POTBELLY CORP - Quarter Report: 2017 September (Form 10-Q)

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-Q

For the Quarterly Period Ended September 24, 2017

OR

For the Transition Period from                      to                     

Commission File Number: 001-36104

Potbelly Corporation

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

111 N. Canal Street, Suite 850

Chicago, Illinois 60606

(Address, including Zip Code, of Principal Executive Offices)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (312) 951-0600

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.    Yes  ☒    No  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).    Yes  ☒    No  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).    Yes  ☐    No  ☒

Indicate the number of shares outstanding of each of the issuer’s classes of common stock, as of the latest practicable date:

Common stock, $0.01 Par Value – 24,804,265 shares as of September 24, 2017

Potbelly Corporation and Subsidiaries

Table of Contents

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PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION

ITEM 1. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA

Potbelly Corporation and Subsidiaries

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets

(amounts in thousands, except share and par value data, unaudited)

See accompanying notes to the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

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Potbelly Corporation and Subsidiaries

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations

(amounts in thousands, except share and per share data, unaudited)

See accompanying notes to the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

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Potbelly Corporation and Subsidiaries

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Equity

(amounts in thousands, except share data, unaudited)

See accompanying notes to the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

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Potbelly Corporation and Subsidiaries

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

(amounts in thousands, unaudited)

See accompanying notes to the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements

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Potbelly Corporation and Subsidiaries

Notes to Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited)

(1) Organization and Other Matters

Business

Potbelly Corporation (the “Company” or “Potbelly”), through its wholly-owned subsidiaries, operates or franchises Potbelly Sandwich Shops in 31 states and the District of Columbia. The Company also sells and administers franchises of Potbelly Sandwich Shops. The first domestic franchise location administered by the Company opened during February 2011. Additionally, in February 2011, the Company opened its first international franchise in the Middle East. In July 2015, the Company opened its first franchise shop in the United Kingdom and in October 2016, the Company opened its first franchise shop in Canada. Additionally, during April 2016, the Company transitioned a franchise shop to a company-operated shop for a purchase price of $1.1 million. The Company recorded $0.8 million of goodwill related to the transaction. The Company believes this acquisition is immaterial.

Basis of Presentation

The unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and notes herein should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements of Potbelly Corporation and its subsidiaries and the notes thereto included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 25, 2016. The unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements included herein have been prepared by the Company without audit, pursuant to the rules and regulations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) regarding interim financial reporting. Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) have been condensed or omitted pursuant to the SEC rules and regulations. In the opinion of management, all adjustments, which are of a normal and recurring nature (except as otherwise noted), that are necessary to present fairly the Company’s financial position as of September 24, 2017 and December 25, 2016, its statement of operations for the 13 and 39 weeks ended September 24, 2017 and September 25, 2016 and its statement of cash flows for the 39 weeks ended September 24, 2017 and September 25, 2016 have been included. The consolidated statements of operations for the interim periods presented herein are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the full year.

The Company does not have any components of other comprehensive income recorded within its consolidated financial statements and therefore, does not separately present a statement of comprehensive income in its condensed consolidated financial statements.

Principles of Consolidation

The unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Potbelly Corporation; its wholly owned subsidiary, Potbelly Illinois, Inc. (“PII”); PII’s wholly owned subsidiaries, Potbelly Franchising, LLC and Potbelly Sandwich Works, LLC (“LLC”); eight of LLC’s wholly owned subsidiaries and LLC’s five joint ventures, collectively, the “Company.” All significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. For consolidated joint ventures, non-controlling interest represents a non-controlling partner’s share of the assets, liabilities and operations related to the five joint venture investments. The Company has ownership interests ranging from 51-80% in these consolidated joint ventures.

Fiscal Year

The Company uses a 52/53-week fiscal year that ends on the last Sunday of the calendar period. Approximately every five or six years a 53rd week is added. Fiscal year 2017 consists of 53 weeks and 2016 consisted of 52 weeks. The fiscal quarters ended September 24, 2017 and September 25, 2016 each consisted of 13 weeks.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, revenues and expenses and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. Significant estimates include amounts for long-lived assets and income taxes. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

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New and Revised Financial Accounting Standards

In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2014-09, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers.” The pronouncement was issued to clarify the principles for recognizing revenue and to develop a common revenue standard and disclosure requirements for U.S. GAAP and International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). The FASB approved a one-year deferral of the effective date of ASU 2014-09, such that it will become effective for the annual period beginning after December 15, 2017. In addition, the FASB issued ASU 2016-08, ASU 2016-10 and ASU 2016-12 in March 2016, April 2016 and May 2016, respectively, to help provide interpretive clarifications on the new guidance in Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) Topic 606. Potbelly will adopt the standard effective the first quarter of 2018 and apply the amendments using the modified retrospective method. The Company has determined that the adoption will not have a material impact on sandwich shop sales, but will impact franchise revenue and gift card breakage. Potbelly licenses intellectual property and trademarks to franchisees through franchise arrangements. As part of these agreements, Potbelly receives an initial franchise fee payment which is recognized as revenue when the shop opens. Effective for the annual period beginning January 1, 2018, initial franchise fees will generally be recognized as revenue over the life of the contract. Potbelly sells gift cards to customers and records the sale as a liability. The liability is released once the card is redeemed. Historically a portion of these gift card sales are not redeemed by the customer (“breakage”). Potbelly recognizes breakage two years after the period of sale. Effective for the annual period beginning January 1, 2018, expected breakage is anticipated to be recognized as customers redeem the gift cards. The Company is continuing its assessment, which may identify additional impacts this standard will have on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, “Leases,” which will replace the existing guidance in ASC 840, “Leases.” The pronouncement requires a dual approach for lessee accounting under which a lessee would account for leases as finance leases or operating leases. Both finance leases and operating leases will result in the lessee recognizing a right-of-use asset and a corresponding lease liability. For finance leases, the lessee would recognize interest expense and amortization of the right-of-use asset and for operating leases, the lessee would recognize a straight-line total lease expense. The pronouncement is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including annual and interim periods thereafter. In addition, the pronouncement requires the use of the modified retrospective method, which will require adjustment to all comparative periods presented in the consolidated financial statements. The Company is currently evaluating the impact ASU 2016-02 will have on its financial position, results of operations and cash flows but expects that it will result in a material increase in its long-term assets and liabilities given the Company has a significant number of leases.

In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-09, “Compensation – Stock Compensation (Topic 718).” The pronouncement simplifies the accounting for the taxes related to stock-based compensation, including the accounting for income taxes, forfeitures and statutory tax withholding requirements, as well as classification within the statement of cash flows. The pronouncement is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016, including annual and interim periods thereafter. Potbelly adopted ASU 2016-09 in the first quarter of 2017. The primary impact of adoption was the recognition of excess tax benefits and deficiencies that arise upon vesting or exercise of share-based payments in the Income Statement as income tax expense instead of a component of equity recorded to paid-in capital. This aspect of the new guidance, which was required to be adopted prospectively, resulted in an additional income tax expense of $45 thousand and $292 thousand for the 13 weeks and 39 weeks ended September 24, 2017, respectively. Potbelly has elected to continue to estimate forfeitures expected to occur to determine the amount of compensation cost to be recognized in each period. Excess income tax benefits and deficiencies from stock-based compensation arrangements are now classified as cash flow from operations, instead of as cash flow used in financing activities. The Company elected to apply this change in presentation prospectively and as such prior periods have not been adjusted. Additionally, in accordance with the new standard, the Company now excludes excess tax benefits and deficiencies from the assumed proceeds available to repurchase shares in the computation of the Company’s diluted earnings per share.

In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-04, “Intangibles – Goodwill and Other (Topic 350).” The new standard eliminates step 2 from the goodwill impairment test. Instead, if the carrying amount of a reporting unit exceeds its fair value, an impairment loss will be recognized in an amount equal to that excess. Under current U.S. GAAP, to perform step 2 an entity must determine its implied fair value, which is determined in the same manner as the amount of goodwill recognized in a business combination. In addition to eliminating step 2, the new standard eliminates the requirement for a reporting unit with a zero or negative carrying amount to perform a qualitative assessment and, if it fails that qualitative test, to perform step 2 of the goodwill impairment test. Instead, all reporting units, even those with a zero or negative amount will apply the same impairment test. An entity is required to disclose the amount of goodwill allocated to each reporting unit with a zero or negative carrying amount of net assets. The standard will be effective for Potbelly in the fiscal year beginning after December 15, 2019. Early adoption for interim or annual goodwill impairment tests performed on testing dates after January 1, 2017 is permitted. This amendment is required to be applied on a prospective basis. Potbelly is currently assessing the impact and timing of adopting this guidance on its consolidated financial statements.

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(2) Fair Value Measurement

The carrying amounts of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, accounts payable and all other current liabilities approximate fair values due to the short maturities of these balances.

The Company assesses potential impairments to its long-lived assets, which includes property and equipment, on a quarterly basis or whenever events or circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. Shop-level assets are grouped at the individual shop-level for the purpose of the impairment assessment. Recoverability of an asset is measured by a comparison of the carrying amount of an asset to its estimated undiscounted future cash flows expected to be generated by the asset. If the carrying amount of the asset group exceeds its estimated undiscounted future cash flows, an impairment charge is recognized as the amount by which the carrying amount of the asset exceeds the fair value of the asset. The fair value of the shop assets was determined using the discounted future cash flow method of anticipated cash flows through the shop’s lease-end date using fair value measurement inputs classified as Level 3. Level 3 inputs are derived from valuation techniques in which one or more significant inputs or significant value drivers are unobservable. After performing a periodic review of the Company’s shops during the 13 weeks and 39 weeks ended September 24, 2017, it was determined that indicators of impairment were present for certain shops as a result of continued underperformance. The Company performed an impairment analysis related to these shops and recorded an impairment charge of $1.5 million and $5.8 million for the 13 and 39 weeks ended September 24, 2017, respectively. Included within the impairment charge for the 13 and 39 weeks ended September 24, 2017, impairment charges of $0.7 million were recorded in relation to Hurricane Harvey, with insurance recoveries of $0.7 million also recorded within the same caption. The company recorded an impairment charge of $1.9 million and $2.9 million for the 13 and 39 weeks ended September 25, 2016, respectively.

(3) Earnings (Loss) Per Share

Basic and diluted income per common share attributable to common stockholders was calculated using the weighted average number of common shares outstanding for the period. Diluted income per common share attributable to common stockholders is computed by dividing the income allocated to common stockholders by the weighted average number of fully diluted common shares outstanding. In periods of a net loss, no potential common shares are included in diluted shares outstanding as the effect is anti-dilutive. For the 13 weeks ended September 24, 2017, the Company had a loss per share, therefore, shares were excluded for potential stock option exercises and warrant exercises.

The following table summarizes the earnings (loss) per share calculation:

(4) Income Taxes

The Company recognized income tax benefit of $0.5 million on a pre-tax loss of $0.6 million, or an effective tax rate benefit of 80.4%, for the 13 weeks ended September 24, 2017, compared to income tax expense of $1.0 million on pre-tax income of $2.8 million, or an effective tax rate of 34.2%, for the 13 weeks ended September 25, 2016. The Company recognized income tax expense of $0.3 million on pre-tax income of $0.8 million, or an effective tax rate of 33.5%, for the 39 weeks ended September 24, 2017, compared to income tax expense of $3.7 million on pre-tax income of $10.1 million, or an effective tax rate of 36.8%, for the 39 weeks ended September 25, 2016. The effective tax rate differed from the federal statutory rate primarily due to a change in earnings and the adoption of ASU 2016-09, which had an unfavorable impact to the Company’s tax rate benefit of 7.5% for the 13 weeks ended September 24, 2017 and an unfavorable impact of 38.9% for the 39 weeks ended September 24, 2017. See Note 1 for additional information regarding the adoption of ASU 2016-09.

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(5) Capital Stock

On September 8, 2016, the Company announced that its Board of Directors authorized a share repurchase program of up to $30.0 million of the Company’s common stock. The Company’s previous $35.0 million share repurchase program, authorized in September 2015, was completed in July 2016. The current program permits the Company, from time to time, to purchase shares in the open market (including in pre-arranged stock trading plans in accordance with the guidelines specified in Rule 10b5-1 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended) or in privately negotiated transactions. During the 39 weeks ended September 24, 2017, the Company repurchased 745,496 shares of its common stock for approximately $8.9 million, including cost and commission, in open market transactions. As of September 24, 2017, the remaining dollar value of authorization under the share repurchase program was $18.8 million, which does not include commission. Repurchased shares are included as treasury stock in the condensed consolidated balance sheets and the condensed consolidated statements of equity.

(6) Stock-Based Compensation

Stock options are awarded under the 2013 Long-Term Incentive Plan to eligible employees. The fair value of stock options is determined using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. The weighted average fair value of options granted during the 39 weeks ended September 24, 2017 was $4.58 per share, as estimated using the following weighted average assumptions: expected life of options – 6.25 years; volatility – 36.37%; risk-free interest rate – 2.23%; and dividend yield – 0.0%. The Company used the simplified method for determining the expected life of the options. The expected volatility of the options was calculated using the Company’s historical data.

A summary of activity for the 39 weeks ended September 24, 2017 is as follows:

The company also awards restricted stock units (“RSUs”) to certain non-employee members of its Board of Directors and the senior leadership team. In May 2017, the Company issued 153,369 shares of RSUs with a grant-date fair value of $11.05 upon issuance. In August 2017, the Company issued 2,608 shares of RSUs to certain non-employee members of its Board of Directors. The RSUs had a grant-date fair value of $11.15 upon issuance. The Board of Director grants have a vesting schedule of 50% on the first anniversary of the grant date and 50% on the second anniversary of the grant date. The senior leadership team grants vest in one-third increments over a three-year period beginning in March 2018.

Stock-based compensation is measured at the grant date, based on the calculated fair value of the award and is recognized as expense over the requisite employee service period, which is generally the vesting period of the grant, with a corresponding increase to additional paid-in-capital. For the 13 weeks ended September 24, 2017, the Company recognized stock-based compensation expense of $1.4 million, of which $0.6 million was related to Chief Executive Officer (CEO) transition costs. For the 39 weeks ended September 24, 2017, the Company recognized stock-based compensation expense of $3.3 million, of which $0.8 million was related to CEO transition costs. For the 13 and 39 weeks ended September 25, 2016, the Company recognized stock-based compensation of $0.8 million and $2.3 million, respectively. As of September 24, 2017, unrecognized stock-based compensation expense was $4.9 million, which will be recognized through fiscal year 2021. The Company records stock-based compensation expense within general and administrative expenses in the condensed consolidated statements of operations.

(7) Commitments and Contingencies

The Company is subject to legal proceedings, claims and liabilities, such as employment-related claims and slip and fall cases, which arise in the ordinary course of business and are generally covered by insurance. In the opinion of management, the amount of ultimate liability with respect to those actions should not have a material adverse impact on the Company’s financial position or results of operations and cash flows.

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In 2016, the Company received notice of a potential claim alleging that it violated the Fair Labor Standards Act by not paying overtime to its assistant managers, whom the Company had classified as exempt employees. Although the Company believes that its assistant managers were properly classified as exempt under both federal and state laws, the Company agreed to mediate the matter. On February 20, 2017, the parties entered into a Settlement Agreement and Release whereby participating assistant managers agreed to release the Company from all federal and/or state wage and hour claims in exchange for a gross settlement amount of $1.3 million. As part of the settlement process, a complaint was filed on February 17, 2017 in the Circuit Court of the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit in and for Palm Beach County, Florida. A motion seeking the Court’s approval of the settlement was filed on February 21, 2017, which was subsequently approved. In March 2017, the Company paid out the settlement, which was booked against the previously recorded liability.

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ITEM 2. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Forward-Looking Statements

The following discussion of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto included elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and with our audited consolidated financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 25, 2016. This discussion contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and involves numerous risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts and generally contain words such as “believes,” “expects,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “seeks,” “intends,” “plans,” “strives,” “goal,” “estimates,” “forecasts,” “projects” or “anticipates” or similar expressions. Our forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, which may cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or implied by the forward-looking statement. Forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and assumptions and currently available data and are neither predictions nor guarantees of future events or performance. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. See “Risk Factors” and “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 25, 2016, for a discussion of factors that could cause our actual results to differ from those expressed or implied by forward-looking statements.

Overview

Potbelly Corporation (the “Company” or “Potbelly”) is a fast-growing neighborhood sandwich concept offering toasty warm sandwiches, signature salads and other fresh menu items served by engaging people in an environment that reflects the Potbelly brand. Our combination of product, people and place is how we deliver on our passion to be “The Best Place for Lunch.” Our sandwiches, salads and hand-dipped milkshakes are all made fresh to order and our cookies are baked fresh each day. Our employees are trained to engage with our customers in a genuine way to provide a personalized experience. Our shops feature vintage design elements and locally-themed décor inspired by the neighborhood that we believe create a lively atmosphere. Through this combination, we believe we are creating a devoted base of Potbelly fans that return again and again and that we are expanding one sandwich shop at a time.

We believe that a key to our past and future success is our culture. It is embodied in The Potbelly Advantage, which is an expression of our Vision, Mission, Passion and Values and the foundation of everything we do. Our Vision is for our customers to feel that we are their “Neighborhood Sandwich Shop” and to tell others about their great experience. Our Mission is to make people really happy, to make more money and to improve every day. Our Passion is to be “The Best Place for Lunch.” Our Values embody both how we lead and how we behave and form the cornerstone of our culture. We use simple language that resonates from the frontline associate to the most senior levels of the organization, creating shared expectations and accountabilities in how we approach our day-to-day activities. We strive to be a fun, friendly and hardworking group of people who enjoy taking care of our customers, while at the same time taking care of each other.

The table below sets forth a rollforward of company-operated and franchise operated activities:

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Financial Results

In the third quarter of 2017 Potbelly experienced temporary shop closures in Texas due to Hurricane Harvey. In total, 22 shops were affected, with one shop being significantly damaged. Included within Potbelly’s Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations within impairment and loss on disposal of property and equipment, impairment charges of $0.7 were million recorded in relation to this shop, with insurance recoveries of $0.7 million also recorded within the same caption.

13 Weeks Ended September 24, 2017 Compared to 13 Weeks Ended September 25, 2016

The following table presents information comparing the components of net income for the periods indicated (dollars in thousands):

Revenues

Total revenues increased by $2.3 million, or 2.3%, to $106.1 million during the 13 weeks ended September 24, 2017, from $103.8 million during the 13 weeks ended September 25, 2016. The revenue growth was driven by an increase in sales of $9.5 million from shops not yet in our company-operated comparable store sales base and an increase in sales of $0.2 million from franchise royalties and fees. These increases were partially offset by a decrease in sales of $4.7 million, or 4.8%, from company-operated comparable store shops and a decrease in sales of $2.7 million from shops that have closed. The decrease in company-operated comparable store sales resulted from a decrease in traffic partially offset by certain menu price increases.

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Cost of Goods Sold

Cost of goods sold decreased by $0.1 million, or 0.3%, to $28.4 million during the 13 weeks ended September 24, 2017, from $28.5 million during the 13 weeks ended September 25, 2016, primarily due to a decrease in input costs, which were partially offset by an increase in costs due to an increase in sales volume. As a percentage of revenues, cost of goods sold decreased to 26.8% during the 13 weeks ended September 24, 2017, from 27.4% during the 13 weeks ended September 25, 2016, primarily driven by certain menu price increases partially offset by inflation.

Labor and Related Expenses

Labor and related expenses increased by $1.0 million, or 3.4%, to $31.2 million during the 13 weeks ended September 24, 2017, from $30.2 million during the 13 weeks ended September 25, 2016, primarily due to new shop openings, which was partially offset by a decrease in expense from company-operated comparable store shops. As a percentage of revenues, labor and related expenses increased to 29.4% during the 13 weeks ended September 24, 2017, from 29.1% during the 13 weeks ended September 25, 2016, primarily driven by a decrease in company-operated comparable store shop revenue and inflationary wage increases in certain states.

Occupancy Expenses

Occupancy expenses increased by $1.2 million, or 9.5%, to $14.4 million during the 13 weeks ended September 24, 2017, from $13.1 million during the 13 weeks ended September 25, 2016, primarily due to new shop openings and an increase in real estate taxes, rent expense and common area maintenance. These increases were partially offset by a decrease in expenses from shops that have closed. As a percentage of revenues, occupancy expenses increased to 13.5% during the 13 weeks ended September 24, 2017, from 12.6% during the 13 weeks ended September 25, 2016, primarily due to a decrease in company-operated comparable store shop revenue and an increase in real estate taxes, rent expense and common area maintenance. These increases in the percentage of revenue were partially offset by a decrease in expenses from shops that have closed.

Other Operating Expenses

Other operating expenses increased by 1.1 million, or 9.9%, to $12.5 million during the 13 weeks ended September 24, 2017, from $11.3 million during the 13 weeks ended September 25, 2016. The increase was attributable to new shop openings as well as higher utility costs, information technology costs, credit card fees and shop repairs. As a percentage of revenues, other operating expenses increased to 11.7% during the 13 weeks ended September 24, 2017, from 10.9% during the 13 weeks ended September 25, 2016, primarily driven by a decrease in company-operated comparable store shop revenue, higher utility costs and information technology costs.

General and Administrative Expenses

General and administrative expenses increased by $2.1 million, or 21.1%, to $12.1 million during the 13 weeks ended September 24, 2017, from $10.0 million during the 13 weeks ended September 25, 2016. The increase was driven primarily by Chief Executive Officer (CEO) transition costs of $1.2 million, advertising costs and store closure expenses. These increases were partially offset by lower performance-based incentive expenses. As a percentage of revenues, general and administrative expenses increased to 11.4% during the 13 weeks ended September 24, 2017, from 9.6% during the 13 weeks ended September 25, 2016, primarily due to CEO transition costs of $1.2 million, advertising costs and store closure expenses. These increase were partially offset by lower performance-based incentive expenses.

Depreciation Expense

Depreciation expense increased by 0.7 million, or 11.7%, to $6.3 million during the 13 weeks ended September 24, 2017, from $5.7 million during the 13 weeks ended September 25, 2016, primarily due to a higher depreciable base related to new shops, existing shop capital investments and investments in technology such as the mobile application. These increases were partially offset by impairment charges taken subsequent to the 13 weeks ended September 25, 2016, which lowered the depreciable base. As a percentage of revenues, depreciation increased to 6.0% during the 13 weeks ended September 24, 2017, from 5.4% during the 13 weeks ended September 25, 2016, driven by a decrease in company-operated comparable store shop revenue and a higher depreciable base related to new shops and existing shop capital investments. These impacts were partially offset by impairment charges taken subsequent to the 13 weeks ended September 25, 2016, which lowered the depreciable base.

Pre-Opening Costs

Pre-opening costs were $0.3 million during the 13 weeks ended September 24, 2017 and September 25, 2016.

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Impairment and Loss on Disposal of Property and Equipment

Impairment and loss on disposal of property and equipment decreased to $1.5 million during the 13 weeks ended September 24, 2017, from $1.9 million during the 13 weeks ended September 25, 2016. After performing periodic reviews of Company shops during the third quarter of 2017, it was determined that indicators of impairment were present for certain shops as a result of continued underperformance. We performed impairment analyses related to these shops and recorded an impairment charge of $1.5 million for the excess of the carrying amount recorded on our balance sheet over the shops’ estimated fair value. We perform impairment analyses on a quarterly basis which involve significant judgment by management including estimates of future cash flows and future growth rates, among other assumptions. Based on our current projections, no impairment, beyond what has already been recorded, has been identified. However, given the current challenges facing the industry and our business, future evaluations could result in additional impairment charges.

Interest Expense

Interest expense was $32 thousand during the 13 weeks ended September 24, 2017 and $33 thousand during the 13 weeks ended September 25, 2016.

Income Tax Expense

Income tax expense decreased by $1.5 million, or 150.7%, to a benefit of 0.5 million for the 13 weeks ended September 24, 2017, from $1.0 million for the 13 weeks ended September 25, 2016, primarily attributable to lower pre-tax book income and certain tax benefits. The decrease was partially offset by the adoption of Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 2016-09, which resulted in the tax effects of equity-based compensation being recorded through the income statement rather than equity. For the 13 weeks ended September 24, 2017, the effective tax rate was 80.4%, compared to 34.2% for the 13 weeks ended September 25, 2016. The increase in the effective tax rate was driven by lower pre-tax book income and certain tax benefits partially offset by the net effect of the adoption of ASU 2016-09 for stock-based compensation, which impacted our tax rate by 7.5%. See Note 1 to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information regarding the adoption of ASU 2016-09.

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39 Weeks Ended September 24, 2017 Compared to 39 Weeks Ended September 25, 2016

The following table presents information comparing the components of net income for the periods indicated (dollars in thousands):