RCI Hospitality (RICK) 10-Q2022 Q2 Quarterly report

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

As of May 6, 2022, 9,416,567 shares of the registrant’s common stock were outstanding.

This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements include, among other things, statements regarding plans, objectives, goals, strategies, future events or performance and underlying assumptions and other statements, which are other than statements of historical facts. Forward-looking statements may appear throughout this report, including, without limitation, the following sections: Part I, Item 2 “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.” Forward-looking statements generally can be identified by words such as “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “predicts,” “projects,” “will be,” “will continue,” “will likely result,” and similar expressions. These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties, which could cause our actual results to differ materially from those reflected in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, those discussed in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and those discussed in other documents we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). Important factors that in our view could cause material adverse effects on our financial condition and results of operations include, but are not limited to, the risks and uncertainties associated with (i) operating and managing an adult business, (ii) the business climates in cities where it operates, (iii) the success or lack thereof in launching and building the company’s businesses, (iv) cyber security, (v) conditions relevant to real estate transactions, (vi) the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and (vii) numerous other factors such as laws governing the operation of adult entertainment businesses, competition and dependence on key personnel. We undertake no obligation to revise or publicly release the results of any revision to any forward-looking statements, except as required by law. Given these risks and uncertainties, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements.

As used herein, the “Company,” “we,” “our,” and similar terms include RCI Hospitality Holdings, Inc. and its subsidiaries, unless the context indicates otherwise.

The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements of RCI Hospitality Holdings, Inc. (the “Company,” “RCIHH,” “we,” or “us”) have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP” or “U.S. GAAP”) for interim financial information and with the instructions to Form 10-Q of Regulation S-X. They do not include all information and footnotes required by GAAP for complete financial statements. The September 30, 2021 consolidated balance sheet data were derived from audited financial statements but do not include all disclosures required by GAAP. However, except as disclosed herein, there has been no material change in the information disclosed in the notes to the consolidated financial statements for the year ended September 30, 2021 included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 14, 2021. The interim unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with those consolidated financial statements included in the Form 10-K. In the opinion of management, all adjustments considered necessary for a fair statement of the financial statements, consisting solely of normal recurring adjustments, have been made. Operating results for the three and six months ended March 31, 2022 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending September 30, 2022.

Since the U.S. declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic as a national emergency in March 2020, we have had a major disruption in our business operations that threatened to significantly impact our cash flow. The pandemic resulted in a significant reduction in customer traffic in our clubs and restaurants due to changes in consumer behavior as social distancing practices, dining room closures and other restrictions were mandated or encouraged by federal, state and local governments. To adapt to the situation, we took significant steps to augment an anticipated decline in operating cash flows, including negotiating deferment of some of our debts, reducing the number of our employees and related payroll costs where necessary, and deferring or modifying certain fixed and variable monthly expenses, among others.

The temporary closure of our clubs and restaurants caused by the COVID-19 pandemic presented operational challenges. Our strategy was to open locations and operate in accordance with local and state guidelines. We believe that we can borrow capital if needed but currently we do not have unused credit facilities so there can be no guarantee that additional liquidity will be readily available or available on favorable terms, especially the longer the COVID-19 pandemic lasts.

On May 8, 2020, the Company received approval and funding under the Paycheck Protection Program ("PPP") of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the “CARES Act”) for its restaurants, shared service entity and lounge. See Note 9.

As of the release of this report, we do not know the future extent and duration of the impact of COVID-19 on our businesses. Closures and operating restrictions, as caused by local, state and national guidelines, could lead to adverse financial results. However, we will continually monitor and evaluate the situation and will determine any further measures to be instituted.

We continue to adhere to state and local government mandates regarding the pandemic and, since March 2020, have closed and reopened a number of our locations depending on changing government mandates, including operating hour and limited occupancy restrictions, where applicable. As of the date of this report, all COVID-related restrictions affecting our businesses have been lifted.

We consider the COVID-19 pandemic as a triggering event in the assessment of recoverability of the goodwill, indefinite-lived intangibles, and long-lived assets in our clubs and restaurants that are affected. We evaluated forecasted cash flows considering the future assumed impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sales. Based on the evaluation we conducted during the interim period ended March 31, 2022, we determined that there is no impairment in our goodwill, indefinite-lived intangibles, and long-lived assets as of March 31, 2022.

On October 6, 2021, the Company sold a property classified as held-for-sale with a carrying value of $3.0 million for $3.2 million, of which $2.7 million was in the form of a secured promissory note. This 7% note receivable has a term of eight years and is collectible in equal monthly installments of $21,544 in principal and interest with the remaining balance to be paid at maturity.

On October 8, 2021, the Company sold 1 of its clubs in South Houston for $300,000.

On October 18, 2021, we and certain of our subsidiaries completed our acquisition of 11 gentlemen’s clubs, 6 related real estate properties, and associated intellectual property for a total agreed acquisition price of $88.0 million (with a total consideration preliminary fair value of $88.4 million based on the Company’s stock price at acquisition date and discounted due to the lock-up period, with interest rates on promissory notes reflective of market yields). The acquisition was structured by entering into 9 asset purchase agreements, which allowed the Company to acquire from each club all of the tangible and intangible assets and personal property in that business except certain excluded assets, and 2 stock purchase agreements, where a newly formed subsidiary purchased 100% of the capital stock of 2 club-owning entities. Along with the asset and stock purchase agreements, the Company also entered into a real estate purchase and sale agreement for 6 real estate properties and an intellectual property purchase agreement for substantially all of the intellectual property used in the adult entertainment establishment businesses owned and operated by the sellers. The acquisition gives the Company presence in four additional states. We paid for the acquisition with $36.8 million in cash, $21.2 million in 4 seller-financed notes (see Note 7), and 500,000 shares of our common stock. The preliminary fair value of the consideration transferred is as follows (in thousands):

We recognized the assets and liabilities for this acquisition based on our estimates of their acquisition date fair values, all in our Nightclubs reportable segment. We have not finalized our valuation of the tangible and identifiable intangible assets acquired in this transaction. As of the release of this report, the fair value of the acquired tangible and identifiable intangible assets are provisional pending receipt of the final valuations for those assets. Based on the allocation of the preliminary fair value of the acquisition price, measurement period adjustments and subject to any working capital

adjustments, the amount of goodwill is estimated to be $13.8 million. Goodwill represents the excess of the acquisition price fair value over the fair values of the tangibles and identifiable intangibles assets acquired and liabilities assumed, which is essentially the forward earnings potential of the acquired entities. Goodwill will not be amortized but will be tested at least annually for impairment. Approximately $9.3 million of the recognized goodwill will be deductible for tax purposes. The following is our preliminary allocation of the fair value of the acquisition price (in thousands) as of October 18, 2021:

Licenses and trademarks will not be amortized but will be tested at least annually for impairment.

The Company entered into leases with third parties for certain clubs where the real estate was not part of the acquisition. See Note 13.

In connection with the acquisition, we incurred acquisition-related expenses of approximately $417,000 ($173,000 recognized in fiscal 2021 and $244,000 recognized in fiscal 2022), of which $12,000 and $12,000 were expensed during the three and six months ended March 31, 2021 and $0 and $244,000 were expensed during the three and six months ended March 31, 2022, and in those periods included in selling, general and administrative expenses in our unaudited condensed consolidated statements of income.

From the date of acquisition until March 31, 2022, the 11 acquired clubs contributed revenues of $8.4 million and $14.4 million and income from operations of $2.0 million and $3.7 million during the three and six months ended March 31, 2022, respectively, which are included in our unaudited condensed consolidated statements of income. The following table presents the unaudited pro forma combined results of operations of the Company and the 11 acquired clubs and related assets as though the acquisition occurred at the beginning of fiscal 2021 (in thousands, except per share amounts and number of shares):

The above unaudited pro forma financial information is presented for informational purposes only and is not necessarily indicative of the results of operations that would have been achieved if the acquisition had taken place at the beginning of fiscal 2021. The unaudited pro forma financial information reflects material, nonrecurring adjustments directly attributable to the acquisition including acquisition-related expenses, interest expense, and any related tax effects. Since we do not have a final valuation of the assets that we acquired yet, the unaudited pro forma financial information only includes preliminary adjustments related to changes in recognized expenses caused by the fair value of assets acquired, such as depreciation and amortization and related tax effects. Pro forma net income and pro forma earnings per share include the impact of

acquisition-related expenses and interest expense related to the 28 private lender group notes and 4 seller-financed notes in the acquisition as if they were incurred as of the first day of fiscal 2021. Pro forma weighted average number of common shares outstanding includes the impact of 500,000 shares of our common stock issued as partial consideration for the acquisition.

On November 8, 2021, the Company acquired a club and related real estate in Newburgh, New York for a total preliminary purchase price of $3.5 million, by which $2.5 million was paid in cash at closing and $1.0 million through a seller-financed 7-year promissory note with an interest rate of 4.0% per annum. The $3.5 million acquisition price is preliminarily allocated $2.0 million to real estate, $200,000 to tangible assets, and $1.3 million to goodwill, which is deductible for tax purposes. The note is payable $13,669 per month, including principal and interest. See Note 7. From the date of acquisition until March 31, 2022, the acquired club contributed revenues of $424,000 and $713,000 and loss from operations of $28,000 and $24,000 during the three and six months ended March 31, 2022, respectively, which are included in our unaudited condensed consolidated statement of income. The Company is not providing supplemental pro forma disclosures to this acquisition as it does not materially contribute to the consolidated operations of the Company.

On December 30, 2021, the Company acquired the real estate of 1 of its clubs in South Florida, which the Company previously leased, for $7.0 million in an all-cash purchase. At closing, the Company wrote off the balance of its operating lease right-of-use asset and corresponding operating lease liability related to the discontinued lease.

On March 1, 2022, the Company acquired real estate in Stafford, Texas worth $3.5 million for a future Bombshells location. The Company secured a $2.6 million loan in relation to the purchase (see Note 7).

On March 1, 2022, the Company acquired real estate in Lubbock, Texas worth $400,000 to transfer one of our existing clubs due to eminent domain.

On March 23, 2022, the Company sold a property classified as held-for-sale with a carrying value of $1.9 million for $2.1 million in cash. The Company used $816,000 of the proceeds to pay off a loan related to the property.

The Company recognizes revenue from the sale of alcoholic beverages, food and merchandise, service and other revenues at the point-of-sale upon receipt of cash, check, or credit card charge, net of discounts and promotional allowances based on consideration specified in implied contracts with customers. Sales and liquor taxes collected from customers and remitted to governmental authorities are presented on a net basis in the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated statements of income. The Company recognizes revenue when it satisfies a performance obligation (point in time of sale) by transferring control over a product or service to a customer.

Revenues, as disaggregated by revenue type, timing of recognition, and reportable segment (see also Note 11), are shown below (in thousands):

The Company does not have contract assets with customers. The Company’s unconditional right to consideration for goods and services transferred to the customer is included in accounts receivable, net in our unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheet. A reconciliation of contract liabilities with customers is presented below (in thousands):

Contract liabilities with customers are included in accrued liabilities as unearned revenues in our unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheets (see also Note 6), while the revenues associated with these contract liabilities are included in other revenues in our unaudited condensed consolidated statements of income.

The components of accounts receivable, net are as follows (in thousands):

Notes receivable consist primarily of secured promissory notes executed between the Company and various buyers of our businesses and assets with interest rates ranging from 6% to 9% per annum and having terms ranging from 1 to 20 years, net of allowance for doubtful notes amounting to $154,000 and $102,000 as of March 31, 2022 and September 30, 2021, respectively.

The components of prepaid expenses and other current assets are as follows (in thousands):

A reconciliation of goodwill as of March 31, 2022 and September 30, 2021 is as follows (in thousands):

The components of intangible assets, net are as follows (in thousands):

The components of accrued liabilities are as follows (in thousands):

The components of selling, general and administrative expenses are as follows (in thousands):

The components of other charges (gains), net are as follows (in thousands):

The components of non-operating gains (losses), net are as follows (in thousands):

On October 12, 2021, we closed a debt financing transaction with 28 investors for unsecured promissory notes with a total principal amount of $17.0 million, all of which bear interest at a rate of 12% per annum. Of this amount, $9.5 million are promissory notes, payable interest only monthly (or quarterly) in arrears, with a final lump sum payment of principal and accrued and unpaid interest due on October 1, 2024. The remaining amount of the financing is $7.5 million in promissory notes, payable in monthly payments of principal and interest based on a 10-year amortization period, with the balance of the entire principal amount together with all accrued and unpaid interest due and payable in full on October 12, 2024. Included in the $17.0 million borrowing are two notes for $500,000 and $150,000 borrowed from related parties (see Note

12) and two notes for $500,000 and $300,000 borrowed from two non-officer employees in which the terms of the notes are the same as the rest of the lender group.

On October 18, 2021, in relation to an acquisition (see Note 4), the Company executed 4 seller-financed promissory notes. The first promissory note was a 10-year $11.0 million 6% secured note payable in 120 equal monthly payments of $122,123 in principal and interest. The second promissory note was a 20-year $8.0 million 6% secured note payable in 240 equal monthly payments of $57,314 in principal and interest. The third promissory note was a 10-year $1.2 million 5.25% note payable in monthly payments of $8,086 in principal and interest based on a 20-year amortization period, with the balance payable at maturity date. The fourth note was a 20-year $1.0 million 6% note payable in 240 equal monthly payments of $7,215 in principal and interest.

On November 8, 2021, in relation to an acquisition (see Note 4), the Company executed a $1.0 million 7-year promissory note with an interest rate of 4.0% per annum. The note is payable $13,669 per month, including principal and interest.

On January 25, 2022, the Company borrowed $18.7 million from a bank lender for working capital purposes by executing a 10-year promissory note with an initial interest rate of 5.25% per annum to be adjusted after five years to a rate equal to the weekly average yield on U.S. Treasury securities plus 3.98% with a floor of 5.25%. The note is payable in monthly payments of $126,265 in principal and interest to be adjusted after five years. The promissory note is secured by 11 real estate properties and is personally guaranteed by the Company CEO, Eric Langan (see Note 12). After the 10-year term, the remaining balance of principal and interest are payable at maturity date. There are certain financial covenants with which the Company is to be in compliance related to this loan, among which is to maintain a debt service coverage of not less than 1.4 times, reviewed annually.

On March 1, 2022, the Company borrowed $2.6 million from a bank lender in relation to a purchase of real estate (see Note 4). The 21-year promissory note has an initial interest rate of 4.25% per annum, repriced after five years and then again annually to prime plus 1% with a floor rate of 4.25%. The note is payable interest only during the first 12 months; then the next 48 months with $16,338 equal monthly payments of principal and interest; then the next 191 months at an equal monthly payment based on a 20-year amortization; with the balance of principal and interest payable at the 252nd month.

Future maturities of long-term debt as of March 31, 2022 are as follows: $11.4 million, $7.5 million, $23.4 million, $7.9 million, $8.4 million and $121.4 million for the twelve months ending March 31, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026, 2027, and thereafter, respectively. Of the maturity schedule mentioned above, $651,000, $0, $15.6 million, $0, $0 and $71.9 million, respectively, relate to scheduled balloon payments. Unamortized debt discount and issuance costs amounted to $1.9 million and $1.6 million as of March 31, 2022 and September 30, 2021, respectively.

On October 18, 2021, we partially paid for an acquisition using 500,000 shares of our common stock with a fair value of $30.4 million at issuance. See Note 4.

On February 7, 2022, our board of directors approved the 2022 Stock Option Plan (the “2022 Plan”). The board’s adoption of the 2022 Plan is subject to approval of shareholders, and in the event that the 2022 Plan is not approved by the shareholders within one year of the date of adoption of the 2022 Plan by the board, or less than the required amount of votes of shareholders are received in favor of approval of the 2022 Plan at a duly held meeting of shareholders within one year of the board’s adoption of the 2022 Plan, then we will unwind and terminate the 2022 Plan, and all outstanding stock options granted under the 2022 Plan will be cancelled. The 2022 Plan provides that the maximum aggregate number of shares of common stock underlying options that may be granted under the 2022 Plan is 300,000. The options granted under the 2022 Plan may be either incentive stock options or non-qualified options. The 2022 Plan is administered by the compensation committee of the board of directors. The compensation committee has the exclusive power to select individuals to receive grants, to establish the terms of the options granted to each participant, provided that all options granted shall be granted at an exercise price not less than the fair market value of the common stock covered by the option on the grant date, and to make all determinations necessary or advisable under the 2022 Plan. On February 9, 2022, the board of directors approved a grant of 50,000 stock options each to 6 members of management subject to the approval of the 2022 Plan.

Income tax expense was $3.4 million and $6.3 million during the three and six months ended March 31, 2022, respectively, compared to $1.9 million and $1.6 million during the three and six months ended March 31, 2021, respectively. The effective income tax expense rate was 23.4% and 22.6% for the three and six months ended March 31, 2022, respectively, compared to 24.3% and 9.1% for the three and six months ended March 31, 2021, respectively. Our effective income tax rate is affected by state taxes, permanent differences, and tax credits, including the FICA tip credit, for both years, and the change in the deferred tax asset valuation allowance and the impact of the forgiveness of the PPP loans in the prior period, as presented below.

The Company or one of its subsidiaries files income tax returns in the U.S. federal jurisdiction, and various states. The Company’s federal income tax returns for the years ended September 30, 2013 through 2017 have been examined by the Internal Revenue Service with no changes. The Company ordinarily goes through various federal and state reviews and examinations for various tax matters. Fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 and subsequent years remain open to federal tax examination. The Company is also being examined for state income taxes, the outcome of which may occur within the next twelve months.

On March 27, 2020, former President Trump signed the CARES Act into law. As a result of this, additional avenues of relief became available to workers and families through enhanced unemployment insurance provisions and to small businesses through programs administered by the Small Business Administration. The CARES Act included, among other items, provisions relating to payroll tax credits and deferrals, net operating loss carryback periods, alternative minimum tax credits and technical corrections to tax depreciation methods for qualified improvement property. The CARES Act also established a Paycheck Protection Program, whereby certain small businesses were eligible for a loan to fund payroll expenses, rent, and related costs. The loan may be forgiven if the funds are used for payroll and other qualified expenses. The Company submitted its application for a PPP loan and on May 8, 2020 received approval and funding for its restaurants, shared service entity and lounge. Ten of our restaurant subsidiaries received amounts ranging from $271,000 to $579,000 for an aggregate amount of $4.2 million; our shared-services subsidiary received $1.1 million; and one of our lounges received $124,000. None of our adult nightclub and other non-core business subsidiaries received funding under the PPP. The Company believes it has used the entire loan amount for qualifying expenses. Under the terms of the PPP, certain amounts of the loan may be forgiven if they are used for qualifying expenses as described in the CARES Act. The Company utilized all of the PPP funds and submitted its forgiveness applications. During fiscal 2021, we received 11 Notices of PPP Forgiveness Payment from the Small Business Administration out of the 12 of our PPP loans granted. All of the notices received forgave 100% of each of the 11 PPP loans totaling the amount of $5.3 million in principal and interest and were included in non-operating gains (losses), net in our consolidated statement of operations for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2021. In November 2021, we received a partial forgiveness of the remaining $124,000 PPP loan for $85,000 in principal and interest. The remaining unforgiven portion of approximately $41,000 in principal will be repaid as debt plus accrued interest. See Note 3.

In 2015, the Company reached a settlement with the State of Texas over the payment of the state’s Patron Tax on adult club customers. To resolve the issue of taxes owed, the Company agreed to pay $10.0 million in equal monthly installments of $119,000, without interest, over 84 months, beginning in June 2015, for all but 2 non-settled locations. The Company agreed to remit the Patron Tax on a monthly basis, based on the current rate of $5 per customer. For accounting purposes, the Company discounted the $10.0 million at an imputed interest rate of 9.6%, establishing a net present value for the settlement of $7.2 million. As a consequence, the Company recorded an $8.2 million pre-tax gain for the third quarter ended June 30, 2015, representing the difference between the $7.2 million and the amount previously accrued for the tax.

In March 2017, the Company settled with the State of Texas for 1 of the 2 remaining unsettled Patron Tax locations. To resolve the issue of taxes owed, the Company agreed to pay a total of $687,815 with $195,815 paid at the time the settlement agreement was executed followed by 60 equal monthly installments of $8,200 without interest.

The aggregate balance of Patron Tax settlement liability, which is included in long-term debt in the condensed consolidated balance sheets, amounted to $130,000 and $813,000 as of March 31, 2022 and September 30, 2021, respectively. See Note 14.

A declaratory judgment action was brought by 5 operating subsidiaries of the Company to challenge a Texas Comptroller administrative rule related to the $5 per customer Patron Tax Fee assessed against Sexually Oriented Businesses. An administrative rule attempted to expand the fee to cover venues featuring dancers using latex cover as well as traditional nude entertainment. The administrative rule was challenged on both constitutional and statutory grounds. On November 19, 2018, the Court issued an order that a key aspect of the administrative rule is invalid based on it exceeding the scope of the Comptroller’s authority. On March 6, 2020, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, Austin Division, ruled that the Texas Patron Tax is unconstitutional as it has been applied and enforced by the Comptroller. The State of Texas has filed an appeal. We will continue to vigorously defend the matter through the appeals process.

As previously reported, the Company and its subsidiaries were insured under a liability policy issued by Indemnity Insurance Corporation, RRG (“IIC”) through October 25, 2013. The Company and its subsidiaries changed insurance companies on that date.

On November 7, 2013, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware entered a Rehabilitation and Injunction Order (“Rehabilitation Order”), which declared IIC impaired, insolvent and in an unsafe condition and placed IIC under the supervision of the Insurance Commissioner of the State of Delaware (“Commissioner”) in her capacity as receiver (“Receiver”). The Rehabilitation Order empowered the Commissioner to rehabilitate IIC through a variety of means, including gathering assets and marshaling those assets as necessary. Further, the order stayed or abated pending lawsuits involving IIC as the insurer until May 6, 2014.

On April 10, 2014, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware entered a Liquidation and Injunction Order With Bar Date (“Liquidation Order”), which ordered the liquidation of IIC and terminated all insurance policies or contracts of insurance issued by IIC. The Liquidation Order further ordered that all claims against IIC must have been filed with the Receiver before the close of business on January 16, 2015 and that all pending lawsuits involving IIC as the insurer were further stayed or abated until October 7, 2014. As a result, the Company and its subsidiaries no longer have insurance coverage under the liability policy with IIC. The Company has retained counsel to defend against and evaluate these claims and lawsuits. We are funding 100% of the costs of litigation and will seek reimbursement from the bankruptcy receiver. The Company filed the appropriate claims against IIC with the Receiver before the January 16, 2015 deadline and has provided updates as requested; however, there are no assurances of any recovery from these claims. It is unknown at this time what effect this uncertainty will have on the Company. As previously stated, since October 25, 2013, the Company has obtained general liability coverage from other insurers, which have covered and/or will cover any claims arising from actions after that date. As of March 31, 2022, we have 1 remaining unresolved claim out of the original 71 claims.

In May and June 2019, 3 putative securities class action complaints were filed against RCI Hospitality Holdings, Inc. and certain of its officers in the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division. The complaints alleged violations of Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and 10b-5 promulgated thereunder based on alleged materially false and misleading statements made in the Company’s SEC filings and disclosures as they relate to various alleged transactions by the Company and management. The complaints sought unspecified damages, costs, and attorneys’ fees. These lawsuits were Hoffman v. RCI Hospitality Holdings, Inc., et al. (filed May 21, 2019, naming the Company and Eric Langan); Gu v. RCI Hospitality Holdings, Inc., et al. (filed May 28, 2019, naming the Company, Eric Langan, and Phil Marshall (who is no longer an officer of the Company)); and Grossman v. RCI Hospitality Holdings, Inc., et al. (filed June 28, 2019, naming the Company, Eric Langan, and Phil Marshall). The plaintiffs in all 3 cases moved to consolidate the purported class actions. On January 10, 2020 an order consolidating the Hoffman, Grossman, and Gu cases was entered by the Court. The consolidated case is styled In re RCI Hospitality Holdings, Inc., No. 4:19-cv-01841. On February 24, 2020, the plaintiffs in the consolidated case filed an Amended Class Action Complaint, continuing to allege violations of Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and 10b-5 promulgated thereunder. In addition to naming the Company, Eric Langan, and Phil Marshall, the amended complaint also added former directors Nourdean Anakar and Steven Jenkins as defendants. On April 24, 2020, the Company and the individual defendants moved to dismiss the amended complaint for failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted. On March 31, 2021, the court denied defendants’ motion to dismiss the lawsuit. On April 14, 2021, defendants filed their answer and affirmative defenses, denying liability as to all claims. On June 14, 2021, a scheduling order was entered in the case, setting January 9, 2023 as the trial date. On December 22, 2021, an amended scheduling order was entered, extending the trial date to April 7, 2023 and extending all other case deadlines. The Company vigorously defended against this action. In January 2022, the parties engaged in settlement discussions beginning with a formal mediation on January 13, 2022, which resulted in an agreement-in-principle to resolve the matter. On January 24, 2022, a Joint Notice of Settlement was filed. On April 15, 2022, counsel for Plaintiffs filed an Unopposed Motion for (I) Preliminary Approval of Class Action Settlement; (II) Certification of the Settlement Class; and (III) Approval of the Notice of Settlement. On April 28, 2022, the Court entered an Order preliminarily approving the Class Action Settlement and Notice. The Court set the final approval hearing for June 24, 2022. Plaintiffs have sought to extend the hearing until August to comply with certain potential notice and related obligations to the purported class, and Defendants concur with the request.

On March 26, 2016, an image infringement lawsuit was filed in federal court in the Southern District of New York against the Company and several of its subsidiaries. Plaintiffs allege that their images were misappropriated, intentionally altered and published without their consent by clubs affiliated with the Company. The causes of action asserted in Plaintiffs’ Complaint include alleged violations of the Federal Lanham Act, the New York Civil Rights Act, and other statutory and common law theories. The Company contends that there is insurance coverage under an applicable insurance policy. The insurer has raised several issues regarding coverage under the policy. At this time, this disagreement remains unresolved. The Company has denied all allegations, continues to vigorously defend against the lawsuit and continues to believe the matter is covered by insurance.

On June 23, 2014, Mark H. Dupray and Ashlee Dupray filed a lawsuit against Pedro Antonio Panameno and our subsidiary JAI Dining Services (Phoenix) Inc. (“JAI Phoenix”) in the Superior Court of Arizona for Maricopa County. The suit

alleged that Mr. Panameno injured Mr. Dupray in a traffic accident after being served alcohol at an establishment operated by JAI Phoenix. The suit alleged that JAI Phoenix was liable under theories of common law dram shop negligence and dram shop negligence per se. After a jury trial proceeded to a verdict in favor of the plaintiffs against both defendants, in April 2017 the Court entered a judgment under which JAI Phoenix’s share of compensatory damages is approximately $1.4 million and its share of punitive damages is $4 million. In May 2017, JAI Phoenix filed a motion for judgment as a matter of law or, in the alternative, motion for new trial. The Court denied this motion in August 2017. In September 2017, JAI Phoenix filed a notice of appeal. In June 2018, the matter was heard by the Arizona Court of Appeals. On November 15, 2018 the Court of Appeals vacated the jury’s verdict and remanded the case to the trial court. It is anticipated that a new trial will occur at some point in the future. JAI Phoenix will continue to vigorously defend itself.

As set forth in the risk factors as disclosed in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, the adult entertainment industry standard is to classify adult entertainers as independent contractors, not employees. While we take steps to ensure that our adult entertainers are deemed independent contractors, from time to time, we are named in lawsuits related to the alleged misclassification of entertainers. Claims are brought under both federal and where applicable, state law. Based on the industry standard, the manner in which the independent contractor entertainers are treated at the clubs, and the entertainer license agreements governing the entertainer’s work at the clubs, the Company believes that these lawsuits are without merit. Lawsuits are handled by attorneys with an expertise in the relevant law and are defended vigorously.

In the regular course of business affairs and operations, we are subject to possible loss contingencies arising from third-party litigation and federal, state, and local environmental, labor, health and safety laws and regulations. We assess the probability that we could incur liability in connection with certain of these lawsuits. Our assessments are made in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, as codified in ASC 450-20, and is not an admission of any liability on the part of the Company or any of its subsidiaries. In certain cases that are in the early stages and in light of the uncertainties surrounding them, we do not currently possess sufficient information to determine a range of reasonably possible liability. In matters where there is insurance coverage, in the event we incur any liability, we believe it is unlikely we would incur losses in connection with these claims in excess of our insurance coverage.

Settlements of lawsuits for the three and six months ended March 31, 2022 amount to approximately $385,000 and $577,000, respectively, and for the three and six months ended March 31, 2021 amount to approximately $1,000 and $153,000, respectively. As of March 31, 2022 and September 30, 2021, the Company has accrued $301,000 and $378,000 in accrued liabilities, respectively, related to settlement of lawsuits.

The Company owns and operates adult nightclubs and Bombshells Restaurants and Bars. The Company has identified such segments based on management responsibility and the nature of the Company’s products, services and costs. There are no major distinctions in geographical areas served as all operations are in the United States. The Company measures segment profit (loss) as income (loss) from operations. Segment assets are those assets controlled by each reportable segment. The Other category below includes our media and energy drink divisions that are not significant to the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

Below is the financial information related to the Company’s segments (in thousands):

Excluded from revenues in the table above are intercompany rental revenues of the Nightclubs and Corporate segments for the three months ended March 31, 2022 amounting to $3.2 million and $31,000, respectively, and for the six months ended March 31, 2022 amounting to $6.5 million and $199,000, respectively, and intercompany sales of Robust Energy Drink included in Other segment for the three and six months ended March 31, 2022 amounting to $53,000 and $122,000, respectively. Excluded from revenues in the table above are intercompany rental revenues of the Nightclubs and Corporate segments for the three months ended March 31, 2021 amounting to $2.8 million and $31,000, respectively, and for the six months ended March 31, 2021 amounting to $5.6 million and $141,000, respectively, and intercompany sales of Robust Energy Drink included in Other segment for the three and six months ended March 31, 2021 amounting to $49,000 and $75,000, respectively. These intercompany revenue amounts are eliminated upon consolidation.

General corporate expenses include corporate salaries, health insurance and social security taxes for officers, legal, accounting and information technology employees, corporate taxes and insurance, legal and accounting fees, depreciation and other corporate costs such as automobile and travel costs. Management considers these to be non-allocable costs for segment purposes.

Certain real estate assets previously wholly assigned to Bombshells have been subdivided and allocated to other future development or investment projects. Accordingly, those asset costs have been transferred out of the Bombshells segment.

Presently, our Chairman and President, Eric Langan, personally guarantees all of the commercial bank indebtedness of the Company. Mr. Langan receives no compensation or other direct financial benefit for any of the guarantees. The balance of our commercial bank indebtedness, net of debt discount and issuance costs, as of March 31, 2022 and September 30, 2021, was $116.7 million and $99.7 million, respectively.

Included in the $17.0 million borrowing on October 12, 2021 (see Note 7) are notes borrowed from related parties—one note for $500,000 (Ed Anakar, an employee of the Company and brother of our former director Nourdean Anakar) and another note for $150,000 (from a brother of Company CFO, Bradley Chhay) in which the terms of the notes are the same as the rest of the lender group.

We used the services of Nottingham Creations, and previously Sherwood Forest Creations, LLC, both furniture fabrication companies that manufacture tables, chairs and other furnishings for our Bombshells locations, as well as providing ongoing maintenance. Nottingham Creations is owned by a brother of Eric Langan (as was Sherwood Forest). Amounts billed to us for goods and services provided by Nottingham Creations and Sherwood Forest were $3,112 and $27,149 during the three and six months ended March 31, 2022, respectively, and $114,910 and $114,910 during the three and six months ended March 31, 2021, respectively. As of March 31, 2022 and September 30, 2021, we owed Nottingham Creations and Sherwood Forest $1,299 and $12,205, respectively, in unpaid billings.

TW Mechanical LLC (“TW Mechanical”) provided plumbing and HVAC services to both a third-party general contractor providing construction services to the Company, as well as directly to the Company during fiscal 2022 and 2021. A son-in-law of Eric Langan owns a 50% interest in TW Mechanical. Amounts billed by TW Mechanical to the third-party general contractor were $3,809 and $3,809 for the three and six months ended March 31, 2022, respectively, and $0 and $0 for the three and six months ended March 31, 2021, respectively. Amounts billed directly to the Company were $3,704 and $84,700 for the three and six months ended March 31, 2022, respectively, and $55,621 and $62,751 for the three and six

months ended March 31, 2021, respectively. As of March 31, 2022 and September 30, 2021, the Company owed TW Mechanical $0 and $7,500, respectively, in unpaid direct billings.

The Company leases certain facilities and equipment under operating leases. In relation to an acquisition that was completed on October 18, 2021 (see Note 4), the Company entered into leases with third parties for certain clubs where the real estate locations were not part of the acquisition.

Total lease expense included in selling, general and administrative expenses in our unaudited condensed consolidated statements of income for the three and six months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021 is as follows (in thousands):

Future maturities of operating lease liabilities as of March 31, 2022 are as follows (in thousands):

The above table of maturities of operating lease liabilities does not include future payments of an assigned lease executed in April 2022 related to the October 18, 2021 acquisition, which has a total of approximately $2.6 million of future lease payments until August 2027.

Subsequent to the reporting date until May 6, 2022, the Company purchased 37,700 shares of its own common stock at a cost of $2.4 million.

The following discussion should be read in conjunction with our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and related notes thereto included in this quarterly report, and the audited consolidated financial statements and related notes included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 30, 2021.

RCI Hospitality Holdings, Inc. (“RCIHH”) is a holding company. Through our subsidiaries, we engage in a number of activities in the hospitality and related businesses. All services and management operations are conducted by subsidiaries of RCIHH, including RCI Management Services, Inc.

Through our subsidiaries, as of March 31, 2022, we operated a total of 59 establishments that offer live adult entertainment and/or restaurant and bar operations. We also operated a leading business communications company serving the multi-billion-dollar adult nightclubs industry. We have two principal reportable segments: Nightclubs and Bombshells. We combine operating segments not included in Nightclubs and Bombshells into “Other.” In the context of club and restaurant/sports bar operations, the terms the “Company,” “we,” “our,” “us” and similar terms used in this report refer to subsidiaries of RCIHH. RCIHH was incorporated in the State of Texas in 1994. Our corporate offices are located in Houston, Texas.

Since the U.S. declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic as a national emergency in March 2020, we have had a major disruption in our business operations that threatened to significantly impact our cash flow. The pandemic resulted in a significant reduction in customer traffic in our clubs and restaurants due to changes in consumer behavior as social distancing practices, dining room closures, and other restrictions that were mandated or encouraged by federal, state, and local governments. To adapt to the situation, we took significant steps to augment an anticipated decline in operating cash flows, including negotiating deferment of some of our debts, reducing the number of our employees and related payroll costs where necessary, and deferring or modifying certain fixed and variable monthly expenses, among others.

The temporary closure of our clubs and restaurants caused by the COVID-19 pandemic presented operational challenges. Our strategy was to open locations and operate in accordance with local and state guidelines. We believe that we can borrow capital if needed but currently we do not have unused credit facilities so there can be no guarantee that additional liquidity will be readily available or available on favorable terms, especially the longer the COVID-19 pandemic lasts.

As of the release of this report, we do not know the future extent and duration of the impact of COVID-19 on our businesses. Closures and operating restrictions, as caused by local, state, and national guidelines, could lead to adverse financial results. However, we will continually monitor and evaluate the situation and will determine any further measures to be instituted. As of the date of this report, all COVID-related restrictions on our businesses have been lifted.

The preparation of the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements requires our management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses, and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. On a regular basis, we evaluate these estimates. These estimates are based on management’s historical industry experience and on various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances. Actual results may differ from these estimates.

For a description of the accounting policies that, in management’s opinion, involve the most significant application of judgment or involve complex estimation and which could, if different judgment or estimates were made, materially affect our reported financial position, results of operations, or cash flows, see “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations – Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2021 filed with the SEC on December 14, 2021.

During the three and six months ended March 31, 2022, there were no significant changes in our accounting policies and estimates other than the newly adopted accounting standards that are disclosed in Note 2 to our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

Highlights of the Company's operating results are as follows:

The following table summarizes our results of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021 (dollars in thousands):