Commitments and Contingencies

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2016

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

WRI leases certain office and retail space and equipment under non-cancelable operating leases with terms expiring at various dates through July 2031.

A schedule of future minimum rental payments required under our operating leases, excluding contingent rent, that have initial or remaining non-cancelable lease terms in excess of one year, as of December 31, 2016, is as follows (in thousands):



Fiscal year 2017	$	1,725
Fiscal year 2018	1,544
Fiscal year 2019	1,310
Fiscal year 2020	1,185
Fiscal year 2021	1,028
Thereafter	4,385
Total	$	11,177

Rent expense under cancelable and non-cancelable leases was $1.9 million, $2.0 million, and $1.9 million for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2016, December 26, 2015, and December 27, 2014, respectively.

The Company is subject to legal proceedings, claims and liabilities, such as employment-related claims and slip and fall cases, which arise in the ordinary course of business and are generally covered by insurance. In the opinion of management, the amount of ultimate liability with respect to those actions should not have a material adverse impact on financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

Many of the food products the Company purchases are subject to changes in the price and availability of food commodities, including chicken. The Company works with its suppliers and uses a mix of forward pricing protocols for certain items under which we agree with our supplier on fixed prices for deliveries at some time in the future, fixed pricing protocols under which we agree on a fixed price with our supplier for the duration of that protocol, and formula pricing protocols under which the prices we pay are based on a specified formula related to the prices of the goods, such as spot prices.

The Company’s use of any forward pricing arrangements varies substantially from time to time and these arrangements tend to cover relatively short periods (i.e., typically twelve months or less). Such contracts are used in the normal purchases of our food products and not for speculative purposes, and as such are not required to be evaluated as derivative instruments. The Company does not enter into futures contracts or other derivative instruments.