Nathan's Famous (NATH) Risk Factors

Our customers, such as supermarkets, warehouse clubs, and food distributors, have continued to consolidate, resulting in fewer customers with which to do business. These consolidations and the growth of supercenters have produced large, sophisticated customers with increased buying power and negotiating strength who are more capable of resisting price increases and can demand lower pricing, increased promotional programs, or specialty tailored products. In addition, larger retailers have the scale to develop supply chains that permit them to operate with reduced inventories or to develop and market their own retailer brands. If the larger size of these customers results in additional negotiating strength and/or increased private label or store brand competition, our profitability could decline. Consolidation also increases the risk that adverse changes in our customers' business operations or financial performance will have a corresponding material adverse effect on us. For example, if our customers cannot access sufficient funds or financing, then they may delay, decrease, or cancel purchases of our products, or delay or fail to pay us for previous purchases.

For the fiscal 2020 period, approximately 77% of our BPP business is from six accounts, including two accounts each representing approximately 21% of the BPP business, with which we have relatively short-term contracts. In the event that these BPP customers experience financial difficulties or, upon the expiration of their existing agreements are not willing to do business with us in the future on terms acceptable to management, there could be a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

A significant portion of our earnings comes from royalties, fees and other amounts paid by our restaurant franchisees. The opening and success of franchised restaurants depends on various factors, including the demand for our franchises and the selection of appropriate franchisee candidates, the availability of suitable restaurant sites, the negotiation of acceptable lease or purchase terms for new locations, permitting and regulatory compliance, the ability to meet construction schedules, the availability of financing and the financial and other capabilities of our franchisees and area developers. We cannot assure you that area developers planning the opening of franchised restaurants will have the business abilities or sufficient access to financial resources necessary to open the restaurants required by their agreements. We cannot assure you that franchisees will successfully participate in our strategic initiatives or operate their restaurants in a manner consistent with our concept and standards. Our franchisees are independent contractors, and their employees are not our employees. We provide training and support to, and monitor the operations of, our franchisees, but the quality of their restaurant operations may be diminished by any number of factors beyond our control. Consequently, the franchisees may not successfully operate their restaurants in a manner consistent with our high standards and requirements, and franchisees may not hire and train qualified managers and other restaurant personnel. Any operational shortcoming of a franchised restaurant is likely to be attributed by consumers to an entire brand or our system, thus damaging our corporate or brand reputation, potentially adversely affecting our business, results of operations and financial condition. Growth in our restaurant revenue and earnings is significantly dependent on new restaurant openings. Numerous factors beyond our control may affect restaurant openings. These factors include but are not limited to: - our ability to attract new franchisees;   - the availability of site locations for new restaurants;   - the ability of potential restaurant owners to obtain financing, which may become more difficult due to current market conditions and operating results;   - the ability of restaurant owners to hire, train and retain qualified operating personnel;   - construction and development costs of new restaurants, particularly in highly-competitive markets;   - the ability of restaurant owners to secure required governmental approvals and permits in a timely manner, or at all; and   - adverse weather conditions. We cannot assure you that franchisees will renew their franchise agreements or that franchised restaurants will remain open. Closings of franchised restaurants are expected in the ordinary course and may cause our royalty revenues and financial performance to decline. Our principal competitors may have greater influence over their respective restaurant systems than we do because of their significantly higher percentage of company restaurants and/or ownership of franchisee real estate and, as a result, may have a greater ability to implement operational initiatives and business strategies, including their marketing and advertising programs. As our franchisees are independent operators, we have limited influence over their ability to invest in other businesses or incur excessive indebtedness. Some of our franchisees have invested in other businesses, including other restaurant concepts. Such franchisees may use the cash generated by their Nathan's restaurants to expand their other businesses or to subsidize losses incurred by such businesses. Additionally, as independent operators, franchisees do not require our consent to incur indebtedness. Consequently, our franchisees have in the past, and may in the future, experience financial distress as a result of over-leveraging. To the extent that our franchisees use the cash from their Nathan's restaurants to subsidize their other businesses or experience financial distress, due to over-leveraging, delayed or reduced payments of royalties, advertising fund contributions and rents for properties we lease to them, or otherwise, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. In addition, lenders to our franchisees may be less likely to provide current or prospective franchisees necessary financing on favorable terms, or at all, due to market conditions and operating results.

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) for several years considered the issue of whether to hold certain franchisors responsible as a "joint employer" of its franchisees' staff under certain fact patterns. McDonald's USA LLC and its franchisees were the subject of administrative litigation with the NLRB. That matter was resolved through a settlement in 2019, and in 2020, the NLRB issued a regulation that changed the standard for determining when a party such as Nathan's would be deemed a "joint employer" under the National Labor Relations Act. The new NLRB standard makes it less likely that the NLRB would initiate an action against a company such as us. However, the possibility of administrative action from other agencies, state governments, and in private lawsuits remains alleging that a franchisor and its franchisee "jointly employ" the franchisee's staff, that the franchisor is responsible for the franchisees' staff (under theories of apparent agency, ostensible agency, or actual agency), or otherwise. Among other things, a determination that Nathan's and its franchisees are joint employers of one or more franchisees' staff may make it easier to organize our franchisees' staff into unions, provide the staff and their union representatives with bargaining power to request that we have our franchisees raise wages, and make it more expensive and less profitable to operate a Nathan's franchised restaurant. A decrease in profitability or the closing of a significant number of franchised restaurants could significantly impact our business (as well as our franchisees' businesses), and we may also be significantly impacted if the NLRB or a private party successfully brought an action against our company alleging that we are a "joint employer" of our franchisees' staffs. In September 2019, California adopted a law known as "AB-5," which was ostensibly intended to address the relationship between "gig" workers and companies such as "Uber" and "Lyft." The language of AB-5 is broad enough to raise the possibility that it would apply to the relationship between a franchisor such as Nathan's and its franchisees in California. If AB-5 were applied to the franchisor-franchisee relationship that Nathan's enjoys with its franchisees, that might significantly impact the structure and financial viability of any California franchised or licensed locations.

We have historically relied on one supplier for the majority of our hot dogs and another supplier for a majority of our supply of frozen French fries for our restaurant system. An interruption in the supply of product from either of these suppliers without our obtaining an alternative source of supply on comparable terms could lead to supply disruptions, increased costs and lower operating results. We have an agreement with a secondary hot dog manufacturer that continues to also supply natural casing hot dogs for our restaurant business. Additionally, a majority of the frozen crinkle-cut French fries sold through our franchised restaurants have been obtained from one supplier. Since fiscal 2013, we have had a relationship with a secondary source of supply of our frozen French fries for our restaurant system. In the event that the hot dog or French fry suppliers are unable to fulfill our requirements for any reason, including due to a significant interruption in its manufacturing operations, whether as a result of a natural disaster or for other reasons, such interruption could significantly impair our ability to operate our business on a day-to-day basis. In the event that we are unable to find one or more alternative suppliers of hot dogs or French fries on a timely basis, there could be a disruption in the supply of product to Company-owned restaurants, franchised restaurants and BPP accounts, which would damage our business, our franchisees and our BPP customers and, in turn, negatively impact our financial results. In addition, any gap in supply to retail customers would result in lost royalty payments to us, which could have a significant adverse financial impact on our results of operations. Furthermore, any gap in supply to retail customers may damage our brand in the eyes of consumers and the retail trade, which damage might negatively impact our overall business in general and impair our ability to continue our retail licensing program. Additionally, there is no assurance that any supplemental sources of supply would be capable of meeting our specifications and quality standards on a timely and consistent basis or that the financial terms of such supply arrangement will be as favorable as our present terms with our hot dog or French fry supplier, as the case may be. Any of the foregoing occurrences may cause disruptions in the supply of our hot dog or French fry products, as the case may be, damage our franchisees and our BPP customers, adversely impact our financial results and/or damage our brand.

The quick-service restaurant business is affected by changes in international, national, regional, and local economic conditions, consumer preferences and spending patterns, demographic trends, consumer perceptions of food safety and health, diet and nutrition, weather, traffic patterns, the type, number and location of competing restaurants, and the effects of war or terrorist activities and any governmental responses thereto. Factors such as inflation, higher costs for each of food, labor, benefits and utilities, the availability and cost of suitable sites, fluctuating insurance rates, state and local regulations and licensing requirements, legal claims, and the availability of an adequate number of qualified management and hourly employees also affect restaurant operations and administrative expenses. Our ability and our franchisees' ability to finance new restaurant development, to make improvements and additions to existing restaurants, and the acquisition of restaurants from, and sale of restaurants to, franchisees is affected by economic conditions, including interest rates and other government policies impacting land and construction costs and the cost and availability of borrowed funds.

Weather, which is unpredictable, can impact our sales. Harsh weather conditions that keep customers from dining out result in lost opportunities for our Company-owned and our franchisees' restaurants. A heavy snowstorm or a tropical storm or hurricane in the Northeast can shut down an entire metropolitan area, resulting in a reduction in sales in that area at Company-owned and franchised restaurants. Our fourth quarter includes winter months and historically has a lower level of sales at Company-owned and franchised restaurants. Additionally, our Company-owned restaurants at Coney Island are heavily dependent on favorable weather conditions during the summer season. Rain during the weekends and/or unseasonably cold temperatures will negatively impact the number of patrons going to the Coney Island beach locations. Because a significant portion of our restaurant operating costs is fixed or semi-fixed in nature, the loss of sales during these periods hurts our operating margins, and can result in restaurant operating losses. For these reasons, a quarter-to-quarter comparison may not be a good indication of our performance or how it may perform in the future.

The restaurant industry is subject to extensive federal, state and local governmental regulations, including those relating to the preparation and sale of food and those relating to building and zoning requirements. In recent years, there has been an increased legislative, regulatory and consumer focus on nutrition and advertising practices in the food industry, particularly among restaurants. This focus has resulted in, and may continue to result in, the enactment of laws and regulations that impact the ingredients and nutritional content of our menu offerings. For example, a number of states, counties and cities have enacted menu labeling laws requiring multi-unit restaurant operators to disclose certain nutritional information available to customers, or have enacted legislation restricting the use of certain types of ingredients in restaurants. Furthermore, the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act ("PPACA") establishes a uniform, federal requirement for certain restaurants to post nutritional information on their menus. Specifically, the PPACA amended the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act to require chain restaurants with 20 or more locations operating under the same name and offering substantially the same menus to publish the total number of calories of standard menu items on menus and menu boards, along with a statement that puts this calorie information in the context of a total daily calorie intake. The PPACA also requires covered restaurants to provide to consumers, upon request, a written summary of detailed nutritional information for each standard menu item, and to provide a statement on menus and menu boards about the availability of this information. The PPACA further permits the United States Food and Drug Administration (the "FDA") to require covered restaurants to make additional nutrient disclosures, such as disclosure of trans fat content. The FDA nutritional labeling rules require establishments to post calorie counts on all menu items, calorie boards and drive-thru displays throughout the United States. Businesses affected by the new regulations had one year to comply. Compliance with current and future laws and regulations regarding the ingredients and nutritional content of our menu items may be costly and time-consuming. An unfavorable report on, or reaction to, our menu ingredients, the size of our portions or the nutritional content of our menu items could negatively influence the demand for our offerings. Additionally, if consumer health regulations or consumer eating habits change significantly, we may be required to modify or discontinue certain menu items, and we may experience higher costs associated with the implementation of those changes. Additionally, some government authorities are increasing regulations regarding trans fats and sodium, which may require us to limit or eliminate trans fats and sodium from our menu offerings, switch to higher cost ingredients or may hinder our ability to operate in certain markets. Failure to comply with these laws or regulations could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. California also adopted a new law to address data privacy. The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) took effect at the beginning of 2020, and imposes stringent data security standards, which might apply more broadly than only within the borders of that state (for example, if a California resident buys products or has them shipped into the state and pays with a credit or debit card). It is still uncertain whether the CCPA will have a material impact on our operation or that of our franchisees. In 2020, various governmental bodies in the US have addressed the spread of the novel coronavirus ("COVID-19") by imposing limitations on business operations or recommending that residents adopt stringent "social distancing" measures. Those formal and informal restraints, as well as consumer behavior and other factors (such as supply chain issues) may have a material impact on our ability to operate our business at least while those restrictions are in effect, which may possibly have a longer-term impact on our business and the demand for our products and restaurant services. We cannot make any assurances regarding our ability to effectively respond to changes in consumer health perceptions or our ability to successfully implement the nutrient content disclosure requirements and to adapt our menu offerings to trends in eating habits. The imposition of menu-labeling laws could have an adverse effect on our results of operations and financial position, as well as the restaurant industry in general.

Our future effective tax rates could be adversely affected by changes in tax laws, both domestically and internationally. From time to time, the United States Congress and foreign, state and local governments consider legislation that could increase our effective tax rates. If changes to applicable tax laws are enacted, our results of operations could be negatively impacted. Our tax returns and positions (including positions regarding jurisdictional authority of foreign governments to impose tax) are subject to review and audit by federal, state, local and international taxing authorities. An unfavorable outcome to a tax audit could result in higher tax expense, thereby negatively impacting our results of operations.