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Commitments and Contingencies
9 Months Ended
Sep. 24, 2023
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
Commitments and Contingencies Commitments and Contingencies Litigation and Other Matters - The Company is subject to legal proceedings, claims and liabilities, such as liquor liability, slip and fall cases, wage and hour and other employment-related litigation, which arise in the ordinary course of business. A reserve is recorded when it is both: (i) probable that a loss has occurred and (ii) the amount of loss can be reasonably estimated. There may be instances in which an exposure to loss exceeds the recorded reserve. The Company evaluates, on a quarterly basis, developments in legal proceedings that could cause an increase or decrease in the amount of the reserve that has been previously recorded, or a revision to the disclosed estimated range of possible losses, as applicable.
The Company’s legal proceedings range from cases brought by a single plaintiff to threatened class actions with many putative class members. While some matters pending against the Company specify the damages claimed by the plaintiff or class, many seek unspecified amounts or are at very early stages of the legal process. Even when the amount of damages claimed against the Company are stated, the claimed amount may be exaggerated, unsupported or unrelated to possible outcomes, and as such, are not meaningful indicators of the Company’s potential liability or financial exposure. As a result, some matters have not yet progressed sufficiently through discovery or development of important factual information and legal issues to enable the Company to estimate an amount of loss or a range of possible loss.

The Company intends to defend itself in legal matters. Some of these matters may be covered, at least in part, by insurance if they exceed specified retention or deductible amounts. However, it is possible that claims may be denied by the Company’s insurance carriers, the Company may be required by its insurance carriers to contribute to the payment of claims, or the Company’s insurance coverage may not continue to be available on acceptable terms or in sufficient amounts. The Company records receivables from third party insurers when recovery has been determined to be probable. The Company believes that the ultimate determination of liability in connection with legal claims pending against the Company, if any, in excess of amounts already provided for such matters in the consolidated financial statements, will not have a material adverse effect on its business, annual results of operations, liquidity or financial position. However, it is possible that the Company’s business, results of operations, liquidity, or financial condition could be materially affected in a particular future reporting period by the unfavorable resolution of one or more matters or contingencies during such period.

The Company recorded reserves of $18.9 million and $15.1 million for certain of its outstanding legal proceedings as of September 24, 2023 and December 25, 2022, respectively, within Accrued and other current liabilities on its Consolidated Balance Sheets. While the Company believes that additional losses beyond these accruals are reasonably possible, it cannot estimate a possible loss contingency or range of reasonably possible loss contingencies beyond these accruals.

Lease Guarantees - The Company assigned its interest, and is contingently liable, under certain real estate leases. These leases have varying terms, the latest of which expires in 2032. As of September 24, 2023, the undiscounted payments that the Company could be required to make in the event of non-payment by the primary lessees was approximately $20.5 million. The present value of these potential payments discounted at the Company’s incremental borrowing rate as of September 24, 2023 was approximately $15.3 million. In the event of default, the indemnity clauses in the Company’s purchase and sale agreements generally govern its ability to pursue and recover damages incurred. As of September 24, 2023 and December 25, 2022, the Company’s recorded contingent lease liability was $5.4 million and $6.2 million, respectively.