UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 OR 15(d)
of The Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): November 3, 2021
BJ’S RESTAURANTS, INC.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
| California | 0-21423 | 33-0485615 | ||
| (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation) | (Commission File Number) | (IRS Employer Identification No.) |
7755 Center Avenue Suite 300 Huntington Beach, California | 92647 | |
| (Address of principal executive offices) | (Zip Code) |
Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (714) 500-2400
(Former name or former address, if changed since last report.)
Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:
☐ Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)
☐ Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)
☐ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))
☐ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of Each Class | Trading Symbol | Name of each exchange | ||
| Common Stock, No Par Value | BJRI | NASDAQ Global Select Market |
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (17 CFR §230.405) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (17 CFR §240.12b-2).
Emerging growth company ☐
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐
Item 1.01 Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement
Effective November 3, 2021, BJ’s Restaurants, Inc. (the “Company”) entered into a Fourth Amended and Restated Credit Agreement (the “Credit Agreement”) with Bank of America, N.A. (“BofA”) (as the Administrative Agent, an L/C Issuer and a Lender), JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (as an L/C Issuer and a Lender), certain other parties as Lenders, and BofA Securities, Inc. (as sole Lead Arranger and sole Bookrunner), pursuant to which the Company amended and restated its existing revolving line of credit (the “Line of Credit”) to improve the pricing, extend the maturity date, change the interest reference rate, eliminate certain financial covenants and conditions, and reset other financial covenants starting with the fourth quarter of 2021.
A general description of the amended Line of Credit, as evidenced by the Credit Agreement, is set forth below. Such description does not purport to be complete and is subject to, and qualified in its entirety by, the full text of the Credit Agreement, attached hereto as Exhibit 10.1.
The Line of Credit remains in the original principal amount of up to $215,000,000 and may be increased up to $315,000,000 at the Company’s request, with the consent of the Administrative Agent and the agreement of one or more Lenders, and upon satisfaction of certain criteria. The Line of Credit continues to be guaranteed by the Company’s subsidiaries and continues to be secured by a pledge of the assets of the Company and its subsidiaries, subject to the exclusions of certain assets such as all real property interests. The Line of Credit may be used for working capital and other general corporate purposes.
Borrowings under the Line of Credit bear interest at an annual rate equal to either (a) the Bloomberg Short-Term Bank Yield Index rate (“BSBY”) plus a percentage not to exceed 2.00% (with a floor on BSBY of 0.00%), or (b) a percentage not to exceed 1.00% above a Base Rate equal to the highest of (i) the Federal Funds Rate plus 1/2 of 1%, (ii) BofA’s Prime Rate, (iii) the BSBY rate plus 1.00%, and (iv) 1.00%, in either case depending on the level of lease and debt obligations of the Company as compared to EBITDA and lease expenses.
Pursuant to the Credit Agreement, the Company will be required to pay certain customary fees and expenses associated with maintenance and use of the Line of Credit including letter of credit issuance fees and unused commitment fees. The Line of Credit expires, and all borrowings thereunder must be repaid on or before, November 3, 2026.
Certain financial covenants and other terms under the Company’s prior Credit Agreement have been revised. In particular, the minimum liquidity covenant has been eliminated; limits on capital expenditures have been lifted; the anti-cash hoarding condition has been removed; and the fixed charge coverage and total lease adjusted leverage ratios have returned to measuring performance based on the prior four quarters and reset to pre-pandemic levels starting in December 2021.
The Credit Agreement contains certain representations and warranties, affirmative and negative covenants and events of default that are customary for credit arrangements of this type, including covenants which restrict or limit the Company’s ability to, among other things, create liens, borrow money (other than purchase money indebtedness and trade credit, lease obligations incurred in the ordinary course, and similar ordinary course liabilities), make dividends, and engage in mergers, consolidations, significant asset sales, stock repurchases and certain other transactions.
Item 2.03 Creation of a Direct Financial Obligation or an Obligation under an Off-Balance Sheet Arrangement of a Registrant
See disclosure contained in Item 1.01 above which is incorporated herein by this reference.
Item 9.01 Exhibits
| Exhibit No. | Description | |
| 10.1 | Fourth Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated November 3, 2021, among the Company and Bank of America, N.A. and the other lenders identified therein | |
| 104 | Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document) | |
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
| November 8, 2021 | BJ’S RESTAURANTS, INC. (Registrant) | |||||
| By: | /s/ GREGORY S. LEVIN | |||||
Gregory S. Levin, | ||||||
Chief Executive Officer and President | ||||||
| By: | /s/ THOMAS A. HOUDEK | |||||
Thomas A. Houdeck, | ||||||
Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer | ||||||