Fat Brands, Inc - 10-Q filing on 2020-05-29

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies	3 Months Ended
Mar. 29, 2020
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies	NOTE 2. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES Basis of Presentation Nature of operations –Each franchising subsidiary licenses the right to use its brand name and provides franchisees with operating procedures and methods of merchandising. Upon signing a franchise agreement, the franchisor is committed to provide training, some supervision and assistance, and access to operations manuals. As needed, the franchisor will also provide advice and written materials concerning techniques of managing and operating the restaurants. The Company operates on a 52-week calendar and its fiscal year ends on the last Sunday of the calendar year. Consistent with the industry practice, the Company measures its stores’ performance based upon 7-day work weeks. Using the 52-week cycle ensures consistent weekly reporting for operations and ensures that each week has the same days, since certain days are more profitable than others. The use of this fiscal year means a 53^rd week is added to the fiscal year every 5 or 6 years. In a 52-week year, all four quarters are comprised of 13 weeks. In a 53-week year, one extra week is added to the fourth quarter. Both fiscal 2020 and 2019 are 52-week years. Principles of consolidation – The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its subsidiaries. The accounts of Yalla Mediterranean have been included since its acquisition on December 3, 2018. The operations of Elevation Burger have been included since its acquisition on June 19, 2019. Intercompany accounts have been eliminated in consolidation. Use of estimates in the preparation of the consolidated financial statements – The preparation of the consolidated financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Significant estimates include the determination of fair values of certain financial instruments for which there is no active market, the allocation of basis between assets acquired, sold or retained, and valuation allowances for notes receivable and accounts receivable. Estimates and assumptions also affect the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Financial statement reclassification – Certain account balances from prior periods have been reclassified in these consolidated financial statements to conform to current period classifications. Credit and Depository Risks – Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist principally of cash and accounts receivable. Management reviews each of its customer’s financial conditions prior to entry into a franchise or other agreement and believes that it has adequately provided for any exposure to potential credit losses. As of March 29, 2020, accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts, totaled $2,288,000 with no customer representing more than 10% of that amount. As of December 29, 2019, the Company had two customers each representing 20% of accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts. The Company maintains cash deposits in national financial institutions. From time to time the balances for these accounts exceed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation’s (“FDIC”) insured amount. Balances on interest bearing deposits at banks in the United States are insured by the FDIC up to $250,000 per account. As of March 29, 2020, the Company had uninsured deposits in the amount of $4,938,000. As of December 29, 2019, the Company had no accounts with a combined uninsured balance. Restricted Cash – The Company has restricted cash consisting of funds required to be held in trust in connection with the Company’s Securitization. Current portion of restricted cash at March 29, 2020. consisted of $688,000 of funds required to be held in trust in connection with the Company’s securitized debt with no similar balances as of December 29, 2019. Non-current restricted cash of $400,000 at March 29, 2020, represents interest reserves required to be set aside for the duration of the securitized debt with no similar balances as of December 29, 2019. Accounts receivable – Accounts receivable are recorded at the invoiced amount and are stated net of an allowance for doubtful accounts. The allowance for doubtful accounts is the Company’s best estimate of the amount of probable credit losses in the existing accounts receivable. The allowance is based on historical collection data and current franchisee information. Account balances are charged off against the allowance after all means of collection have been exhausted and the potential for recovery is considered remote. Trade notes receivable – Trade notes receivable are created when an agreement is reached to settle a delinquent franchisee receivable account and the entire balance is not immediately paid. Generally, trade notes receivable include personal guarantees from the franchisee. The notes are made for the shortest time frame negotiable and will generally carry an interest rate of 6% to 7.5%. Reserve amounts on the notes are established based on the likelihood of collection. Assets classified as held for sale – Assets are classified as held for sale when the Company commits to a plan to sell the asset, the asset is available for immediate sale in its present condition and an active program to locate a buyer at a reasonable price has been initiated. The sale of these assets is generally expected to be completed within one year. The combined assets are valued at the lower of their carrying amount or fair value, net of costs to sell and included as current assets on the Company’s consolidated balance sheet. Assets classified as held for sale are not depreciated. However, interest attributable to the liabilities associated with assets classified as held for sale and other related expenses are recorded as expenses in the Company’s consolidated statement of operations. Goodwill and other intangible assets – Intangible assets are stated at the estimated fair value at the date of acquisition and include goodwill, trademarks, and franchise agreements. Goodwill and other intangible assets with indefinite lives, such as trademarks, are not amortized but are reviewed for impairment annually or more frequently if indicators arise. All other intangible assets are amortized over their estimated weighted average useful lives, which range from nine to twenty-five years. Management assesses potential impairments to intangible assets at least annually, or when there is evidence that events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recovered. Judgments regarding the existence of impairment indicators and future cash flows related to intangible assets are based on operational performance of the acquired businesses, market conditions and other factors. Income taxes – Effective October 20, 2017, the Company entered into a Tax Sharing Agreement with FCCG that provides that FCCG will, to the extent permitted by applicable law, file consolidated federal, California and Oregon (and possibly other jurisdictions where revenue is generated, at FCCG’s election) income tax returns with the Company and its subsidiaries. The Company will pay FCCG the amount that its tax liability would have been had it filed a separate return. As such, the Company accounts for income taxes as if it filed separately from FCCG. The Company accounts for income taxes under the asset and liability method. Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based on the differences between financial reporting and tax reporting bases of assets and liabilities and are measured using enacted tax rates and laws that are expected to be in effect when the differences are expected to reverse. Realization of deferred tax assets is dependent upon future earnings, the timing and amount of which are uncertain. A two-step approach is utilized to recognize and measure uncertain tax positions. The first step is to evaluate the tax position for recognition by determining if the weight of available evidence indicates that it is more likely than not that the position will be sustained upon tax authority examination, including resolution of related appeals or litigation processes, if any. The second step is to measure the tax benefit as the largest amount that is more than 50% likely of being realized upon the ultimate settlement. Franchise Fees: The franchise arrangement is documented in the form of a franchise agreement. The franchise arrangement requires the Company to perform various activities to support the brand that do not directly transfer goods and services to the franchisee, but instead represent a single performance obligation, which is the transfer of the franchise license. The services provided by the Company are highly interrelated with the franchise license and are considered a single performance obligation. Franchise fee revenue from the sale of individual franchises is recognized over the term of the individual franchise agreement. Unamortized non-refundable deposits collected in relation to the sale of franchises are recorded as deferred franchise fees. The franchise fee may be adjusted at management’s discretion or in a situation involving store transfers. Deposits are non-refundable upon acceptance of the franchise application. In the event a franchisee does not comply with their development timeline for opening franchise stores, the franchise rights may be terminated, and franchise fee revenue is recognized for non-refundable deposits. Store opening fees – Prior to September 29, 2019, the Company recognized store opening fees in the amount of $35,000 to $60,000 from the up-front fees collected from franchisees upon store opening. The amount of the fee was dependent on brand and location (domestic versus international stores). The remaining balance of the up-front fees were then amortized as franchise fees over the life of the franchise agreement. If the fees collected were less than the respective store opening fee amounts, the full up-front fees were recognized at store opening. The store opening fees were based on out-of-pocket costs to the Company for each store opening and are primarily comprised of labor expenses associated with training, store design, and supply chain setup. International fees recognized were higher due to the additional cost of travel. During the fourth quarter of 2019, the Company performed a study of other public company restaurant franchisors’ application of ASC 606 and determined that a preferred, alternative industry application exists in which the store opening fee portion of the franchise fees is amortized over the life of the franchise agreement rather than at milestones of standalone performance obligations in the franchise agreements. In order to provide financial reporting consistent with other franchise industry peers, the Company applied this preferred, alternative application of ASC 606 during the fourth quarter of 2019 on a prospective basis. As a result of the adoption of this preferred accounting treatment under ASC 606, the Company discontinued the recognition of store opening fees upon store opening and began accounting for the entire up-front deposit received from franchisees as described above in Franchise Fees. A cumulative adjustment to store opening fees and franchise fees was recorded in the fourth quarter of 2019 for store opening fees recognized during the first three quarters of 2019. (See “Immaterial Adjustments Related to Prior Periods”, below.) Royalties – In addition to franchise fee revenue, we collect a royalty calculated as a percentage of net sales from our franchisees. Royalties range from 0.75% to 6% and are recognized as revenue when the related sales are made by the franchisees. Royalties collected in advance of sales are classified as deferred income until earned. Advertising – The Company requires advertising payments from franchisees based on a percent of net sales. The Company also receives, from time to time, payments from vendors that are to be used for advertising. Advertising funds collected are required to be spent for specific advertising purposes. Advertising revenue and associated expense is recorded on the Company’s consolidated statement of operations. Assets and liabilities associated with the related advertising fees are reflected in the Company’s consolidated balance sheet. Share-based compensation – The Company has a stock option plan which provides for options to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock. Options issued under the plan may have a variety of terms as determined by the Board of Directors including the option term, the exercise price and the vesting period. Options granted to employees and directors are valued at the date of grant and recognized as an expense over the vesting period in which the options are earned. Cancellations or forfeitures are accounted for as they occur. Stock options issued to non-employees as compensation for services are accounted for based upon the estimated fair value of the stock option. The Company recognizes this expense over the period in which the services are provided. Management utilizes the Black-Scholes option-pricing model to determine the fair value of the stock options issued by the Company. See Note 14 for more details on the Company’s share-based compensation. Earnings per share – The Company reports basic earnings or loss per share in accordance with FASB ASC 260, “Earnings Per Share”. Basic earnings per share is computed using the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the reporting period. Diluted earnings per share is computed using the weighted average number of common shares outstanding plus the effect of dilutive securities during the reporting period. Any potentially dilutive securities that have an anti-dilutive impact on the per share calculation are excluded. During periods in which the Company reports a net loss, diluted weighted average shares outstanding are equal to basic weighted average shares outstanding because the effect of all potentially dilutive securities would be anti-dilutive. The Company declared a stock dividend on February 7, 2019 and issued 245,376 shares of common stock in satisfaction of the stock dividend (See Note 16). Unless otherwise noted, earnings per share and other share-based information for 2019 and 2018 have been adjusted retrospectively to reflect the impact of the stock dividend. Immaterial Adjustments Related to Prior Periods During the fourth quarter of 2019, the Company identified two immaterial potential adjustments to its previously issued financial statements. These potential adjustments are (1) its assessment of the Series A-1 Fixed Rate Cumulative Preferred Stock and (2) its treatment of the store opening component of its franchise fees under ASC 606. Based on its assessment of the Series A-1 Fixed Rate Cumulative Preferred Stock, the Company determined that an error occurred in the analysis of the rights that the holders of the Series A-1 Fixed Rate Cumulative Preferred Stock have with respect to the conversion of the securities into shares of the Company’s common stock. In our reassessment, the conversion rights did not represent a beneficial conversion feature as we had initially concluded at the time of issuance. The Company originally adopted ASC 606 on January 1, 2018. During the fourth quarter of 2019, the Company performed a study of other public company restaurant franchisors’ application of ASC 606 and determined that a preferred, alternative industry application exists in which the store opening fee portion of the franchise fees is amortized over the life of the franchise agreement rather than at milestones of standalone performance obligations in the franchise agreements. In order to provide financial reporting consistent with other franchise industry peers, the Company applied this preferred, alternative application of ASC 606 during the fourth quarter of 2019 on a prospective basis. In accordance with SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin (“SAB”) No. 99, Materiality, codified in ASC 250 (“ASC 250”), Presentation of Financial Statements, and SAB 108, Considering the Effects of Prior Year Misstatements when Quantifying Misstatements in Current Year Consolidated Statements of Income, Balance Sheets, Shareholders Equity and Cash Flows, also codified in ASC 250, management assessed the materiality of (1) the error in its treatment of the beneficial conversion feature related to the Series A-1 Fixed Rate Cumulative Preferred Stock and (2) the adoption of the preferential accounting treatment under ASC 606. Based on such analysis of quantitative and qualitative factors, the Company has determined that neither the error nor the adoption of the preferential accounting treatment under ASC 606, in aggregate or individually, were material to any of the reporting periods affected, and no amendments to previously filed 10-Q or 10-K reports with the SEC are required. Recently Adopted Accounting Standards In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-13, Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820): Disclosure Framework – Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Fair Value Measurement.” This ASU adds, modifies and removes several disclosure requirements relative to the three levels of inputs used to measure fair value in accordance with Topic 820, “Fair Value Measurement.” The Company adopted this ASU on December 30, 2019. The adoption of this standard did not have a material effect on the Company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows. The FASB issued ASU No. 2018-15, Intangibles-Goodwill and Other-Internal-Use Software (Subtopic 350-40). The new guidance reduces complexity for the accounting for costs of implementing a cloud computing service arrangement and aligns the requirements for capitalizing implementation costs incurred in a hosting arrangement that is a service contract with the requirements for capitalizing implementation costs incurred to develop or obtain internal-use software (and hosting arrangements that include an internal use software license). The Company adopted this ASU on December 30, 2019. The adoption of this standard did not have a material effect on the Company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows. The FASB issued ASU 2019-12, Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes: This standard removes certain exceptions for recognizing deferred taxes for investments, performing intraperiod allocation and calculating income taxes in interim periods. It also adds guidance in certain areas, including the recognition of franchise taxes, recognition of deferred taxes for tax goodwill, allocation of taxes to members of a consolidated group, computation of annual effective tax rates related to enacted changes in tax laws, and minor improvements related to employee stock ownership plans and investments in qualified affordable housing projects accounted for using the equity method. The Company adopted this ASU on December 30, 2019. The adoption of this standard did not have a material effect on the Company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

3 Months Ended

Mar. 29, 2020

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

NOTE 2. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Basis of Presentation

Nature of operations –Each franchising subsidiary licenses the right to use its brand name and provides franchisees with operating procedures and methods of merchandising. Upon signing a franchise agreement, the franchisor is committed to provide training, some supervision and assistance, and access to operations manuals. As needed, the franchisor will also provide advice and written materials concerning techniques of managing and operating the restaurants.

The Company operates on a 52-week calendar and its fiscal year ends on the last Sunday of the calendar year. Consistent with the industry practice, the Company measures its stores’ performance based upon 7-day work weeks. Using the 52-week cycle ensures consistent weekly reporting for operations and ensures that each week has the same days, since certain days are more profitable than others. The use of this fiscal year means a 53^rd week is added to the fiscal year every 5 or 6 years. In a 52-week year, all four quarters are comprised of 13 weeks. In a 53-week year, one extra week is added to the fourth quarter. Both fiscal 2020 and 2019 are 52-week years.

Principles of consolidation – The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its subsidiaries. The accounts of Yalla Mediterranean have been included since its acquisition on December 3, 2018. The operations of Elevation Burger have been included since its acquisition on June 19, 2019. Intercompany accounts have been eliminated in consolidation.

Use of estimates in the preparation of the consolidated financial statements – The preparation of the consolidated financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Significant estimates include the determination of fair values of certain financial instruments for which there is no active market, the allocation of basis between assets acquired, sold or retained, and valuation allowances for notes receivable and accounts receivable. Estimates and assumptions also affect the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Financial statement reclassification – Certain account balances from prior periods have been reclassified in these consolidated financial statements to conform to current period classifications.

Credit and Depository Risks – Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist principally of cash and accounts receivable. Management reviews each of its customer’s financial conditions prior to entry into a franchise or other agreement and believes that it has adequately provided for any exposure to potential credit losses. As of March 29, 2020, accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts, totaled $2,288,000 with no customer representing more than 10% of that amount. As of December 29, 2019, the Company had two customers each representing 20% of accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts.

The Company maintains cash deposits in national financial institutions. From time to time the balances for these accounts exceed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation’s (“FDIC”) insured amount. Balances on interest bearing deposits at banks in the United States are insured by the FDIC up to $250,000 per account. As of March 29, 2020, the Company had uninsured deposits in the amount of $4,938,000. As of December 29, 2019, the Company had no accounts with a combined uninsured balance.

Restricted Cash – The Company has restricted cash consisting of funds required to be held in trust in connection with the Company’s Securitization. Current portion of restricted cash at March 29, 2020. consisted of $688,000 of funds required to be held in trust in connection with the Company’s securitized debt with no similar balances as of December 29, 2019. Non-current restricted cash of $400,000 at March 29, 2020, represents interest reserves required to be set aside for the duration of the securitized debt with no similar balances as of December 29, 2019.

Accounts receivable – Accounts receivable are recorded at the invoiced amount and are stated net of an allowance for doubtful accounts. The allowance for doubtful accounts is the Company’s best estimate of the amount of probable credit losses in the existing accounts receivable. The allowance is based on historical collection data and current franchisee information. Account balances are charged off against the allowance after all means of collection have been exhausted and the potential for recovery is considered remote.

Trade notes receivable – Trade notes receivable are created when an agreement is reached to settle a delinquent franchisee receivable account and the entire balance is not immediately paid. Generally, trade notes receivable include personal guarantees from the franchisee. The notes are made for the shortest time frame negotiable and will generally carry an interest rate of 6% to 7.5%. Reserve amounts on the notes are established based on the likelihood of collection.

Assets classified as held for sale – Assets are classified as held for sale when the Company commits to a plan to sell the asset, the asset is available for immediate sale in its present condition and an active program to locate a buyer at a reasonable price has been initiated. The sale of these assets is generally expected to be completed within one year. The combined assets are valued at the lower of their carrying amount or fair value, net of costs to sell and included as current assets on the Company’s consolidated balance sheet. Assets classified as held for sale are not depreciated. However, interest attributable to the liabilities associated with assets classified as held for sale and other related expenses are recorded as expenses in the Company’s consolidated statement of operations.

Goodwill and other intangible assets – Intangible assets are stated at the estimated fair value at the date of acquisition and include goodwill, trademarks, and franchise agreements. Goodwill and other intangible assets with indefinite lives, such as trademarks, are not amortized but are reviewed for impairment annually or more frequently if indicators arise. All other intangible assets are amortized over their estimated weighted average useful lives, which range from nine to twenty-five years. Management assesses potential impairments to intangible assets at least annually, or when there is evidence that events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recovered. Judgments regarding the existence of impairment indicators and future cash flows related to intangible assets are based on operational performance of the acquired businesses, market conditions and other factors.

Income taxes – Effective October 20, 2017, the Company entered into a Tax Sharing Agreement with FCCG that provides that FCCG will, to the extent permitted by applicable law, file consolidated federal, California and Oregon (and possibly other jurisdictions where revenue is generated, at FCCG’s election) income tax returns with the Company and its subsidiaries. The Company will pay FCCG the amount that its tax liability would have been had it filed a separate return. As such, the Company accounts for income taxes as if it filed separately from FCCG.

The Company accounts for income taxes under the asset and liability method. Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based on the differences between financial reporting and tax reporting bases of assets and liabilities and are measured using enacted tax rates and laws that are expected to be in effect when the differences are expected to reverse. Realization of deferred tax assets is dependent upon future earnings, the timing and amount of which are uncertain.

A two-step approach is utilized to recognize and measure uncertain tax positions. The first step is to evaluate the tax position for recognition by determining if the weight of available evidence indicates that it is more likely than not that the position will be sustained upon tax authority examination, including resolution of related appeals or litigation processes, if any. The second step is to measure the tax benefit as the largest amount that is more than 50% likely of being realized upon the ultimate settlement.

Franchise Fees: The franchise arrangement is documented in the form of a franchise agreement. The franchise arrangement requires the Company to perform various activities to support the brand that do not directly transfer goods and services to the franchisee, but instead represent a single performance obligation, which is the transfer of the franchise license. The services provided by the Company are highly interrelated with the franchise license and are considered a single performance obligation. Franchise fee revenue from the sale of individual franchises is recognized over the term of the individual franchise agreement. Unamortized non-refundable deposits collected in relation to the sale of franchises are recorded as deferred franchise fees.

The franchise fee may be adjusted at management’s discretion or in a situation involving store transfers. Deposits are non-refundable upon acceptance of the franchise application. In the event a franchisee does not comply with their development timeline for opening franchise stores, the franchise rights may be terminated, and franchise fee revenue is recognized for non-refundable deposits.

Store opening fees – Prior to September 29, 2019, the Company recognized store opening fees in the amount of $35,000 to $60,000 from the up-front fees collected from franchisees upon store opening. The amount of the fee was dependent on brand and location (domestic versus international stores). The remaining balance of the up-front fees were then amortized as franchise fees over the life of the franchise agreement. If the fees collected were less than the respective store opening fee amounts, the full up-front fees were recognized at store opening. The store opening fees were based on out-of-pocket costs to the Company for each store opening and are primarily comprised of labor expenses associated with training, store design, and supply chain setup. International fees recognized were higher due to the additional cost of travel.

During the fourth quarter of 2019, the Company performed a study of other public company restaurant franchisors’ application of ASC 606 and determined that a preferred, alternative industry application exists in which the store opening fee portion of the franchise fees is amortized over the life of the franchise agreement rather than at milestones of standalone performance obligations in the franchise agreements. In order to provide financial reporting consistent with other franchise industry peers, the Company applied this preferred, alternative application of ASC 606 during the fourth quarter of 2019 on a prospective basis. As a result of the adoption of this preferred accounting treatment under ASC 606, the Company discontinued the recognition of store opening fees upon store opening and began accounting for the entire up-front deposit received from franchisees as described above in Franchise Fees. A cumulative adjustment to store opening fees and franchise fees was recorded in the fourth quarter of 2019 for store opening fees recognized during the first three quarters of 2019. (See “Immaterial Adjustments Related to Prior Periods”, below.)

Royalties – In addition to franchise fee revenue, we collect a royalty calculated as a percentage of net sales from our franchisees. Royalties range from 0.75% to 6% and are recognized as revenue when the related sales are made by the franchisees. Royalties collected in advance of sales are classified as deferred income until earned.

Advertising – The Company requires advertising payments from franchisees based on a percent of net sales. The Company also receives, from time to time, payments from vendors that are to be used for advertising. Advertising funds collected are required to be spent for specific advertising purposes. Advertising revenue and associated expense is recorded on the Company’s consolidated statement of operations. Assets and liabilities associated with the related advertising fees are reflected in the Company’s consolidated balance sheet.

Share-based compensation – The Company has a stock option plan which provides for options to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock. Options issued under the plan may have a variety of terms as determined by the Board of Directors including the option term, the exercise price and the vesting period. Options granted to employees and directors are valued at the date of grant and recognized as an expense over the vesting period in which the options are earned. Cancellations or forfeitures are accounted for as they occur. Stock options issued to non-employees as compensation for services are accounted for based upon the estimated fair value of the stock option. The Company recognizes this expense over the period in which the services are provided. Management utilizes the Black-Scholes option-pricing model to determine the fair value of the stock options issued by the Company. See Note 14 for more details on the Company’s share-based compensation.

Earnings per share – The Company reports basic earnings or loss per share in accordance with FASB ASC 260, “Earnings Per Share”. Basic earnings per share is computed using the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the reporting period. Diluted earnings per share is computed using the weighted average number of common shares outstanding plus the effect of dilutive securities during the reporting period. Any potentially dilutive securities that have an anti-dilutive impact on the per share calculation are excluded. During periods in which the Company reports a net loss, diluted weighted average shares outstanding are equal to basic weighted average shares outstanding because the effect of all potentially dilutive securities would be anti-dilutive.

The Company declared a stock dividend on February 7, 2019 and issued 245,376 shares of common stock in satisfaction of the stock dividend (See Note 16). Unless otherwise noted, earnings per share and other share-based information for 2019 and 2018 have been adjusted retrospectively to reflect the impact of the stock dividend.

Immaterial Adjustments Related to Prior Periods

During the fourth quarter of 2019, the Company identified two immaterial potential adjustments to its previously issued financial statements. These potential adjustments are (1) its assessment of the Series A-1 Fixed Rate Cumulative Preferred Stock and (2) its treatment of the store opening component of its franchise fees under ASC 606.

Based on its assessment of the Series A-1 Fixed Rate Cumulative Preferred Stock, the Company determined that an error occurred in the analysis of the rights that the holders of the Series A-1 Fixed Rate Cumulative Preferred Stock have with respect to the conversion of the securities into shares of the Company’s common stock. In our reassessment, the conversion rights did not represent a beneficial conversion feature as we had initially concluded at the time of issuance.

The Company originally adopted ASC 606 on January 1, 2018. During the fourth quarter of 2019, the Company performed a study of other public company restaurant franchisors’ application of ASC 606 and determined that a preferred, alternative industry application exists in which the store opening fee portion of the franchise fees is amortized over the life of the franchise agreement rather than at milestones of standalone performance obligations in the franchise agreements. In order to provide financial reporting consistent with other franchise industry peers, the Company applied this preferred, alternative application of ASC 606 during the fourth quarter of 2019 on a prospective basis.

In accordance with SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin (“SAB”) No. 99, Materiality, codified in ASC 250 (“ASC 250”), Presentation of Financial Statements, and SAB 108, Considering the Effects of Prior Year Misstatements when Quantifying Misstatements in Current Year Consolidated Statements of Income, Balance Sheets, Shareholders Equity and Cash Flows, also codified in ASC 250, management assessed the materiality of (1) the error in its treatment of the beneficial conversion feature related to the Series A-1 Fixed Rate Cumulative Preferred Stock and (2) the adoption of the preferential accounting treatment under ASC 606. Based on such analysis of quantitative and qualitative factors, the Company has determined that neither the error nor the adoption of the preferential accounting treatment under ASC 606, in aggregate or individually, were material to any of the reporting periods affected, and no amendments to previously filed 10-Q or 10-K reports with the SEC are required.

Recently Adopted Accounting Standards

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-13, Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820): Disclosure Framework – Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Fair Value Measurement.” This ASU adds, modifies and removes several disclosure requirements relative to the three levels of inputs used to measure fair value in accordance with Topic 820, “Fair Value Measurement.” The Company adopted this ASU on December 30, 2019. The adoption of this standard did not have a material effect on the Company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

The FASB issued ASU No. 2018-15, Intangibles-Goodwill and Other-Internal-Use Software (Subtopic 350-40). The new guidance reduces complexity for the accounting for costs of implementing a cloud computing service arrangement and aligns the requirements for capitalizing implementation costs incurred in a hosting arrangement that is a service contract with the requirements for capitalizing implementation costs incurred to develop or obtain internal-use software (and hosting arrangements that include an internal use software license). The Company adopted this ASU on December 30, 2019. The adoption of this standard did not have a material effect on the Company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

The FASB issued ASU 2019-12, Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes: This standard removes certain exceptions for recognizing deferred taxes for investments, performing intraperiod allocation and calculating income taxes in interim periods. It also adds guidance in certain areas, including the recognition of franchise taxes, recognition of deferred taxes for tax goodwill, allocation of taxes to members of a consolidated group, computation of annual effective tax rates related to enacted changes in tax laws, and minor improvements related to employee stock ownership plans and investments in qualified affordable housing projects accounted for using the equity method. The Company adopted this ASU on December 30, 2019. The adoption of this standard did not have a material effect on the Company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows.