Sonnet BioTherapeutics Holdings, Inc. - Annual Report: 2019 (Form 10-K)

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF

THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2019

Commission File Number 001-35570

CHANTICLEER HOLDINGS, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in the charter)

7621 Little Avenue, Suite 414, Charlotte, NC 28226

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (704) 366-5122

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. [  ] Yes [X] No.

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. [X ] Yes [  ] No.

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 past 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. [X] Yes [  ] No.

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). [X] Yes [  ] No.

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer or a smaller reporting company. See definition of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):

Large accelerated filer [  ] Accelerated filer [  ]

Non-accelerated filer [  ] Smaller reporting company [X]

Emerging growth company [  ]

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards 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 [X] No.

The aggregate market value of the voting stock held by non-affiliates was $4.3 million based on the closing sale price of the Company’s Common Stock as reported on the NASDAQ Stock Market on June 30, 2019.

Indicate the number of shares outstanding of each of the registrant’s classes of common stock, as of the latest practicable date. There were 12,402,962 shares of common stock issued and outstanding as of March 16, 2020.

Chanticleer Holdings, Inc.

Form 10-K Index

Part I

Forward-Looking Statements

This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements. These statements include projections, predictions, expectations or statements as to beliefs or future events or results or refer to other matters that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by these statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this Annual Report are based on various factors and were derived using numerous assumptions. In some cases, you can identify these forward-looking statements by the words “anticipate”, “estimate”, “plan”, “project”, “continuing”, “ongoing”, “target”, “aim”, “expect”, “believe”, “intend”, “may”, “will”, “should”, “could”, or the negative of those words and other comparable words. You should be aware that those statements reflect only the Company’s predictions. If known or unknown risks or uncertainties should materialize, or if underlying assumptions should prove inaccurate, actual results could differ materially from past results and those anticipated, estimated or projected. You should bear this in mind when reading this Annual Report and not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Factors that might cause such differences include, but are not limited to:

You should also consider carefully the Risk Factors contained in Part I, Item 1A of this Annual Report, which address additional factors that could cause actual results to differ from those set forth in the forward-looking statements and could materially and adversely affect the Company’s business, operating results and financial condition. The risks discussed in this Quarterly Report and the Annual Report are factors that, individually or in the aggregate, the Company believes could cause its actual results to differ materially from expected and historical results. You should understand that it is not possible to predict or identify all such factors. Consequently, you should not consider such disclosures to be a complete discussion of all potential risks or uncertainties.

The forward-looking statements are based on information available to the Company as of the date hereof, and, except to the extent required by federal securities laws, the Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which the statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. In addition, the Company cannot assess the impact of each factor on its business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements.

Item 1: Business

Chanticleer Holdings, Inc. (“Chanticleer” or the “Company”) is in the business of owning, operating and franchising fast casual dining concepts domestically and internationally.

The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Chanticleer Holdings, Inc. and its subsidiaries (collectively referred to as the “Company”).

We operate and franchise a system-wide total of 46 fast casual restaurants of which 35 are company-owned and 11 are owned and operated by franchisees under franchise agreements.

American Burger Company (“ABC”) is a fast-casual dining chain consisting of 6 locations in North Carolina and New York, known for its diverse menu featuring fresh salads, customized burgers, milk shakes, sandwiches, and beer and wine.

BGR: The Burger Joint (“BGR”) was acquired in March 2015 and consists of 8 company-owned locations in the United States and 11 franchisee-operated locations in the United States and the Middle East (2 of the franchisee-operated locations were purchased by the Company in 2018 and became company-owned locations).

Little Big Burger (“LBB”) was acquired in September 2015 and consists of 19 company-owned locations in the Portland, Oregon, Seattle, Washington, and Charlotte, North Carolina areas. Of the company-owned restaurants, 8 of those locations are operated under partnership agreements with investors where we control the management and operations of the stores and the partner supplies the capital to open the store in exchange for a noncontrolling interest.

We also operate 1 Hooters full-service restaurants in the United States, and 1 location in the United Kingdom. Hooters restaurants, which are casual beach-themed establishments featuring music, sports on large flat screens, and a menu that includes seafood, sandwiches, burgers, salads, and of course, Hooters original chicken wings and the “nearly world famous” Hooters Girls. Chanticleer started initially as an investor in Hooters of America and, subsequently evolved into a franchisee operator. We continue to hold a minority investment in corporate owned Hooters. However, we do not currently intend to invest in growing the Hooters segment and instead plan to utilize the cash flows from this segment to support growth in our other fast casual brands.

Restaurant Geographic Locations

United States

We currently operate ABC, BGR and LBB restaurants in the United States. ABC is in North Carolina and New York. BGR operates company restaurants in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States, as well as franchise locations across the US and internationally. LBB operates in Oregon, Washington and North Carolina. We operate Hooters restaurants in Portland, Oregon. We also operate gaming machines in Portland, Oregon under license from the Oregon Lottery Commission.

Europe

We currently own and operate one Hooters restaurant in the United Kingdom located in Nottingham, England.

Competition

The restaurant industry is extremely competitive. We compete with other restaurants on the taste, quality and price of our food offerings. Additionally, we compete with other restaurants on service, ambience, location and overall customer experience. We believe that we compete primarily with local and regional sports bars and national casual dining and quick casual establishments, and to a lesser extent with quick service restaurants in general. Many of our competitors are well-established national, regional or local chains and many have greater financial and marketing resources than we do. We also compete with other restaurant and retail establishments for site locations and restaurant employees.

Proprietary Rights

We have trademarks and trade names associated with American Burger, BGR and Little Big Burger. We believe that the trademarks, service marks and other proprietary rights that we use in our restaurants have significant value and are important to our brand-building efforts and the marketing of our restaurant concepts. Although we believe that we have sufficient rights to all of our trademarks and service marks, we may face claims of infringement that could interfere with our ability to market our restaurants and promote our brand. Any such litigation may be costly and divert resources from our business. Moreover, if we are unable to successfully defend against such claims, we may be prevented from using our trademarks or service marks in the future and may be liable for damages.

We also use the “Hooters” mark and certain other service marks and trademarks used in our Hooters restaurants pursuant to our franchise agreements with Hooters of America.

Government Regulation

Environmental regulation

We are subject to a variety of federal, state and local environmental laws and regulations. Such laws and regulations have not had a significant impact on our capital expenditures, earnings or competitive position.

Local regulation

Our locations are subject to licensing and regulation by a number of government authorities, which may include health, sanitation, safety, fire, building and other agencies in the countries, states or municipalities in which the restaurants are located. Opening sites in new areas could be delayed by license and approval processes or by more requirements of local government bodies with respect to zoning, land use and environmental factors. Our agreements with our franchisees require them to comply with all applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations.

Each restaurant requires appropriate licenses from regulatory authorities allowing it to sell liquor, beer and wine, and each restaurant requires food service licenses from local health authorities. Our licenses to sell alcoholic beverages may be suspended or revoked at any time for cause, including violation by us or our employees of any law or regulation pertaining to alcoholic beverage control. We are subject to various regulations by foreign governments related to the sale of food and alcoholic beverages and to health, sanitation and fire and safety standards. Compliance with these laws and regulations may lead to increased costs and operational complexity and may increase our exposure to governmental investigations or litigation.

Franchise regulation

We must comply with regulations adopted by the Federal Trade Commission (the “FTC”) and with several state and foreign laws that regulate the offer and sale of franchises. The FTC’s Trade Regulation Rule on Franchising (“FTC Rule”) and certain state and foreign laws require that we furnish prospective franchisees with a franchise disclosure document containing information prescribed by the FTC Rule and applicable state and foreign laws and regulations. We register the disclosure document in domestic and foreign jurisdictions that require registration for the sale of franchises. Our domestic franchise disclosure document complies with FTC Rule and various state disclosure requirements, and our international disclosure documents comply with applicable requirements.

We also must comply with state and foreign laws that regulate some substantive aspects of the franchisor-franchisee relationship. These laws may limit a franchisor’s ability to: terminate or not renew a franchise without good cause; interfere with the right of free association among franchisees; disapprove the transfer of a franchise; discriminate among franchisees regarding charges, royalties and other fees; and place new stores near existing franchises. Bills intended to regulate certain aspects of franchise relationships have been introduced into the United States Congress on several occasions during the last decade, but none have been enacted.

Employment regulations

We are subject to state and federal employment laws that govern our relationship with our employees, such as minimum wage requirements, overtime and working conditions and citizenship requirements. Many of our employees are paid at rates which are influenced by changes in the federal and state wage regulations. Accordingly, changes in the wage regulations could increase our labor costs. The work conditions at our facilities are regulated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and are subject to periodic inspections by this agency. In addition, the enactment of recent legislation and resulting new government regulation relating to healthcare benefits may result in additional cost increases and other effects in the future.

Gaming regulations

We are also subject to regulations in Oregon where we operate gaming machines. Gaming operations are generally highly regulated and conducted under the permission and oversight of the state or local gaming commission, lottery or other government agencies.

Other regulations

We are subject to a variety of consumer protection and similar laws and regulations at the federal, state and local level. Failure to comply with these laws and regulations could subject us to financial and other penalties.

Seasonality

The sales of our restaurants may peak at various times throughout the year due to certain promotional events, weather and holiday related events. For example, our domestic fast casual restaurants tend to peak in the Spring, Summer and Fall months when the weather is milder. Quarterly results also may be affected by the timing of the opening of new stores and the closing of existing stores. For these reasons, results for any quarter are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be achieved for the full fiscal year.

Corporate Information

Our principal executive offices are located at 7621 Little Avenue, Suite 414, Charlotte, NC 28226. Our web site is www.chanticleerholdings.com.

Employees

At December 31, 2019, our locations had approximately 587 employees, including 52 in the United Kingdom, and 535 in the United States.

Available information

We are subject to the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act and, accordingly, we file annual reports, quarterly reports and other information with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC. Access to copies of our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and other filings with the SEC, including amendments to such filings, may be obtained free of charge from our website, http://www.chanticleerholdings.com.

These filings are available promptly after we file them with, or furnish them to, the SEC. We are not incorporating our website or any information from the website into this annual report. The SEC also maintains a website, http://www.sec.gov, that contains our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Report on Form 8-K and other filings with the SEC. Access to these filings is free of charge.

MERGER

Chanticleer, Biosub Inc., a Delaware corporation and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Chanticleer (“Merger Sub”), and Sonnet BioTherapeutics, Inc., a New Jersey corporation (“Sonnet”), have entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger, as amended (the “Merger Agreement”), pursuant to which Merger Sub will merge with and into Sonnet, with Sonnet surviving the merger as a wholly-owned subsidiary of the combined company. These transactions are referred to herein collectively as the “merger.” Following the merger, Chanticleer will be renamed “Sonnet BioTherapeutics Holdings, Inc.” and is sometimes referred to herein as the “combined company.” The shareholders of Sonnet will become the majority owners of Chanticleer’s outstanding common stock upon the closing of the merger. Additionally, as part of this transaction, Chanticleer will spin-off (the “Disposition”) its current restaurant operations, including all assets and liabilities, into a newly created entity (the “Spin-Off Entity”), the equity of which will be distributed out to the stockholders of Chanticleer as of the record date for the Disposition.

Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, each share of common stock of Sonnet, no par value per share (the “Sonnet Common Stock”) (other than Cancelled Shares (as defined in the Merger Agreement) and Dissenting Shares (as defined in the Merger Agreement)), issued and outstanding immediately prior to the effective time of the merger (the “Effective Time”) shall be automatically converted into the right to receive an amount of shares of common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, of Chanticleer (“Chanticleer Common Stock”) equal to the Common Stock Exchange Ratio (as defined in the Merger Agreement) (the “Merger Consideration”). In connection with the transactions contemplated by the merger, on February 7, 2020, Sonnet and Chanticleer entered into a securities purchase agreement (the “Securities Purchase Agreement”), with certain accredited investors (the “Investors”) pursuant to which, among other things, Sonnet agreed to issue to the Investors shares of Sonnet Common Stock immediately prior to the merger and Chanticleer agreed to issue to the Investors warrants to purchase shares of Chanticleer Common Stock on the tenth trading day following the consummation of the merger (the “Investor Warrants”) in a private placement transaction for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $19 million (which amount is comprised of (x) a $4 million credit to Chardan Capital Markets, LLC (“Chardan”), in lieu of certain transaction fees otherwise owed to Chardan by Sonnet, and (y) $15 million in cash from the other Investors) (the “Pre-Merger Financing”). As a result, immediately following the Effective Time, and not accounting for additional shares of Chanticleer Common Stock that may be issuable pursuant to the adjustment provisions in the Investor Warrants sold in the Pre-Merger Financing the former Sonnet shareholders (including the Investors) will hold approximately 94% of the outstanding shares of Chanticleer Common Stock, the stockholders of Chanticleer will retain ownership of approximately 6% of the outstanding shares of Chanticleer Common Stock and the Spin-Off Entity will hold the Spin-Off Entity Warrant (as defined below), exercisable for 2% of the outstanding shares of Chanticleer Common Stock. All outstanding Sonnet stock options and warrants, if any, whether vested or unvested, that have not been exercised prior to the Effective Time will be converted into a stock option or warrant, as applicable, to purchase shares of Chanticleer Common Stock, proportionately adjusted based on the Common Stock Exchange Ratio. The exact number of shares of Chanticleer Common Stock that will be issued to Sonnet shareholders will be fixed immediately prior to the Effective Time to reflect the capitalization of Chanticleer as of immediately prior to such time. For a more complete description of the Common Stock Exchange Ratio.

In addition, at the closing of the Merger, Chanticleer will issue to the Spin-Off Entity a warrant (the “Spin-Off Entity Warrant”) to purchase that number of shares of Chanticleer Common Stock equal to two percent (2%) of the number of shares of issued and outstanding Chanticleer Common Stock immediately after the Effective Time. The warrant will be a five-year warrant, will have an exercise price of $0.01 per share and will not be exercisable for 180 days following the Effective Time.

Subject to approval of the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (“Nasdaq”), the merger, together with the Disposition, will result in a publicly-traded company operating under the Sonnet name and the proposed Nasdaq ticker symbol “SONN” that will focus on advancing Sonnet’s pipeline of oncology candidates and the strategic expansion of Sonnet’s technology platform into other human diseases. Upon completion of the merger, the board of directors of the public company will be comprised of the current members of the board of directors of Sonnet, and Dr. Pankaj Mohan will serve as its Chairman, as well as the President and Chief Executive Officer of the public company.

Shares of Chanticleer Common Stock are currently listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “BURG.” The closing of the merger will be subject to a number of closing conditions, including approval of the continued trading of shares of Chanticleer Common Stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market following the consummation of the merger.

Chanticleer is holding a special meeting of stockholders in order to obtain the stockholder approvals necessary to complete the merger and other matters.

Item 1A: Risk Factors

Investing in our common stock involves risks. Prospective investors in our common stock should carefully consider, among other things, the following risk factors in connection with the other information and financial statements contained in this Report. We have identified the following factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in any forward-looking statements we may make from time to time.

We operate in a continually changing business environment in which new risk factors emerge from time to time. We can neither predict these new risk factors, nor can we assess the impact, if any, of these new risk factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in any forward-looking statement. If any of these risks, or combination of risks, actually occurs, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be seriously and materially harmed, and the trading price of our common stock could decline. All forward-looking statements in this document are based on information available to us as of the date hereof, and we assume no obligations to update any such forward-looking statements.

Risks Related to Our Company and Industry

We have not been profitable to date and operating losses could continue.

We have incurred operating losses and generated negative cash flows since our inception and have financed our operations principally through equity investments and borrowings. Future profitability is difficult to predict with certainty. Failure to achieve profitability could materially and adversely affect the value of our Company and our ability to effect additional financings. The success of the business depends on our ability to increase revenues to offset expenses. If our revenues fall short of projections or we are unable to reduce operating expenses, our business, financial condition and operating results will be materially adversely affected.

Our financial statements have been prepared assuming a going concern.

Our financial statements as of December 31, 2019 were prepared under the assumption that we will continue as a going concern for the next twelve months from the date of issuance of these financial statements. Our independent registered public accounting firm has issued a report that includes an explanatory paragraph referring to our losses from operations and expressing substantial doubt in our ability to continue as a going concern without additional capital becoming available. Our ability to continue as a going concern is dependent upon our ability to obtain additional financing, re-negotiate or extend existing indebtedness, obtain further operating efficiencies, reduce expenditures and ultimately, create profitable operations. We may not be able to refinance or extend our debt or obtain additional capital on reasonable terms. Our financial statements do not include adjustments that would result from the outcome of this uncertainty.

Any prior acquisitions, as well as future acquisitions, may have unanticipated consequences that could harm our business and our financial condition.

Any acquisition that we pursue, whether successfully completed or not, involves risks, including:

Future acquisitions of restaurants or other businesses, which may be accomplished through a cash purchase transaction, the issuance of our equity securities or a combination of both, could result in potentially dilutive issuances of our equity securities, the incurrence of debt and contingent liabilities and impairment charges related to goodwill and other intangible assets, any of which could harm our business and financial condition.

There are risks inherent in expansion of operations, including our ability to generate profits from new restaurants, find suitable sites and develop and construct locations in a timely and cost-effective way.

We cannot project with certainty the number of new restaurants we and our franchisees will open. Our failure to effectively develop locations in new territories would adversely affect our ability to execute our business plan by, among other things, reducing our revenues and profits and preventing us from realizing our strategy. Furthermore, we cannot assure you that our new restaurants will generate revenues or profit margins consistent with those currently operated by us.

The number of openings and the performance of new locations will depend on various factors, including:

Additionally, competition for suitable restaurant sites in target markets is intense. Restaurants we open in new markets may take longer to reach expected sales and profit levels on a consistent basis and may have higher construction, occupancy or operating costs than restaurants we open in existing markets, thereby affecting our overall profitability.

New markets may have competitive conditions, consumer tastes and discretionary spending patterns that are more difficult to predict or satisfy than our existing markets. We may need to make greater investments than we originally planned in advertising and promotional activity in new markets to build brand awareness. We may find it more difficult in new markets to hire, motivate and keep qualified employees who share our vision, passion and culture. We may also incur higher costs from entering new markets if, for example, we assign regional managers to manage comparatively fewer restaurants than in more developed markets.

We may not be able to successfully develop critical market presence for our brand in new geographical markets, as we may be unable to find and secure attractive locations, build name recognition or attract new customers. Inability to fully implement or failure to successfully execute our plans to enter new markets could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Not all of these factors are within our control or the control of our partners, and there can be no assurance that we will be able to accelerate our growth or that we will be able to manage the anticipated expansion of our operations effectively.

We have debt financing arrangements that could have a material adverse effect on our financial health and our ability to obtain financing in the future and may impair our ability to react quickly to changes in our business.

Our exposure to debt financing could limit our ability to satisfy our obligations, limit our ability to operate our business and impair our competitive position. For example, it could:

We may also incur additional indebtedness in the future, which could materially increase the impact of these risks on our financial condition and results of operations.

We may not be able to refinance our current debt obligations. Failure to successfully recapitalize the business could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Various subsidiaries of the Company are delinquent in payment of payroll taxes to taxing authorities prior to the current year when previous management was in place, and a failure to remit these payments promptly or through settlements could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

As of December 31, 2019, approximately $2.9 million of employee and employer taxes (including estimated penalties and interest) has been accrued but not remitted in years prior to 2019 to certain taxing authorities by certain subsidiaries of the Company for cash compensation paid. As a result, these subsidiaries of the Company are liable for such payroll taxes. These various subsidiaries of the Company have received warnings and demands from the taxing authorities and management is prioritizing and working with the taxing authorities to make these payments in order to avoid further penalties and interest. Failure to remit these payments promptly could result in increased penalty fees and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Litigation and unfavorable publicity could negatively affect our results of operations as well as our future business.

We are subject to potential for litigation and other customer complaints concerning our food safety, service and/or other operational factors. Guests may file formal litigation complaints that we are required to defend, whether we believe them to be true or not. Substantial, complex or extended litigation could have an adverse effect on our results of operations if we incur substantial defense costs and our management is distracted. Employees may also, from time to time, bring lawsuits against us regarding injury, discrimination, wage and hour, and other employment issues. Additionally, potential disputes could subject us to litigation alleging non-compliance with franchise, development, support service, or other agreements. Additionally, we are subject to the risk of litigation by our stockholders as a result of factors including, but not limited to, performance of our stock price.

In certain states we are subject to “dram shop” statutes, which generally allow a person injured by an intoxicated person the right to recover damages from an establishment that wrongfully served alcoholic beverages to the intoxicated person. Some dram shop litigation against restaurant companies has resulted in significant judgments, including punitive damages. We carry liquor liability coverage as part of our existing comprehensive general liability insurance, but we cannot provide assurance that this insurance will be adequate in the event we are found liable in a dram shop case.

In recent years there has been an increase in the use of social media platforms and similar devices that allow individuals’ access to a broad audience of consumers and other interested persons. The availability of information on social media platforms is virtually immediate in its impact. A variety of risks are associated with the use of social media, including the improper disclosure of proprietary information, negative comments about our Company, exposure of personally identifiable information, fraud or outdated information. The inappropriate use of social media platforms by our guests, employees or other individuals could increase our costs, lead to litigation, or result in negative publicity that could damage our reputation, and create an adverse change in the business climate that impairs goodwill. If we are unable to quickly and effectively respond, we may suffer declines in guest traffic, which could materially affect our financial condition and results of operations.

Food safety and foodborne illness concerns could have an adverse effect on our business.

We cannot guarantee that our internal control and training will be fully effective in preventing all food safety issues at our restaurants, including any occurrences of foodborne illnesses such as salmonella, E. coli and hepatitis A. In addition, there is no guarantee that our franchise restaurants will maintain the high levels of internal controls and training we require at our company-operated restaurants.

Furthermore, we and our franchisees rely on third-party vendors, making it difficult to monitor food safety compliance and increasing the risk that foodborne illness would affect multiple locations rather than a single restaurant. Some foodborne illness incidents could be caused by third-party vendors and transporters outside of our control. New illnesses resistant to our current precautions may develop in the future, or diseases with long incubation periods could arise, that could give rise to claims or allegations on a retroactive basis. One or more instances of foodborne illness in any of our restaurants or markets or related to food products we sell could negatively affect our restaurant revenue nationwide if highly publicized on national media outlets or through social media.

This risk exists even if it were later determined that the illness was wrongly attributed to us or one of our restaurants. Several other restaurant chains have experienced incidents related to foodborne illnesses that have had a material adverse effect on their operations. The occurrence of a similar incident at one or more of our restaurants, or negative publicity or public speculation about an incident, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We operate in the highly competitive restaurant industry. If we are not able to compete effectively, it will have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We face significant competition from restaurants in the fast-casual dining and traditional fast food segments of the restaurant industry. These segments are highly competitive with respect to, among other things, taste, price, food quality and presentation, service, location and the ambience and condition of each restaurant. Our competition includes a variety of locally owned restaurants and national and regional chains offering dine-in, carry-out, delivery and catering services. Many of our competitors have existed longer and have a more established market presence with substantially greater financial, marketing, personnel and other resources than we do. Among our competitors are a number of multi-unit, multi-market, fast casual restaurant concepts, some of which are expanding nationally. As we expand, we will face competition from these restaurant concepts as well as new competitors that strive to compete with our market segments. These competitors may have, among other things, lower operating costs, better locations, better facilities, better management, more effective marketing and more efficient operations. Additionally, we face the risk that new or existing competitors will copy our business model, menu options, presentation or ambience, among other things.

Any inability to successfully compete with the restaurants in our markets and other restaurant segments will place downward pressure on our customer traffic and may prevent us from increasing or sustaining our revenue and profitability. Consumer tastes, nutritional and dietary trends, traffic patterns and the type, number and location of competing restaurants often affect the restaurant business, and our competitors may react more efficiently and effectively to those conditions. Several of our competitors compete by offering menu items that are specifically identified as low in carbohydrates, gluten-free or healthier for consumers. In addition, many of our traditional fast food restaurant competitors offer lower-priced menu options or meal packages or have loyalty programs. Our sales could decline due to changes in popular tastes, “fad” food regimens, such as low carbohydrate diets, and media attention on new restaurants. If we are unable to continue to compete effectively, our traffic, sales and restaurant contribution could decline which would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We do not have full operational control over the franchisee-operated restaurants.

We are and will be dependent on our franchisees to maintain quality, service and cleanliness standards, and their failure to do so could materially affect our brands and harm our future growth. Our franchisees have flexibility in their operations, including the ability to set prices for our products in their restaurants, hire employees and select certain service providers. In addition, it is possible that some franchisees may not operate their restaurants in accordance with our quality, service and cleanliness, health or product standards. Although we intend to take corrective measures if franchisees fail to maintain high quality service and cleanliness standards, we may not be able to identify and rectify problems with sufficient speed and, as a result, our image and operating results may be negatively affected.

Our business could be adversely affected by declines in discretionary spending and may be affected by changes in consumer preferences.

Our success depends, in part, upon the popularity of our food products. Shifts in consumer preferences away from our restaurants or cuisine could harm our business. Also, our success depends to a significant extent on discretionary consumer spending, which is influenced by general economic conditions and the availability of discretionary income. Accordingly, we may experience declines in sales during economic downturns or during periods of uncertainty. A continuing decline in the amount of discretionary spending could have a material adverse effect on our sales, results of operations, and business and financial condition.

Increases in costs, including food, labor and energy prices, will adversely affect our results of operations.

Our profitability is dependent on our ability to anticipate and react to changes in our operating costs, including food, labor, occupancy (including utilities and energy), insurance and supply costs. Various factors beyond our control, including climatic changes and government regulations, may affect food costs. Specifically, our dependence on frequent, timely deliveries of fresh meat and produce subject us to the risks of possible shortages or interruptions in supply caused by adverse weather or other conditions which could adversely affect the availability and cost of any such items. In the past, we have been able to recover some of our higher operating costs through increased menu prices. There have been, and there may be in the future, delays in implementing such menu price increases, and competitive pressures may limit our ability to recover such cost increases in their entirety.

Our ability to maintain consistent price and quality throughout our restaurants depends in part upon our ability to acquire specified food products and supplies in sufficient quantities from third-party vendors, suppliers and distributors at a reasonable cost. We do not control the businesses of our vendors, suppliers and distributors, and our efforts to specify and monitor the standards under which they perform may not be successful. If any of our vendors or other suppliers are unable to fulfill their obligations to our standards, or if we are unable to find replacement providers in the event of a supply or service disruption, we could encounter supply shortages and incur higher costs to secure adequate supplies, which would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Furthermore, if our current vendors or other suppliers are unable to support our expansion into new markets, or if we are unable to find vendors to meet our supply specifications or service needs as we expand, we could likewise encounter supply shortages and incur higher costs to secure adequate supplies, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Changes in employment laws and minimum wage standards may adversely affect our business.

Labor is a primary component in the cost of operating our restaurants. If we face labor shortages or increased labor costs because of increased competition for employees, higher employee turnover rates, increases in the federal, state or local minimum wage or other employee benefits costs (including costs associated with health insurance coverage), our operating expenses could increase, and our growth could be negatively impacted.

In addition, our success depends in part upon our ability to attract, motivate and retain enough well-qualified restaurant operators and management personnel, as well as a sufficient number of other qualified employees, including customer service and kitchen staff, to keep pace with our expansion schedule. In addition, restaurants have traditionally experienced relatively high employee turnover rates. Although we have not yet experienced significant problems in recruiting or retaining employees, our ability to recruit and retain such individuals may delay the planned openings of new restaurants or result in higher employee turnover in existing restaurants, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Various federal and state employment laws govern the relationship with our employees and impact operating costs. These laws include employee classification as exempt or non-exempt for overtime and other purposes, minimum wage requirements, unemployment tax rates, workers’ compensation rates, immigration status and other wage and benefit requirements. Significant additional government-imposed increases in the following areas could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations:

We could also become subject to fines, penalties and other costs related to claims that we did not fully comply with all recordkeeping obligations of federal and state immigration compliance laws. These factors could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We are subject to risks arising under federal and state labor laws.

We are subject to risks under federal and state labor laws, including disputes concerning whether and when a union can be organized, and once unionized, collective bargaining rights, various issues arising from union contracts, and matters relating to a labor strike. Labor laws are complex and differ vastly from state to state.

We are subject to the risks associated with leasing space subject to long-term non-cancelable leases.

We lease all the real property and we expect the new restaurants we open in the future will also be leased. We are obligated under non-cancelable leases for our restaurants and our corporate headquarters. Our restaurant leases generally require us to pay a proportionate share of real estate taxes, insurance, common area maintenance charges and other operating costs. Some restaurant leases provide for contingent rental payments based on sales thresholds, although we generally do not expect to pay significant contingent rent on these properties based on the thresholds in those leases. Additional sites that we lease are likely to be subject to similar long-term non-cancelable leases.

If an existing or future restaurant is not profitable, and we decide to close it, we may nonetheless be committed to perform our obligations under the applicable lease including, among other things, paying the base rent for the balance of the lease term. In addition, as each of our leases expires, we may fail to negotiate renewals, either on commercially acceptable terms or at all, which could cause us to pay increased occupancy costs or to close restaurants in desirable locations. These potential increased occupancy costs and closed restaurants could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our business and the growth of our Company are dependent on the skills and expertise of management and key personnel.

During the upcoming stages of our Company’s anticipated growth, we are entirely dependent upon the management skills and expertise of our management and key personnel. We do not have employment agreements with many of our executive officers. The loss of services of our executive officers could dramatically affect our business prospects. Certain of our employees are particularly valuable to us because:

If the services of any key management personnel ceased to be available to us, our growth prospects or future operating results may be adversely impacted.

Our food service business, gaming revenues and the restaurant industry are subject to extensive government regulation.

We are subject to extensive and varied country, federal, state and local government regulation, including regulations relating to public health, gambling, safety and zoning codes. We operate each of our locations in accordance with standards and procedures designed to comply with applicable codes and regulations. However, if we could not obtain or retain food or other licenses, it would adversely affect our operations. Although we have not experienced, and do not anticipate experiencing any significant difficulties, delays or failures in obtaining required licenses, permits or approvals, any such problem could delay or prevent the opening of, or adversely impact the viability of, a particular location or group of restaurants.

We may be subject to significant foreign currency exchange controls in certain countries in which we operate.

Certain foreign economies have experienced shortages in foreign currency reserves and their respective governments have adopted restrictions on the ability to transfer funds out of the country and convert local currencies into U.S. dollars. This may increase our costs and limit our ability to convert local currency into U.S. dollars and transfer funds out of certain countries. Any shortages or restrictions may impede our ability to convert these currencies into U.S. dollars and to transfer funds, including for the payment of dividends or interest or principal on our outstanding debt. If any of our subsidiaries are unable to transfer funds to us due to currency restrictions, we are responsible for any resulting shortfall.

Our foreign operations subject us to risks that could negatively affect our business.

One of our Hooters restaurants and some of our franchisee-owned restaurants operate in foreign countries and territories outside of the U.S. As a result, our business is exposed to risks inherent in foreign operations. These risks, which can vary substantially by market, include political instability, corruption, social and ethnic unrest, changes in economic conditions (including wage and commodity inflation, consumer spending and unemployment levels), the regulatory environment, tax rates and laws and consumer preferences as well as changes in the laws and policies that govern foreign investment in countries where our restaurants are operated.

In addition, our results of operations and the value of our foreign assets are affected by fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates, which may adversely affect reported earnings. More specifically, an increase in the value of the United States Dollar relative to other currencies, such as the British Pound, could have an adverse effect on our reported earnings. There can be no assurance as to the future effect of any such changes on our results of operations, financial condition or cash flows.

We may not attain our target development goals and aggressive development could cannibalize existing sales.

Our growth strategy depends in large part on our ability to increase our net restaurant count. The successful development of new units will depend in large part on our ability and the ability of our franchisees to open new restaurants and to operate these restaurants on a profitable basis. We cannot guarantee that we, or our franchisees, will be able to achieve our expansion goals or that new restaurants will be operated profitably. Further, there is no assurance that any new restaurant will produce operating results like those of our existing restaurants. Other risks that could impact our ability to increase our net restaurant count include prevailing economic conditions and our, or our franchisees’/partners’, ability to obtain suitable restaurant locations, obtain required permits and approvals in a timely manner and hire and train qualified personnel.

Our franchisee operators also frequently depend upon financing from banks and other financial institutions in order to construct and open new restaurants. If it becomes more difficult or expensive for our franchisees/partners to obtain financing to develop new restaurants, our planned growth could slow, and our future revenue and cash flows could be adversely impacted.

In addition, the new restaurants could impact the sales of our existing restaurants nearby. It is not our intention to open new restaurants that materially cannibalize the sales of our existing restaurants. However, as with most growing retail and restaurant operations, there can be no assurance that sales cannibalization will not occur or become more significant in the future as we increase our presence in existing markets over time.

The recent global coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak could harm our business and results of operations.

In March 2020 the World Health Organization declared coronavirus COVID-19 a global pandemic. This contagious disease outbreak, which has continued to spread, and any related adverse public health developments, has adversely affected workforces, customers, economies, and financial markets globally, potentially leading to an economic downturn. It has also disrupted the normal operations of many businesses, including ours. It is not possible for us to predict the duration or magnitude of the adverse results of the outbreak and its effects on our business or results of operations at this time. A health pandemic is a disease outbreak that spreads rapidly and widely by infection and affects many individuals in an area or population at the same time. Customers might avoid public gathering places in the event of a health pandemic, and local, regional or national governments might limit or ban public gatherings to halt or delay the spread of disease. The conditions may impact our restaurant customer traffic and our ability to adequately staff our restaurants, receive deliveries on a timely basis or perform functions at the corporate level. We also may be adversely affected if jurisdictions in which we have restaurants impose mandatory closures, seek voluntary closures or impose restrictions on operations. Even if such measures are not implemented, the perceived risk of infection or significant health risk may adversely affect our business.

Changing conditions in the global economy and financial markets may materially adversely affect our business, results of operations and ability to raise capital.

Our business and results of operations may be materially affected by conditions in the financial markets and the economy generally. The demand for our products could be adversely affected in an economic downturn and our revenues may decline under such circumstances. In addition, we may find it difficult, or we may not be able, to access the credit or equity markets, or we may experience higher funding costs in the event of adverse market conditions. Future instability in these markets could limit our ability to access the capital we require to fund and grow our business.

We have identified material weaknesses in our internal controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting. If not remediated, our failure to establish and maintain effective disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting could result in material misstatements in our financial statements and a failure to meet our reporting and financial obligations, each of which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and the trading price of our common stock.

Maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting and effective disclosure controls and procedures are necessary for us to produce reliable financial statements. As discussed in Item 9A – “Controls and Procedures” of this Form 10-K, we have re-evaluated our internal control over financial reporting and our disclosure controls and procedures and concluded that they were not effective as of December 31, 2019.

A material weakness is defined as a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis.

The Company is committed to remediating its material weaknesses as promptly as possible. Implementation of the Company’s remediation plans has commenced and is being overseen by the audit committee. However, there can be no assurance as to when these material weaknesses will be remediated or that additional material weaknesses will not arise in the future. Even effective internal control can provide only reasonable assurance with respect to the preparation and fair presentation of financial statements. Any failure to remediate the material weaknesses, or the development of new material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting, could result in material misstatements in our financial statements, which in turn could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and the trading price of our common stock and we could fail to meet our financial reporting obligations.

Changes to accounting rules or regulations may adversely affect the reporting of our results of operations.

Changes to existing accounting rules or regulations may impact the reporting of our future results of operations or cause the perception that we are more highly leveraged. Other new accounting rules or regulations and varying interpretations of existing accounting rules or regulations have occurred and may occur in the future. For instance, new accounting rules will require lessees to capitalize operating leases in their financial statements in future periods which will require us to record significant right of use assets and lease obligations on our balance sheet. This and other future changes to accounting rules or regulations could have a material adverse effect on the reporting of our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, many existing accounting standards require management to make subjective assumptions, such as those required for stock compensation, tax matters, franchise accounting, acquisitions, litigation, and asset impairment calculations. Changes in accounting standards or changes in underlying assumptions, estimates and judgments by our management could significantly change our reported or expected financial performance.

We may not be able to adequately protect our intellectual property, which could harm the value of our brand and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our intellectual property is material to the conduct of our business. Our ability to implement our business plan successfully depends in part on our ability to further build brand recognition using our trademarks, tradenames and other proprietary intellectual property, including our name and logos and the unique ambience of our restaurants. While it is our policy to protect and defend vigorously our rights to our intellectual property, we cannot predict whether steps taken by us to protect our intellectual property rights will be adequate to prevent misappropriation of these rights or the use by others of restaurant features based upon, or otherwise similar to, our restaurant concept. It may be difficult for us to prevent others from copying elements of our concept and any litigation to enforce our rights will likely be costly and may not be successful. Although we believe that we have sufficient rights to all our trademarks and service marks, we may face claims of infringement that could interfere with our ability to market our restaurants and promote our brand. Any such litigation may be costly and could divert resources from our business. Moreover, if we are unable to successfully defend against such claims, we may be prevented from using our trademarks or service marks in the future and may be liable for damages, which in turn could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

In addition, we license certain of our proprietary intellectual property, including our name and logos, to third parties. For example, we grant our franchisees and licensees a right to use certain of our trademarks in connection with their operation of the applicable restaurant. If a franchisee or other licensee fails to maintain the quality of the restaurant operations associated with the licensed trademarks, our rights to, and the value of, our trademarks could potentially be harmed. Negative publicity relating to the franchisee or licensee could also be incorrectly associated with us, which could harm our business. Failure to maintain, control and protect our trademarks and other proprietary intellectual property would likely have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations and on our ability to enter into new franchise agreements.

We may incur costs resulting from breaches of security of confidential consumer information related to our electronic processing of credit and debit card transactions.

Most of our restaurant sales are by credit or debit cards. Other restaurants and retailers have experienced security breaches in which credit and debit card information has been stolen. We may in the future become subject to claims for purportedly fraudulent transactions arising out of the actual or alleged theft of credit or debit card information, and we may also be subject to lawsuits or other proceedings relating to these types of incidents. In addition, most states have enacted legislation requiring notification of security breaches involving personal information, including credit and debit card information. Any such claim or proceeding could cause us to incur significant unplanned expenses, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Further, adverse publicity resulting from these allegations may have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

We rely heavily on information technology, and any material failure, weakness, interruption or breach of security could prevent us from effectively operating our business.

We rely heavily on information systems, including point-of-sale processing in our restaurants, for management of our supply chain, payment of obligations, collection of cash, credit and debit card transactions and other processes and procedures. Our ability to efficiently and effectively manage our business depends significantly on the reliability and capacity of these systems. Our operations depend upon our ability to protect our computer equipment and systems against damage from physical theft, fire, power loss, telecommunications failure or other catastrophic events, as well as from internal and external security breaches, viruses and other disruptive problems. The failure of these systems to operate effectively, maintenance problems, upgrading or transitioning to new platforms, or a breach in security of these systems could result in delays in customer service and reduce efficiency in our operations. Remediation of such problems could result in significant, unplanned capital investments.

Adverse weather conditions could affect our sales.

Adverse weather conditions, such as regional winter storms, floods, severe thunderstorms and hurricanes, could affect our sales at restaurants in locations that experience these weather conditions, which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.

The uncertainty surrounding the effect of Brexit may impact our UK operations.

The uncertainty surrounding the effect of Brexit, including the uncertainty in relation to the legal and regulatory framework for the UK and its relationship with the remaining members of the EU (including, in relation to trade) after Brexit was effected in January 2020, has caused increased economic volatility and market uncertainty globally. It is too early to ascertain the long-term effects.

Negative publicity could reduce sales at some or all our restaurants.

We may, from time to time, be faced with negative publicity relating to food quality and integrity, the safety, sanitation and welfare of our restaurant facilities, customer complaints, labor issues, or litigation alleging illness or injury, health inspection scores, integrity of our or our suppliers’ food processing and other policies, practices and procedures, employee relationships and welfare or other matters at one or more of our restaurants. Negative publicity may adversely affect us, regardless of whether the allegations are valid or whether we are held to be responsible. The risk of negative publicity is particularly great with respect to our franchised restaurants because we are limited in the manner in which we can regulate them, especially on a real-time basis and negative publicity from our franchised restaurants may also significantly impact company-operated restaurants. A similar risk exists with respect to food service businesses unrelated to us, if customers mistakenly associate such unrelated businesses with our operations. Employee claims against us based on, among other things, wage and hour violations, discrimination, harassment or wrongful termination may also create not only legal and financial liability but negative publicity that could adversely affect us and divert our financial and management resources that would otherwise be used to benefit the future performance of our operations. These types of employee claims could also be asserted against us, on a co-employer theory, by employees of our franchisees. A significant increase in the number of these claims or an increase in the number of successful claims could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

The interests of our franchisees may conflict with ours or yours in the future and we could face liability from our franchisees or related to our relationship with our franchisees.

Franchisees, as independent business operators, may from time to time disagree with us and our strategies regarding the business or our interpretation of our respective rights and obligations under the franchise agreement and the terms and conditions of the franchisee/franchisor relationship or have interests adverse to ours. This may lead to disputes with our franchisees and we expect such disputes to occur from time to time in the future as we continue to offer franchises. Such disputes may result in legal action against us. To the extent we have such disputes, the attention, time and financial resources of our management and our franchisees will be diverted from our restaurants, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows even if we have a successful outcome in the dispute.

In addition, various state and federal laws govern our relationship with our franchisees and our potential sale of a franchise. A franchisee and/or a government agency may bring legal action against us based on the franchisee/franchisor relationships that could result in the award of damages to franchisees and/or the imposition of fines or other penalties against us.

We have significant obligations under payables and debt obligations. Our ability to operate as a going concern are contingent upon successfully obtaining additional financing and renegotiating terms of existing indebtedness in the near future. Failure to do so would adversely affect our ability to continue operations.

If capital is not available or we are not able to agree on reasonable terms with our lenders, we may then need to scale back or freeze our organic growth plans, sell assets under unfavorable terms, reduce expenses, and/or curtail future acquisition plans to manage our liquidity and capital resources. We may not be able refinance or otherwise extend or repay our current obligations, which could impact our ability to continue to operate as a going concern.

In the event that management proceeds with asset sales and/or store closures rather than continuing to hold and operate all its assets long term, management’s assessment of the fair value, and ultimate recoverability, of goodwill, intangibles, and other long-lived assets would be impacted and the Company could incur significant noncash charges and cash exit costs in future periods.

We have approximately $18.1 million in current liabilities. In the event that additional working capital is not available, we may be forced to scale back or freeze our growth plans, sell assets on less than favorable terms, reduce expenses, and/or curtail future acquisition plans to manage our liquidity and capital resources. In the event that management elects to proceed with asset sales and/or store closures in the future rather than continue to hold and operate all its assets long term, management’s assessment of the fair value, and ultimate recoverability, of goodwill, intangibles, and other long-lived assets would be impacted and the Company could incur significant noncash charges and cash exit costs in future periods.

We have remedied defaults under our debt obligations. However, we may not be able to refinance, extend or repay our substantial indebtedness owed to our secured lenders, which would have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and ability to continue as a going concern.

We have approximately $18.1 million in current liabilities, which includes $6.6 million of debt. If we are unable to repay these obligations at maturity and we are otherwise unable to extend the maturity dates or refinance these obligations, we would be in default. We cannot provide any assurances that we will be able to raise the necessary amount of capital to repay these obligations or that we will be able to extend the maturity dates or otherwise refinance these obligations. Upon a default, our secured lenders would have the right to exercise their rights and remedies to collect, which would include foreclosing on our assets. Accordingly, a default would have a material adverse effect on our business, and we would likely be forced to seek bankruptcy protection.

Risks Related to Our Common Stock

Our stock price has experienced price fluctuations and may continue to do so, resulting in a substantial loss in your investment.

The current market for our common stock has been characterized by volatile prices. As a result, investors in our common stock may experience a decrease in the value of their securities, including decreases unrelated to our operating performance or prospects. The market price of our common stock is likely to be highly unpredictable and subject to wide fluctuations in response to various factors, many of which are beyond our control. These factors include:

Our common stock could be further diluted as the result of the issuance of additional shares of common stock, convertible securities, warrants or options.

In the past, we have issued common stock, convertible securities (such as convertible notes) and warrants in order to raise capital. We have also issued common stock as compensation for services and incentive compensation for our employees, directors and certain vendors. We have shares of common stock reserved for issuance upon the exercise of certain of these securities and may increase the shares reserved for these purposes in the future. Our issuance of additional common stock, convertible securities, options and warrants could affect the rights of our stockholders, could reduce the market price of our common stock or could result in adjustments to exercise prices of outstanding warrants (resulting in these securities becoming exercisable for, as the case may be, a greater number of shares of our common stock), or could obligate us to issue additional shares of common stock to certain of our stockholders.

Shares eligible for future sale may adversely affect the market.

From time to time, certain of our stockholders may be eligible to sell all or some of their shares of common stock by means of ordinary brokerage transactions in the open market pursuant to Rule 144 promulgated under the Securities Act, subject to certain limitations. In general, pursuant to Rule 144, stockholders who have been non-affiliates for the preceding three months may sell shares of our common stock freely after six months subject only to the current public information requirement. Affiliates may sell shares of our common stock after six months subject to the Rule 144 volume, manner of sale, current public information and notice requirements. Any substantial sales of our common stock pursuant to Rule 144 may have a material adverse effect on the market price of our common stock.

We do not expect to pay cash dividends in the foreseeable future and therefore investors should not anticipate cash dividends on their investment.

Our board of directors does not intend to pay cash dividends in the foreseeable future but instead intends to retain any and all earnings to finance the growth of the business. To date, we have not paid any cash dividends and there can be no assurance that cash dividends will ever be paid on our common stock.

We may issue additional shares of our common stock, which could depress the market price of our common stock and dilute your ownership.

Market sales of large amounts of our common stock, or the potential for those sales even if they do not actually occur, may have the effect of depressing the market price of our common stock. In addition, if our future financing needs require us to issue additional shares of common stock or securities convertible into common stock, the amount of common stock available for resale could be increased which could stimulate trading activity and cause the market price of our common stock to drop, even if our business is doing well. Furthermore, the issuance of any additional shares of our common stock, or securities convertible into our common stock could be substantially dilutive to holders of our common stock.

Director and officer liability is limited.

As permitted by Delaware law, our bylaws limit the liability of our directors for monetary damages for breach of a director’s fiduciary duty except for liability in certain instances. As a result of our bylaw provisions and Delaware law, stockholders may have limited rights to recover against directors for breach of fiduciary duty.

Failure to establish and maintain effective internal controls in accordance with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act could have a material adverse effect on our business and stock price.

As a publicly traded company, we are required to comply with the SEC’s rules implementing Sections 302 and 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, which requires management to certify financial and other information in our quarterly and annual reports and provide an annual management report on the effectiveness of controls over financial reporting. We have identified internal control weaknesses and may need to undertake various actions, such as implementing new internal controls, new systems and procedures and hiring additional accounting or internal audit staff, which could increase our operating expenses. In addition, we may identify additional deficiencies in our internal control over financial reporting as part of that process.

In addition, if we are unable to resolve internal control deficiencies in a timely manner, investors could lose confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports and the market price of our common stock could be negatively affected.

Risks Related to the Merger

The exchange ratio set forth in the Merger Agreement is not adjustable based on the market price of our common stock, so the merger consideration at the closing of the Merger may have a greater or lesser value than at the time the Merger Agreement was signed.

Any changes in the market price of our common stock before the completion of the Merger will not affect the number of shares of our common stock issuable to Sonnet’s stockholders pursuant to the Merger Agreement. Therefore, if before the completion of the Merger the market price of our common stock increases from the market price of our common stock on the date of the Merger Agreement, then Sonnet’s stockholders could receive merger consideration with substantially greater value than the value of such merger consideration on the date of the Merger Agreement. Similarly, if before the completion of the Merger the market price of our common stock declines from the market price on the date of the Merger Agreement, then Sonnet’s stockholders could receive merger consideration with substantially lower value than the value of such merger consideration on the date of the Merger Agreement. The Merger Agreement does not include a price-based termination right. Because the exchange ratio does not adjust as a result of changes in the market price of our common stock, for each one percentage point change in the market price of our common stock, there is a corresponding one percentage point rise or decline, respectively, in the value of the total merger consideration payable to Sonnet’s stockholders pursuant to the Merger Agreement.

The proposed Merger is subject to approval of the Merger Agreement by our stockholders and the Sonnet stockholders. Failure to obtain these approvals would prevent the closing of the Merger.

Before the proposed Merger can be completed, the stockholders of each of Chanticleer and Sonnet must approve the Merger Agreement. Failure to obtain the required stockholder approvals may result in a material delay in, or the abandonment of, the Merger. Any delay in completing the proposed Merger may materially adversely affect the timing and benefits that are expected to be achieved from the proposed Merger.

Certain provisions of the Merger Agreement may discourage third parties from submitting alternative takeover proposals, including proposals that may be superior to the arrangements contemplated by the Merger Agreement.

The terms of the Merger Agreement prohibit each of Chanticleer and Sonnet from soliciting alternative takeover proposals or cooperating with persons making unsolicited takeover proposals, except in limited circumstances when such party’s board of directors determines in good faith that an unsolicited alternative takeover proposal is or is reasonably likely to lead to a superior takeover proposal and that failure to cooperate with the proponent of the proposal would be reasonably likely to be inconsistent with the applicable board’s fiduciary duties.

Because the lack of a public market for Sonnet’s capital stock makes it difficult to evaluate the value of Sonnet’s capital stock, the stockholders of Sonnet may receive shares of our common stock in the Merger that have a value that is less than, or greater than, the fair market value of Sonnet’s capital stock.

The outstanding capital stock of Sonnet is privately held and is not traded in any public market. The lack of a public market makes it extremely difficult to determine the fair market value of Sonnet. Because the percentage of our common stock to be issued to Sonnet’s stockholders was determined based on negotiations between the parties, it is possible that the value of our common stock to be received by Sonnet’s stockholders will be less than the fair market value of Sonnet, or Chanticleer may pay more than the aggregate fair market value for Sonnet.

If the conditions to the Merger are not met, the Merger will not occur.

Even if the Merger is approved by the stockholders of Chanticleer and Sonnet, specified conditions must be satisfied or waived to complete the Merger. We cannot assure you that all of the conditions will be satisfied or waived. If the conditions are not satisfied or waived, the Merger will not occur or will be delayed, and Chanticleer and Sonnet each may lose some or all of the intended benefits of the proposed Merger. Additionally, if the Merger does not occur, we may not have sufficient cash to continue operations.

Litigation relating to the proposed Merger could require Chanticleer or Sonnet to incur significant costs and suffer management distraction, and could delay or enjoin the proposed Merger.

Chanticleer and Sonnet could be subject to demands or litigation related to the proposed Merger, whether or not the Merger is consummated. Such actions may create uncertainty relating to the Merger, or delay or enjoin the Merger, and responding to such demands. In addition, such demands or litigation could lead to a dissolution or bankruptcy if the costs associated with such demands or litigation are significant enough.

During the pendency of the proposed Merger, Chanticleer and Sonnet may not be able to enter into a business combination with another party at a favorable price because of restrictions in the Merger Agreement, which could adversely affect their respective businesses.

Covenants in the Merger Agreement impede the ability of Chanticleer and Sonnet to make acquisitions, subject to certain exceptions relating to fiduciary duties or to complete other transactions that are not in the ordinary course of business pending completion of the proposed Merger. As a result, if the Merger is not completed, the parties may be at a disadvantage to their competitors during such period. In addition, while the Merger Agreement is in effect, each party is generally prohibited from soliciting, initiating, encouraging or entering into certain extraordinary transactions, such as a merger, sale of assets, or other business combination outside the ordinary course of business with any third party, subject to certain exceptions relating to fiduciary duties. Any such transactions could be favorable to such party’s stockholders

We received a deficiency letter in December 2018 from the (the Staff of Nasdaq notifying the Company that it was not in compliance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(b)(2). If we were to fail to regain compliance, our shares could be delisted from the Nasdaq Capital Market, which could materially reduce the liquidity of our common stock and have an adverse effect on our market price. A delisting could limit our ability to consummate the proposed Merger.

On August 14, 2019, we received notification from the Listing Qualifications Department of The Nasdaq Stock Market (“Nasdaq”) indicating that, for the 30 consecutive business days ending August 13, 2019, the bid price for the Company’s common stock had closed below the $1.00 per share minimum bid price requirement for continued listing on The Nasdaq Capital Market under Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(a)(2). (the “Bid Price Rule”). The Nasdaq notice indicated that, in accordance with Nasdaq Marketplace Rule 5810(c)(3)(A), the Company will be provided 180 calendar days through February 10, 2020 to regain compliance. If, at any time before February 10, 2020 the bid price of the Company’s common stock closes at $1.00 per share or more for a minimum of 10 consecutive business days, Nasdaq staff will provide written notification that it has achieved compliance with the Bid Price Rule. If the Company fails to regain compliance with the Bid Price Rule before February 10, 2020 but meets all of the other applicable standards for initial listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market with the exception of the minimum bid price, then the Company may be eligible to have an additional 180 calendar days to regain compliance with the Bid Price Rule. To regain compliance with Rule 5550(b)(2), the market value of our listed securities must meet or exceed $35 million for a minimum of ten consecutive business days during the 180-day grace period ending on or before February 10, 2020 (Nasdaq has the discretion to monitor compliance for as long as 20 consecutive business days before deeming us in compliance). We could also regain compliance with Nasdaq’s alternative continued listing requirements by having stockholders’ equity of $2.5 million or more, or net income from continuing operations of $500,000 in the most recently completed fiscal year.

A delisting would also likely make it more difficult for us to obtain financing through the sale of our equity. Any such sale of equity would likely be more dilutive to our current stockholders than would be the case if our shares were listed.

We may not satisfy The Nasdaq Capital Market’s other requirements for continued listing. If we cannot satisfy these requirements, Nasdaq could delist our common stock and could impact our ability to consummate the proposed Merger.

Our common stock is listed on The Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “BURG”. To continue to be listed on Nasdaq, we are required to satisfy a number of conditions. We cannot assure you that we will be able to satisfy the Nasdaq listing requirements in the future. If we are delisted from Nasdaq, trading in our shares of common stock may be conducted, if available, on the “OTC Bulletin Board Service” or, if available, via another market. In the event of such delisting, an investor would likely find it significantly more difficult to dispose of, or to obtain accurate quotations as to the value of the shares of our common stock, and our ability to raise future capital through the sale of the shares of our common stock or other securities convertible into or exercisable for our common stock could be severely limited. This could have a long-term impact on our ability to raise future capital through the sale of our common stock.

Failure to complete the merger may result in Chanticleer or Sonnet paying a termination fee to the other party and could harm the common stock price of Chanticleer and future business and operations of each company.

If the merger is not completed, Chanticleer and Sonnet are subject to the following risks:

In addition, if the Merger Agreement is terminated and the Chanticleer or Sonnet board of directors determines to seek another business combination, there can be no assurance that Chanticleer or Sonnet will be able to find a partner willing to provide equivalent or more attractive consideration than the consideration to be provided by each party in the merger.

Chanticleer may be unable to identify and complete an alternative strategic transaction or continue to operate the business due to its limited cash availability, and it may be required to dissolve and liquidate its assets. In such case, Chanticleer would be required to pay all of its debts and contractual obligations, and to set aside certain reserves for potential future claims, and there can be no assurances as to the amount or timing of available cash, if any, left to distribute to stockholders after paying the debts and other obligations of Chanticleer and setting aside funds for reserves.

As of December 31, 2019, Chanticleer’s cash balance was approximately $500,000, its working capital was negative $16.9 million, and it had significant near-term commitments and contractual obligations. Chanticleer has typically funded its operating costs, acquisition activities, working capital requirements and capital expenditures with proceeds from the issuances of its common stock and other financing arrangements, including convertible debt, lines of credit, notes payable, capital leases, and other forms of external financing. Chanticleer has $6.6 million of principal due on its debt obligations as of December 31, 2019, plus interest. In addition, if Chanticleer fails to meet various debt covenants going forward and is notified of the default by the noteholders of the 8% non-convertible secured debentures, Chanticleer may be assessed additional default interest and penalties which would increase its obligations. Chanticleer cannot provide assurance that it will be able to refinance its long-term debt or sell assets or raise additional capital.

In the event that capital is not available, or Chanticleer is unable to refinance its debt obligations or obtain waivers, it may then have to scale back or freeze its organic growth plans, sell assets on less than favorable terms, reduce expenses, and/or curtail future acquisition plans to manage its liquidity and capital resources. Chanticleer may also incur financial penalties or other negative actions from its lenders if it is not able to refinance or otherwise extend or repay its current obligations or obtain waivers. As of December 31, 2019, Chanticleer and its subsidiaries had approximately $2.9 million of accrued employee and employer taxes, including penalties and interest, which are due to certain taxing authorities. Chanticleer is currently in discussions with various taxing authorities on settling these liabilities through payment plans.

The consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement is dependent upon Chanticleer and Sonnet obtaining all relevant and necessary consents and approvals.

A condition to consummation of the merger is that Chanticleer and Sonnet obtain certain consents or approvals from third parties, including consents from parties to certain commercial agreements, leases and debt agreements in connection with the merger and the Spin-Off and approval from NASDAQ to maintain the listing of the Chanticleer Common Stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market following the merger and to list the shares of Chanticleer Common Stock being issued in the merger. In addition, the stockholders of Chanticleer must approve the issuance of Chanticleer Common Stock pursuant to the Merger Agreement. The Sonnet shareholders must adopt the Merger Agreement and approve the merger to be consummated pursuant thereto. There can be no assurance that Chanticleer or Sonnet will be able to obtain all such relevant consents and approvals on a timely basis or at all. Each of Chanticleer and Sonnet has incurred, and expects to continue to incur, significant costs and expenses in connection with the proposed merger. Any failure to obtain, or delay in obtaining, the necessary consents or approvals would prevent Chanticleer and Sonnet from being able to consummate, or delay the consummation of, the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement, which could materially adversely affect the business, financial condition and results of operations of Chanticleer and Sonnet, and, correspondingly, the combined company if the merger is consummated. There is no guarantee that such approvals will be obtained or that such conditions will be satisfied.

The $6 Million Payment Condition may not be satisfied.

One of the conditions to the obligations of Chanticleer under the Merger Agreement is that on or prior to the closing of the merger, Sonnet shall satisfy the $6 Million Payment Condition. No assurance can be given that Sonnet will be able to raise the remaining funds necessary to satisfy the $6 Million Payment Condition. If Sonnet cannot raise additional funds on acceptable terms and if Chanticleer is not otherwise willing to waive the $6 Million Payment Condition, the parties will not be able to consummate the merger.

The merger may be completed even though material adverse changes may result from the announcement of the merger, industry-wide changes and other causes.

In general, either Chanticleer or Sonnet can refuse to complete the merger if there is a material adverse change affecting the other party between October 10, 2019, the date of the Merger Agreement, and the closing. However, certain types of changes do not permit either party to refuse to complete the merger, even if such change could be said to have a material adverse effect on Chanticleer or Sonnet, including:

If adverse changes occur and Chanticleer and Sonnet still complete the merger, the combined company stock price may suffer. This in turn may reduce the value of the merger to the stockholders of Chanticleer and Sonnet.

The combined company will need to raise additional capital by issuing securities or debt or through licensing arrangements, which may cause dilution to the combined company’s stockholders or restrict the combined company’s operations or proprietary rights.

The combined company will be required to raise additional capital and may be required to raise funds sooner than currently planned. Additional financing may not be available to the combined company when it needs it or may not be available on favorable terms. To the extent that the combined company raises additional capital by issuing equity securities, such an issuance may cause significant dilution to the combined company’s stockholders’ ownership and the terms of any new equity securities may have preferences over the combined company’s common stock. Any debt financing the combined company enters into may involve covenants that restrict its operations. These restrictive covenants may include limitations on additional borrowing and specific restrictions on the use of the combined company’s assets, as well as prohibitions on its ability to create liens, pay dividends, redeem its stock or make investments. In addition, if the combined company raises additional funds through licensing arrangements, it may be necessary to grant licenses on terms that are not favorable to the combined company.

Certain Chanticleer and Sonnet executive officers and directors have interests in the merger that are different from yours and that may influence them to support or approve the merger without regard to your interests.

Certain officers and directors of Chanticleer and Sonnet participate in arrangements that provide them with interests in the merger that are different from yours, including, among others, the continued service as directors and officers of the combined company, in the case of Sonnet, severance benefits and continued indemnification.

For example, all of the current officers and directors of Sonnet will continue as the officers and directors of the combined company upon the closing of the merger.

Chanticleer and Sonnet stockholders may not realize a benefit from the merger commensurate with the ownership dilution they will experience in connection with the merger.

If the combined company is unable to realize the full strategic and financial benefits currently anticipated from the merger, Chanticleer and Sonnet securityholders will have experienced substantial dilution of their ownership interests in their respective companies without receiving any commensurate benefit, or only receiving part of the commensurate benefit to the extent the combined company is able to realize only part of the strategic and financial benefits currently anticipated from the merger.

The issuance of shares of Chanticleer Common Stock to Sonnet shareholders in the merger will dilute substantially the voting power of Chanticleer’s current stockholders.

If the merger is completed, the former Sonnet shareholders will hold approximately 94% of the outstanding shares of Chanticleer Common Stock, the stockholders of Chanticleer will retain ownership of only approximately 6% of the outstanding shares of Chanticleer Common Stock and the Spin-Off Entity will hold the Spin-Off Entity Warrant, exercisable for 2% of the outstanding shares of Chanticleer Common Stock. Accordingly, the issuance of shares of Chanticleer Common Stock to Sonnet shareholders in the merger will reduce substantially the voting power of each share of Chanticleer Common Stock held by Chanticleer’s current security holders. Consequently, Chanticleer security holders as a group will have substantially less influence over the management and policies of the combined company after the merger, than prior thereto.

The pendency of the merger could have an adverse effect on the trading price of Chanticleer Common Stock and Chanticleer’s business, financial condition, results of operations or business prospects.

While there have been no significant adverse effects to date, the pendency of the merger could disrupt Chanticleer’s businesses in the following ways, including:

Should they occur, any of these matters could adversely affect the trading price of Chanticleer Common Stock or harm Chanticleer’s and/or the Spin-Off Entity’s financial condition, results of operations or business prospects.

Chanticleer and Sonnet do not anticipate that the combined company will pay any cash dividends in the foreseeable future.

The current expectation is that the combined company will retain its future earnings, if any, to fund the development and growth of the combined company’s business. As a result, capital appreciation, if any, of the common stock of the combined company will be your sole source of gain, if any, for the foreseeable future.

The ownership of the combined company common stock is expected to be highly concentrated, which may prevent you and other stockholders from influencing significant corporate decisions and may result in conflicts of interest that could cause the combined company stock price to decline.

Executive officers and directors of the combined company and their affiliates are expected to beneficially own or control significant number of the outstanding shares of the combined company common stock following the closing of the merger. Accordingly, these executive officers, directors and their affiliates, acting as a group, will have substantial influence over the outcome of corporate actions requiring stockholder approval, including the election of directors, any merger, consolidation or sale of all or substantially all of the combined company assets or any other significant corporate transactions. These stockholders may also delay or prevent a change of control of the combined company, even if such a change of control would benefit the other stockholders of the combined company. The significant concentration of stock ownership may adversely affect the trading price of the combined company’s common stock due to investors’ perception that conflicts of interest may exist or arise.

Anti-takeover provisions under Delaware law could make an acquisition of the combined company more difficult and may prevent attempts by the combined company stockholders to replace or remove the combined company management.

Because the combined company will be incorporated in Delaware, it is governed by the provisions of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, or the DGCL, which prohibits stockholders owning in excess of 15% of the outstanding combined company voting stock from merging or combining with the combined company. Although Chanticleer and Sonnet believe these provisions collectively will provide for an opportunity to receive higher bids by requiring potential acquirers to negotiate with the combined company’s board of directors, they would apply even if the offer may be considered beneficial by some stockholders. In addition, these provisions may frustrate or prevent any attempts by the combined company’s stockholders to replace or remove then current management by making it more difficult for stockholders to replace members of the board of directors, which is responsible for appointing the members of management.

The rights of holders of Sonnet securities will change as a result of the merger.

After the merger, the rights of those shareholders of Sonnet who will become Chanticleer stockholders will be governed by Chanticleer’s certificate of incorporation and Chanticleer’s bylaws, which are governed by the laws of the State of Delaware, which may be different from the laws of the State of New Jersey.

The historical audited and unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information may not be representative of our results after the merger.

The historical audited and unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information included elsewhere in this prospectus has been presented for informational purposes only and is not necessarily indicative of the financial position or results of operations that actually would have occurred had the merger been completed as of the date indicated, nor is it indicative of future operating results or financial position.

The market price of the combined company’s common stock following the merger and the Spin-Off may decline as a result of the merger.

The market price of the combined company’s common stock may decline as a result of the merger and the Spin-Off for a number of reasons including if:

Item 2: Properties

The Company, through its subsidiaries, leases the land and buildings for 1 restaurant in Nottingham, United Kingdom, and 38 restaurant locations in the U.S. The terms for our leases vary from two to twenty years and have options to extend. We lease some of our restaurant facilities under “triple net” leases that require us to pay minimum rent, real estate taxes, maintenance costs and insurance premiums and, in some instances, percentage rent based on sales in excess of specified amounts. We also lease our corporate office space in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Our office and restaurant facilities are suitable and adequate for our business as it is presently conducted.

Item 3: Legal proceedings

On March 26, 2013, our South African operations received Notice of Motion filed in the Kwazulu-Natal High Court, Durban, Republic of South Africa, filed against Rolalor (PTY) LTD (“Rolalor”) and Labyrinth Trading 18 (PTY) LTD (“Labyrinth”) by Jennifer Catherine Mary Shaw (“Shaw”). Rolalor and Labyrinth were the original entities formed to operate the Johannesburg and Durban locations, respectively. On September 9, 2011, the assets and the then-disclosed liabilities of these entities were transferred to Tundraspex (PTY) LTD (“Tundraspex”) and Dimaflo (PTY) LTD (“Dimaflo”), respectively. The current entities, Tundraspex and Dimaflo are not parties in the lawsuit. Shaw is requesting that the Respondents, Rolalor and Labyrinth, be wound up in satisfaction of an alleged debt owed in the total amount of R4,082,636 (approximately $480,000). The two Notices were defended and argued in the High Court of South Africa (Durban) on January 31, 2014. Madam Justice Steryi dismissed the action with costs on May 5, 2014. Ms. Shaw appealed this decision and in December 2016, the Court dismissed the Labyrinth case with costs payable to the Company and allowed the Rolalor case to proceed to liquidation. The Company did not object to the proposed liquidation of Rolalor as the entity has no assets and the Company does not expect there to be any material impact on the Company. No amounts have been accrued as of December 31, 2018 or 2017 in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. However, all these potential liabilities were assumed by the buyers of the 5 South African locations, and are thus, will not impact Chanticleer going forward.

From time to time, the Company may be involved in legal proceedings and claims that have arisen in the ordinary course of business are generally covered by insurance. As of December 31, 2019, the Company does not expect the amount of ultimate liability with respect to these matters to be material to the company’s financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

Item 4: mine safety disclosures

Not applicable.

PART II

Item 5: Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

Our common stock is listed on the NASDAQ Capital Market under the symbol “BURG”.

Number of Shareholders and Total Outstanding Shares

As of December 31, 2019, there were 10,404,347 shares of our common stock issued and outstanding, respectively, and approximately 185 shareholders of record at our transfer agent. Because many shares of common stock are held by brokers and other institutions on behalf of individual stockholders and those shares change hands from time to time, we do not receive a precise tally of the total number of shareholders on a regular basis. However, our best estimate of the total holders of our common stock ranges from approximately 2,200 to approximately 2,500 shareholders.

Reverse Split

As of May 19, 2017, the Company effected a one-for-ten reverse stock split of the Company’s shares of common stock. As a result of reverse stock split, each ten shares of common stock issued and outstanding were combined into one share of common stock. No fractional shares were issued in connection with the reverse stock split. The Company rounded fractional shares up to the nearest whole number.

The reverse stock split had no impact on the par value per share of the Company’s common stock or the number of authorized shares. All current and prior period amounts related to shares, share prices and earnings per share contained in the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been restated to give retrospective presentation for the reverse stock split.

Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities

Unregistered sales of our common stock during the first three quarters of 2019 were reported in Item 2 of Part II of the Form 10-Q filed for each quarter or on Current Report on Form 8-K. There were no unregistered sales of common stock during the fourth quarter of 2019 to be reported.

Item 6: Selected Financial Data

Not applicable.

Item 7: Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

You should read the following discussion of our results of operations and financial condition together with the Selected Financial Data and our audited consolidated financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2019 including the notes thereto, included in this Report. The discussion below contains forward-looking statements and involves numerous risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, those described in Item 1A. “Risk Factors”. Actual results may differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. We undertake no obligation to update or revise such statements to reflect new circumstances or unanticipated events as they occur, and you are urged to review and consider disclosures that we make in this and other reports that discuss factors germane to our business.

Overview

We operate and franchise a system-wide total of 46 fast casual restaurants, of which 35 are company-owned and 11 are owned and operated by franchisees under franchise agreements.

American Burger Company (“ABC”) is a fast-casual dining chain consisting of 6 locations in North Carolina and New York, known for its diverse menu featuring fresh salads, customized burgers, milk shakes, sandwiches, and beer and wine.

BGR: The Burger Joint (“BGR”) was acquired in March 2015 and consists of 8 company-owned locations in the United States and 11 franchisee-operated locations in the United States and the Middle East (2 of the franchisee-operated locations were purchased by the Company in 2018 and became company-owned locations).

Little Big Burger (“LBB”) was acquired in September 2015 and consists of 19 company-owned locations in the Portland, Oregon, Seattle, Washington, and Charlotte, North Carolina areas. Of the company-owned restaurants, 8 of those locations are operated under partnership agreements with investors where we control the management and operations of the stores and the partner supplies the capital to open the store in exchange for a noncontrolling interest.

We also operate 1 Hooters full-service restaurants in the United States, and 1 location in the United Kingdom. Hooters restaurants, which are casual beach-themed establishments featuring music, sports on large flat screens, and a menu that includes seafood, sandwiches, burgers, salads, and of course, Hooters original chicken wings and the “nearly world famous” Hooters Girls. Chanticleer started initially as an investor in corporate owned Hooters and, subsequently evolved into a franchisee operator. We continue to hold a minority investment stake in Hooters of America. However, we do not currently intend to invest in growing the Hooters brand, and instead are managing this brand alongside our other fast casual brands.

As of December 31, 2019, our system-wide store count totaled 46 locations, consisting of 35 company-owned locations and 11 franchisee-operated locations.

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2019 COMPARED TO THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2018

Our results of operations are summarized below:

* Restaurant cost of sales, operating expenses and pre-opening and closing expense percentages are based on restaurant sales, net. Other percentages are based on total revenue.

Revenue

Total revenue decreased $.6 million to $30.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2019 from $30.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2018.

Restaurant cost of sales

Restaurant cost of sales decreased 2.1% to $9.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2019 from $9.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2018. Additionally, the percent of restaurant sales increased slightly to 32.7% for the year ended December 31, 2019 from 32.6% for the year ended December 31, 2018.

Restaurant operating expenses

Restaurant operating expenses increased 5.3% to $19.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2019 from $18.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2018. Additionally, the percent of restaurant operating expenses increased to 66.8% for the year ended December 31, 2019 from 61.9% for the year ended December 31, 2018.

Restaurant pre-opening and closing expenses

Restaurant pre-opening and closing expenses decreased to $361,554 for the year ended December 31, 2019 compared with $398,473 for the year ended December 31, 2018. The Company has one (1) Little Big Burger restaurant under lease and is incurring pre-opening rent and other costs while preparing to start construction.

General and administrative expense (“G&A”)

G&A increased 54.5% to $6.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2019 from $3.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2018. Significant components of G&A are summarized as follows:

As a percentage of total revenue, G&A increased to 19.8% for the year ended December 31, 2019 from 12.6% for the year ended December 31, 2018. This increase in G&A was driven by increased legal fees related to resolving unionization efforts, increased professional fees related to a rights offering, expenses related to the proposed reverse merger with Sonnet, addition of executive management salaries, and increased marketing expenses from a customer segmentation study to build a customer loyalty program.

Asset impairment charges

Asset impairment charges totaled $9.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2019 as compared with $1.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2018. The Company recognized impairment charges related to the closure of three BGR locations, a Hooters location, and one American Burger location. Also, the Company recognized impairment charges related to its Hooters Nottingham location of approximately $975,000, and an impairment of $1.0 million related to the Hooters in Portland, Oregon. Due to the adoption of ASC 842 and termination fees from the above-mentioned store closures, the Company recognized another $5.2 million impairment.

Asset impairment charges totaled $1.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2018 as compared with $2.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2017. The Company recognized impairment charges related to the closure of one Just Fresh location and one American Burger location in Charlotte, North Carolina. In addition, the Company recognized impairment charges related to its Hooters Nottingham location of approximately $1.5 million. The impairment charges were primarily reflected in the first half of 2018, primarily from reducing goodwill based on management’s intent with regard to the related store location.

Depreciation and amortization

Depreciation and amortization expense remained constant at $1.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2019 from $1.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2018. The decrease is primarily attributable to a decrease in depreciation expense from restaurant closures in 2019 as those assets in those stores were primarily written off at closure.

Other income (expense)

Other income (expense) consisted of the following:

Other expense, net decreased to $1.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2019 from $2.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2018.

STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2019 COMPARED TO THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2018

Cash used in operating activities was $4.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2019 compared to cash used in activities of $1.1 million in the prior year period.

Cash from investing activities for the year ended December 31, 2019 was $678,669 compared to cash used of $2.1 million in the prior year period. The primary drivers of the increase in cash from investing were the sale of the five Hooters South Africa locations and the cash from the sale of Just Fresh.

Cash provided by financing activities for the year ended December 31, 2019 was $3.3 million compared to cash provided by financing activities of $2.1 million in the prior year period. The primary drivers of the cash provided by financing activities during 2019 was proceeds from a rights offering and exercise of warrants.

LIQUIDITY, CAPITAL RESOURCES AND GOING CONCERN

As of December 31, 2019, our cash balance was approximately $500,000, our working capital was negative $16.9 million, and we have significant near-term commitments and contractual obligations. The level of additional cash needed to fund operations and our ability to conduct business for the next twelve months will be influenced primarily by the following factors:

We have typically funded our operating costs, acquisition activities, working capital requirements and capital expenditures with proceeds from the issuances of our common stock and other financing arrangements, including convertible debt, lines of credit, notes payable, capital leases, and other forms of external financing.

As we execute our business plan over the next 12 months, we intend to carefully monitor the impact of growth on our working capital needs and cash balances relative to the availability of cost-effective debt and equity financing. In the event that capital is not available, or we are unable to refinance our debt obligations or obtain waivers, we may then have to scale back or freeze our organic growth plans, sell assets on less than favorable terms, reduce expenses, and/or curtail future acquisition plans to manage our liquidity and capital resources. We may also incur financial penalties or other negative actions from our lenders if we are not able to refinance or otherwise extend or repay our current obligations or obtain waivers.

In addition, our business is subject to additional risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, those described in Item 1A. “Risk Factors”.

Critical Accounting Policies

The Company’s significant accounting policies are more fully described in Note 1 of Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8. The preparation of the Company’s consolidated financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States requires the use of estimates and assumptions to determine certain assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses. Management bases these estimates and assumptions upon the best information available at the time of the estimates or assumptions. The Company’s estimates and assumptions could change materially as conditions within and beyond our control change. Accordingly, actual results could differ materially from estimates. The Company believes that the following are its most significant accounting policies:

Revenue recognition

On January 1, 2018, the Company adopted ASU 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606), using the modified retrospective method applied to those contracts which were not completed as of December 31, 2017. The Company elected a practical expedient to aggregate the effect of all contract modifications that occurred before the adoption date, which did not have a material impact to our consolidated financial statements. Results for reporting periods beginning on or after January 1, 2018 are presented under Accounting Standards Codification Topic 606 (“ASC 606”). Prior period amounts were not revised and continue to be reported in accordance with ASC Topic 605 (“ASC 605”), the accounting standard then in effect.

Upon adoption, the Company recorded a decrease to opening stockholders’ equity of $1,042,000 with a corresponding increase of $1,042,000 in deferred revenue. Additional franchise income of $83,000 was recognized during the year-ended December 31, 2018 under ASC 606, compared to what would have been recognized under ASC 605.

Prior to the adoption of ASC 606, the Company’s initial franchise fees were recorded as deferred revenue when received and proportionate amounts were recognized as revenue when certain milestones such as completion of employee training, lease signing, and store opening were achieved. With the adoption of ASC 606, such initial franchise fees are deferred and recognized over the franchise license term as discussed further below.

The Company generates revenues from the following sources: (i) restaurant sales; (ii) management fee income; (iii) gaming income; and (iv) franchise revenues, consisting of royalties based on a percentage of sales reported by franchise restaurants and initial signing fees.

Restaurant Sales, Net

The Company records revenue from restaurant sales at the time of sale, net of discounts, coupons, employee meals, and complimentary meals and gift cards. Sales tax and value added tax (“VAT”) collected from customers and remitted to governmental authorities are presented on a net basis within revenue in our consolidated statements of operations.

Management Fee Income

The Company receives revenue from management fees from certain non-affiliated companies, including from managing its investment in Hooters of America which are generally earned and recognized over the performance period.

Gaming Income

The Company receives revenue from operating a gaming facility adjacent to its Hooters restaurant in Jantzen Beach, Oregon. Revenue from gaming is recognized as earned from gaming activities, net of payouts to customers, taxes and government fees. These fees are recognized as they are earned based on the terms of the agreements.

Franchise Income

The Company grants franchises to operators in exchange for initial franchise license fees and continuing royalty payments. The license granted for each restaurant or area is considered a performance obligation. All other obligations (such as providing assistance during the opening of a restaurant) are combined with the license and were determined to be a single performance obligation. Accordingly, the total transaction price (comprised of the restaurant opening and territory fees) is allocated to each restaurant expected to be opened by the licensee under the contract. There are significant judgments regarding the estimated total transaction price, including the number of stores expected to be opened. We recognize the fee allocated to each restaurant as revenue on a straight-line basis over the restaurant’s license term, which generally begins upon the signing of the contract for area development agreements and upon the signing of a store lease for franchise agreements. The payments for these upfront fees are generally received upon contract execution. Continuing fees, which are based upon a percentage of franchisee revenues and are not subject to any constraints, are recognized on the accrual basis as those sales occur. The payments for these continuing fees are generally made on a weekly basis.

Deferred Revenue

Deferred revenue consists of contract liabilities resulting from initial and renewal franchise license fees paid by franchisees, which are generally recognized on a straight-line basis over the term of the underlying franchise agreement, as well as upfront development fees paid by franchisees, which are generally recognized on a straight-line basis over the term of the underlying franchise agreement once it is executed or if the development agreement is terminated.

Leases

We determine if a contract contains a lease at inception. Our material operating leases consist of restaurant locations and office space. Our leases generally have remaining terms of 1-20 years and most include options to extend the leases for additional 5-year periods. Generally, the lease term is the minimum of the noncancelable period of the lease or the lease term inclusive of reasonably certain renewal periods up to a term of 20 years. If the estimate of our reasonably certain lease term was changed, our depreciation and rent expense could differ materially.

Operating lease assets and liabilities are recognized at the lease commencement date. Operating lease liabilities represent the present value of lease payments not yet paid. Operating lease assets represent our right to use an underlying asset and are based upon the operating lease liabilities adjusted for prepayments or accrued lease payments, initial direct costs, lease incentives, and impairment of operating lease assets. To determine the present value of lease payments not yet paid, we estimate incremental borrowing rates corresponding to the reasonably certain lease term. As we have no outstanding debt nor committed credit facilities, secured or otherwise, we estimate this rate based on prevailing financial market conditions, comparable company and credit analysis, and management judgment. If the estimate of our incremental borrowing rate was changed, our operating lease assets and liabilities could differ materially.

Intangible Assets

Goodwill and indefinite lived intangibles

Generally accepted accounting principles in the United States require the Company to perform goodwill and indefinite lived intangible asset impairment tests annually and more frequently when negative conditions or a triggering event arise. In September 2011, the FASB issued amended guidance that simplified how entities test goodwill for impairment. After an assessment of certain qualitative factors, if it is determined to be more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount, entities must perform the quantitative analysis of the goodwill impairment test. Otherwise, the quantitative test(s) become optional. As allowed under the amended guidance, the Company chose not to assess the qualitative factors of its reporting units and, instead, performed the quantitative tests.

Tradename/trademark

The fair value of trade name/trademarks are estimated and compared to the carrying value. The Company estimates the fair value of trademarks using the relief-from-royalty method, which requires assumptions related to projected sales from its annual long-range plan; assumed royalty rates that could be payable if the Company did not own the trademarks; and a discount rate. The Company recognizes an impairment loss when the estimated fair value of the trade name/trademarks is less than its carrying value.

Franchise Costs

Intangible assets are recorded for the initial franchise fees for our Hooter’s restaurants. The Company amortizes these amounts over a 20-year period, which is the life of the franchise agreement. The Company also has intangible assets representing the acquisition date fair value of customer contracts acquired in connection with BGR’s franchise business. The Company previously determined this intangible asset to be indefinite lived based on the Company’s expectations of franchisee renewals. Management also revised its estimated useful life of the related intangible asset and began amortizing the related asset over the weighted average life of the underlying franchise agreements.

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

The Company, through its subsidiaries, leases the land and buildings for 1 restaurant in Nottingham, United Kingdom, and 38 restaurant locations in the U.S. The terms for our restaurant leases vary from two to twenty years and have options to extend. We lease some of our restaurant facilities under “triple net” leases that require us to pay minimum rent, real estate taxes, maintenance costs and insurance premiums and, in some instances, percentage rent based on sales in excess of specified amounts.

We also lease our corporate office space in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Item 7A: Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

Not applicable.

Item 8: Financial Statements and Supplementary Data

CHANTICLEER HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

To the Board of Directors and Stockholders of

Chanticleer Holdings, Inc. and Subsidiaries

Charlotte, North Carolina

Opinion on the Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Chanticleer Holdings, Inc. and Subsidiaries (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, the related consolidated statements of operations, comprehensive loss, equity (deficit), and cash flows for the years then ended, and the related notes, (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, and the results of their operations and their cash flows for the years then ended, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

Substantial Doubt about the Company’s Ability to Continue as a Going Concern

The accompanying financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. As discussed in Note 1 to the financial statements, the Company incurred $18.5 million in losses for the year ended December 31, 2019, that included $9.1 million in asset impairments, and the Company has a working capital deficit of approximately $16.9 million as of December 31, 2019. These conditions raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. Management’s evaluations of the events and conditions and management’s plans regarding those matters are also described in Note 1. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.

Changes in Accounting Principle

As discussed in Note 2, the Company changed the manner in which it accounts for leases in 2019.

Basis for Opinion

These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audits, we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.

Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

/s/ Cherry Bekaert LLP

We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2015.

Charlotte, North Carolina

March 18, 2020

Chanticleer Holdings, Inc. and Subsidiaries

Consolidated Balance Sheets

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements

Chanticleer Holdings, Inc. and Subsidiaries

Consolidated Statements of Operations

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements

Chanticleer Holdings, Inc. and Subsidiaries

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Loss

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements

Chanticleer Holdings, Inc. and Subsidiaries

Consolidated Statements of Equity (Deficit)

Twelve Months Ended December 31, 2019 and 2018