COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

6 Months Ended

Jun. 24, 2020

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

Lease Commitments

We are obligated under various operating leases for Shacks and our home office space, expiring in various years through 2035. Under certain of these leases, we are liable for contingent rent based on a percentage of sales in excess of specified thresholds and are typically responsible for our proportionate share of real estate taxes, common area maintenance charges and utilities. See Note 9, Leases.

As security under the terms of one of our leases, we are obligated under a letter of credit totaling $130 as of June 24, 2020, which expires in February 2026. Additionally, in September 2017, we entered into a letter of credit in conjunction with our new home office lease in the amount of $603, which expires in August 2020 and renews automatically for one-year periods through January 31, 2034.

Purchase Commitments

Purchase obligations include legally binding contracts, including commitments for the purchase, construction or remodeling of real estate and facilities, firm minimum commitments for inventory purchases, equipment purchases, marketing-related contracts, software acquisition/license commitments and service contracts. These obligations are generally short-term in nature and are recorded as liabilities when the related goods are received or services rendered. We also enter into long-term, exclusive contracts with certain vendors to supply us with food, beverages and paper goods, obligating us to purchase specified quantities.

Legal Contingencies

In February 2018, a claim was filed against Shake Shack in California state court alleging certain violations of the California Labor Code.  At a mediation between the parties, we agreed to settle the matter with the plaintiff and all other California employees who elect to participate in the settlement for $1,200.  As of June 24, 2020, an accrual in the amount of $1,200 was recorded for this matter and related expenses.

We are subject to various legal proceedings, claims and liabilities, such as employment-related claims and slip and fall cases, which arise in the ordinary course of business and are generally covered by insurance. As of June 24, 2020, the amount of the ultimate liability with respect to these matters was not material.

Liabilities under Tax Receivable Agreement

As described in Note 12, we are a party to the Tax Receivable Agreement under which we are contractually committed to pay certain of the members of SSE Holdings 85% of the amount of any tax benefits that we actually realize, or in some cases are deemed to realize, as a result of certain transactions. We are not obligated to make any payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement until the tax benefits associated with the transactions that gave rise to the payments are realized. Amounts payable under the Tax Receivable Agreement are contingent upon, among other things, (i) generation of future taxable income over the term of the Tax Receivable Agreement and (ii) future changes in tax laws. If we do not generate sufficient taxable income in the aggregate over the term of the Tax Receivable Agreement to utilize the tax benefits, then we would not be required to make the related TRA Payments. During the twenty-six weeks ended June 24, 2020 and June 26, 2019, we recognized liabilities totaling $313 and $1,636, respectively, relating to our obligations under the Tax Receivable Agreement, after concluding that it was probable that we would have sufficient future taxable income over the term of the Tax Receivable Agreement to utilize the related tax benefits. As of June 24, 2020 and December 25, 2019, our total obligations under the Tax Receivable Agreement were $228,096 and $234,426, respectively. There were no transactions subject to the Tax Receivable Agreement for which we did not recognize the related liability, as we concluded that we would have sufficient future taxable income to utilize all of the related tax benefits.