2. Significant Accounting Policies

Basis of Presentation and Principles of Consolidation

The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated interim financial statements include the accounts of Grubhub Inc. and have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) for interim financial information and in accordance with the rules and regulations of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by GAAP for complete financial statements. These unaudited condensed consolidated interim financial statements include all wholly-owned subsidiaries and reflect all normal and recurring adjustments, as well as any other than normal adjustments, that are, in the opinion of management, necessary for a fair presentation of the results for the interim periods and should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017 filed with the SEC on February 28, 2018 (the “2017 Form 10-K”). All significant intercompany transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. Operating results for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2018.

On January 1, 2018, the Company adopted Financial Accounting Standards Board (the “FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (“ASC Topic 606”) using the modified retrospective method applied to those contracts which were not completed as of January 1, 2018. Results for reporting periods beginning on or after January 1, 2018 are presented under ASC Topic 606, while prior period amounts are not adjusted and continue to be reported in accordance with historic accounting guidance under ASC Topic 605. See Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements and Note 3, Revenue, below for additional details.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of condensed consolidated financial statements in accordance with GAAP requires management to make certain estimates, judgments and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the related disclosures at the date of the financial statements, as well as the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the periods presented. Estimates include revenue recognition, the allowance for doubtful accounts, website and internal-use software development costs, goodwill, depreciable lives of property and equipment, recoverability of intangible assets with definite lives and other long-lived assets, stock-based compensation and income taxes. Actual results could differ from these estimates.

Changes in Accounting Principle

See “Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements” below for a description of accounting principle changes adopted during the nine months ended September 30, 2018 related to revenue and the statement of cash flows. There have been no other material changes to the Company’s significant accounting policies described in the 2017 Form 10-K.

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements

In August 2018, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (the “FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2018-15, “Intangibles – Goodwill and Other – Internal-Use Software (Subtopic 350-40): Customer’s Accounting for Implementation Costs Incurred in a Cloud Computing Arrangement That is a Service Contract” (“ASU 2018-15”). ASU 2018-15 aligns the requirements for capitalizing implementation costs incurred in hosting arrangements that are service contracts and that include an internal-use software license with the requirement for capitalizing implementation costs incurred to develop or obtain internal-use software. The capitalized implementation costs are required to be expensed over the term of the hosting arrangement. The guidance also clarifies the presentation requirements for reporting such costs in the entity’s financial statements. The Company has elected to early adopt ASU 2018-15. The amendments will be applied prospectively to all implementation costs incurred after the date of adoption. The adoption of ASU 2018-15 is not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

In May 2017, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2017-09, “Compensation-Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Scope of Modification Accounting” (“ASU 2017-09”). ASU 2017-09 provides clarification on when modification accounting should be used for changes to the terms or conditions of a share-based payment award. This ASU does not change the accounting for modifications but clarifies that modification accounting guidance should only be applied if there is a change to the value, vesting conditions, or award classification and would not be required if the changes are considered non-substantive. ASU 2017-09 is effective for the Company beginning in the first quarter of 2018 on a prospective basis. The adoption of ASU 2017-09 has not had and is not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

In August 2016, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2016-15, “Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments” (“ASU 2016-15”). ASU 2016-15 adds or clarifies guidance on the classification of certain cash receipts and payments in the statement of cash flows with the intent of reducing diversity in practice related to eight types of cash flows including, among others, debt prepayment or debt extinguishment costs, contingent consideration payments made after a business combination, and separately identifiable cash flows and application of the predominance principle. In addition, in November 2016, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2016-18, “Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Restricted Cash” (“ASU 2016-18”). ASU 2016-18 requires companies to include amounts generally described as restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents in cash and cash equivalents when reconciling beginning-of-period and end-of-period total amounts shown on the statement of cash flow. ASU 2016-15 and ASU 2016-18 were effective for and adopted by the Company beginning in the first quarter of 2018. The amendments were applied using a retrospective transition method to each period presented and impacted the Company’s presentation of the consolidated statements of cash flows. The adoption of ASU 2016-15 and ASU 2016-18 had no material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows as the Company’s restricted cash balances are immaterial.

In June 2016, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2016-13, “Financial Instruments—Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments” (“ASU 2016-13”). ASU 2016-13 introduces a new forward-looking approach, based on expected losses, to estimate credit losses on certain types of financial instruments, including trade receivables and held-to-maturity debt securities, which will require entities to incorporate considerations of historical information, current information and reasonable and supportable forecasts. This ASU also expands disclosure requirements. ASU 2016-13 is effective for the Company beginning in the first quarter of 2020 and early adoption is permitted. The guidance will be applied using the modified-retrospective approach. The adoption of ASU 2016-13 is not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

In February 2016, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2016-02, “Leases (Topic 842)” (“ASU 2016-02”). Under ASU 2016-02, a lessee will recognize in the statement of financial position a liability to make lease payments and a right-of-use asset for all leases (with the exception of short-term leases) at the commencement date. The recognition, measurement, and presentation of expenses and cash flows arising from a lease under ASU 2016-02 will not significantly change from current GAAP. ASU 2016-02 is effective beginning in the first quarter of 2019 with early adoption permitted. In July 2018, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2018-11 “Leases (Topic 842): Targeted Improvements” (“ASU 2018-11”), which provides for the election of transition methods between the modified retrospective method and the optional transition relief method. The modified retrospective method is applied to all prior reporting periods presented with a cumulative-effect adjustment recorded in the earliest comparative period while the optional transition relief method is applied beginning in the period of adoption with a cumulative-effect adjustment recorded in the first quarter of 2019. The Company will apply the optional transition relief method and has elected the optional practical expedient package, which includes retaining the current classification of leases. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adoption of ASU 2016-02 on its consolidated financial statements under ASU 2018-11. Management anticipates that it will result in a significant increase in the Company’s long-term assets and liabilities but will have no material impact to its results of operations or cash flows.

In May 2014, and in subsequent updates, the FASB issued ASC Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, which supersedes the revenue recognition requirements in Topic 605, Revenue Recognition, including most industry-specific requirements. ASC Topic 606 establishes a five-step revenue recognition process in which an entity will recognize revenue when it transfers promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the company expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. ASC Topic 606 also requires enhanced disclosures regarding the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of revenues and cash flows from contracts with customers. ASC Topic 606 was effective for and adopted by the Company in the first quarter of 2018. The Company applied the modified retrospective approach to contracts which were not completed as of January 1, 2018. The adoption of these ASUs did not have and is not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows or its business processes, systems and controls.

The adoption of ASC Topic 606 resulted in an increase in revenues of $0.1 million and $0.9 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018, respectively, and primarily had the following impact on the Company’s financial statements:

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Beginning in January 1, 2018, the Company defers the incremental costs of obtaining contracts as contract acquisition assets resulting in a net decrease of $2.0 million and $6.6 million in sales and marketing expense in the condensed consolidated statements of operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018, respectively, and corresponding increase in other assets on the condensed consolidated balance sheets. Contract acquisition assets are amortized to sales and marketing expense in the consolidated statements of operations over the period in which services are expected to be provided to the customer, which is estimated to be approximately 4 years. Prior to the adoption of ASC Topic 606, the cost of obtaining a contract was recognized as it was incurred.

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Beginning in the first quarter of 2018, the Company recognizes revenue from estimated unredeemed gift cards that are not subject to unclaimed property laws over the expected customer redemption period, rather than when the likelihood of redemption became remote. The Company recorded a cumulative-effect adjustment to opening retained earnings as of January 1, 2018 of $0.9 million related to unredeemed gift cards, breakage income of $0.3 million and $0.9 million in revenues in the condensed consolidated statements of operations during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018, respectively, and a corresponding decrease in other accruals of $2.0 million on the condensed consolidated balance sheets.

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Changes in the timing of revenue recognition under ASC Topic 606 related to incentives, refunds and adjustments resulted in a $0.1 million decrease and $0.1 million increase in revenues in the condensed consolidated statements of operations during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018, respectively.

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The adoption of ASC Topic 606 had no impact to the Company’s total net cash provided by or used in operations, investing or financing activities within the Company’s condensed consolidated statement of cash flows for the nine months ended September 30, 2018.

See Note 3, Revenue, for additional details.