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Nature of Business, Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)
12 Months Ended
Sep. 29, 2023
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]  
Basis of Presentation
Aramark (the "Company") is a leading global provider of food and facilities services to education, healthcare, business & industry, and sports, leisure & corrections clients. The Company's core market is the United States, which is supplemented by an additional 14-country footprint. The Company also provides services on a more limited basis in several additional countries and in offshore locations. The Company operated its business in three reportable segments that share many of the same operating characteristics:
Food and Support Services United States ("FSS United States") - Food, refreshment, specialized dietary and support services, including facility maintenance and housekeeping, provided to business, educational and healthcare institutions and in sports, leisure and other facilities.
Food and Support Services International ("FSS International") - Food, refreshment, specialized dietary and support services, including facility maintenance and housekeeping, provided to business, educational and healthcare institutions and in sports, leisure and other facilities.
Uniform and Career Apparel ("Uniform") - Provided a full-service employee uniform solution, resulting in a contracted and recurring revenue model. The customer base was serviced by a leading geographic footprint in the United States and Canada with programs focused on uniforms, floor mats, towels, linens, restroom supplies, first-aid supplies, safety products and other workplace supplies. Customers operated in the United States and Canada in a wide range of industries, including manufacturing, hospitality, retail, food processing, pharmaceuticals, healthcare and automotive.
The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and all of its subsidiaries in which a controlling financial interest is maintained in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States ("U.S. GAAP"). All significant intercompany transactions and accounts have been eliminated.
Fiscal Year
Fiscal Year
The Company's fiscal year is the fifty-two or fifty-three week period which ends on the Friday nearest September 30th. The fiscal years ended September 29, 2023, September 30, 2022 and October 1, 2021 were each fifty-two week periods.
New Accounting Standard Updates
New Accounting Standards Updates
Adopted Standards (from most to least recent date of issuance)
In December 2022, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued an accounting standards update ("ASU") which defers the sunset date of Topic 848, Reference Rate Reform, to December 31, 2024 from December 31, 2022 and is effective for the Company upon issuance of the ASU. In January 2021, the FASB issued an ASU, which clarified certain optional expedients and exceptions for contract modifications and hedge accounting that may apply to derivatives that are affected by the discontinuance of the London Interbank Offer Rate ("LIBOR") and the reference rate reform standard. In March 2020, the FASB issued an ASU which provided optional expedients that may be applied to assist with the discontinuance of LIBOR. The expedients allowed companies to ease the potential accounting burden when modifying contracts and hedging relationships that use LIBOR as a reference rate, if certain criteria are met. During fiscal 2020, the Company applied the optional expedient to assert probability of forecasted hedged transactions occurring on its interest rate swap derivative contracts regardless of any expected contract modifications related to reference rate reform. During the third quarter of fiscal 2023, the Company applied the optional expedient related to assessment of effectiveness, whereas the Company elected to continue the method of assessing
effectiveness as documented in the original hedge documentation and elected to apply the optional expedient so that the reference rate on the hypothetical derivative matches the reference rate on the hedging instrument. The Company may apply the optional expedients of this standard through December 31, 2024. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements.
In November 2021, the FASB issued an ASU which requires an entity to provide certain annual disclosures when they have received government assistance. The guidance was effective for the Company in the first quarter of fiscal 2023. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements.
Standards Not Yet Adopted (from most to least recent date of issuance)
In September 2022, the FASB issued an ASU to enhance the transparency of supplier finance programs, which may be referred to as reverse factoring, payables finance or structured payables arrangements. The guidance will require that a buyer in a supplier finance program disclose the program's nature, activity and potential magnitude. The guidance is effective for the Company in the first quarter of fiscal 2024 and early adoption is permitted. The adoption of this guidance is not expected to have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements.
In October 2021, the FASB issued an ASU which required that an entity (acquirer) recognize and measure contract assets and contract liabilities acquired in a business combination in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers ("ASC 606") as if it had originated the contracts. The guidance is effective for the Company in the first quarter of fiscal 2024 and early adoption is permitted. The adoption of this guidance is not expected to have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements.
Other new accounting pronouncements recently issued or newly effective were not applicable to the Company, did not have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements or are not expected to have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements.
Revenue Recognition
Revenue Recognition
The Company recognizes revenue when its performance obligation is satisfied upon the transfer of control of the promised product or service to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration the Company expects to be entitled to in exchange for those goods and services. In each of the Company's operating segments, revenue is recognized over time in the period in which services are provided pursuant to the terms of the Company's contractual relationships with its clients. The Company generally records revenue on Food and Support Services contracts (both profit and loss contracts and client interest contracts) on a gross basis as the Company is the primary obligor and service provider. See Note 7 for additional information on revenue recognition.
Certain profit and loss contracts include payments to the client, typically calculated as a fixed or variable percentage of various categories of revenue and income. In some cases these contracts require minimum guaranteed payments that are contingent on certain future events. These expenses are currently recorded in "Cost of services provided (exclusive of depreciation and amortization)."
Revenue from client interest contracts is generally comprised of amounts billed to clients for food, labor and other costs that the Company incurs, controls and pays for. Revenue from these contracts also includes any associated management fees, client subsidies or incentive fees based upon the Company's performance under the contract. Revenue from direct marketing activities is recognized at a point in time upon shipment. All revenue related taxes are presented on a net basis.
The timing of revenue recognition may differ from the timing of invoicing to customers. The Company records an accounts receivable balance when revenue is recognized prior to or at the time of invoicing the customer. The majority of the Company’s receivables balances are based on contracts with customers.
The Company estimates and reserves for its credit loss exposure based on historical experience, current conditions and reasonable and supportable forecasts that affect the collectability of the reported amount in estimating credit losses. Credit loss expense is classified within "Cost of services provided (exclusive of depreciation and amortization)."
Vendor Consideration
Consideration received from vendors includes rebates, allowances and volume discounts and are accounted for as an adjustment to the cost of the vendors' products or services and are reported as a reduction of "Cost of services provided (exclusive of depreciation and amortization)," "Inventory," or "Property and equipment, net." Income from rebates, allowances and volume discounts is recognized based on actual purchases in the fiscal period relative to total actual purchases to be made for the contractual rebate period agreed to with the vendor. Rebates, allowances and volume discounts related to “Inventory” held at the balance sheet date are deducted from the carrying value of these inventories. Rebates, allowances and volume discounts related to "Property and equipment, net" are deducted from the costs capitalized.
Use of Estimates
Use of Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP 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 financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could materially differ from those estimates.
Comprehensive Income Comprehensive IncomeComprehensive income includes all changes to stockholders' equity during a period, except those resulting from investments by and distributions to stockholders. Components of comprehensive income include net income (loss), changes in foreign currency translation adjustments (net of tax), pension plan adjustments (net of tax), changes in the fair value of cash flow hedges (net of tax) and changes to the share of any equity investees' comprehensive income (net of tax).
Currency Translation Currency TranslationGains and losses resulting from the translation of financial statements of non-United States subsidiaries are reflected as a component of accumulated other comprehensive loss in stockholders' equity. Beginning in fiscal 2018, Argentina was determined to have a highly inflationary economy. As a result, the Company remeasures the financial statements of Argentina's operations in accordance with the accounting guidance for highly inflationary economies.
Current Assets
Current Assets
The Company considers all highly liquid investments with an original maturity of three months or less to be cash equivalents.
The Company insures portions of its risk related to general liability, automobile liability, workers’ compensation liability claims as well as certain property damage risks through a wholly owned captive insurance subsidiary (the "Captive") as part of its approach to risk finance. The Captive is subject to regulations within its domicile of Bermuda, including regulations established by the Bermuda Monetary Authority (the "BMA") relating to levels of liquidity and solvency as such concepts are defined by the BMA. The Captive was in compliance with these regulations as of September 29, 2023. These regulations may have the effect of limiting the Company's ability to access certain cash and cash equivalents held by the Captive for uses other than for the payment of its general liability, automobile liability, workers’ compensation liability, certain property damage and related Captive costs.
Property and Equipment
Property and Equipment
Property and equipment are stated at cost and are depreciated over their estimated useful lives on a straight-line basis. Gains and losses on dispositions are included in operating results. Maintenance and repairs are charged to current operations and replacements and significant improvements that extend the useful life of the asset are capitalized. The estimated useful lives for the major categories of property and equipment are generally 10 years to 40 years for buildings and improvements and three
years to 20 years for service equipment and fixtures.
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
Fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. Assets and liabilities recorded at fair value are classified based upon the level of judgment associated with the inputs used to measure their fair value. The hierarchical levels related to the subjectivity of the valuation inputs are defined as follows:
•    Level 1—inputs to the valuation methodology are quoted prices (unadjusted) for identical assets or liabilities in active markets
•    Level 2—inputs to the valuation methodology include quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets, and inputs that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly, for substantially the full term of the financial instrument
•    Level 3—inputs to the valuation methodology are unobservable and significant to the fair value measurement
Recurring Fair Value Measurements
The Company's financial instruments consist primarily of cash and cash equivalents, marketable securities, accounts receivable, accounts payable, borrowings and derivatives. Management believes that the carrying value of cash and cash equivalents, marketable securities, accounts receivable and accounts payable are representative of their respective fair values. In conjunction with the fair value measurement of the derivative instruments, the Company made an accounting policy election to measure the credit risk of its derivative instruments that are subject to master netting agreements on a net basis by counterparty portfolio, as the gross values would not be materially different.