Long-Term Debt	9 Months Ended
Sep. 26, 2019
Long-Term Debt
Long-Term Debt	4. Long-Term Debt The Company utilizes derivatives principally to manage market risks and reduce its exposure resulting from fluctuations in interest rates. The Company formally documents all relationships between hedging instruments and hedged items, as well as its risk-management objectives and strategies for undertaking various hedge transactions. The Company entered into two interest rate swap agreements on March 1, 2018 covering $50,000,000 of floating rate debt. The first agreement has a notional amount of $25,000,000, expires March 1, 2021, and requires the Company to pay interest at a defined rate of 2.559% while receiving interest at a defined variable rate of one-month LIBOR (2.125% at September 26, 2019). The second agreement has a notional amount of $25,000,000, expires March 1, 2023, and requires the Company to pay interest at a defined rate of 2.687% while receiving interest at a defined variable rate of one-month LIBOR (2.125% at September 26, 2019). The Company recognizes derivatives as either assets or liabilities on the consolidated balance sheets at fair value. The accounting for changes in the fair value (i.e., gains or losses) of a derivative instrument depends on whether it has been designated and qualifies as part of a hedging relationship and on the type of hedging relationship. Derivatives that do not qualify for hedge accounting must be adjusted to fair value through earnings. For derivatives that are designated and qualify as a cash flow hedge, the effective portion of the gain or loss on the derivative is reported as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) and reclassified into earnings in the same period or periods during which the hedged transaction affects earnings. The Company’s interest rate swap agreements are considered effective and qualify as cash flow hedges. The Company assesses, both at the inception of each hedge and on an on-going basis, whether the derivatives that are used in its hedging transactions are highly effective in offsetting changes in cash flows of the hedged items. As of September 26, 2019, the interest rate swaps were considered highly effective. The fair value of the interest rate swaps on September 26, 2019 and December 27, 2018, respectively, was a liability of $1,441,000 and $205,000, and was included in deferred compensation and other in the consolidated balance sheets. The Company does not expect the interest rate swaps to have a material effect on earnings within the next 12 months. The Company had an interest rate swap that expired in January 2018. The swap agreement covered $25,000,000 of floating rate debt that required the Company to pay interest at a defined fixed rate of 0.96% while receiving interest at a defined variable rate of one-month LIBOR. The Company’s interest rate swap agreement was considered effective and qualified as a cash flow hedge from inception through June 16, 2016, at which time the derivative was undesignated and the balance in accumulated other comprehensive loss was reclassified into interest expense. As of June 16, 2016, the swap was considered ineffective for accounting purposes and the change in fair value was recorded as an increase or decrease in interest expense. As such, the $13,000 decrease in fair value of the swap for the 39 weeks ended September 27, 2018 was recorded to interest expense. During the 39 weeks ended September 26, 2019, a note that was scheduled to mature in January 2020 with a balance of $14,638,000, was repaid and replaced with borrowings on the Company’s revolving credit facility.

4. Long-Term Debt

The Company utilizes derivatives principally to manage market risks and reduce its exposure resulting from fluctuations in interest rates. The Company formally documents all relationships between hedging instruments and hedged items, as well as its risk-management objectives and strategies for undertaking various hedge transactions.

The Company entered into two interest rate swap agreements on March 1, 2018 covering $50,000,000 of floating rate debt. The first agreement has a notional amount of $25,000,000, expires March 1, 2021, and requires the Company to pay interest at a defined rate of 2.559% while receiving interest at a defined variable rate of one-month LIBOR (2.125% at September 26, 2019). The second agreement has a notional amount of $25,000,000, expires March 1, 2023, and requires the Company to pay interest at a defined rate of 2.687% while receiving interest at a defined variable rate of one-month LIBOR (2.125% at September 26, 2019). The Company recognizes derivatives as either assets or liabilities on the consolidated balance sheets at fair value. The accounting for changes in the fair value (i.e., gains or losses) of a derivative instrument depends on whether it has been designated and qualifies as part of a hedging relationship and on the type of hedging relationship. Derivatives that do not qualify for hedge accounting must be adjusted to fair value through earnings. For derivatives that are designated and qualify as a cash flow hedge, the effective portion of the gain or loss on the derivative is reported as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) and reclassified into earnings in the same period or periods during which the hedged transaction affects earnings. The Company’s interest rate swap agreements are considered effective and qualify as cash flow hedges. The Company assesses, both at the inception of each hedge and on an on-going basis, whether the derivatives that are used in its hedging transactions are highly effective in offsetting changes in cash flows of the hedged items. As of September 26, 2019, the interest rate swaps were considered highly effective. The fair value of the interest rate swaps on September 26, 2019 and December 27, 2018, respectively, was a liability of $1,441,000 and $205,000, and was included in deferred compensation and other in the consolidated balance sheets. The Company does not expect the interest rate swaps to have a material effect on earnings within the next 12 months.

The Company had an interest rate swap that expired in January 2018. The swap agreement covered $25,000,000 of floating rate debt that required the Company to pay interest at a defined fixed rate of 0.96% while receiving interest at a defined variable rate of one-month LIBOR. The Company’s interest rate swap agreement was considered effective and qualified as a cash flow hedge from inception through June 16, 2016, at which time the derivative was undesignated and the balance in accumulated other comprehensive loss was reclassified into interest expense. As of June 16, 2016, the swap was considered ineffective for accounting purposes and the change in fair value was recorded as an increase or decrease in interest expense. As such, the $13,000 decrease in fair value of the swap for the 39 weeks ended September 27, 2018 was recorded to interest expense.

During the 39 weeks ended September 26, 2019, a note that was scheduled to mature in January 2020 with a balance of $14,638,000, was repaid and replaced with borrowings on the Company’s revolving credit facility.