| Basis of Presentation | Note 2 – Basis of Presentation
(a)
Interim Financial Statements The accompanying unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) for interim financial information and the instructions to Form 10-Q and the rules and regulations of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnote disclosures required by GAAP for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring adjustments) considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included. Operating results for the quarter and six-month period ended July 4, 2021 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the fiscal year ending January 2, 2022. For further information, refer to the Consolidated Financial Statements and footnotes thereto included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 3, 2021, filed with the SEC on March 18, 2021, and amended on April 29, 2021 (the “2020 Annual Report”). Total comprehensive income (loss) is comprised solely of net income (loss) for all periods presented. There have been no material changes in the Company’s significant accounting policies as compared to the significant accounting policies described in the Company’s 2020 Annual Report.
(b)
Effects of COVID-19 The onset of the novel coronavirus (“COVID-19”) pandemic in the first quarter of 2020 resulted in significant disruption to the restaurant industry and adversely affected the Company’s business. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, many states and local jurisdictions in which the Company operates restaurants issued stay-at-home orders and other measures, including the closure of all in-restaurant dining, aimed at slowing the spread of COVID-19 beginning in March 2020. These measures resulted in the closure of the Company’s dining rooms beginning in mid-March 2020 and a shift to an entirely off-premise operations platform until late April 2020 when certain states began to allow for partial reopening of dining rooms. As a result of the government-mandated restrictions and related public health concerns, the Company’s net sales, results of operations and cash flows were negatively impacted in fiscal 2020, and the impact continued throughout the first half of 2021 due to reductions in guest counts from capacity restrictions, particularly during January and early February of 2021. Each of the Company’s 47 locations were open for in‑restaurant dining at full capacity as of the end of the second quarter of 2021 and remain fully open as of the date of this report in accordance with their state’s or local government’s guidelines. This capacity status was only reached in the final weeks of the second quarter at certain locations due to restrictions imposed by their respective state and local governments. During the first half of 2020, the Company incurred approximately $3,275 of additional costs related primarily to the continuing benefits and payments to furloughed restaurant employees under the Company’s Emergency Sick Leave Policy (“ESLP”), vacation and other sick leave benefits and related payroll taxes as well as write-offs of inventory. During the same period of 2021, the Company incurred approximately $103 related to payments made to employees pursuant to the ESLP and other sick leave benefits and related payroll taxes. Additionally, during the first half of 2020, the Company recorded certain impairment charges which are discussed in Note 2(k) below 7 The full impact of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve as of the date of this report. Despite the fact that vaccines are now widely available across the country, there are widespread increases in diagnosed cases reported since the end of the second quarter largely due to the spread of COVID-19 variants. There can be no assurance that state or local authorities will allow dining rooms to remain open even at reduced capacity if there is a surge in cases or variants of COVID-19 in their respective areas. The extent of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our operations and financial results depends on future developments, and the Company cannot reasonably predict if all of its restaurants will be allowed to continue to operate their dining rooms at full or limited capacities. Due to the rapid development and fluidity of this situation, the Company cannot determine the ultimate impact that the COVID-19 pandemic will have on its consolidated financial condition, liquidity and future results of operations, and therefore, any prediction as to the ultimate material adverse impact on these performance measures is uncertain. The Company does expect that its results of operations, cash flows and liquidity will continue to be negatively affected to some extent by the COVID-19 pandemic, either by potential future governmental restrictions or lingering impacts on the economy and the labor market, during at least a portion of the remainder of fiscal 2021.
(c)
Principles of Consolidation The unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts of the Company as well as the accounts of its subsidiaries. All intercompany profits, transactions, and balances between the Company and its subsidiaries have been eliminated. It is the Company’s policy to reclassify prior year amounts to conform to the current year’s presentation for comparative purposes, if such a reclassification is warranted. The Company is a holding company with no direct operations and that holds as its sole asset an equity interest in J. Alexander’s Holdings, LLC and, as a result, relies on J. Alexander’s Holdings, LLC to provide it with funds necessary to meet its financial obligations.
( d )
Fiscal Year The Company’s fiscal year ends on the Sunday closest to December 31, and each quarter typically consists of 13 weeks. The quarters and six-month periods ended July 4, 2021 and June 28, 2020 each included 13 and 26 weeks of operations, respectively. Fiscal year 2021 will include 52 weeks of operations while fiscal year 2020 included 53 weeks of operations.
( e )
Discontinued Operations and Restaurant Closures Losses from discontinued operations totaled $3 and $55 for the quarters ended July 4, 2021 and June 28, 2020, respectively. For the six-month periods ended July 4, 2021 and June 28, 2020, the income and loss from discontinued operations totaled $592 and $107, respectively. During the first half of 2021, the Company entered into a termination agreement related to a lease agreement for a location that was closed in 2013, which has been accounted for as a discontinued operation since that time. As a result of the termination agreement, the Company recorded a gain of approximately $630, representing the difference between recorded lease liabilities and the termination fee paid to the landlord by the Company during the first quarter of 2021. The gain was partially offset by ongoing lease and other exit costs incurred during fiscal 2021. The loss from discontinued operations recorded in the second quarter and first half of 2020 consisted solely of exit and disposal costs related to the Company’s obligations under this same lease agreement.
( f )
Transaction and other Related Expenses Transaction and other related expenses totaled $1,888 and $(66) for the quarters ended July 4, 2021 and June 28, 2020, respectively, and $1,934 and $623 for six-month periods ended July 4, 2021 and June 28, 2020, respectively. During the second quarter of 2021, the Company incurred consulting, investment banking and legal fees related to the Company’s evaluation of strategic alternatives. In the first quarter of 2020, the Company incurred legal fees, other professional fees and consulting fees related to the same project. The Company received a discount for legal services rendered during that period resulting in income for the second quarter of fiscal 2020. As noted below, on July 2, 2021, the Company announced that it entered into a merger agreement under which SPB Hospitality LLC (“SPB Hospitality”) will acquire the Company in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $220,000. If the merger is consummated, the Company’s shareholders will receive $14.00 in cash per share of common stock of the Company. 8 shareholders, expiration or termination of the applicable waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as well as other customary closing conditions. See “Note 10 – Merger Agreement with SPB Hospitality” below for additional discussion of the merger.
( g )
Earnings (Loss) per Share Basic earnings (loss) per share of common stock is computed by dividing net income (loss) by the weighted average number of shares outstanding for the reporting period. Diluted earnings (loss) per share of common stock is computed similarly to basic earnings (loss) per share except the weighted average shares outstanding are increased to include potential shares outstanding resulting from share-based compensation awards and additional shares from the assumed exercise of any common stock equivalents, if dilutive. In periods of net loss, no potential common shares are included in the diluted shares outstanding as the effect is anti-dilutive. J. Alexander’s Holdings, LLC Class B Units are considered common stock equivalents for this purpose. The number of additional shares of common stock related to these common stock equivalents is calculated using the if-converted method, if dilutive. The number of additional shares of common stock related to stock option awards and unvested restricted share awards subject to only a service condition is calculated using the treasury stock method, if dilutive. Unvested restricted share awards that are subject to a performance condition are regarded as contingently issuable common shares and are included in the denominator of the diluted earnings (loss) per share calculation using the treasury stock method as of the beginning of the period in which the performance condition has been satisfied, if dilutive. Refer to Note 3 – Earnings (Loss) per Share for the basic and diluted earnings (loss) per share calculations and additional discussion.
( h )
Non-controlling Interests Non-controlling interests presented on the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets represent the portion of net assets of the Company attributable to the non-controlling J. Alexander’s Holdings, LLC Class B Unit holders. As of each of July 4, 2021 and January 3, 2021, the non-controlling interests presented on the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets were $1,558 and consist of the previously recognized non-cash compensation expense relative to the Class B Units held by management. The Hypothetical Liquidation at Book Value method was used as of each of July 4, 2021 and June 28, 2020 to determine allocations of non-controlling interests in respect of vested grants consistent with the terms of the Second Amended and Restated LLC Agreement of J. Alexander’s Holdings, LLC, and pursuant to those calculations, no allocation of net income (loss) was made to non-controlling interests for either of the quarters or six months ended July 4, 2021 or June 28, 2020.
( i )
Use of Estimates Management has made certain estimates and assumptions relating to the reporting of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the periods presented to prepare these unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements in conformity with GAAP. Significant items subject to such estimates and assumptions include those related to the accounting for gift card breakage, determination of uncertain tax positions and the valuation allowance relative to deferred tax assets, if any, estimates of useful lives of property and equipment and leasehold improvements, the carrying amount of intangible assets, fair market valuations, determination of lease terms, and accounting for impairment losses, contingencies, and litigation. Actual results could differ from these estimates.
( j )
Share Repurchase Program 9 On November 1, 2018, the Company’s Board of Directors authorized a share repurchase program which replaced the previous share repurchase program that expired on October 29, 2018 , and allows for the repurchase of shares up to an aggregate purchase price of $ 15,000 over the three-year period ending November 1, 2021 . Any share repurchases under the current program are expected to be made solely from cash on hand and available operating cash flow. Repurchases will be made in accordance with applicable securities laws and may be made from time to time in the open market. The timing, prices and amount of repurchases will depend upon prevailing market prices, general economic and market conditions and other considerations. The repurchase program does not obligate the Company to acquire any particular amount of stock. There was no common stock repurchase activity under the program during the second quarter s or first halves of 202 1 or 2020 .
( k )
Goodwill Impairment and Long-lived Asset Impairment Charges As a result of the decline in the market price of the Company’s common stock that occurred during the first quarter of 2020, the impact of mandated dining room closures on financial results last year, the severe reduction in economic activity that followed, and the general economic and market volatility at the time, the Company determined that these factors constituted an interim triggering event as of the end of the Company’s first quarter of 2020, and performed impairment analyses with regard to its indefinite-lived intangible assets, property and equipment (including its right-of-use assets for operating leases) and goodwill. As a result, the Company recorded asset impairment charges totaling $16,426 in the first half of 2020, which included $15,737 related to the full impairment of the carrying amount of goodwill. The goodwill impairment charge is presented as a separate line on the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Loss). Additionally, during the first half of 2020, the Company recorded a long-lived asset impairment charge of $689 related to one location which was subsequently closed and sold during fiscal 2020. This impairment charge is presented as “Long-lived asset impairment charges and restaurant closing costs” on the Company’s Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Loss). The Company assessed its remaining intangible and fixed assets for indicators of impairment as of quarter-end, for both July 4, 2021 and June 28, 2020, and assessed recoverability of certain fixed assets as warranted. No impairment was recorded for either of these periods. |
