Sweetgreen, Inc., a Delaware corporation, together with its wholly owned subsidiaries (the “Company”), is a mission-driven, next generation restaurant and lifestyle brand that serves healthy food at scale. The Company’s bold vision is to be as ubiquitous as traditional fast food, but with the transparency and quality that consumers increasingly expect. As of March 27, 2022, the Company operated 158 restaurants in 13 states and Washington, D.C. The Company had 8 Net New Restaurant Openings during the thirteen weeks ended March 27, 2022.

The Company was founded in November 2006 and incorporated in the state of Delaware in October 2009 and currently is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. The Company’s operations are conducted as one operating segment and one reportable segment, as the Company’s chief operating decision maker, who is the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, reviews financial information on an aggregate basis for purposes of allocating resources and evaluating financial performance. The Company’s revenue is primarily derived from retail sales of food and beverages by company-owned restaurants.

The Company has prepared the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles for interim financial statements and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). In the opinion of management, the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements reflect all adjustments consisting of normal recurring adjustments necessary for a fair presentation of the Company’s financial position and results of operations. Interim results of operations are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be achieved for the full year. The financial statements and related notes do not include all information and footnotes required by U.S. generally accepted accounting principles for annual reports and should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 26, 2021.

Fiscal Year—The Company’s fiscal year is a 52- or 53-week period that ends on the Sunday closest to the last day of December. Fiscal year 2022 is a 52-week period that ends December 25, 2022 and fiscal year 2021 was a 52-week period that ended December 26, 2021. In a 52-week fiscal year, each quarter includes 13 weeks of operations. In a 53-week fiscal year, the first, second and third quarters each include 13 weeks of operations, and the fourth quarter includes 14 weeks of operations.

Management’s Use of Estimates—The condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared by the Company in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) and the rules and regulations of the SEC. The preparation of condensed consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect certain reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the condensed consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Significant accounting estimates made by the Company include the income tax valuation allowance, impairment of long-lived assets, legal liabilities, fair value of contingent consideration, intangible assets acquired in business combinations, goodwill and stock-based compensation. These estimates are based on information available as of the date of the condensed consolidated financial statements; therefore, actual results could differ from those estimates, including those resulting from the impact of COVID-19.

The carrying amount of accounts receivable, tenant improvement allowance receivable, other current assets, accounts payable, accrued payroll and accrued expenses approximates fair value due to the short-term maturity of these financial instruments. The fair value of loans to related parties is not readily determinable by virtue of the nature of the related parties’ relationship with the Company. The Company’s contingent consideration is carried at fair value determined using Level 3 inputs in the fair value. For further details see Note 3.

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets— Long-lived assets are reviewed for recoverability at the lowest level in which there are identifiable cash flows (“asset group”). The asset group is at the store-level for restaurant assets and the corporate-level for corporate assets. The carrying amount of a store asset group includes stores’ property and equipment, primarily leasehold improvements. Long-lived assets, including property and equipment and internally developed software, are reviewed by management for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of the asset may not be fully recoverable. When events or circumstances indicate that impairment may be present, management evaluates the probability that future undiscounted net cash flows received will be less than the carrying amount of the asset group. If projected future undiscounted cash flows are less than the carrying value of an asset group, then such assets are written down to their fair values. The Company uses a discounted cash flows model to measure the fair value of an asset group. An impairment charge will be recognized in the amount by which the carrying amount of the store asset group exceeds its fair value. A number of significant assumptions and estimates are involved in the application of the model to forecast operating cash flows, which are largely unobservable inputs and, accordingly, are classified as Level 3 inputs within the fair value hierarchy. Assumptions used in these forecasts are consistent with internal planning, and include sales growth rates, gross margins, and operating expense in relation to the current economic environment and the Company’s future expectations, competitive factors in its various markets, inflation, sales trends and other relevant economic factors that may impact the store under evaluation.

There is uncertainty in the projected undiscounted future cash flows used in the Company’s impairment review analysis, which requires the use of estimates and assumptions. If actual performance does not achieve the projections, or if the assumptions used change in the future, the Company may be required to recognize impairment charges in future periods, and such charges could be material. The Company determined that triggering events, primarily related to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic impacting the Company’s near-term restaurant level cash flow forecasts, occurred for certain restaurants during the thirteen weeks ended March 27, 2022 and March 28, 2021 that required an impairment review of the Company’s long-lived assets. Based on the results of this analysis, the Company did not record any non-cash impairment charges.

Business Combinations—The Company utilizes the acquisition method of accounting in any acquisitions or business combinations. The acquisition method of accounting requires companies to assign values to assets and liabilities acquired based upon their fair values at the acquisition date. In most instances, there are not readily defined or listed market prices for individual assets and liabilities acquired in connection with a business, including intangible assets. The determination of fair value for assets and liabilities in many instances requires a high degree of estimation. The valuation of intangible assets, in particular, is very subjective. The Company generally obtains third-party valuations to assist it in estimating fair values. The use of different valuation techniques and assumptions could change the amounts and useful lives assigned to the assets and liabilities acquired and related amortization expense.

Contingent Consideration - Due to certain conversion features, the contingent consideration issued as part of the Spyce acquisition (see Note 6 for further details) is considered a liability in accordance with ASC 480. The liability associated with the contingent consideration is initially recorded at fair value (see Note 3 for further details) upon issuance date and is subsequently re-measured to fair value at each reporting date. The initial fair value of the liability for the contingent consideration was $16.4 million and was included as part of the purchase price for the Spyce acquisition. The fair value of the liability as of March 27, 2022 was $20.2 million.

Changes in fair value of the contingent consideration is recognized within other income in the accompanying condensed consolidated statement of operations.

Cash and Cash Equivalents—The Company considers all highly liquid investments with a maturity of three months or less at the time of purchase to be cash equivalents. Amounts receivable from credit card processors are converted to cash shortly after the related sales transaction and are considered to be cash equivalents because they are both short-term and highly liquid in nature. Amounts receivable from sales transactions as of March 27, 2022 and December 26, 2021, were $3.5 million and $1.1 million, respectively.

Deferred Costs—Deferred costs primarily consist of capitalized implementation costs from cloud computing arrangements in relation to a new enterprise resource planning system. These costs amount to $1.4 million as of March 27, 2022 and are recorded within other current assets in the condensed consolidated balance sheets. Prior to the Company’s initial public offering (the “IPO”), deferred costs also included direct incremental legal, consulting, accounting, and other fees relating to the sale of the Company’s Class A Common Stock which were reclassified into stockholder’s deficit as a reduction of IPO proceeds upon offering.

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Adopted—In April 2012, the JOBS Act was enacted. Section 107(b) of the JOBS Act provides that an emerging growth company can take advantage of an extended transition period for complying with new or revised accounting standards. Thus, an emerging growth company can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. The Company has elected to take advantage of the extended transition period to comply with new or revised accounting standards and to adopt certain of the reduced disclosure requirements available to emerging growth companies. As a result of the accounting standards election, the Company will not be subject to the same implementation timing for new or revised accounting standards as other public companies that are not emerging growth companies which may make comparison of its financials to those of other public companies more difficult.

current GAAP, the recognition, measurement, and presentation of expenses and cash flows arising from a lease by a lessee primarily will depend on its classification as a finance or operating lease. However, unlike current GAAP—which requires only capital leases to be recognized in the condensed consolidated balance sheet—the new ASU will require both types of leases to be recognized by a lessee in the condensed consolidated balance sheet. In June 2020, the FASB issued ASU No. 2020-05 which delayed the effective date to fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2021, and interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2022. Early application is permitted. The ASU will be adopted for the annual period beginning December 27, 2021, and the first presentation of the application of ASC 842, Leases, will be presented in the Company’s annual consolidated financial statements for fiscal year 2022 included within the Company’s 2022 Annual Report on Form 10-K. The Company plans on electing the optional transition method to apply the standard as of the effective date and therefore, will not apply the standard to the comparative periods presented in its financial statements. While the Company is still evaluating this ASU, the Company has determined that the primary impact will be to recognize in the condensed consolidated balance sheets all operating leases with lease terms greater than 12 months. It is expected that this ASU will have a material impact on the Company’s condensed consolidated balance sheet as it will record assets and obligations related to all of its operating and corporate office leases. The Company does not expect a material impact on its condensed consolidated statement of operations or condensed consolidated statement of cash flows. Additionally, the Company is in the process of evaluating the expanded disclosure requirements related to this ASU.

In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-13, Financial Instruments-Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments (“ASU 2016-13”). The amendments in ASU 2016-13 provide amended guidance for estimating credit losses on certain types of financial instruments based on expected losses and the timing of the recognition of such losses. Expanded disclosures related to the methods used to estimate the losses are also required. The standard is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2022. The application of ASU 2018-07 is not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s condensed consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.