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COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
12 Months Ended
Dec. 27, 2023
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
Lease Commitments
The Company is obligated under various operating leases for Shacks and the home office space, expiring in various years through 2045. Under certain of these leases, the Company is liable for contingent rent based on a percentage of sales in excess of specified thresholds and typically responsible for its proportionate share of real estate taxes, common area maintenance costs and other occupancy costs. Refer to Note 10, Leases, for additional information.
Certain leases require the Company to obtain letters of credit. As of December 27, 2023, the Company held two letters of credit, one for $130, which expires in February 2026 and the second for $402, which expires in August 2024 and renews automatically for one-year periods through January 31, 2034.
Purchase Commitments
Purchase obligations include legally binding contracts, including commitments for the purchase, construction or remodeling of real estate and facilities, firm minimum commitments for inventory purchases, equipment purchases, marketing-related contracts, software acquisition/license commitments and service contracts. These obligations are generally short-term in nature and are recorded as liabilities when the related goods are received or services rendered. The Company also enters into long-term, exclusive contracts with certain vendors to supply food, beverages and paper goods, obligating the Company to purchase specified quantities.
Legal Contingencies
In May 2022, a claim was filed against Shake Shack alleging certain violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act relating to the classification of exempt managers. The matter was settled with a maximum payment of $900. An accrual of $900 was recorded for this matter during the thirteen weeks ended March 29, 2023. Subsequently, the accrual was reduced by $385 during the thirteen weeks ended December 27, 2023.
The Company is subject to various legal proceedings, claims and liabilities, involving employees and guests alike, which arise in the ordinary course of business and are generally covered by insurance. As of December 27, 2023, the amount of the ultimate liability with respect to these matters was not material.
Liabilities under Tax Receivable Agreement
As described in Note 15, Income Taxes, the Company is a party to the Tax Receivable Agreement under which it is contractually committed to pay certain of the members of SSE Holdings 85% of the amount of any tax benefits that are actually realized, or in some cases are deemed to realize, as a result of certain transactions. The Company is not obligated to make any payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement until the tax benefits associated with the transactions that gave rise to the payments are realized. Amounts payable under the Tax Receivable Agreement are contingent upon, among other things, (i) generation of future taxable income over the term of the Tax Receivable Agreement and (ii) future changes in tax laws. If the Company does not generate sufficient taxable income in the aggregate over the term of the Tax Receivable Agreement to utilize the tax benefits, then it would not be required to make the related TRA Payments. As of December 27, 2023 and December 28, 2022, the Company recognized liabilities totaling $235,613 and $234,893, respectively, relating to the obligations under the Tax Receivable Agreement, after concluding that it was probable that it would have sufficient future taxable income over the term of the Tax Receivable Agreement to utilize the related tax benefits. There were no transactions subject to the Tax Receivable Agreement for which the Company did not recognize the related liability, as the Company concluded that it would have sufficient future taxable income to utilize all of the related tax benefits generated by all transactions that occurred in fiscal 2023.