Subsequent Events

3 Months Ended

Mar. 25, 2020

Subsequent Events [Abstract]

Subsequent Events

Subsequent Events

Lease Abatements and Deferrals

Subsequent to the quarter ended March 25, 2020, as a result of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Company has secured rent relief in the form of abatements or deferrals for nearly 75% of the leases in which the Company is a lessee, including those instances in which the Company subleases to franchisees and will be extending the same relief as a pass through. In addition, the Company has provided rent deferrals in instances in which the Company owns the real estate and leases to franchisees.

In April 2020, the FASB staff issued interpretive guidance that indicated it would be acceptable for entities to make an election to account for lease concessions related to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic consistent with how those concessions would be accounted for under Topic 842, as though enforceable rights and obligations for those concessions existed (regardless of whether those enforceable rights and obligations for the concessions explicitly exist in the contract). Consequently, for concessions related to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, an entity will not have to analyze each contract to determine whether enforceable rights and obligations for concessions exist in the contract and can elect to apply or not apply the lease modification guidance in Topic 842 to those contracts. This election is available for concessions related to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic that do not result in a substantial increase in the rights of the lessor or the obligations of the lessee.

We have elected to apply this interpretive guidance to the rent relief we have secured, and have assumed that enforceable rights and obligations for those concessions exist in the lease contract. As such, starting on the effective dates indicated above, we began recognizing abatements or deferrals in rents received from landlords as reductions in variable lease payments. This election will continue while these abatement or deferrals are in effect.

Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act

On March 27, 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security ("CARES") Act was signed into law. The CARES Act provides numerous tax provisions and other stimulus measures, including temporary changes regarding the prior and future utilization of net operating losses, temporary changes to the prior and future limitations on interest deductions, temporary suspension of certain payment requirements for the employer portion of Social Security taxes, technical corrections from prior tax legislation for tax depreciation of certain qualified improvement property, and the creation of certain refundable employee retention credits. The Company is in the process of assessing the impact of these new tax provisions and will recognize the impact during its second quarter of 2020.