this review of underperforming locations.
During fiscal 2024, the Company closed eight underperforming locations. The Company recognized non-cash impairment charges of $32.8 million, primarily associated with the review of underperforming locations.
For further information on other (gains) charges line items, refer to Note 4. Other (Gains) Charges, net and Note 9. Fair Value Measurements of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Part II, Item 8 Financial Statements and Supplementary Data of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Interest Expense
Interest expense in fiscal years 2025 and 2024 were $26.0 million and $25.3 million, respectively. The $0.7 million increase was primarily due to an increase in the weighted average interest rate to 14.2% in fiscal 2025 compared to 13.6% in fiscal 2024. Average outstanding debt in fiscal years 2025 and 2024 was $180.9 million and $187.8 million, respectively.
Interest Income and Other
Interest income and other decreased by $0.6 million in fiscal 2025 primarily due to lower interest income earned on cash investments.
Income Tax (Benefit) Provision
Income tax provision was $0.3 million in fiscal 2025, compared to an income tax benefit of $0.1 million in fiscal 2024. Our effective tax rate was 1.1% in fiscal 2025 as compared to a 0.1% benefit in fiscal 2024.
The taxes recognized are immaterial as the Company has net operating losses and tax credits to reduce current taxes and a full valuation allowance against all deferred taxes, which collectively minimize the taxes paid and recognized.
Non-GAAP Financial Measures
In addition to the results provided in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("GAAP"), we provide certain non-GAAP measures, which present operating results on an adjusted basis. These are supplemental measures of performance that are not required by or presented in accordance with GAAP and include the following: (i) Restaurant level operating profit, (ii) net income (loss) before interest expense, income taxes, and depreciation and amortization ("EBITDA"), (iii) adjusted EBITDA, and (iv) adjusted net income (loss) per diluted share.
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We believe that our use of non-GAAP financial measures permits investors to assess the operating performance of our business relative to our performance based on GAAP results and relative to other companies within the restaurant industry by isolating the effects of certain items that may vary from period to period without correlation to core operating performance or that vary widely among similar companies. We believe that the disclosure of these non-GAAP measures is useful to investors as they form part of the basis for how our management team and our Board of Directors evaluate our operating performance, allocate resources and establish employee incentive plans. Determination of these adjustments involves the application of judgment, therefore these non-GAAP financial measures are not intended to replace GAAP financial measures, and they are not necessarily standardized or comparable to similarly titled measures used by other companies. Refer to the reconciliations of non-GAAP measures for descriptions of the actual adjustments made in the current period and the corresponding prior period.
Restaurant Level Operating Profit
The Company believes restaurant level operating profit is an important measure for management and investors because it is widely regarded in the restaurant industry as a useful metric by which to evaluate restaurant level operating efficiency and performance. The Company defines restaurant level operating profit to be income from operations less franchise revenue and other revenue, plus other (gains) charges, net, selling, general and administrative, and depreciation and amortization. The measure includes restaurant level occupancy costs that include fixed rents, percentage rents, common area maintenance charges, real estate and personal property taxes, general liability insurance, and other property costs, but excludes depreciation and amortization expense, substantially all of which is related to restaurant level assets, because such expenses represent historical sunk costs which do not reflect current cash outlay for the restaurants. The measure also excludes costs associated with selling, general and administrative functions, as well as other (gains) charges, net because these costs are non-operating and therefore not related to the ongoing operations of its restaurants. Restaurant level operating profit is not a measurement determined in accordance with GAAP and should not be considered in isolation, or as an alternative, to income (loss) from operations as an indicator of financial performance. Restaurant level operating profit as presented may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures of other companies in the Company's industry.
The following table reconciles income (loss) from operations to restaurant level operating profit in thousands and in percent of total revenue for the period presented:
Fifty-Two Weeks Ended
Fifty-Two Weeks Ended
December 28, 2025
December 29, 2024
Income (loss) from operations
Less:
Franchise revenue and other revenue
Add:
Other (gains) charges, net
General and administrative
Selling
Depreciation and amortization
Restaurant level operating profit
Income (loss) from operations as a percentage of total revenues
Restaurant level operating profit margin (as a percentage of restaurant revenue)
A summary view of restaurant level operating profit by financial statement line item and related restaurant level expenses operating expenses as a percent of restaurant revenues are presented in the tables below:
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Fifty-Two Weeks Ended
Fifty-Two Weeks Ended
2025 compared to 2024
(Dollars in millions)
December 28, 2025
December 29, 2024
Increase/(Decrease)
Restaurant revenue
Restaurant operating costs:
Cost of sales
Labor
Other operating
Occupancy
Total restaurant operating costs
Restaurant level operating profit
Fifty-Two Weeks Ended
Fifty-Two Weeks Ended
2025 compared to 2024
(Dollars in millions)
December 28, 2025
December 29, 2024
Increase/(Decrease)
Restaurant revenue
Restaurant operating costs:
(Percentage of Restaurant Revenue)
(Basis Points)
Cost of sales
Labor
Other operating
Occupancy
Total restaurant operating costs
Restaurant level operating profit
Certain percentage and basis point amounts in the table above do not total due to rounding as well as restaurant operating costs being expressed as a percentage of restaurant revenue and not total revenues.
EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA
We define EBITDA as net income (loss) before interest expense, income taxes, and depreciation and amortization. Adjusted EBITDA is EBITDA, further adjusted to exclude the impact of non-operating items including changes in estimates, asset impairments, litigation contingencies, gains (losses) on debt extinguishment, restaurant and office closure costs, gains (losses) on restaurant sales, severance and executive transition costs, stock-based compensation expense and other non-cash or discrete items. EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA are supplemental measures of our performance that we believe gives the reader additional insight into the ongoing operational results of the Company.
The following table reconciles net income (loss) to adjusted EBITDA in thousands for the period presented:
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Fifty-Two Weeks Ended
Fifty-Two Weeks Ended
December 28, 2025
December 29, 2024
Net income (loss) as reported
Interest expense, net (1)
Income tax (benefit) provision
Depreciation and amortization
EBITDA
Stock-based compensation expense (2)
Other (gains) charges, net:
Asset impairment and restaurant closure costs, net
Gain on sale of restaurant property
Severance and executive transition
Litigation contingencies
Asset disposal and other, net
Adjusted EBITDA
(1) Interest expense, net was comprised of interest expense and interest income, the latter of which was included in interest (income) and other, net on the Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Loss).
(2) Consisted of compensation expense associated with stock-based awards including phantom performance awards that may be settled in stock or cash at the Company's option.
Adjusted Net Income (loss) Per Diluted Share
We define adjusted net income (loss) per diluted share as net income (loss) excluding the impact of non-operating items including changes in estimates, asset impairments, litigation contingencies, gains (losses) on debt extinguishment, restaurant and office closure costs, gains (losses) on restaurant sales, severance and executive transition costs, stock-based compensation expense and other non-cash or discrete items; net of income tax impacts. Adjusted net income (loss) per share - diluted is a supplemental measure of our performance that we believe gives the reader additional insight into the ongoing operational results of the Company.
The following table reconciles net income (loss) per share - diluted to adjusted net income (loss) per share - diluted:
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Fifty-Two Weeks Ended
Fifty-Two Weeks Ended
(Dollars and shares in thousands, except per share amounts)
December 28, 2025
December 29, 2024
Net income (loss) as reported
Income (loss) per share - diluted:
Net income (loss) as reported
Stock-based compensation expense (1)
Other (gains) charges, net:
Asset impairment and restaurant closure costs, net
Gain on sale of restaurant property
Severance and executive transition
Litigation contingencies
Asset disposal and other, net
Income tax effect (2)
Adjusted net income (loss) per share - diluted
Weighted average shares outstanding
Basic
Diluted (3)
(1) Consisted of compensation expense associated with stock-based awards including phantom performance awards that may be settled in stock or cash at the Company's option.
(2) Assumed a 26% income tax rate, representing a blended average of federal and state statutory rates.
(3) Antidilutive securities were excluded from the computation of diluted earnings per share because the Company reported a net loss for the period.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Cash and cash equivalents, and restricted cash decreased $9.9 million to $29.5 million on December 28, 2025, from $39.4 million at the beginning of the fiscal year. As of December 28, 2025, the Company had approximately $56.9 million in liquidity, including cash and cash equivalents and available borrowing capacity under its credit facility.
Our primary sources of liquidity were cash flows generated from operating activities and availability under our revolving credit facility, as discussed further below. Our main requirements for liquidity included operating expenses, capital expenditures for restaurant investment, investments in technology, and interest payments on our debt. We have, and in the future may continue to have, negative working capital balances, which is common for many restaurant companies. We can operate with a working capital deficit because cash from restaurant sales is usually received before the related payables for food inventory, supplies, and labor become due.
From time to time, the Company considers and evaluates financial and capital raising transactions related to its portfolio, including debt refinancing or new debt issuances, equity issuances, sales of owned properties and potential for tactical refranchising, and other transactions. If capital were obtained through the issuance of Company equity, the issuance of Company securities would dilute the ownership of the Company’s existing stockholders.
We believe that our current cash and cash equivalents, our future cash flows generated from restaurant operations and gift card sales, and our borrowing capacity under the credit facility, will be sufficient to meet our anticipated working capital and capital expenditure needs for the next 12 months.
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Cash Flows
The table below summarizes our cash flows from operating, investing, and financing activities for each fiscal year presented (in thousands):
Fiscal Year
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash
Net change in cash and cash equivalents, and restricted cash
Operating Cash Flows
Net cash flows provided by operating activities increased $30.0 million to $37.0 million in fiscal 2025 as compared to net cash provided by operating activities of $7.0 million in fiscal 2024. The increase in operating cash flow was primarily attributable to the increase in restaurant level profitability, lower selling expenses, and an increase in cash received related to higher gift card sales.
Investing Cash Flows
Net cash flows used in investing activities were $24.6 million in fiscal 2025 as compared to net cash used in investing activities of $1.7 million in fiscal 2024. The $22.9 million decrease in investing cash flows was primarily due to an increase in capital expenditures and lower proceeds from the sale of restaurant locations in the current year.
The following table lists the components of our capital expenditures for each fiscal year presented (in thousands):
Fiscal Year
Restaurant improvement capital and other (1)
Investment in technology, infrastructure, and other (2)
Total capital expenditures
(1) Restaurant improvement capital and other consisted of capital equipment for our restaurants.
(2) Investment in technology, infrastructure and other consisted of capital costs related to restaurant technology assets, capital overhead, and other centrally developed assets.
Financing Cash Flows
Net cash flows used in financing activities was $22.3 million in fiscal 2025 as compared to net cash provided by financing activities of $2.5 million in fiscal 2024. Cash flows used in financing activities in fiscal 2025 primarily related to the repayment of debt. Cash flows provided by financing activities in the comparable period in fiscal 2024 primarily related to cash received from stock issuances, partially offset by net repayment of debt.
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Credit Facility
As of December 28, 2025, the Company's credit facility allowed for up to $240.0 million of borrowings and was comprised of a $40.0 million revolving line of credit and a $200.0 million term loan (collectively, the "Credit Facility"). As of December 28, 2025 and December 29, 2024, the Company had outstanding borrowings of $170.2 million and $189.5 million, respectively, inclusive of $3.0 million and $20.0 million drawn on its revolving line of credit, respectively, under its Credit Facility. In addition, the Company had amounts issued under letters of credit of $9.3 million and $8.5 million as of December 28, 2025 and December 29, 2024, respectively.
The Credit Facility will mature on September 3, 2027. The term loans require quarterly principal payments in an aggregate annual amount equal to 1.0% of the original principal amount of the term loan. As of December 28, 2025, the Company fulfilled this obligation for the duration of the Credit Facility via previous principal payments. The Credit Facility's interest rate references the Secured Overnight Financing Rate ("SOFR"), which is an index calculated by short-term repurchase agreements and backed by U.S. Treasury securities, or the Alternate Base Rate ("ABR"), which represents the highest of (a) the Prime Rate, (b) the Federal Funds Rate plus 0.5% per annum, or (c) one-month term SOFR plus 1.0% per annum.
For additional information regarding our Credit Facility, see Note 8. Borrowings included within the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Part II, Item 8 Financial Statements and Supplementary Data of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Debt Covenants
We are subject to a number of customary covenants under our Credit Facility, including limitations on additional borrowings, acquisitions, stock repurchases, sales of assets, and dividend payments, as well as a total net leverage ratio covenant. As of December 28, 2025, we were in compliance with all debt covenants.
Sales and Purchases of Equity Securities
On November 10, 2025, The Company entered into the Distribution Agreement with Evercore, to establish an at-the-market equity offering program. The Company voluntarily terminated the program on February 23, 2026, without any issuances or sales.
On December 3, 2024, the Company entered into an Equity Purchase Agreement with JCP Investment Management, LLC and certain of its affiliates (collectively, "JCP") and Jumana Capital, LLC and certain of its affiliates (collectively, "Jumana," and together with the JCP Parties, the "Investor Parties"), pursuant to which the Investor Parties purchased an aggregate of 1,600,909 shares of our common stock, at a purchase price of $5.19 per share, resulting in $8.3 million in gross proceeds. The proceeds were used to repay indebtedness and general corporate expenses.
On August 9, 2018, the Company's Board of Directors authorized the Company's current share repurchase program of up to a total of $75 million of the Company's common stock. The share repurchase authorization will terminate upon completing repurchases of $75 million of common stock unless otherwise terminated by the Board. Pursuant to the repurchase program, purchases may be made from time to time at the Company's discretion and the Company is not obligated to acquire any particular amount of common stock. From the date of the current program approval through December 28, 2025, we have repurchased a total of 1,088,588 shares at an average price of $15.18 per share for an aggregate amount of $16.5 million. The Company completed no share repurchases in fiscal 2025 or fiscal 2024. As of December 28, 2025, we had $58.5 million of availability under the current share repurchase program. Our Credit Agreement limits our ability to repurchase shares to certain conditions set forth by the lenders in the Credit Facility.
Contractual Obligations
The following table summarizes the amounts of payments due under specified contractual obligations as of December 28, 2025 (in thousands):
Payments Due by Period
Total
Thereafter
Long-term debt obligations (1)
Finance lease obligations (2)
Operating lease obligations (3)
Purchase obligations (4)
Total contractual obligations
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(1) Long-term debt obligations primarily represented minimum required principal payments under our existing Credit Agreement as of December 28, 2025, including estimated interest of $33.5 million based on a 11.50% average borrowing interest rate.
(2) Finance lease obligations included interest of $1.3 million.
(3) Operating lease obligations excluded variable lease costs, such as sales-based contingent rent, and included interest of $148.9 million.
(4) Purchase obligations primarily included the Company's share of expected system-wide fixed price commitments for food, beverage, and restaurant supply items. The timing of amounts presented is estimated based on anticipated inventory needed for the Company’s restaurants and could vary due to changes in anticipated traffic counts, consumer preferences, or other factors.
Critical Accounting Estimates
Critical accounting estimates are those we believe are both significant and that require us to make difficult, subjective, or complex judgments, often because we need to estimate the effect of inherently uncertain matters. We base our estimates and judgments on historical experiences and various other factors we believe to be appropriate under the circumstances. Actual results may differ from these estimates, including our estimates of future restaurant-level cash flows, which are subject to the current economic environment and potentially unknown future events, and we might obtain different results if we use different assumptions or conditions. We have identified the following as the Company's most critical accounting estimates, which are most important to the portrayal of the Company's financial condition and results and require management's most subjective and complex judgment. Information regarding the Company's other significant accounting policies is disclosed in Note 1. Description of Business and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies, of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Part II, Item 8 Financial Statements and Supplementary Data of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets - Long-lived assets, including restaurant sites, leasehold improvements, other fixed assets, right of use assets, and intangible assets are reviewed when indicators of impairment are present. Expected cash flows associated with an asset are the key factor in determining the recoverability of the asset. Identifiable cash flows are measured at the restaurant-level. The estimate of cash flows is based upon, among other things, certain assumptions about expected future operating performance, including assumptions on future revenue trends. Management's estimates of undiscounted cash flows may differ from actual cash flows due to, among other things, changes in economic conditions, changes to our business model, or changes in operating performance. If the sum of the undiscounted cash flows is less than the carrying value of the asset, we recognize an impairmentloss. The amount of the impairmentloss is measured as the amount by which the carrying value exceeds the fair value of the asset, which is determined using discounted cash flows.
Judgments made by management related to our ability to realize undiscounted cash flows in excess of the carrying amounts of such assets are affected by factors such as changes in economic conditions, changes in operating performance, and the ongoing maintenance and improvements of the assets. As the ongoing expected cash flows and carrying amounts of long-lived assets are assessed, these factors could cause us to realize a material impairment charge. Each restaurant's past and present operating performance were reviewed in combination with projected future results, primarily through projected undiscounted cash flows, which indicated possible impairment. For those restaurants for which undiscounted cash flows did not exceed their carrying value, we compared the carrying amount of each restaurant to its fair value as estimated by management. Determining the fair value of the long-lived assets requires the use of estimates and assumptions and is typically determined by using a discounted cash flow projection model. The weighted average cost of capital discount factor is determined by using external information such as the risk-free rate of return, industry beta factors, and premium adjustments. Management uses other market information such as market rent and discount rates, which are subject to judgment, to estimate the fair value of restaurant right of use lease assets. During fiscal 2025, the Company recognized non-cash impairment charges of $2.7 million, primarily related to the impairment of the long-lived assets at four underperforming locations. During fiscal 2024, the Company recognized non-cash impairment charges of $32.8 million, primarily related to impairments of long-lived assets at 58 underperforming locations and quota state liquor licenses at three locations.
Information technology systems, such as internal-use computer software, are reviewed and tested for recoverability if the internal-use computer software is not expected to provide substantive service potential, a significant change occurs to the extent or manner in which the software is used or is expected to be used, a significant change is made or will be made to the software program, or costs of developing or modifying internal-use software significantly exceed the amount originally expected to develop or modify the software.
Liquor licenses with indefinite lives are reviewed for impairment annually or whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate the carrying amount may not be recoverable. If the carrying amount is not recoverable, we record an impairment charge for the excess of the carrying amount over the fair value. We determine fair value based on quoted prices in the active market for the license in the same or similar jurisdictions, representing a level 1 fair value measurement.
Recently Issued Accounting Standards
See Note 2. Recent Accounting Pronouncements, of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Part II, Item 8 Financial Statements and Supplementary Data of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for our discussion of recently issued accounting standards.
