EX-97.1 9 ex97_1.htm EXHIBIT 97.1

Exhibit 97.1

Good Times Restaurants Inc.

CLAWBACK POLICY

Introduction

The Board of Directors (the “Board”) of Good Times Restaurants Inc., a Nevada corporation (the “Company”), believes that it is in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders to create and maintain a culture that emphasizes integrity and accountability and that reinforces the Company’s pay-for-performance compensation philosophy. The Board has therefore adopted this policy which provides for the recoupment of certain executive compensation in the event of an accounting restatement resulting from material noncompliance with financial reporting requirements under the federal securities laws (the “Policy”). This Policy is designed to comply with Section 10D of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), Rule 10D-1 promulgated thereunder and the listing standards (“Listing Standards”) of The Nasdaq Stock Market (“Nasdaq”).

Administration

This Policy shall be administered by the Board or, if so designated by the Board, the Compensation Committee, in which case references herein to the Board shall be deemed references to the Compensation Committee. Any determinations made by the Board shall be final and binding on all affected individuals.

Covered Executives

This Policy applies to the Company’s current and former executive officers, as determined by the Board in accordance with Rule 10D-1 of the Exchange Act and the Listing Standards. This includes any vice-president of the Company in charge of a principal business unit, division, or function, and any other current or former officer or person who performs a significant policy-making function for the Company, including executive officers of subsidiaries of the Company if they perform such significant policy-making function for the Company. All of these executive officers are subject to this Policy, even if an executive officer had no responsibility for the financial statement errors which required restatement (collectively, “Covered Executives”).

Recoupment; Accounting Restatement

In the event the Company is required to prepare an accounting restatement of its financial statements due to the Company’s material noncompliance with any financial reporting requirement under the securities laws, including any required accounting restatement to correct an error in previously issued financial statements that is material to the previously issued financial statements, or that would result in a material misstatement if the error were corrected in the current period or left uncorrected in the current period, the Board will require reimbursement or forfeiture of any excess Incentive Compensation (as defined below) received by any Covered Executive during the three completed fiscal years immediately preceding the date on which the Company is required to prepare an accounting restatement.

Incentive Compensation

For purposes of this Policy, Incentive Compensation means any of the following; provided that, such compensation is granted, earned, or vested based wholly or in part on the attainment of a financial reporting measure: annual bonuses and other short- and long-term cash incentives; stock options; stock appreciation rights; restricted stock; restricted stock units; performance shares; and/or performance units.

Financial reporting measures are measures that are determined and presented in accordance with the accounting principles used in preparing the Company’s financial statements, and any measures that are derived wholly or in part from such measures. Stock price and total shareholder return are also financial reporting measures. A financial reporting measure need not be presented within the financial statements or included in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Other financial reporting measures include revenues, net income, earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA), funds from operations, liquidity measures such as working capital or operating cash flow, return measures such as return on invested capital or return on assets, and/or earnings measures such as earnings per share.

Excess Incentive Compensation: Amount Subject to Recovery

The amount to be recovered will be the excess amount of the Incentive Compensation paid to the Covered Executive that exceeds the amount of Incentive Compensation that would have been paid to the Covered Executive had it been based on the restated results and must be computed without regard to any taxes paid, as determined by the Board.

For Incentive Compensation based on the Company’s stock price or total shareholder return, where the amount of erroneously awarded Incentive Compensation is not subject to mathematical recalculation directly from the information in an accounting restatement:

(a) the amount must be based on a reasonable estimate of the effect of the accounting restatement on the stock price or total shareholder return upon which the Incentive Compensation was received; and

(b) the Company must maintain documentation of the determination of that reasonable estimate and provide such documentation to Nasdaq.

Method of Recoupment

The Board will determine, in its sole discretion, the method for recouping Incentive Compensation hereunder which may include, without limitation:

(a) requiring reimbursement of cash Incentive Compensation previously paid;

(b) seeking recovery of any gain realized on the vesting, exercise, settlement, sale, transfer, or other disposition of any equity-based awards;

(c) offsetting the recouped amount from any compensation otherwise owed by the Company to the Covered Executive;

(d) cancelling outstanding vested or unvested equity awards; and/or

(e) taking any other remedial and recovery action permitted by law, as determined by the Board.

No Indemnification

The Company shall not indemnify any Covered Executives against the loss of any incorrectly awarded Incentive Compensation.

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Interpretation

The Board is authorized to interpret and construe this Policy and to make all determinations necessary, appropriate, or advisable for the administration of this Policy. It is intended that this Policy be interpreted in a manner that is consistent with the requirements of Section 10D of the Exchange Act, Rule 10D-1 promulgated thereunder, and any other applicable rules or standards adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission or Nasdaq.

Effective Date

This Policy shall be effective as of the date it is adopted by the Board (the “Effective Date”) and shall apply to Incentive Compensation that is approved, awarded or granted to Covered Executives on or after that date.

Amendment; Termination

The Board may amend this Policy from time to time in its discretion and shall amend this Policy as it deems necessary to reflect final regulations adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission under Section 10D of the Exchange Act and to comply with any rules or standards adopted by Nasdaq. The Board may terminate this Policy at any time.

Other Recoupment Rights

The Board intends that this Policy will be applied to the fullest extent of the law. The Board may require that any employment agreement, equity award agreement, or similar agreement entered into on or after the Effective Date shall, as a condition to the grant of any benefit thereunder, require a Covered Executive to agree to abide by the terms of this Policy. Any right of recoupment under this Policy is in addition to, and not in lieu of, any other remedies or rights of recoupment that may be available to the Company pursuant to the terms of any similar policy in any employment agreement, equity award agreement, or similar agreement and any other legal remedies available to the Company.

Impracticability

The Board shall recover any excess Incentive Compensation in accordance with this Policy unless such recovery would be impracticable, as determined by the Board in accordance with Rule 10D-1 of the Exchange Act and the Listing Standards.

Successors

This Policy shall be binding and enforceable against all Covered Executives and their beneficiaries, heirs, executors, administrators or other legal representatives.

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