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DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 29, 2024
Accounting Policies [Abstract] |
DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES | DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES 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 December 29, 2024, the Company owned and operated 246 restaurants in 22 states and Washington, D.C. The Company had 25 Net New Restaurant Openings in fiscal year 2024. 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. Additional details on the nature of the Company’s business and their reportable operating segment is included in Note 15, “Segment Reporting”. Principles of Consolidation—The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. Fiscal Year—The Company’s fiscal year is a 52- or 53-week period that ends on the last Sunday of the calendar year. Fiscal years 2024 and 2022 were 52-week periods that ended December 29, 2024 and December 25, 2022, respectively. Fiscal year 2023 was a 53-week period that ended December 31, 2023. 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 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 Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). The preparation of 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 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 and right-of-use assets (“ROU assets”), legal liabilities, valuation of the contingent consideration liability, lease accounting matters, and stock-based compensation. These estimates are based on information available as of the date of the consolidated financial statements; therefore, actual results could differ from those estimates. 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 December 29, 2024 and December 31, 2023, were $2.3 million and $3.0 million, respectively. Restricted Cash—The Company’s restricted cash balance relates to certificates of deposit that are collateral for letters of credit to lease agreements entered into by the Company and letters of credit associated with the Company’s workers’ compensation insurance policy. The reconciliation of cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash presented in the Company’s accompanying consolidated balance sheets to the total amount shown in its consolidated statements of cash flows is as follows:
(dollar amounts in thousands) | December 29, 2024 |  | December 31, 2023
Reconciliation of cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash: |  |  |
Cash and cash equivalents | $ | 214,789 |  |  | $ | 257,230 |
Restricted cash, non-current | 2,640 |  |  | 125 |
Total cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash shown on statement of cash flows | $ | 217,429 |  |  | $ | 257,355 |
Approximately $2.5 million of the restricted cash balance as of December 29, 2024 was associated with letters of credit required by the Company’s workers’ compensation insurance policy. The remaining balance was associated with letters of credit from lease agreements. Concentrations of Risk— The Company maintains cash balances at several financial institutions located in the United States. The cash balances may, at times, exceed federally insured limits. Accounts are guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) up to $0.3 million. As of December 29, 2024, December 31, 2023, and December 25, 2022, approximately 25%, 28%, and 32%, respectively, of the Company’s revenue was generated from the Company’s restaurants located in the New York City metropolitan area. Other Current Assets— Other current assets primarily consist of the Employee Retention Credit “ERC”, outstanding receivables from the Company’s distributors and current amortization of deferred costs. Other Assets— Other Assets primarily consist of deferred costs, which are capitalized implementation costs from cloud computing arrangements in relation the Company’s enterprise resource planning system (“ERP”). These costs amounted to $3.8 million and $4.2 million as of December 29, 2024 and December 31, 2023 and were recorded within other assets in the consolidated balance sheets. The amortization of these costs are recognized within the Company’s consolidated statement of operations under general and administrative expenses over a useful life of seven years. Accounts Receivable— Accounts receivable primarily consists of receivables from distributors and receivables from the Company’s Marketplace and Outpost and Catering Channels. Inventory— Inventory, consisting primarily of food, beverages and supplies, is valued at the lower of cost first-in, first-out cost or net realizable value. Prepaid Expenses— Prepaid expenses primarily include prepaid office systems, which we amortize over the life of the contract, and prepaid insurance, which is expensed in the period for which it relates. Property and Equipment—Property and equipment are recorded at cost. Property and equipment are depreciated using the straight-line method over the following estimated useful lives:
Property and Equipment | Useful Life
Leasehold improvements | Shorter of lease term or estimated asset life
Furniture and fixtures | 5 years
Kitchen equipment | 5 - 10 years
Computers and other equipment | 3 years
Upon retirement or disposal of assets, the accounts are relieved of cost and accumulated depreciation and any related gain or loss is reflected in loss on disposal of property and equipment in the consolidated statement of operations. Assets to be disposed consists of primarily furniture, equipment and fixtures that were replaced in the normal course of business and are reported at the lower of their carrying amount or fair value less estimated cost to sell. Expenditures for repairs and maintenance are charged directly to expense when incurred. The cost of assets sold, retired, or otherwise disposed of, and the related accumulated depreciation and amortization are eliminated from the accounts, and any resulting gain or loss is included in earnings. The Company capitalizes certain directly attributable internal costs in conjunction with the acquisition, development and construction of future restaurants, after the restaurant construction is past the planning stage and it is considered probable that the restaurant will open. These costs are included in property and equipment and amortized over the shorter of the life of the related buildings and leasehold improvements or the lease term. Costs related to abandoned sites and other site selection costs that cannot be identified with specific restaurants are charged to general and administrative expenses in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations, and were $0.2 million, $0.3 million and $0.9 million for each of the fiscal years ended December 29, 2024, December 31, 2023 and December 25, 2022, respectively. The Company capitalized internal costs related to site selection and construction activities of $4.6 million and $4.7 million for the fiscal years ended December 29, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively. On September 7, 2021, the Company closed its acquisition of Spyce, a Boston-based restaurant company powered by automation technology, allowing the Company to serve its food in its restaurants via automation (see Note 3). Automated technology associated with the Company’s Infinite Kitchen is included in kitchen equipment within property and equipment. Total research and development was $1.0 million, $1.2 million and $2.0 million for the fiscal years ended December 29, 2024, December 31, 2023 and December 25, 2022, respectively. These costs are primarily costs incurred to develop and improve the Infinite Kitchen, and are recorded within general and administrative costs in the Company’s accompanying consolidated statement of operations. Restructuring Charges— Restructuring charges are expenses that are paid in connection with reorganization of the Company’s operations during fiscal year 2022 as well as the amortization of the underlying operating lease asset and related real estate and common area maintenance fees (“CAM”) charges. Additionally, in conjunction with the Company’s implementation of ASC Topic 842 (“ASC 842”), operating lease assets were evaluated for impairment, and any impairment charges incurred in relation to the assets impacted by the Company’s restructuring was considered a restructuring charge. For fiscal year 2022, the Company incurred total pre-tax restructuring and related charges of approximately $14.4 million. This included a $13.0 million non-cash restructuring expense, due to a reduction of the Company’s real estate footprint by vacating the premises of the Company’s existing Sweetgreen Support Center and moving to a smaller office space adjacent to the existing location, of which $6.8 million related to impairment of long-lived assets and $5.8 million and $0.4 million related to impairment of the Company’s operating lease asset and closure costs, respectively, associated with the Sweetgreen Support Center, $0.6 million of severance and related benefits from workforce reductions affecting approximately 5% of employees at the Sweetgreen Support Center, $0.6 million of costs related to abandoning certain potential future restaurant sites in an effort to streamline the Company’s future new restaurant openings, and $0.2 million of other related expenses. For fiscal years 2024 and 2023, stemming from the 2022 reorganization, the Company recorded restructuring charges of $2.3 million and $7.4 million, respectively, primarily related to operating lease asset impairment costs recognized in fiscal year 2023 from the Company’s vacated former Sweetgreen Support Center as well as the amortization of the underlying operating lease asset and related real estate and common area maintenance fees (“CAM”) charges. Total operating lease costs included in restructuring charges for fiscal years for 2024 and 2023 were $1.5 million and $1.8 million, respectively, and total variable leases costs included in restructuring charges for fiscal years 2024 and 2023 were $0.5 million and $0.5 million, respectively. Contingent Consideration—Due to certain conversion features, the contingent consideration issued as part of the Spyce acquisition 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 December 29, 2024 was $15.0 million, of which $9.7 million was included in other current liabilities and $5.3 million was included in contingent consideration liability within the consolidated balance sheets. The fair value of the liability as of December 31, 2023 was $8.4 million and included in contingent consideration liability within the consolidated balance sheets. See Note 3. Changes in fair value of the contingent consideration is recognized within other expense in the accompanying consolidated statement of operations. Other Current Liabilities—The other current liabilities is comprised of the short-term portion of the contingent consideration liability. See Note 3. Goodwill—Goodwill, which represents the excess of the cost of an acquired entity over the fair value of the acquired net assets, has an indefinite life and, accordingly, is not amortized. The Company has one reporting unit. The Company tests goodwill for impairment annually, or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate that the asset may be impaired. The Company reviews goodwill for impairment utilizing either a qualitative assessment or a fair value test by comparing the fair value of its reporting unit with its carrying amount. If the Company decides that it is appropriate to perform a qualitative assessment and concludes that the fair value of its reporting unit more likely than not exceeds its carrying value, no further evaluation is necessary. If the Company performs the fair value test, the Company will compare the fair value of a reporting unit with its carrying amount, including goodwill. If the fair value of a reporting unit exceeds its carrying amount, goodwill of the reporting unit is considered not impaired. If the carrying amount of a reporting unit exceeds its fair value, the Company will recognize an impairment charge for the amount by which the carrying amount exceeds its reporting unit’s fair value. The Company performed the qualitative assessment above and concluded that the fair value of the reporting unit is more likely than not to exceed the carrying value, and did not record any impairment charges related to the carrying amount of goodwill during the fiscal years ended December 29, 2024, December 31, 2023, and December 25, 2022. Fair value estimates are subject to change as a result of many factors, including changes in business plans, economic conditions, and the competitive environment, among others. Should actual cash flows and the Company’s future estimates vary adversely from current estimates, the Company may be required to recognize goodwill impairment charges in future years. Intangible Assets, net— External costs and certain internal costs, including payroll and payroll-related costs for employees, directly associated with developing computer software applications for internal use are capitalized subsequent to the preliminary stage of development as well as developed technology associated with the Company’s Infinite Kitchen. Internal-use software costs are amortized using the straight-line method over a three year estimated useful life of the software when the project is substantially complete and ready for its intended use. Developed technology intangible assets were recognized in conjunction with the Company’s acquisition of Spyce on September 7, 2021. The estimated useful life of developed technology is five years. Lease Acquisition Costs— Lease acquisition costs included key money which is the amount of funds paid to a landlord or tenant to acquire the rights of tenancy under a commercial property lease. These costs are amortized over the respective lease terms that range from 10 to 15 years and are presented net of accumulated amortization. Revenue Recognition—The Company recognizes food and beverage revenue, net of discounts and incentives, when payment is tendered at the point of sale as the performance obligation has been satisfied, through the Company’s three disaggregated revenue channels: Owned Digital Channels, In Store-Channel (Non-Digital component), and Marketplace Channel. Owned Digital Channels encompasses the Company’s Pick-Up Channel, Native Delivery Channel, Outpost and Catering Channel, and purchases made in its In-Store Channel via digital scan-to-pay, prior to the elimination of digital scan-to-pay during the fiscal quarter ended September 24, 2023. Pick-Up Channel refers to sales to customers made for pick-up at one of the Company’s restaurants through the Sweetgreen website or mobile app. Native Delivery Channel refers to sales to customers for delivery made through the Sweetgreen website or mobile app. Outpost and Catering Channel refers to sales to customers for delivery made through the Sweetgreen website or mobile app to Outposts, which are the Company’s offsite drop-off points at offices, residential buildings and hospitals. In addition, the Company’s Outpost and Catering Channel includes the Company’s catering offerings, which refer to sales to customers made through the Company’s catering website for pickup at one of the Company’s restaurants or delivery to a customer-specified address. In-Store Channel (Non-Digital component) refers to sales to customers who make in-store purchases in the Company’s restaurants, whether they pay by cash or credit card, or digital scan-to-pay. Purchases made in the Company’s In-Store Channel via cash or credit card are referred to as “Non-Digital” transactions, and purchases made in the Company’s In-Store Channel via digital scan-to-pay, prior to its elimination in 2023, were included as part of the Company’s Owned Digital Channels. Marketplace Channel refers to sales to customers for delivery or pick-up made through third-party delivery marketplaces, including DoorDash, Grubhub, Uber Eats, ezCater, Sharebite and others. Provisions for discounts are provided for in the same period the related sales are recorded. Sales taxes and other taxes collected from customers and remitted to governmental authorities are presented on a net basis, and as such, are excluded from revenues. Gift Cards—The Company sells gift cards that do not have an expiration date. Upon sale, gift cards are recorded as unearned revenue and included within gift card liability in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. The revenue from gift cards is recognized when redeemed by customers. Because the Company does not track addresses of gift card purchasers, the relevant jurisdiction related to the requirement for escheatment, the legal obligation to remit unclaimed assets to the state, is the Company’s state of incorporation, which is Delaware. The state of Delaware requires escheatment after 5 years from issuance. The Company does not recognize breakage income because of its requirements to escheat unredeemed gift card balances. Delivery—The majority of the Company’s restaurant locations offer a delivery option. Delivery services are fulfilled by third-party service providers whether delivery is ordered through the Company’s Native Delivery Channel or Marketplace Channel. With respect to Native Delivery sales, the Company controls the delivery services and recognizes revenue, including delivery revenue, when the delivery partner transfers food or beverage to the customer. For these sales, the Company receives payment directly from the customer at the time of sale. With respect to Marketplace Channel sales, the Company recognizes revenue, excluding delivery fees collected by the delivery partner as the Company does not control the delivery service, when control of the food is delivered to the end customer. The Company receives payment from the delivery partner subsequent to the transfer of food and the payment terms are short-term in nature. For all delivery sales, the Company is considered the principal and recognize the revenue on a gross basis. Income Taxes—The Company is subject to federal and state income taxes. The Company uses the asset and liability method of accounting for income taxes as set forth in ASC 740, Income Taxes. Under this method, the Company recognizes deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of temporary differences between the respective carrying amounts and tax basis of assets and liabilities. All deferred tax assets and liabilities are classified as non-current in the accompanying consolidated balance sheet. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date. A valuation allowance is established against the portion of deferred tax assets that the Company believes will not be realized on a more-likely-than-not basis. With respect to uncertain tax positions, the Company recognizes in its consolidated financial statements those tax positions determined to be “more likely than not” of being sustained upon examination, based on the technical merits of the positions. For those tax positions where it is “not more likely than not” that a tax benefit will be sustained, no tax benefit is recognized. The Company’s policy is to recognize, when applicable, interest and penalties on uncertain tax positions as part of income tax expense. Fair Value of Financial Instruments—The fair value measurement accounting guidance creates a fair value hierarchy to prioritize the inputs used to measure fair value into three categories. A financial instrument’s level within the fair value hierarchy is based on the lowest level of input significant to the fair value measurement, where Level 1 is the highest category (observable inputs) and Level 3 is the lowest category (unobservable inputs). The three levels are defined as follows: Level 1—Quoted prices for identical instruments in active markets. Level 2—Quoted prices for similar instruments in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar instruments in markets that are not active and model-derived valuations in which significant value drivers are observable. Level 3—Unobservable inputs for the asset or liability. This includes certain pricing models, discounted cash flow methodologies and similar techniques that use significant unobservable inputs. The carrying amount of accounts 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 Company’s contingent consideration liability is carried at fair value determined using Level 3 inputs in the fair value. See Note 3. Certain assets and liabilities are measured at fair value on a nonrecurring basis. In other words, the instruments are not measured at fair value on an ongoing basis but are subject to fair value adjustments only in certain circumstances (for example, when there is evidence of impairment). See Note 3. Impairment and Closure Costs— Impairment includes impairment charges related to our long-lived assets, which include property and equipment and internally developed software, and subsequent to the adoption of ASC 842, operating lease 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, and operating lease assets, net of operating lease liability. The carrying amount of a corporate-level asset group includes Support Center property and equipment, operating lease assets, internally developed software and internally developed technology. Long-lived assets 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 flow 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. The resulting impairment charge, if any, is allocated to the property and equipment, primarily leasehold improvements, and operating lease assets on a pro rata basis using the relative carrying amounts of those assets. The allocated impairment charge to a long-lived asset is limited to the extent that the impairment charge does not reduce the carrying amount of the long-lived asset below its individual fair value. The estimation of the fair value of an operating lease asset primarily involves the evaluation of current and future market value rental amounts, which are primarily based on recent observable market rental data. The fair value of an operating lease asset is measured using a discounted cash flow valuation technique by discounting the estimated current and future market rental values using a property-specific discount rate. 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, including future revenue projections. Accordingly, such significant assumptions 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. In addition, assumptions used for operating lease assets vacated for future sublease include the Company’s estimated future sublease income and a property specific discount rate. 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 changing customer behavior trends, including slower than expected return to office and as a result of broader macroeconomic conditions on the Company’s near-term restaurant level cash flow forecast, restructuring activities and anticipated store closures, occurred for certain restaurants and its Support Center, that required an impairment review of the Company’s long-lived assets. No indicators of impairment were found for the Company’s intangible assets for the fiscal years ended December 29, 2024, December 31, 2023, and December 25, 2022. Based on the results of the analysis, for the fiscal year ended December 29, 2024, the Company recorded non-cash impairment charges of $1.7 million associated with one store location, which was recorded in impairment and closure costs within the consolidated statement of operations. Of the $1.7 million total non-cash impairment, $1.3 million was related to property and equipment, and $0.4 million was related to operating lease assets. During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, the Company recorded non-cash impairment charges of $4.3 million, related to the operating lease asset for the Company’s former Sweetgreen Support Center vacated previously during fiscal year 2022, which was recorded under restructuring charges within the consolidated statement of operations. During the fiscal year ended December 25, 2022 the Company recorded non-cash impairment charge of $15.0 million, of which $8.8 million was related to property and equipment and $6.2 million was related to operating lease assets. Of the $8.8 million of property and equipment impairment, $6.8 million was associated with the Company’s vacated former Sweetgreen Support Center and was recorded in restructuring charges within the consolidated statement of operations, and $2.0 million was associated with certain store locations and was recorded in impairment and closure costs within the consolidated statement of operations. Of the $6.2 million of operating lease impairment, $5.8 million was associated with the Company’s vacated Sweetgreen Support Center and was recorded in restructuring charges within the consolidated statement of operations, and $0.4 million was associated with certain store locations and was recorded in impairment and closure costs within the consolidated statement of operations. Of the $15.0 million total non-cash impairment expense, $12.6 million was included within restructuring charges and $2.4 million was included within impairment and closure costs within the consolidated statement of operations. Closure costs include lease and related costs associated with closed restaurants including the amortization of the operating lease asset, and expenses associated with common area maintenance fees and real estate taxes for previously impaired stores. During the fiscal year ended December 29, 2024, the Company recognized closure costs of $0.5 million related to the amortization of the operating lease asset and expenses associated with CAM and real estate taxes for previously closed stores, including three previously impaired stores that were closed during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023. During the fiscal year ended December 25, 2022, the Company closed one store operated by Spyce, which was fully impaired in a prior period. This closure resulted in closure costs of $0.5 million. Leases— The Company leases restaurants and corporate office space under various non-cancelable lease agreements that expire on various dates through 2038. Lease terms for restaurants generally include a base term of 10 years, with options to extend these leases for additional periods of 5 to 15 years. The Company evaluates contracts entered into to determine whether the contract involves the use of property or equipment, which is either explicitly or implicitly identified in the contract. The Company evaluates whether it controls the use of the asset, which is determined by assessing whether it obtains substantially all economic benefits from the use of the asset, and whether it has the right to direct the use of the asset. If these criteria are met and the contract is identified as a lease, then the Company accounts for the contract under the requirements of ASC 842. The Company also evaluates whether the lease will be accounted for as an operating or finance lease based on the terms of the lease agreement, and when determining the lease term, the Company includes reasonably certain option renewal periods. Many of the Company's leases require payment of real estate taxes, CAM costs and other occupancy costs which are included in occupancy and related expenses on the consolidated statements of operations. Some of the Company’s operating leases include provisions for payment of a fixed CAM amount per annum, and as such, these payments have been included in the calculation of the operating lease liability. The Company measured the lease liability by discounting the future fixed contractual payments included in the lease agreement, using either the rate explicit in the lease or its incremental borrowing rate (“IBR”). The IBR used to measure the lease liability is derived from the yield curve commensurate with the credit rating of the Company and further adjusted for seniority based on a notching analysis. The most significant assumption in calculating the IBR is the Company’s credit rating, and the IBR is also subject to judgment. For leases with a lease term of 12 months or less ("short-term lease"), any fixed lease payments are recognized on a straight-line basis over such term, and are not recognized on the consolidated balance sheets. Certain leases contain provisions for contingent rent that require additional rental payments based upon restaurant sales volume. Contingent rent is expensed each period as the liability is incurred, and is not included in the initial measurement of operating lease assets and liabilities. The Company receives tenant improvement allowances, generally in the form of cash, from some of the landlords of its leased properties. The tenant improvement allowances that are expected to be received are included in the measurement of the initial operating lease liability, which are also reflected as a reduction to the initial measurement of the right-of-use asset and amortized over the applicable lease terms. Contingencies—The Company is subject to various claims, lawsuits, governmental investigations, and administrative proceedings that arise in the ordinary course of business. The Company accrues a liability (which includes litigation costs expected to be incurred) and recognizes an expense for such matters when it is probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount can be reasonably estimated. Estimating liabilities and costs associated with these matters require significant judgment based upon the professional knowledge and experience of management and its legal counsel. Marketing and Public Relations—Marketing costs, which include the development and production of advertising materials and online marketing tools, are expensed in the period incurred. Marketing expense directly attributable to an individual restaurant is included within other restaurant operating costs. Marketing expense for the fiscal years ended December 29, 2024, December 31, 2023, and December 25, 2022 was $16.9 million, $14.3 million and $14.5 million, respectively, of which $13.2 million, $10.7 million and $10.9 million, respectively, is included in general and administrative expense, $3.3 million, $3.1 million and $2.7 million, respectively, is included in other restaurant operating costs and $0.4 million, $0.5 million, and $1.0 million is included in preopening costs in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations. Restaurant Operating Costs—Restaurant operating costs primarily consist of food, beverage, packaging costs for to-go orders, salaries, benefits, and other expenses related to the Company’s in-store employees, maintenance and utilities at the Company’s restaurants, leasing costs for the Company’s restaurants and delivery and processing fees. Operating Expenses— Operating expenses primarily consist of operations, finance, legal, human resources, administrative personnel, stock-based compensation, depreciation and amortization of assets, and pre-opening costs. Pre-opening costs primarily consist of rent, wages, travel for training and store opening teams, food and other restaurant costs that the Company incurs prior to the opening of a restaurant. These costs are expensed as incurred. Stock-Based Compensation—The Company recognizes compensation expense resulting from stock-based payments over the period for which the requisite services are provided. The Company uses the Black-Scholes-Merton (“Black-Scholes”) option-pricing model to estimate the fair value of the incentive stock options at the measurement date. Grant date is deemed to be the appropriate measurement date for stock options issued to employees and nonemployees. The use of the Black-Scholes option-pricing model requires the use of subjective assumptions, including the fair value and projected volatility of the underlying common stock and the expected term of the award. For all stock options granted, the Company calculated the expected term using the simplified method for “plain vanilla” stock option awards. The risk-free interest rate is based on the yield available on U.S. Treasury zero-coupon issues similar in duration to the expected term of the stock-based award. The Company’s common stock has not been publicly traded over the full expected term, and therefore, the Company used the historical volatility of the stock price of similar publicly traded peer companies. The Company utilized a dividend yield of zero, as it had no history or plan of declaring dividends on its common stock. The grant date fair value of restricted stock units (“RSUs”) is estimated based on the fair value of the Company’s common stock on the date of grant. Prior to the Company’s initial public offering (“IPO”) in November 2021, RSUs granted by the Company vest upon the satisfaction of both a service-based vesting condition, which is typically four years, and a liquidity event-related performance vesting condition. The liquidity event-related performance vesting condition was achieved upon the consummation of the Company's IPO. Stock-based compensation related to the remaining service-based period after the liquidity event-related performance vesting condition was satisfied will be recorded over the remaining requisite service period using the accelerated attribution method. Since the Company’s IPO in November 2021, the Company only granted RSUs that vest upon the satisfaction of a service-based vesting condition and the compensation expense for these RSUs is recognized on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period. The Company has granted founder performance-based restricted stock units (“founder PSUs”) that contain a market condition in the form of future stock price targets. The grant date fair value of the founder PSUs was determined using a Monte Carlo simulation model and the Company estimates the derived service period of the founder PSUs. The grant date fair value of founder PSUs containing a market condition is recorded as stock-based compensation over the derived service period using the accelerated attribution method. If the stock price goals are met sooner than the derived service period, any unrecognized compensation expenses related to the founder PSUs will be expensed during the period the stock price targets are achieved. Provided that each founder continues to be employed by the Company through the derived service period, stock-based compensation expense is recognized over the derived service period, regardless of whether the stock price goals are achieved. Interest Income—Interest income consists of interest earned on cash and cash equivalents. Interest Expense—Interest expense includes mainly the interest incurred on outstanding indebtedness, as well as amortization of deferred financing costs, mainly debt origination and commitment fees. Debt origination fees are amortized on a straight-line basis over the commitment period. Net Loss Per Share—The Company calculated basic and diluted net loss per share by dividing income available to common stockholders by the weighted-average number of shares of common stock during each period. Diluted net loss per share available to common shareholders was computed by giving effect to all potentially dilutive common stock equivalents outstanding for the period. In periods in which the Company reports a net loss available to common shareholders, diluted net loss per share available to common shareholders is the same as basic net loss per share available to common shareholders, since dilutive common shares are not assumed to have been issued if their effect is anti-dilutive. The Company reported net loss available to common shareholders for the fiscal years ended December 29, 2024, December 31, 2023, and December 25, 2022. Employee Benefit Plan— The Company sponsors a qualified 401(k) defined contribution plan (the “401k Plan”) covering eligible employees. Participants may contribute a portion of their annual compensation limited to a maximum annual amount set by the Internal Revenue Service. The Company previously matched 50% of an eligible employee’s contribution up to 3% of wages. An employee becomes eligible once the individual has worked at the Company for 6 months, has worked 500 or more hours, and is 21 years or older. The Company has temporarily paused this matching contribution, effective in the fourth fiscal quarter of 2022. For the fiscal year ended December 25, 2022 the matching contribution was $1.0 million. Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements In November 2023, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”), issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2023-07, Segment Reporting (Topic 280): Improvements to Reportable Segment Disclosures, which improves reportable segment disclosure primarily through enhanced disclosures about significant segment expenses. The Company adopted ASU No. 2023-07 during the year ended December 29, 2024. See Note 15 "Segment Reporting" in the accompanying notes to the consolidated financial statements for further detail for the expanded disclosures as a result of adopting ASU No. 2023-07. Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Adopted In December 2023, the FASB issued ASU No. 2023-09, “Income Taxes (Topic 740): Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures.” The ASU includes amendments requiring enhanced income tax disclosures, primarily related to standardization and disaggregation of rate reconciliation categories and income taxes paid by jurisdiction. The guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2024, with early adoption permitted, and should be applied either prospectively or retrospectively. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adopting this ASU on its disclosures. In November 2024, the FASB issued ASU No. 2024-03, "Disaggregation of Income Statement Expenses (Subtopic 220-40)." The ASU requires public entities to disaggregate, in a tabular presentation, certain income statement expenses into different categories, such as purchases of inventory, employee compensation, depreciation, and intangible asset amortization. The guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2026, with early adoption permitted, and may be applied retrospectively. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adopting this ASU on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures. The Company reviewed all other recently issued accounting pronouncements and concluded that they were either not applicable or not expected to have a significant impact to the consolidated financial statements.

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