NOTE 13 – COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

Litigation

We are subject to private lawsuits, administrative proceedings and claims that arise in the ordinary course of our business. A number of these lawsuits, proceedings and claims may exist at any given time. These matters typically involve claims from guests, employee wage and hour claims and others related to operational issues common to the restaurant industry. We record our best estimate of a loss when the loss is considered probable. When a liability is probable and there is a range of estimated loss with no best estimate in the range, we record the minimum estimated liability related to the lawsuits, proceedings or claims. While the resolution of a lawsuit, proceeding or claim may have an impact on our financial results for the period in which it is resolved, we believe that the maximum liability related to probable lawsuits, proceedings and claims in which we are currently involved, individually and in the aggregate, will not have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations or liquidity.

Historical Timeline

Fiscal YearFiled
2025Feb 12, 2026Showing above
2024Feb 13, 2025
2023Feb 15, 2024
2022Feb 17, 2023
2021Feb 23, 2022
2020Feb 19, 2021
2019Feb 27, 2020
2018Feb 20, 2019
2017Feb 27, 2018
2016Feb 27, 2017
2015Mar 22, 2016

About Commitments Disclosures

Commitments and contingencies disclosures catalog a company's off-balance-sheet obligations and legal exposures — purchase commitments, guarantee arrangements, pending litigation, and regulatory proceedings. These items represent potential future cash outflows that may not appear as liabilities on the balance sheet until they become probable and estimable.

Key signals: litigation reserves and disclosed loss ranges quantify management's estimate of legal exposure, but unquantified "reasonably possible" losses often represent the larger risk. Watch for changes in language around pending cases — shifts from "remote" to "reasonably possible" or increases in estimated loss ranges signal deteriorating outcomes. Unconditional purchase obligations and take-or-pay contracts create fixed cost structures that reduce operational flexibility. Guarantee arrangements for subsidiaries or joint ventures can create cascading obligations. Compare the total commitment schedule against projected free cash flow to assess whether the company can meet its obligations without additional financing.