SEC Form 10-Q filed by Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Inc

PART I – FINANCIAL INFORMATION

CRACKER BARREL OLD COUNTRY STORE, INC.

Loyalty Program

During the first quarter of 2024, the Company launched its customer loyalty program, Cracker Barrel Rewards, which allows members to earn points (“pegs”) for each qualifying purchase in store or online. Pegs earned are then converted to rewards upon reaching certain thresholds.  These rewards may be redeemed on future restaurant or retail purchases in store or online.

 

The estimation of the standalone selling price of pegs and other rewards issued to customers involves several assumptions, primarily the estimated value of the product for which the reward is expected to be redeemed and the probability that the pegs or reward will expire. These inputs are subject to change over time due to factors such as increased costs or changes in customer behavior.

 

The Company defers a portion of the revenue related to the pegs earned at the time of the original transaction based on the estimated value of the item for which the reward is expected to be redeemed, net of estimated unredeemed pegs. Pegs expire after twelve months. Revenue is recognized for these performance obligations upon redemption of pegs or rewards earned by the customer. As of January 26, 2024, deferred revenue related to the loyalty program was $731 and is included in other current liabilities on the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet.

The Company has ground leases for its leased stores and office space leases that are recorded as operating leases under various non-cancellable operating leases.  The Company also leases advertising billboards, vehicle fleets, and certain equipment under various non-cancellable operating leases.  Additionally, the Company completed sale-leaseback transactions in 2009, 2020 and 2021 (see section below entitled “Sale and Leaseback Transactions”); all the properties qualified for sale and leaseback and operating lease accounting classification.  To determine whether a contract is or contains a lease, the Company determines at contract inception whether it contains the right to control the use of an identified asset for a period of time in exchange for consideration.  If the contract has the right to obtain substantially all of the economic benefit from use of the identified asset and the right to direct the use of the identified asset, the Company recognizes a right-of-use asset and lease liability.

The Company’s leases all have varying terms and expire at various dates through 2058. Restaurant leases typically have base terms of ten years with four to five optional renewal periods of five years each.  The Company uses a lease life that generally begins on the commencement date, including the rent holiday periods, and generally extends through certain renewal periods that can be exercised at the Company’s option.  During rent holiday periods, which include the pre-opening period during construction, the Company has possession of and access to the property, but is not obligated to, and normally does not, make rent payments.  The Company has included lease renewal options in the lease term for calculations of the right-of-use asset and liability for which at the commencement of the lease it is reasonably certain that the Company will exercise those renewal options.  Additionally, some of the leases have contingent rent provisions and others require adjustments for inflation or index.   Contingent rent is determined as a percentage of gross sales in excess of specified levels.  The Company records a contingent rent liability and corresponding rent expense when it is probable sales have been achieved in amounts in excess of the specified levels.  The Company’s lease agreements do not contain any material residual value guarantees or material restrictive covenants.

The Company has entered into agreements for real estate leases that are not recorded as right-of-use assets or lease liabilities as we have not yet taken possession.  These leases are expected to commence in 2024, 2025 and 2026 with undiscounted future payments of $5,988, $11,163 and $8,887, respectively.

The Company has elected not to separate lease and non-lease components. Additionally, the Company has elected to apply the short term lease exemption to all asset classes and the short term lease expense for the period reasonably reflects the short term lease commitments. As the Company’s leases do not provide an implicit rate, the Company uses the incremental borrowing rate based on the information available at the time of commencement or modification date in determining the present value of lease payments. For operating leases that commenced prior to the date of adoption of the new lease accounting guidance, the Company used the incremental borrowing rate as of the adoption date. Assumptions used in determining the Company’s incremental borrowing rate include the Company’s implied credit rating and an estimate of secured borrowing rates based on comparable market data.

The following table summarizes the components of lease cost for operating leases for the specified periods:

The following table summarizes supplemental cash flow information and non-cash activity related to the Company’s operating leases for the specified periods:

The following table summarizes the weighted-average remaining lease term and the weighted-average discount rate for operating leases as of dates indicated:

The following table summarizes the maturities of undiscounted cash flows reconciled to the total operating lease liability as of January 26, 2024:

In 2020, the Company entered into an agreement with the original lessor and a third party financier to obtain ownership of 64 of the 65 Cracker Barrel properties previously covered in the original sale and leaseback arrangement and simultaneously entered into a sale and leaseback transaction with the financier. The Company purchased the remaining property. In connection with this sale and leaseback transaction, the Company entered into lease agreements for each of the properties for initial terms of 20 years and renewal options up to 50 years.

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc., and its subsidiaries (collectively, the “Company,” “our” or “we”) are principally engaged in the operation and development in the United States of the Cracker Barrel Old Country Store® (“Cracker Barrel”) concept.  As of January 26, 2024, we operated 662 Cracker Barrel stores in 45 states and 63 Maple Street Biscuit Company (“MSBC”) locations in ten states.

All dollar amounts reported or discussed in this Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (“MD&A”) are shown in thousands, except per share amounts and certain statistical information (e.g., number of stores).  References to years in MD&A are to our fiscal year unless otherwise noted.

MD&A provides information which management believes is relevant to an assessment and understanding of our consolidated results of operations and financial condition.  MD&A should be read in conjunction with the (i) condensed consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and (ii) audited consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended July 28, 2023 (the “2023 Form 10-K”).  Except for specific historical information, many of the matters discussed in this report may express or imply projections of items such as revenues or expenditures, estimated capital expenditures, compliance with debt covenants, plans and objectives for future operations, store economics, inventory shrinkage, growth or initiatives, expected future economic performance or the expected outcome or impact of pending or threatened litigation.  These and similar statements regarding events or results which we expect will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements that, by their nature, involve risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results and performance to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements.  All forward-looking information is provided pursuant to the safe harbor established under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and should be evaluated in the context of these risks, uncertainties and other factors.  Forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “trends,” “assumptions,” “target,” “guidance,” “outlook,” “opportunity,” “future,” “plans,” “goals,” “objectives,” “expectations,” “near-term,” “long-term,” “projection,” “may,” “will,” “would,” “could,” “expect,” “intend,” “estimate,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “potential,” “should,” “projects,” “forecasts” or “continue”  (or the negative or other derivatives of each of these terms) or similar terminology.  We believe the assumptions underlying any forward-looking statements are reasonable; however, any of the assumptions could be inaccurate, and therefore, actual results may differ materially from those projected in or implied by the forward-looking statements.  In addition to the risks of ordinary business operations, and those discussed or described in this report or in information incorporated by reference into this report, factors and risks that may result in actual results differing from this forward-looking information include, but are not limited to risks and uncertainties associated with inflationary conditions with respect to the price of commodities, transportation, distribution and labor; disruptions to our restaurant or retail supply chain; our ability to identify, acquire and sell successful new lines of retail merchandise and new menu items at our restaurants; our ability to sustain or the effects of plans intended to improve operational or marketing execution and performance; the effects of increased competition at our locations on sales and on labor recruiting, cost, and retention; consumer behavior based on negative publicity or changes in consumer health or dietary trends or safety aspects of our food or products or those of the restaurant industry in general, including concerns about outbreaks of infectious disease, as well as the possible effects of such events on the price or availability of ingredients used in our restaurants; the effects of our indebtedness and associated restrictions on our financial and operating flexibility and ability to execute or pursue our operating plans and objectives; changes in interest rates, increases in borrowed capital or capital market conditions affecting our financing costs and ability to refinance our indebtedness, in whole or in part; our reliance on limited distribution facilities and certain significant vendors; information technology-related incidents, including data privacy and information security breaches, whether as a result of infrastructure failures, employee or vendor errors, or actions of third parties; changes in or implementation of additional governmental or regulatory rules, regulations and interpretations affecting tax, wage and hour matters, health and safety, animal welfare, pensions, insurance or other undeterminable areas; the effects of plans intended to promote or protect our brands and products; the actual results of pending, future or threatened litigation or governmental investigations and the costs and effects of negative publicity or our ability to manage the impact of social media associated with these activities; the impact of activist shareholders; our ability to enter successfully into new geographic markets that may be less familiar to us; changes in land, building materials and construction costs; the availability and cost of suitable sites for restaurant development and our ability to identify those sites; our ability to retain key personnel; the ability of and cost to us to recruit, train, and retain qualified hourly and management employees; uncertain performance of acquired businesses, strategic investments and other initiatives that we may pursue from time to time; the effects of business trends on the outlook for individual restaurant locations and the effect on the carrying value of those locations; general or regional economic weakness, business and societal conditions and the weather impact on sales and customer travel; discretionary income or personal expenditure activity of our customers; economic or psychological effects of natural disasters or other unforeseen events such as terrorist acts, social unrest or war and the military or government responses to such events; changes in foreign exchange rates affecting our future retail inventory purchases; workers’ compensation, group health and utility price changes; implementation of new or changes in interpretation of existing accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”), and those factors contained in Part I, Item 1A of the 2023 Form 10-K, as well as the factors described under “Critical Accounting Estimates” on pages 24-26 of this report or, from time to time, in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), press releases and other communications.

Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements made in this report because the statements speak only as of the report’s date.  Except as may be required by law, we have no obligation or intention to update or revise any of these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this report or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.  Readers are advised, however, to consult any future public disclosures that we may make on related subjects in reports that we file with or furnish to the SEC or in our other public disclosures.

Overview

Management believes that Cracker Barrel’s brand remains one of the strongest and most differentiated brands in the restaurant industry, and we plan to continue to leverage and build on that strength as a core competitive component of our business strategy.  Our long-term strategy remains centered on driving sustainable sales growth, continued business model improvements, building profitable Cracker Barrel and MSBC stores, and driving shareholder returns.

During the second quarter of 2024, we continued to make progress in key areas of the business, such as store-level operational excellence, improving the guest experience, enhancing our menu and marketing, maintaining a strong value proposition, growing our off-premise business, leveraging our Cracker Barrel Rewards loyalty program, providing unique retail merchandise and thoughtfully expanding MSBC.  Additionally, we continued to make progress on the strategic transformation initiative that began during the first quarter of 2024.  This data-driven initiative includes a comprehensive review of the business and a wide-ranging assessment of near-term and long-term opportunities and strategic objectives.

We believe there is significant uncertainty surrounding the macroeconomic outlook for the coming quarters, but we remain focused on delivering long-term growth and returns for shareholders.

Key Performance Indicators

Management uses a number of key performance measures to evaluate our operational and financial performance, including the following:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These performance indicators exclude the impact of new store openings and sales related to MSBC.

We use comparable store sales metrics as indicators of sales growth to evaluate how our established stores have performed over time.  We use comparable restaurant guest traffic increase/(decrease) to evaluate how established stores have performed over time, excluding growth achieved through menu price and sales mix change.  Finally, we use average check per guest to identify trends in guest preferences, as well as the effectiveness of menu changes.  We believe these performance indicators are useful for investors by providing a consistent comparison of sales results and trends across comparable periods within our core, established store base, unaffected by results of store openings, closings, and other transitional changes.

Results of Operations

The following table highlights our operating results by percentage relationships to total revenue for the specified periods:

The following table sets forth the change in the number of units in operation for the specified periods:

Total Revenue

Total revenue for the second quarter and the first six months of 2024 increased 0.2% and decreased 0.8%, respectively, as compared to the same periods in the prior year.

The following table highlights the key components of revenue for the specified periods:

⁽¹⁾ Average unit volumes include sales of all stores except for MSBC.

⁽²⁾ Comparable store sales and traffic consist of sales of stores open at least six full quarters at the beginning of the period and are measured on comparable calendar weeks.  Comparable store sales and traffic exclude MSBC.

For the second quarter and first six months of 2024, our comparable store restaurant sales increases resulted from the average check increases partially offset by the guest traffic decreases as compared to the prior year periods.  For the second quarter and first six months of 2024, the average check increases included average menu price increases of 4.8% and 5.8%, respectively.

Our retail sales are made substantially to our restaurant guests.  For the second quarter and the first six months of 2024, our comparable store retail sales decreases resulted primarily from the guest traffic decreases during these periods.

The decreases in guest traffic are primarily the result of lower consumer demand due to the impact of macroeconomic factors, including inflationary pressures, higher interest rates, higher consumer debt levels, lower savings rates and the risk of recession.

Cost of Goods Sold (Exclusive of Depreciation and Rent)

The following table highlights the components of cost of goods sold (exclusive of depreciation and rent) in dollar amounts and as percentages of revenues for the specified periods:

 

The decreases in restaurant cost of goods sold as a percentage of restaurant revenue in the second quarter and first six months of 2024 as compared to the same periods in the prior year were primarily the result of lower commodity inflation and our menu price increases referenced above.  Commodity inflation was 1.4% in the second quarter of 2024 and commodity deflation was 0.4% in first six months of 2024 as compared to significant commodity inflation of 12.5% and 14.5% in the second quarter and first six months of 2023, respectively.

We presently expect the rate of commodity inflation to be flat to 2% in 2024.

The decrease in retail cost of goods sold as a percentage of retail revenue in the second quarter of 2024 as compared to the same period in the prior year resulted primarily from higher initial margin partially offset by higher markdowns.

The decrease in retail cost of goods sold as a percentage of retail revenue in the first six months of 2024 as compared to the same period in the prior year resulted primarily from higher initial margin partially offset by higher discounts, higher markdowns, higher inventory shrinkage and higher freight expense.

Labor and Related Expenses

Labor and related expenses include all direct and indirect labor and related costs incurred in store operations.  The following table highlights labor and related expenses as a percentage of total revenue for the specified periods:

This percentage change for the second quarter of 2024 as compared to the same period in the prior year resulted primarily from the following:

This percentage change for the first six months of 2024 as compared to the same period in the prior year resulted from the following: