Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements:

We would like to caution our readers that thisThis Annual Report on Form 10-K and certain information incorporated herein by reference contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) and Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). Forward-looking statements which are intended to speak only as of the date thereof, and involve risks and uncertainties that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These risk and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the risk factors discussed under Item 1A. “Risk Factors” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Factors that might cause actual events or results to differ materially from those indicated by these forward-looking statements may include matters such as future economic performance, general economic conditions, consumer preferences and spending, costs, competition, new product execution, restaurant openings or closings, operating margins, the availability of acceptable real estate locations, the sufficiency of our cash balances and cash generated from operations and financing activities for our future liquidity and capital resource needs, the impact on our business as a result of Federal and State legislation and local regulation, future litigation, the execution of our growth strategy and other matters. We have attempted to identify forward-looking statements by terminology including “anticipates,” “believes,” “can,” “continue,” “ongoing,” “could,” “estimates,” “expects,” “intends,” “may,” “appears,” “suggests,” “future,” “likely,” “goal,” “plans,” “potential,” “projects,” “predicts,” “should,” “targets,” “would,” “will” and similar expressions that convey the uncertainty of future events or outcomes. These risk and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the risk factors discussed under Item 1A. “Risk Factors” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. You should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statement. We do not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this report or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as may be required under applicable law.

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PART I

As used in this report, the terms “Company,” “we,” “our,” or “us,” refer to The OneONE Group Hospitality, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries, taken as a whole, unless the context otherwise indicates. The term “year ended” refers to the entire calendar year, unless the context otherwise indicates.

Item 1. Business

Description of the Business

The ONE Group Hospitality, Inc. isWe are a Delaware corporationglobal hospitality company that develops, owns and operates, ormanages and licenses upscale and polished casual, high-energy restaurants and lounges and provides turn-key food and beverage (“F&B”) services for hospitality venues including hotels, casinos and other high-end locations globally. We define turn-keylocations. Turn-key F&B services are food and beverage (“F&B”) services as those services that can be scaled, customized and implemented by us for the client at a particular hospitality venue and customized per the requirements of the client. We became The One Group Hospitality, Inc. through a reverse merger completed in October 2013.venue. Our stock trades on the NASDAQ under the symbol “STKS”.

We were established with the vision of becomingis to be a global market leader in the hospitality industry by melding high-quality service, ambiance, high-energy and cuisine into one great experience. experience that we refer to as “Vibe Dining”. We design all our restaurants, lounges and F&B services to create a social dining and high-energy entertainment experience within a destination location. We believe that this design and operating philosophy separates us from more traditional restaurant and foodservice competitors.

Our primary restaurant brand isbrands are STK, a multi-unit steakhouse concept that combines a high-energy, social atmosphere with the quality and service of a traditional upscale steakhouse.steakhouse, and Kona Grill, a polished casual bar-centric grill concept featuring American favorites, award-winning sushi, and specialty cocktails in a polished casual atmosphere. Our F&B hospitality management services are marketed as ONE Hospitality and include developing, managing and operating restaurants, bars, rooftop lounges, pools, banqueting and catering facilities, private dining rooms, room service and mini bars tailored to the specific needs of high-end hotels and casinos. Our F&B hospitality clients operate global hospitality brands such as the W Hotel, Cosmopolitan Hotel, Royalton, Hippodrome Casino, Hyatt and ME Hotels.

We opened our first restaurant in January 2004 in New York, City and as of December 31, 2017, we owned, operated,New York. We currently own, operate, manage or managed or licensed 31license 54 venues including 1420 STKs and 24 Kona Grills in major metropolitan cities in the United States,North America, Europe and the Middle East. In addition, we provided foodEast and beverage services10 F&B venues in five hotels and casinos. Wecasinos in the United States and Europe. In January 2021, we opened a managed STK restaurant in Scottsdale, Arizona. For those restaurants and venues that are managed or licensed, we typically generate management fees based on top-line revenues and incentive fee revenue based on a percentage of the location’s revenues and net profits.

COVID-19

The negative effect on our business from thosethe novel coronavirus (“COVID-19”) is significant. We experienced an initial decline in restaurant revenue that began in early March 2020 as travel began to decrease. Public anxiety with respect to COVID-19, and government recommendations and measures to avoid public gatherings especially within restaurants and lounges thatbars, have materially and adversely affected our operations and financial results. A more detailed description of the potential effects of COVID-19 on our business is contained in Item 7. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.”

Acquisitions

On October 4, 2019, we do not own, but instead manage on behalfacquired substantially all of the assets of Kona Grill Inc. and its affiliates (“Kona Grill”) comprising 24 domestic restaurants. We purchased the assets for a contractual price of $25.0 million plus approximately $1.5 million of consideration paid primarily for the apportionment of rent and utilities. We also assumed approximately $7.7 million in current liabilities. The purchase was financed with proceeds from the credit and guaranty agreement we entered into with Goldman Sachs Bank USA in conjunction with the acquisition (“Credit Agreement”). We have integrated Kona Grill by leveraging our F&Bcorporate infrastructure, our hospitality clients. Allbusiness knowledge and unique Vibe Dining program, to elevate the brand experience and drive improved performance.

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Brands and Locations

The table below reflects our restaurants, loungesvenues by restaurant brand and F&B services are designed to create a social dining and high-energy entertainment experience within a destination location. We believe that this design and operating philosophy separates us from more traditional restaurant and foodservice competitors.geographic location:

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Kona Grill

Kona Grill is a bar-centric grill concept featuring American favorites, award-winning sushi, and specialty cocktails in the foreseeable future primarily through licensing agreements, provideda polished casual atmosphere. Kona Grill offers freshly prepared food and attentive service in an upscale, contemporary ambiance that creates an exceptional dining experience that we have sufficient interestbelieve exceeds many traditional casual dining restaurants. Menu items are prepared from prospective licensees, acceptable locationsscratch at each restaurant location, creating memorable flavor profiles that appeal to a wide range of customers. The diverse menu is complemented by a full-service bar offering a broad assortment of wines, craft cocktails, and quality restaurant managers available to support that pace of growth. From time to time, based on the quality of the opportunity and our current strategy, we may open one or more company-owned restaurants.

F&B Hospitality Services Business

beers. We believe that through our developmental and operational knowledge and know-how, we are able to provide comprehensive tailored food and beverage solutionsthe Kona Grill brand is complementary to our hospitality clients. other brands and enables us to capture market share in the Vibe Dining segment.

We operate 24 owned Kona Grill restaurants within the United States, and our Kona Grill restaurants average approximately 7,200 square feet. In 2020, the average restaurant revenues and average domestic check for the Kona Grill restaurants were $3.3 million and $32, respectively.

ONE Hospitality

Our fee-based hospitality food and beverage solutions include developing, managing and operating restaurants, bars, rooftops, pools, banqueting, catering, private dining rooms, room service and mini bars on a contract basis. Currently we are operating under fiveONE Hospitality platform is composed of our F&B hospitality management agreements with hotels, casinos, and casinos throughout the United Statesother high-end locations as well as our other brands and in Europe. Historically, our clients have provided the majority of the capital required for the development of the facilities we manage on their behalf. venue concepts, which are described below:

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Our F&B hospitality contracts generate revenues for us through management fees, which are typically calculated as a percentage of the operation’s revenues, as well asand we earn additional milestone and incentive fees based on the operation’s profitability. We typically target F&B hospitality service opportunities where we believe we can generate at least $500,000 to $750,000 of annual pre-tax income.

We expect our food and beverageF&B hospitality services business to be an important driver of our growth and profitability, going forward, enabling us to generate management fee income with minimal capital expenditures.

We believe we are well positioned to leverage the strength of our brands and the relationships we have developed with global hospitality providers to drive the continued growth of our F&B hospitality business model.business. We continue to receive inbound inquiries regarding new opportunities globally, as well asand we continue to work with existing hospitality clients to identify and develop additional opportunities in their venues. Going forward, weWe expect to enter into one to two new F&B hospitality agreements annually.

Sourcing and Supply Chain

We seek to ensure consistent quality of thethat consistently high-quality food and beverages are served at all of our properties through the coordination and cooperation of our purchasing and culinary departments. All Our culinary and purchasing teams establish

product specifications are established on a global basis, by our culinary and purchasing teams, which are then disseminated to all locations through recipe books for all dishes served at our properties.

We maintain consistent high quality, pricing standards and procedures for all top volumetop-volume purchases at our restaurants. Suppliers are selected and pricing is negotiated on a national level in each country where one or more of our restaurants operate. We test new suppliers on a regional basis for an extended period prior to utilizingbefore using them on a national basis. We periodically review supplier consistency and satisfaction with our location chefs and continually research and evaluate products and supplies to ensure the meat, seafood and other menu ingredients that we purchase comply with our high qualityhigh-quality specifications. We also utilize purchasing software at some of our locations to facilitate a true bidding process on local purchases. In markets where we havedo not instituteduse this software, we require local chefs to seek bids from multiple suppliers to ensure competitive pricing. We believe we have strong relationships with national and regional foodservice distributors who can continue to supply us with our products on a consistent basis. Products are shipped directly to the restaurants from our suppliers.

Our corporate beverage program imposes guidelines for ordering beverage products at our properties. BeverageWe provide beverage managers at each location are provided with national guidelines for standardized products. We utilize a third-party company to conduct beverage inventory and cost reviews. Our concepts emphasize the bar as a driver of activity in the restaurants and in 2017,2020, the sale of alcoholic beverages accounted for approximately 34%25% of restaurant revenues.

On a company-wide basis, no supplier of food accounts for more than 30% of our total food and beverage purchases and no brand of alcohol accounts for more than 25% of suchour alcohol purchases. We believe that our food and beverage supplies are available from a significant number of alternate suppliers and that the loss of a supplier would not have a material adverse effect on our costs of supplies.

Advertising and Marketing

The primary focus of our advertising and marketing is to increase awareness of our brands and our overall reputation for quality, service and delivering a high-energy experience. Our marketing efforts are designed to strengthen our brand recognition in markets where we currently operate and to create brand awareness in new markets prior tobefore opening a new location. We use digital/social media channels, targeted local media such as magazines, billboards and other out of homeout-of-home advertising, and a strong internal public relations team to increase the frequency with which our existing customers visit our facilitiesrestaurants and to attract new customers. We conduct frequent promotional programs tailored to the city, brand and clientele of each location. The primary focus of our marketing is to increase awareness of our brand and our overall reputation for quality, service and delivering a high-energy experience. For example, our “Not Your Daddy’s Steakhouse” branding campaign for STK is integrated into marketing communications including digital, radio, print and outdoor advertisement. Additional marketing functions include the use of our website, www.togrp.com,websites, www.STKsteakhouse.com and www.KonaGrill.com, to facilitate online reservations, to-go/delivery orders and gift card sales to drive revenue.

Competition

The restaurant and hospitality industries are intensely competitive with respect to price, quality of service, location, ambiance of facilities and type and quality of food. We experience competition from a variety of sources, such asincluding upscale steakhouse chains such as Del Frisco’s, FlemingsFleming’s, Mastro’s and The Capital Grille, as well as local upscale steakhouses.steakhouses and polished casual chains, such as Brio Tuscan Grille, The Cheesecake Factory, P.F. Chang’s and Yard House. There is also competition from other upscale and high-energyVibe Dining restaurants such as Nobu, Lavo and Lavo, as well asTao and other high-end hospitality services companies such as the Gerber Group, Lettuce Entertain You and EsquaredESquared Hospitality. To the extent that we operate lounges and similar venues in hotels and resorts, we are subject to our host venues being able to compete effectively in attracting customers who would frequent our establishments.

Seasonality

Our business is subject to fluctuations due to seasonality and adverse weather. Because of the seasonality of the business and the industry, results for any quarter are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be achieved for any other quarter or the full calendar year. Typically, our second and fourth quarters have higher sales volume than other quarters of the year.

Intellectual Property

Our rights in our registered and unregistered intellectual property, including trademarks and service marks, are significant to our business. We are the owners ofown the U.S. federal registration rights to the “STK,” “Cucina Asellina”“Kona Grill,” and “Asellina” marks, as well as several related word marks and design marks related to our brands. We depend on registered and unregistered trademarks and service marks to maintain the identity of our locations. We license the rights to use certain trademarks we own or license to our licensees in connection with their operations. We also own several other trademarks and service marks. It is our policy to defend our marks against encroachment by others.

Employees

Human Capital Resources

As of December 31, 2017,2020, we employed 50 persons (inclusive of 7 in reservations and 6 in event planning) inapproximately 52 corporate employees within our corporate officeoffices and an aggregate of 103220 full-time, salaried employees at all of our locations. In addition, weWe rely on hourly-wage employees for kitchen staff, servers, bussers, runners, polishers, hosts, bartenders, barbacks, reservationists, administrative support, and interns. Average head countThe average headcount for employees in our domestic restaurants is 88.65. Combining full-time and part-time employees, we employ and manage approximately 2,0003,000 persons worldwide. We have never experienced a work stoppage, and none of our employees are not represented by a labor organization.

Our human capital objectives include attracting, developing, rewarding, and retaining our existing and new employees. We offer our employees online training courses and on-the-job training. Restaurant management trainees undergo training in order to understand all aspects of our restaurant operations. We provide our employees with cash-based performance bonuses. We also have an equity incentive compensation plan to provide certain management-level or other key employees with stock-based awards. We monitor our progress with metrics such as employee performance measures, turnover rates and restaurant customer surveys.

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The health and safety of our employees is our highest priority. In protecting our employees’ safety, we have invested in creating a safe work environment for our employees and guests by taking additional measures. We have increased cleaning protocols, implemented daily temperature screenings and health and safety checklists and provided additional personal protective equipment and cleaning supplies. For all employees, we require masks to be worn in all restaurants and offices where allowed by local law and provide regular communication regarding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, including health and safety protocols and procedures.

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Government Regulation

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Our operations are subject to extensive federal, state and local governmental regulation, including health, safety, labor, sanitation, building and fire agencies in the state, county, municipality or jurisdiction in which the restaurant is located. In certain states, our restaurants are subject to “dram shop” statutes, which generally provides a person injured by an intoxicated person the right to recover damages from an establishment that wrongfully served alcoholic beverages to the intoxicated person. We maintain the necessary restaurant, alcoholic beverage and retail licenses, permits and approvals. Federal and state labor laws govern our relationship with our employees and affect operating costs. The development and construction of additional restaurants are also subject to compliance with applicable zoning, land use and environmental regulations. A failure to comply with one or more regulations could result in the imposition of sanctions, including the closing of restaurants for an indeterminate period of time, fines or third partythird-party litigation.

Available Information

We are subject to the information requirements of the Exchange Act. We therefore file periodperiodic reports, proxy statements and other information with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). Such reports may be obtained by visiting the Public Reference Room of the SEC at 100F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549, or by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. In addition, the SEC maintains an internet site (www.sec.gov)(www.sec.gov) that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically.

Additionally, copies of our reports on Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K and any amendments to such reports are available for viewing and copying through our internet site (www.togrp.com)(www.togrp.com), free of charge, as soon as reasonably practicable after filing such material with, or furnishing it to, the SEC. We typically post information about us on our website under

the Investor Relations tab, including materials used at investor conferences. We do not incorporate any information found or accessible through our website into this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

We also make available on our website and in print to any stockholder who requests it, our Audit and Compensation CommitteesCommittee charters, as well as the Code of Conduct that applies to all directors, officers and associates of the company.Company. Amendments to these documents or waivers related to the Code of Conduct will be made available on our website as soon as reasonably practicable after their execution.

Item 1A. Risk Factors

RISK FACTORS

Ownership of our common stock involves certain risks. Holders of our common stock and prospective investors should carefully consider the following risks and other information contained in this document, including our historical financial statements and related notes included herein. The following risk factors could materially adversely affect our business, consolidated financial condition and results of operations. This could cause the trading price of our common stock to decline, perhaps significantly, and you may lose part or all of your investment. The risks and uncertainties below are all those that we have identified as material but may not be the only risks and uncertainties facing us. Our business is subject to general risks and uncertainties that affect many other companies, including overall economic and industry conditions.

Health and Safety

The outbreak of COVID-19 has, and will continue to, significantly affect our restaurant traffic and our business, financial condition and results of operations.

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The outbreak of COVID-19 and government actions to contain COVID-19 have materially and adversely affected our restaurant traffic and our business, and will continue to materially and adversely affect us for an extended period. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, in March 2020 government agencies declared a state of emergency in the U.S. and in foreign jurisdictions where we operate, and some government agencies restricted movement, required restaurant and bar closures, and advised people not to visit restaurants or bars. In some jurisdictions, people were instructed to stay at home to reduce the spread of COVID-19. In response to these conditions, we temporarily closed several restaurants and shifted operations at others to provide only take-out and delivery service. Although most of our restaurants have been allowed to open for outdoor dining or in-person dining they are subject to seating capacity restrictions to allow for social distancing.

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A prolonged occurrence and resurgence of COVID-19 cases may result in state or local governments implementing further guidelines, including travel restrictions, social distancing requirements and additional restrictions on the restaurant industry, including closures or partial closures. We are unable to predict how long the pandemic will last, what additional restrictions may be enacted, the extent to which our restaurants may be impacted if a significant number of our employees are diagnosed with COVID-19, or if an outbreak of COVID-19 is traced to one of our restaurants.

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We have made operational changes to adhere to government requirements on safety and sanitation in our restaurants. However, we cannot guarantee that changes to our operational policies and training will be effective to keep our employees and customers safe from COVID-19. COVID-19 may impact the willingness of customers to dine outside of the home. While it is not possible at this time to estimate the full impact that COVID-19 could have on our business going forward, the continued spread of the virus and the measures taken by governments or by us in response could adversely impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.

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In response to the challenging business environment, we obtained CARES Act Loans as described in Note 8 to our consolidated financial statements. At this time, we anticipate forgiveness of the entire amount of the CARES Act Loans; however, no assurance can be provided that we will obtain forgiveness of the CARES Act Loans in whole or in part.

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Health concerns arising from outbreaks of flu viruses or other diseases, or regional or global health pandemic could severely affect our business.

The United States and other countries have experienced, or may experience in the future, outbreaks of viruses, such as coronavirus, norovirus, Avian Flu or “SARS,” and H1N1 or “swine flu,” or other diseases such as bovine spongiform encephalopathy, commonly known as “mad cow disease.” If a virus is transmitted by human contact, our employees or customers may become infected, or may choose, or be advised, to avoid gathering in public places, any of which may adversely affect the guest traffic at our restaurants and the ability to adequately staff our restaurants, receive deliveries on a timely basis or perform functions at the corporate level. We also may be adversely affected if jurisdictions in which we have restaurants impose mandatory closures, seek voluntary closures or impose restrictions on operations. Even if such measures are not implemented and a virus or other disease does not spread significantly, the perceived risk of infection or significant health risk may adversely affect our business.

To the extent that a virus or disease is food-borne, or perceived to be food-borne, future outbreaks may adversely affect the price and availability of certain food products and cause our customers to eat less of a product. For example, health concerns relating to the consumption of beef or to specific events such as the outbreak of “mad cow disease” may adversely impact sales of our beef-related menu items. In addition, public concern over “avian flu” may cause fear about the consumption of chicken, eggs and other products derived from poultry. The inability to serve beef or poultry-based products would restrict our ability to provide a variety of menu items to our customers. If we change our menu in response to such concerns, we may lose customers who do not prefer the new menu, and we may not be able to sufficiently attract new customers to produce the revenue needed to restore the profitability of our restaurant operations. We also may generate different or additional competitors for our intended customers as a result of such a menu change and may not be able to successfully compete against such competitors.

Failure to protect food supplies and adhere to food safety standards could result in food borne illnesses and adversely affect our business.

Failure to protect our food supply or enforce food safety policies, such as proper food temperature and adherence to shelf life dates, could result in food-borne illnesses to our guests. Also, our reputation of providing high-quality food is an important factor in our guests choosing our restaurants. Whether or not traced to our restaurants or those of our competitors, instances of food borne illness or other food safety issues could reduce the demand for certain or all of our menu offerings. If any of our guest become ill from consuming our products, the affected restaurants may be forced to close and we may be subject to legal liability. An instance of food contamination from one of our restaurants or suppliers could have far-reaching effects, as the contamination, or the perception of contamination could affect any or all of our restaurants. Publicity related to either product contamination, recalls, or food-borne illness, including Bovine-Spongiform Encephalopathy, which is also known as BSE or mad cow disease, aphthous fever, which is also known as hoof and mouth disease, and hepatitis A, listeria, salmonella and e-coli may also injure our brand and may affect the selection of our restaurants by our guests or licensees based on fear of such illnesses. In addition, the occurrence of food-borne illnesses or food safety issues could also adversely affect the price and availability of affected ingredients, which could result in disruptions in our supply chain and/or lower margins for us and our licensees.

Economic Conditions and Competition

Our business is dependent on discretionary spending patterns, business travel and overall general economic conditions.

We together with the rest of the restaurant industry, depend on consumer discretionary spending, business travel and the overall economic environment. Disruptions in the overall economy, including recessions, high unemployment, foreclosures, bankruptcies and other economic impacts, could affect consumers’ ability and willingness to spend discretionary dollars. Reductions in business travel and dining, which we believe accounts for a majority of our weekday revenues at our hotel-based restaurants and food and beverage services operations, would adversely affect our revenues. Reductions in discretionary income and spending also would also impact our casino-based restaurants and food and beverage services operations. If uncertain economic conditions were to persist for an extended period of time or worsen, consumers might make long-lasting changes to their discretionary spending behavior, including dining out less frequently. Adverse changes in consumer discretionary spending could be affected by many different factors that are out of our control, including international, national and local economic conditions, any of which could harm our business prospects, financial condition, operating results and cash flows.

Continued uncertainty in or a worsening of the economy, generally or in a number of our markets, and our customers’ reactions to these trends could adversely affect our business and cause us to, among other things, reduce the number and frequency of new location openings, close locations and delay ourany re-modeling of existing locations. Our success will depend in part upon our ability to anticipate, identify and respond to changing economic and other conditions.

We have a limited number of venues in the cities whereand we operate multiple venues in some cities and are therefore sensitive to economic and other trends and developments in these cities.

We typically operate one to three venues in the cities where we operate. In the foreseeable future, we will continue to maintainhave a relatively small number of restaurants and F&B service locations.locations, and we operate multiple venues in some cities. We typically operate one to six venues in the cities where we operate. Accordingly, particularly in cities where we have multiple venues, our business is susceptible to adverse changes in these markets whether as a result of declining economic conditions, declining stock market performance, negative publicity, and changes in customer preferences or for other reasons, and any such adverse changes may have a disproportionate effect on our overall results of operations as compared to some of our competitors that may have less restaurant concentration.concentration or that do not operate in our markets. Any regional occurrences such as local labor strikes, natural disasters, prolonged inclement weather, acts of terrorism or other national emergencies, accidents, energy shortages, system failures or other unforeseen events in or around these cities could result in temporary or permanent closings of our venues, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations as a whole.

Unsuccessful implementation of any or all of the initiatives of our business strategy, including opening new restaurants and attracting new F&B hospitality service opportunities, could negatively impact our operations.

Our success depends in part on our ability to understand and satisfy the needs of our guests and licensees. Our key strategies are to:

Improving comparable location sales and restaurant-level margins depends in part on whether we are able to achieve revenue growth through increases in the average check and increases in customer traffic, and to further expand our private dining business at each location. We believe there are opportunities to increase the average check at our locations through selective introduction of higher priced items and increases in menu pricing. We also believe that expanding and enhancing our private dining capacity will also increase our location sales, as our private dining business typically has a higher average check and higher overall margins than regular dining room business. We believe select price increases have not historically adversely impacted customer traffic; however, we expect that there is a price level at which point customer traffic would be adversely affected. It is also possible that these changes could cause our sales volume to decrease. If we are not able to increase our sales at existing locations for any reason, our profitability and results of operations could be adversely affected.

One key element of our growth strategy is opening new restaurants and F&B hospitality services locations. We believe there are opportunities to open approximately four to seven new locations (restaurants and/or hospitality services operations) annually, with a focus on operating under licensing or management agreements (referred to as our “capital light strategy”). However, there can be no assurance that we will be able to open new restaurants or F&B hospitality services locations at the rate that we currently expect.

Our success in growing our business through the opening of new restaurants and F&B hospitality locations is dependent upon a number of factors, including our ability to: operate in markets that we are not familiar with, find suitable license and food and beverage partners, find suitable locations, reach acceptable lease terms, have adequate capital, find acceptable contractors, obtain licenses and permits, manage construction and development costs, recruit and train appropriate staff and properly manage the new venue. Unanticipated costs or delays in the development or construction of future restaurants could impede our ability to open new restaurants timely and cost effectively, which could have a negative impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Specifically, some of the factors that adversely affect the cost and time associated with the development and construction of our restaurants include: labor disputes, shortages of materials or skilled labor, adverse weather conditions, unforeseen engineering problems, environmental problems, construction or zoning problems, local government regulations, modifications in design, and other unanticipated increases in cost.

Additionally, our venues are expensive to build and we and our licensees incur significant capital and pre-opening expense. Our business and profitability may be adversely affected if the “ramp-up” period for a new location lasts longer than we expect or if the profitability of a new location dips after our initial “ramp-up” marketing program ends. New locations may not be profitable and their sales performance may not follow historical or projected patterns. If we are forced to close any new operations, we will incur losses for certain buildout costs as well as pre-opening expenses incurred in connection with opening such operations.

Competition in the restaurant industry is intense.

The restaurant and hospitality industry is intensely competitive with respect to price, quality of service, location, ambiance of facilities and type and quality of food. The industry is also characterized by the continual introduction of new concepts and is subject to rapidly changing consumer preferences, tastes, trends and eating and purchasing habits. Our success depends in part on our ability to anticipate and respond quickly to changing consumer preferences, as well asand other factors affecting the restaurant and hospitality industry, including new market entrants and demographic changes. Shifts in consumer preferences away from upscale steakhouses or beef in general, which are significant components of our concepts’ menus and appeal, whether as a result of economic, competitive or other factors, could adversely affect our business and results of operations.

A substantial number of national and regional restaurant chains, as well as independently owned restaurants, compete with us for customers, restaurant locations and qualified management and other restaurant staff. The principal competitors for our concepts are other upscale steakhouse chains such as Del Frisco’s, Mastro’s, Fleming’s, Prime Steakhouse and Wine BarMastro’s and The Capital Grille, and local upscale steakhouses as well as local upscale steakhouses.polished casual chains such as Brio Tuscan Grille, The Cheesecake Factory, P.F. Chang’s and Yard House. There is also competition from non-steak but upscale and high-energy restaurants, as well asand other high-end hospitality services companies and high-energy nightlife concepts. To the extent that our restaurants and F&B hospitality services operations are located in hotels, casinos, resorts and similar client locations, we are subject to competition in the broader lodging and hospitality markets that could draw potential customers away from our locations.

Some of our competitors have greater financial, marketing and operating resources than we do, have been in business longer, have greater name recognition and are better established in the markets where our restaurants and F&B hospitality services operations are located or where we may expand. In addition, improved product offerings in the fast casual segment of the restaurant industry, combined with the effects of negative economic conditions and other factors, may lead consumers to choose less expensive alternatives. Our inability to compete successfully with other restaurants, other F&B hospitality services operations and other segments of the industry may harm our ability to maintain acceptable levels of revenue growth, limit our development of new restaurants or concepts, or force us to close one or more of our restaurants or F&B hospitality services operations.

We may also need to evolve our concepts in order to compete with popular new restaurant or F&B hospitality services operation formats, concepts or trends that emerge from time to time, and we cannot provide any assurance that any changes we make to any of our concepts in response will be successful or not adversely affect our profitability.

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Strategy and Operations

Improving comparable location sales and restaurant-level margins depends in part on whether we are able to achieve revenue growth through increases in the average check and increases in customer traffic, and to further expand our private dining business at each location and delivery service business in markets where offered. We believe there are opportunities to increase the average check at our locations through selective introduction of higher priced items and increases in menu pricing. We also believe that expanding and enhancing our private dining capacity will also increase our location sales, as our private dining business typically has a higher average check and higher overall margins than regular dining room business. We believe that expanding the markets in which we offer third-party delivery services will also result in incremental sales. We believe select price increases have not historically adversely impacted customer traffic; however, we expect that there is a price level at which point customer traffic would be adversely affected. It is also possible that these changes could cause our sales volume to decrease. If we are not able to increase our sales at existing locations for any reason, our profitability and results of operations could be adversely affected.

One key element of our growth strategy is opening new restaurants and F&B hospitality services locations. We believe there are opportunities to open approximately six to eight new locations (restaurants and/or hospitality services operations) annually, with a focus on operating under licensing or management agreements (referred to as our “capital light strategy”). However, there can be no assurance that we will be able to open new restaurants or F&B hospitality services locations at the rate that we currently expect.

Our success in growing our business through the opening of new restaurants and F&B hospitality locations is dependent upon a number of factors, including our ability to: cost-effectively operate in markets that we are not familiar with, find suitable license and food and beverage partners, find suitable locations, reach acceptable lease terms, have adequate capital, find acceptable contractors, obtain licenses and permits, manage construction and development costs, recruit and train appropriate staff and properly manage the new venue. Unanticipated costs or delays in the development or construction of future restaurants could impede our ability to open new restaurants timely and cost-effectively, which could have a negative impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Specifically, some of the factors that adversely affect the cost and time associated with the development and construction of our restaurants include: labor disputes, shortages of materials or skilled labor, adverse weather conditions, unforeseen engineering problems, environmental problems, construction or zoning problems, local government regulations, modifications in design, and other unanticipated increases in cost.

Additionally, our venues are expensive to build, and we and management unit partners and our licensees incur significant capital and pre-opening expense. Our business and profitability may be adversely affected if the “ramp-up” period for a new location lasts longer than we expect or if the profitability of a new location dips after our initial “ramp-up” marketing program ends. New locations may not be profitable, and their sales performance may not follow historical or projected patterns. If we are forced to close any new operations, we will incur losses for certain buildout costs and pre-opening expenses incurred in connection with opening such operations.

We face a variety of risks associated with doing business with licensees.

We rely in part on our licensees and the manner in which they operate the STK restaurants to develop and promote our business. As of December 31, 2017,2020, we operated six licensed STK restaurants. In 2021, one of our licensees operated STK restaurants in Ibiza and Dubai and operate

permanently closed an STK Rooftoprestaurant in San Diego, CADubai as a result of COVID-19 and we are currently working with other licenseesthe decision to open additional restaurantsconsolidate operations into the remaining STK restaurant in Puerto Rico, Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Mexico. Dubai.

Our licensees are required to operate our restaurants according to the specific guidelines we set forth, which are essential to maintaining brand integrity and reputation, as well as in accordance with all laws and regulations applicable to us, and all laws and regulations applicable in the countries in which we operate. We provide training to these licensees to integrate them into our operating strategy and culture. However, since we do not have day-to-day control over all of these restaurants, we cannot give assurance that there will not be differences in product and service quality, operations, labor law enforcement, marketing or profitability or that there will be adherence to all of our guidelines and applicable laws. In addition, if our licensees fail to make investments necessary to maintain or improve the restaurants, guest preference for our brand could suffer. Our licensees are subject to business risks similar to those we face such as competition; customer acceptance; fluctuations in the cost, quality and availability of raw ingredients; increased labor costs; difficulty obtaining acceptable site leases; and difficulty obtaining proper financing. Failure of licensed restaurants to operate effectively could adversely affect our cash flows from those operations or have a negative impact on our reputation and our business.

The success of our licensed operations depends on our ability to establish and maintain good relationships with our licensees. The value of our brand and the rapport that we maintain with our licensees are important factors for potential licensees considering doing business with us. If we are unable to maintain good relationships with licensees, we may be unable to renew license agreements and opportunities for developing new relationships with additional licensees may be adversely affected. This, in turn, could have an adverse effect on our results of operations. Although we have developed criteria to evaluate and screen prospective developers and licensees, we cannot be certain that the developers and licensees we select will have the business acumen necessary to open and operate successful licensed venues restaurants in their licensing areas, or that the licensees, once selected, will be able to negotiate acceptable lease or purchase terms for prospective sites or to obtain the necessary approvals for such sites, or that financing will be available to construct and open new venues.

To the extent that our operations are located in hotels, casinos or similar destinations, our results of operations and growth are subject to the risks facing such venues.

Our ability to grow and realize profits from our operations in hotels, casinos and other branded or destination venues are dependent on the success of such venues’ business. We are subject to the actions and business decisions of our clients and third parties, in which we may have little or no influence in the overall operation of the applicable venue and such actions and decisions could have an adverse effect on our business and operations. For example, in 2015, a third party contractor working on an unrelated matter caused a sprinkler head to break, resulting in water damage resulting in the opening of one of our restaurants to be delayed.

We depend upon frequent deliveries of food, alcoholLabor and other supplies, which subjects us to the possible risks of shortages, interruptions and price fluctuations.Supplies

Our ability to maintain consistent quality throughout our locations depends in part upon our ability to acquire fresh products, including beef, seafood, quality produce and related items from reliable sources in accordance with our specifications. We currently purchase our food products from various suppliers. We have elected to purchase our beef from a limited number of suppliers. If there were any shortages, interruptions or significant price fluctuations in beef or seafood or if our suppliers were unable to perform adequately or fail to distribute products or supplies to our restaurants, or terminate or refuse to renew any contract with us, this could cause a short-term increase of our costs or cause us to remove certain items from our menu, increase the price of certain offerings or temporarily close a location, which could adversely affect our business and results of operations.

In addition, we purchase beer, wine and spirits from distributors who own the exclusive rights to sell such alcoholic beverage products in the geographic areas in which our locations reside. Our continued ability to purchase certain brands of alcoholic beverages depends upon maintaining our relationships with those distributors, of which there can be no assurance. In the event any of our alcohol beverage distributors cease to supply us, we may be forced to offer brands of alcoholic beverage which have less consumer appeal or that do not match our brand image, which could adversely affect our business and results of operations.

Increases in commodity prices would adversely affect our results of operations.

Our profitability depends in part on our ability to anticipate and react to changes in commodity costs, which have a substantial effect on our total costs. The purchase of beef typically represents approximately 33% of our food and beverage costs. The market for beef is subject to extreme price fluctuations due to seasonal shifts, climate conditions, the price of feed, industry demand, energy demand and other factors. We may enter into fixed price supply contracts or consider other risk management strategies with regard to our meat and other food costs to minimize the impact of potential price fluctuations. Our ability to forecast and manage our commodities could significantly affect our gross margins. Energy prices can also affect our operating results, as increased energy prices may cause increased transportation costs for beef and other commodities and supplies, as well as increased costs for the utilities required to run each location. Historically we have passed increased commodity and other costs on to our customers by increasing the prices of our menu items. While we believe these price increases have historically not affected customer traffic, there can be no assurance that additional price increases would not affect future customer traffic. If prices increase in the future and we are unable to anticipate or mitigate these increases, or if there are shortages for beef, our business and results of operations would be adversely affected.

Failure to protect food supplies and adhere to food safety standards could result in food borne illnesses and adversely affect our business.

We believe that food safety and reputation for quality is of significance to any company that, like us, operates in the restaurant industry. Food safety, including the prevention of tampering or contamination, is a focus of increased government regulatory initiatives at the local, state and federal levels.

Failure to protect our food supply or enforce food safety policies, such as proper food temperature and adherence to shelf life dates, could result in food-borne illnesses to our guests. Also, our reputation of providing high quality food is an important factor in our guests choosing our restaurants. Whether or not traced to our restaurants or those of our competitors, instances of food borne illness or other food safety issues could reduce the demand for certain or all of our menu offerings. If any of our guest become ill from consuming our products, the affected restaurants may be forced to close and we may be subject to legal liability. An instance of food contamination from one of our restaurants or suppliers could have far-reaching effects, as the contamination, or the perception of contamination could affect any or all of our restaurants. Publicity related to either product contamination, recalls, or food-borne illness, including Bovine-Spongiform Encephalopathy, which is also known as BSE or mad cow disease, aphthous fever, which is also known as hoof and mouth disease, as well as hepatitis A, listeria, salmonella and e-coli may also injure our brand and may affect the selection of our restaurants by our guests or licensees based on fear of such illnesses. In addition, the occurrence of food-borne illnesses or food safety issues could also adversely affect the price and availability of affected ingredients, which could result in disruptions in our supply chain and/or lower margins for us and our licensees.

We face the risk of adverse publicity in connection with our operations, including as a result of increased social media usage.

The quality of our food and our facilities are two of our competitive strengths. Therefore, adverse publicity, whether accurate or not, relating to food quality, public health concerns, illness, safety, injury or government or industry findings concerning our venues or those operated by others could negatively impact us. Any shifts in consumer preferences away from the kinds of food we offer, particularly beef, whether because of dietary or other health concerns or otherwise, would make our locations less appealing and could reduce customer traffic and/or impose practical limits on pricing.

The use of social media platforms allows individuals to access a broad audience of consumers and other interested persons. Consumers value readily available information concerning goods and services that they have or plan to purchase and may act on such information without further investigation or authentication. Many social media platforms immediately publish content from their subscribers and participants, often without filters or checks on the accuracy of the content posted. Information concerning our company may be posted on such platforms at any time. If customers perceive or experience a reduction in our food quality, service or ambiance or in any way believe we have failed to deliver a consistently positive experience, the opportunity to disseminate this information immediately is seemingly limitless and readily available. This information may be adverse to our interests or may be inaccurate, each of which may harm our performance, prospects or business.

We face the risk of litigation in connection with our operations.

We are, from time to time, the subject of complaints or litigation from our consumers alleging, among other things, illness, injury or other food quality, health or operational concerns. The inappropriate use of social media vehicles by our employees or customers could lead to litigation and result in negative publicity that could damage our reputation. In addition, third party and employee claims against us based on, among other things, alleged discrimination, harassment or wrongful termination, or labor code violations may divert financial and management resources that would otherwise be used to benefit our future performance. Regardless of whether any claims against us are valid or whether we are liable, claims may be expensive to defend and may divert time and money away from our operations. In addition, they may generate negative publicity, which could reduce customer traffic and sales. Although we maintain what we believe to be adequate levels of insurance commensurate with the nature and extent of our operations, insurance may not be available at all or in sufficient amounts to cover any liabilities with respect to these matters. A significant increase in the number of these claims or in the number of such claims that are successful could materially adversely affect our brand, financial condition or operating results. Like most employee practices liability insurance policies, our policy does not provide protection against hour and wage claims, and therefore litigation in the area could adversely impact our financial condition.

We occupy most of our restaurants and some of our food and beverage hospitality services locations under long-term non-cancelable leases under which we may remain obligated to perform even if we close those operations, and we may be unable to renew leases at the end of their terms.

Most of our restaurants and some of our food and beverage hospitality operations are currently located in premises that we lease. Many of our current leases are non-cancelable and typically have terms ranging from 10 to 15 years with renewal options for terms ranging from 1 to 5 years. We believe that future leases that we enter into will be on substantially similar terms. Fixed payments and/or minimum percentage rent payments under our operating leases and management agreements account for a significant portion of our operating expenses. This may increase our vulnerability to general adverse economic and industry conditions, limit our ability to obtain additional financing, and limit our flexibility in planning for or reacting to changes in our business.

We depend on cash flow from operations to pay our obligations and to fulfill our other cash needs. If our business does not generate sufficient cash flow from operating activities and sufficient funds are not otherwise available to us from borrowings under our term loan facility or other sources, we may not be able to meet our operating lease and management agreement obligations, grow our business, respond to competitive challenges or fund our other liquidity and capital needs, which could adversely affect our business and results of operations.

If we were to close or fail to open a restaurant or other venue at a location we lease, we would generally remain committed to perform our obligations under the applicable lease, which could include, among other things, payment of the base rent for the balance of the lease term. Our obligation to continue making rental payments and fulfilling other lease obligations in respect of leases for closed or unopened restaurants could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations. Alternatively, at the end of the lease term and any renewal period for a restaurant, we may be unable to renew the lease without substantial additional cost, if at all. If we cannot renew such a lease we may be forced to close or relocate a restaurant, which could subject us to construction and other costs and risks.

Additionally, negative effects on our existing and potential landlords due to the inaccessibility of credit and other unfavorable economic factors may adversely affect our business and results of operations. If our landlords are unable to obtain financing or remain in good standing under their existing financing arrangements, they may be unable to provide construction contributions or satisfy other lease covenants to us. If any landlord files for bankruptcy protection, the landlord may be able to reject our lease in the bankruptcy proceedings. While we would under some circumstances have the option to retain our rights under the lease, we could not compel the landlord to perform any of its obligations and would be left with damages (which are subject to collectability risk) as our sole recourse. Our development of new locations may also be adversely affected by the negative financial situations of potential developers, landlords and host sites. Such parties may delay or cancel development projects or renovations of existing projects due to the instability in the credit markets and recent declines in consumer spending. This could reduce the number of high-quality locations available that we would consider for our new operations or cause the quality of the sites in which the restaurants and food and beverage hospitality services operations are located to deteriorate. Any of these developments could have an adverse effect on our existing businesses or cause us to curtail new projects.

Our operations may be negatively impacted by seasonality, adverse weather conditions, natural disasters or acts of terror.

Our business is subject to seasonal fluctuations, adverse weather conditions and natural disasters that may at times affect the regions in which our restaurants and F&B hospitality services operations are located, regions that supply or produce food products for our restaurants, or locations of our distribution network. As a result of the seasonality of our business due to weather, holiday events and other factors, our quarterly results for any one quarter or fiscal year may not be indicative of results to be expected for any other quarter or for any year.

In addition, if adverse weather conditions or natural disasters such as fires and hurricanes affect our restaurants, we could experience closures, repair and restoration costs, food spoilage, and other significant reopening costs, any of which would adversely affect our business. For example, we believe that the poor weather conditions in the New York City area at the end of 2014 and the beginning of 2015, as well as Hurricane Irma in Florida in 2017, had a negative impact on our sales and results of operations. We could also experience shortages or delayed shipments at our restaurants if adverse weather or natural disasters affect our distribution network, which could adversely affect our restaurants and our business as a whole. Additionally, during periods of extreme temperatures (either hot or cold) or precipitation, we may experience a reduction in customer traffic, which could adversely affect our restaurants and our business as a whole. Weather conditions are impossible to predict as is the negative impact on our business that such conditions might cause. Catastrophic weather conditions are likely to affect the supply of and costs for food products. If we do not anticipate or react to changing food costs by adjusting our purchasing practices or menu prices, our operating margins would likely deteriorate.

Terrorism, including cyber-terrorism or efforts to tamper with food supplies, could have an adverse impact on our brand and results of operations.

Security breaches, loss of data and other disruptions could compromise sensitive information related to our business, prevent us from accessing critical information or expose us to liability, which could adversely affect our business and our reputation

We utilize information technology systems and networks to process, transmit and store electronic information in connection with our business activities. As the use of digital technologies has increased, cyber incidents, including deliberate attacks and attempts to gain unauthorized access to computer systems and networks, have increased in frequency and sophistication. These threats pose a risk to the security of our systems and networks and the confidentiality, availability and integrity of our data, all of which are vital to our operations and business strategy. There can be no assurance that we will be successful in preventing cyber-attacks or successfully mitigating their effects.

We estimate that approximately 75% our sales are by credit or debit cards. Other restaurants and retailers have experienced security breaches in which credit and debit card information has been stolen. We may in the future become subject to claims for purportedly fraudulent transactions arising out of the actual or alleged theft of credit or debit card information, and we may also be subject to lawsuits or other proceedings relating to these types of incidents. Further, in 2015, the major credit card networks shifted the liability associated with EMV (Europay/Mastercard/Visa) chip card technology to the merchants. With this liability shift, any restaurant or merchant that is not using an approved chip-and-pin point-of-sale device would be liable for counterfeit or fraudulent charges (aka chargebacks).

The majority of our sales are by credit or debit cards, and other restaurants and retailers have experienced security breaches in which such information has been stolen. Additionally, in 2015, the major credit card networks shifted the liability associated with EMV (Europay/Mastercard/Visa) chip card technology to the merchants; with this shift, any restaurant or merchant that is not using an approved chip and pin point of sale device could become liable for counterfeit or fraudulent charges, or chargebacks. Despite the implementation of security measures (such as the employment of internal resources and external consultants to conduct auditing and testing for weaknesses in our informational technology environment), our internal computer systems and those of our contract research organizations and other contractors and consultants are vulnerable to damage or disruption from hacking, computer viruses, software bugs, unauthorized access or disclosure, natural disasters, terrorism, war, and telecommunication, equipment and electrical failures. In addition, there can be no assurance that we will promptly detect any such disruption or security breach, if at all. Unauthorized access, loss or dissemination could disrupt our operations, including our ability to conduct research and development activities, process and prepare company financial information, and manage various general and administrative aspects of our business. To the extent that any such disruption or security breach results in a loss of or damage to our data or applications, or inappropriate disclosure or theft of confidential, proprietary or personal information, we could incur liability, suffer reputational damage or poor financial performance or become the subject of regulatory actions by state, federal or non-US authorities, any of which could adversely affect our business.

We are subject to numerous and changing U.S. federal and foreign government regulations. Failure to comply with or substantial changes in government regulations could negatively affect our sales, increase our costs or result in fines or other penalties against us.

Each of our venues is subject to licensing and regulation by the health, sanitation, safety, labor, building environmental (including but not limited to disposal, pollution, and the presence of hazardous substances) and fire agencies of the respective states, counties, cities, and municipalities in which it is located, as well as under federal law. These regulations govern the preparation and sale of food, the sale of alcoholic beverages, the sale and use of tobacco, zoning and building codes, land use and employee, health, sanitation and safety matters. Alcoholic beverage control regulations govern various aspects of our locations’ daily operations, including the minimum age of patrons and employees, hours of operation, advertising, wholesale purchasing and inventory control, handling and storage.  Typically, our locations’ licenses to sell alcoholic beverages must be renewed annually and may be suspended or revoked at any time for cause. A failure to comply with one or more regulations could result in the imposition of sanctions, including the closing of facilities for an indeterminate period of time, or third party litigation, any of which could have a material adverse effect on us and our results of operations.

Government regulation can also affect customer traffic at our locations. A number of states, counties and cities have enacted menu labeling laws requiring multi-unit restaurant operators to disclose certain nutritional information. For example, despite judicial and congressional challenges to certain aspects of the Affordable Care Act (the “ACA”), the ACA currently establishes a uniform, federal requirement for restaurant chains with 20 or more locations operating under the same trade name and offering substantially the same menus to post nutritional information on their menus, including the total number of calories. The law also requires such restaurants to provide to consumers, upon request, a written summary of detailed nutritional information, including total calories and calories from fat, total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, total carbohydrates, complex carbohydrates, sugars, dietary fiber, and total protein in each serving size or other unit of measure, for each standard menu item. The Food and Drug Administration is also permitted to require additional nutrient disclosures, such as trans-fat content. We are not currently subject to requirements to post nutritional information on our menus or in our locations though there can be no assurance that we will not become subject to these requirements in the future. Our compliance with the Affordable Care Act or other similar laws to which we may become subject could reduce demand for our menu offerings, reduce customer traffic and/or reduce average revenue per customer, which would have an adverse effect on our revenue. Any reduction in customer traffic related to these or other government regulations could affect revenues and adversely affect our business and results of operations.

Our foreign operations are subject to all of the same risks as our domestic restaurants and food and beverage hospitality services operations, as well as additional risks including, among others, international economic and political conditions and the possibility of instability and unrest, differing cultures and consumer preferences, diverse government regulations and tax systems, the ability to source fresh ingredients and other commodities in a cost-effective manner and the availability of experienced management.

We are subject to governmental regulation throughout the world, including, without limitation, antitrust and tax requirements, anti-boycott regulations, import/export/customs regulations and other international trade regulations, the USA PATRIOT Act and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Any new regulatory or trade initiatives could impact our operations in certain countries. Failure to comply with any such legal requirements could subject us to monetary liabilities and other sanctions, which could harm our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Changes to wage, immigration and labor laws could increase our costs substantially.

Under the minimum wage laws in most domestic jurisdictions, we are permitted to pay certain hourly employees a wage that is less than the base minimum wage for general employees because these employees receive tips as a substantial part of their income. As of December 31, 2017,2020, approximately 32%30% of our employees earn this lower minimum wage in their respective locations since tips constitute a substantial part of their income. If cities, states or the federal government change their laws to require all employees to be paid the general employee minimum base wage regardless of supplemental tip income, our labor costs would increase substantially. Certain states in which we operate restaurants also have adopted or are considering adopting minimum wage statutes that exceed the federal minimum wage. We may be unable or unwilling to increase our prices in order to pass these increased labor costs on to our customers, in which case, our business and results of operations could be adversely affected.

A restaurant company employer may claim a credit against the company’s federal income taxes for FICA taxes paid on certain tip wages (the “FICA tip credit”). We utilize the federal FICA tip credit to reduce our periodic federal income tax expense. Changes in the tax law could reduce or eliminate the FICA tip credit, which could negatively impact our results of operations and cash flows in future periods.

Further, the U.S. Congress and Department of Homeland Security may implement changes to federal immigration laws, regulations or enforcement programs. Some of these changes may increase our obligations for compliance and oversight, which could subject us to additional costs and make our hiring process more cumbersome, or reduce the availability of potential employees. Even if we operate our restaurants in strict compliance with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and state requirements, some of our employees may not meet federal work eligibility or residency requirements, which could lead to a disruption in our work force. Although we require all of our new employees to provide us with the government-specified documentation evidencing their employment eligibility, some of our employees may, without our knowledge, be unauthorized workers. Unauthorized workers are subject to seizure and deportation and may subject us to fines, penalties or loss of our business license in certain jurisdictions. Additionally, a government audit could result in a disruption to our workforce or adverse publicity that could negatively impact our brand and our use of E-Verify and/or potential for receipt of letters from the Social Security Administration requesting information (commonly referred to as no-match letters) could make it more difficult to recruit and/or retain qualified employees.

Potential changes in labor laws or increased union recruiting activities could result in portions of our workforce being subjected to greater organized labor influence. Although we do not currently have any unionized employees, labor legislation could have an adverse effect on our business and financial results by imposing requirements that could potentially increase our costs, reduce our flexibility and impact our ability to service our customers. In addition, a labor dispute involving some or all of our employees could harm our reputation, disrupt our operations and reduce our revenues and resolution of disputes may increase our costs.

The loss of key personnel or difficulties recruiting and retaining qualified personnel could adversely affect our business and financial results.