Fair Value Measurements

12 Months Ended

Dec. 27, 2016

Fair value disclosures enable the reader of the financial statements to assess the inputs used to develop those fair value measurements using a hierarchy for ranking the quality and reliability of the information used to determine fair values. The Company classifies and discloses assets and liabilities carried at fair value in one of the following three categories:

Level 1: Unadjusted quoted prices available in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.

Level 2: Pricing inputs, other than Level 1 quoted prices, such as quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar assets and liabilities in markets that are not active, or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data.

Level 3: Unobservable inputs that are not corroborated by market data, which requires the Company to develop its own assumptions. These inputs are frequently utilized in pricing models, discounted cash flow techniques and other widely accepted valuation methodologies.

The following tables summarize the carrying amounts and fair values of certain assets at December 27, 2016 and December 29, 2015, (in thousands):



	December 27, 2016
			Fair Value Estimated Using
	Carrying Amount		Level 1 Inputs		Level 2 Inputs		Level 3 Inputs
Equities⁽¹⁾	$	11,268	$	11,268	$	—	$	—
Fixed income⁽¹⁾	$	5,267	—		5,267		—
Money market fund⁽²⁾	$	6,662	6,662		—		—


	December 29, 2015
			Fair Value Estimated Using
	Carrying Amount		Level 1 Inputs		Level 2 Inputs		Level 3 Inputs
Equities⁽¹⁾	$	10,385	$	10,385	$	—	$	—
Fixed income⁽¹⁾	3,748		—		3,748		—
Money market fund⁽²⁾	29,584		—		29,584		—


⁽¹⁾	These investments relate to the Deferred Compensation Plan and the POWR Plan and are located in the other assets line item on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. The investments categorized as level 2 in the fair value hierarchy are valued by using available market information which includes quoted market prices for identical or similar assets in non-active markets.


⁽²⁾	At December 27, 2016 and December 29, 2015, $0.5 million and $1.5 million, respectively, related to the Deferred Compensation Plan and POWR Plan, and were located in the other assets line item on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. The remaining balances in the money market fund were short-term in nature and were classified in cash and cash equivalents on the Consolidated Balance Sheets.

The estimated fair value of the Company’s outstanding borrowings was as follows (in thousands):



	December 27, 2016		December 29, 2015
Term Loan	$	393,867	$	389,670
Senior Notes	193,992		195,087
Revolving Facility	—		$	—
	$	587,860	$	584,757
Carrying value	$	579,985	$	581,169

The Company measures the fair value of its debt facilities under a Level 2 observable input which consists of quotes from non-active markets. However, the fair value estimates presented herein are not necessarily indicative of the amount that the Company’s debtholders could realize in a current market exchange. Cash and cash equivalents (excluding the money market fund), accounts and other receivables and accounts payable are carried at cost which approximates fair value because of the short-term nature of these instruments.

Restaurant-level impairment charges are recorded in net facility impairment charges expense. The fair value measurements used in these impairment evaluations were based on discounted cash flow estimates using unobservable inputs (Level 3). The table below summarizes restaurant-level impairment for the periods presented (in thousands):



	52 Weeks Ended
	December 27, 2016		December 29, 2015
Total asset impairments and closures	$	4,898	$	7,469

The remaining net book value of the above assets, subsequent to the impairments, was $1.7 million and $4.8 million, at December 27, 2016 and December 29, 2015, respectively.

- Definition

The entire disclosure for the fair value of financial instruments (as defined), including financial assets and financial liabilities (collectively, as defined), and the measurements of those instruments as well as disclosures related to the fair value of non-financial assets and liabilities. Such disclosures about the financial instruments, assets, and liabilities would include: (1) the fair value of the required items together with their carrying amounts (as appropriate); (2) for items for which it is not practicable to estimate fair value, disclosure would include: (a) information pertinent to estimating fair value (including, carrying amount, effective interest rate, and maturity, and (b) the reasons why it is not practicable to estimate fair value; (3) significant concentrations of credit risk including: (a) information about the activity, region, or economic characteristics identifying a concentration, (b) the maximum amount of loss the entity is exposed to based on the gross fair value of the related item, (c) policy for requiring collateral or other security and information as to accessing such collateral or security, and (d) the nature and brief description of such collateral or security; (4) quantitative information about market risks and how such risks are managed; (5) for items measured on both a recurring and nonrecurring basis information regarding the inputs used to develop the fair value measurement; and (6) for items presented in the financial statement for which fair value measurement is elected: (a) information necessary to understand the reasons for the election, (b) discussion of the effect of fair value changes on earnings, (c) a description of [similar groups] items for which the election is made and the relation thereof to the balance sheet, the aggregate carrying value of items included in the balance sheet that are not eligible for the election; (7) all other required (as defined) and desired information.

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