TravelCenters of America (TA) 10-Q 4 Nov 20 2020 Q3 Quarterly report Financial data

Cover Page

Cover Page - shares	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020	Nov. 03, 2020
Entity Information [Line Items]
Document Type	10-Q
Document Quarterly Report	true
Document Period End Date	Sep. 30, 2020
Document Transition Report	false
Entity File Number	001-33274
Entity Registrant Name	TravelCenters of America Inc. /MD/
Entity Incorporation, State or Country Code	MD
Entity Tax Identification Number	20-5701514
Entity Address, Address Line One	24601 Center Ridge Road
Entity Address, City or Town	Westlake
Entity Address, State or Province	OH
Entity Address, Postal Zip Code	44145-5639
City Area Code	440
Local Phone Number	808-9100
Title of 12(b) Security	Shares of Common Stock, $0.001 Par Value Per Share
Trading Symbol	TA
Security Exchange Name	NASDAQ
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Interactive Data Current	Yes
Entity Filer Category	Accelerated Filer
Entity Small Business	true
Entity Emerging Growth Company	false
Entity Shell Company	false
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		14,395,489
Entity Central Index Key	0001378453
Amendment Flag	false
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2020
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q3
8.25% Senior Notes due 2028
Entity Information [Line Items]
Title of 12(b) Security	8.25% Senior Notes due 2028
Trading Symbol	TANNI
Security Exchange Name	NASDAQ
8.00% Senior Notes due 2029
Entity Information [Line Items]
Title of 12(b) Security	8.00% Senior Notes due 2029
Trading Symbol	TANNL
Security Exchange Name	NASDAQ
8.00% Senior Notes due 2030
Entity Information [Line Items]
Title of 12(b) Security	8.00% Senior Notes due 2030
Trading Symbol	TANNZ
Security Exchange Name	NASDAQ

Consolidated Balance Sheets (Un

Consolidated Balance Sheets (Unaudited) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 280,442	$ 17,206
Accounts receivable (net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $1,375 and $1,083 as of September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively)	113,628	173,496
Inventory	160,913	196,611
Other current assets	29,304	32,456
Total current assets	584,287	419,769
Property and equipment, net	821,208	868,503
Operating lease assets	1,760,914	1,817,998
Goodwill	22,213	25,259
Intangible assets, net	19,060	20,707
Other noncurrent assets	81,859	78,659
Total assets	3,289,541	3,230,895
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable	155,494	147,440
Current operating lease liabilities	110,769	104,070
Other current liabilities	174,154	138,455
Total current liabilities	440,417	389,965
Long term debt, net	338,001	329,321
Noncurrent operating lease liabilities	1,798,500	1,880,188
Other noncurrent liabilities	65,737	58,885
Total liabilities	2,642,655	2,658,359
Stockholders' equity:
Common stock, $0.001 par value, 216,000 and 16,000 shares of common stock authorized as of September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively, and 14,396 and 8,307 shares of common stock issued and outstanding as of September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively	14	8
Additional paid-in capital	780,557	698,402
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	(190)	(172)
Accumulated deficit	(135,017)	(127,185)
Total TA stockholders' equity	645,364	571,053
Noncontrolling interest	1,522	1,483
Total stockholders' equity	646,886	572,536
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity	$ 3,289,541	$ 3,230,895

Consolidated Statements of Oper

Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Loss) (Unaudited) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019
Revenues:
Total revenues	$ 1,269,924	$ 1,570,492	$ 3,559,375	$ 4,595,148
Cost of goods sold (excluding depreciation):
Total cost of goods sold	899,871	1,192,807	2,503,025	3,497,816
Site level operating expense	221,864	241,740	655,950	709,105
Selling, general and administrative expense	32,967	40,178	108,171	116,850
Real estate rent expense	65,226	63,911	191,893	194,094
Depreciation and amortization expense	32,299	24,146	89,113	72,118
Income from operations	17,697	7,710	11,223	5,165
Interest expense, net	7,375	7,048	22,064	21,262
Other expense (income), net	233	(60)	1,109	370
Income (loss) before income taxes	10,089	722	(11,950)	(16,467)
(Provision) benefit for income taxes	(1,432)	1,150	4,222	6,819
Net income (loss)	8,657	1,872	(7,728)	(9,648)
Less: net income for noncontrolling interest	52	40	104	89
Net income (loss) attributable to common stockholders	8,605	1,832	(7,832)	(9,737)
Other comprehensive (loss) income, net of taxes:
Foreign currency (loss) gain, net of taxes of $27, $(14), $(33) and $37, respectively	0	(8)	(18)	38
Interest in equity investee's unrealized (losses) gains on investments	0	(46)	0	91
Other comprehensive (loss) income attributable to common stockholders	0	(54)	(18)	129
Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to common stockholders	$ 8,605	$ 1,778	$ (7,850)	$ (9,608)
Net income (loss) per share of common stock attributable to common stockholders:
Basic and diluted (in USD per share)	$ 0.61	$ 0.23	$ (0.76)	$ (1.20)
Fuel
Revenues:
Total revenues	$ 791,880	$ 1,074,680	$ 2,244,219	$ 3,175,492
Cost of goods sold (excluding depreciation):
Total cost of goods sold	711,757	995,222	1,990,241	2,944,465
Nonfuel
Revenues:
Total revenues	474,097	492,089	1,304,674	1,409,045
Cost of goods sold (excluding depreciation):
Total cost of goods sold	188,114	197,585	512,784	553,351
Rent and royalties from franchisees
Revenues:
Total revenues	$ 3,947	$ 3,723	$ 10,482	$ 10,611

Consolidated Statements of Cash

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (Unaudited) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019
Cash flows from operating activities:
Net loss	$ (7,728)	$ (9,648)
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash provided by operating activities:
Noncash rent credits, net	(15,827)	(14,233)
Depreciation and amortization expense	89,113	72,118
Deferred income tax benefit	(3,045)	(5,660)
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Accounts receivable	59,238	(36,615)
Inventory	35,684	1,534
Other assets	3,280	7,472
Accounts payable and other liabilities	43,807	74,027
Other, net	9,050	3,277
Net cash provided by operating activities	213,572	92,272
Cash flows from investing activities:
Acquisitions of travel centers from SVC	0	(309,637)
Capital expenditures	(36,795)	(63,157)
Proceeds from asset sales	1,270	880
Other, net	(1,864)	(1,500)
Net cash used in investing activities	(37,389)	(373,414)
Cash flows from financing activities:
Proceeds from underwritten public equity offering	79,985	0
West Greenwich Loan borrowings	16,600	0
Payments on Credit Facility	(7,900)	0
Distributions to noncontrolling interest	(65)	(105)
Other	(1,589)	(658)
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities	87,031	(763)
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash	22	64
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents	263,236	(281,841)
Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the period	17,206	314,387
Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the period	280,442	32,546
Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information:
Interest paid, net of capitalized interest	21,353	20,896
Income taxes (received) paid	$ (56)	$ 145

Consolidated Statements of Stoc

Consolidated Statements of Stockholders' Equity (Unaudited) - USD ($) shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	Total	Common Stock	Additional Paid-In Capital	Accumulated Other Comprehensive (Loss) Income	Accumulated Deficit	Accumulated DeficitCumulative effect, period of adoption, adjustment	Treasury Stock	Total TA Stockholders' Equity	Noncontrolling Interest
Beginning balance (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2018		8,080
Beginning balance at Dec. 31, 2018	$ 450,392	$ 8	$ 695,307	$ 355	$ (246,773)		$ 0	$ 448,897	$ 1,495
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Grants under share award plan and stock based compensation, net (in shares)		5
Grants under share award plan and stock based compensation, net	2,237	$ 0						2,237
Grants under share award plan and stock based compensation, net			2,251
Grants under share award plan and stock based compensation, net							(14)
Retirement of treasury stock	14						14	14
Distributions to noncontrolling interest	(105)								(105)
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of taxes	129			129				129
Cumulative effect of adoption of ASC 842, net of taxes	86,243				86,243			86,243
Net income (loss)	(9,648)				(9,737)			(9,737)	89
Ending balance (in shares) at Sep. 30, 2019		8,085
Ending balance at Sep. 30, 2019	$ 529,262	$ 8	697,558	484	(170,267)	$ (170,267)	0	527,783	1,479
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Accounting Standards Update [Extensible List]	us-gaap:AccountingStandardsUpdate201602Member
Beginning balance (in shares) at Jun. 30, 2019		8,087
Beginning balance at Jun. 30, 2019	$ 526,764	$ 8	696,878	538	(172,099)		0	525,325	1,439
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Grants under share award plan and stock based compensation, net (in shares)		(2)
Grants under share award plan and stock based compensation, net	668	$ 0						668
Grants under share award plan and stock based compensation, net			680
Grants under share award plan and stock based compensation, net							(12)
Retirement of treasury stock	12						12	12
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of taxes	(54)			(54)				(54)
Net income (loss)	1,872				1,832			1,832	40
Ending balance (in shares) at Sep. 30, 2019		8,085
Ending balance at Sep. 30, 2019	$ 529,262	$ 8	697,558	484	(170,267)	$ (170,267)	0	527,783	1,479
Beginning balance (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2019	8,307	8,307
Beginning balance at Dec. 31, 2019	$ 572,536	$ 8	698,402	(172)	(127,185)		0	571,053	1,483
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Grants under share award plan and stock based compensation, net (in shares)		(11)
Grants under share award plan and stock based compensation, net	2,176	$ 0						2,176
Grants under share award plan and stock based compensation, net			2,176
Proceeds from underwritten public equity offering (in shares)		6,100
Proceeds from underwritten public equity offering	79,985	$ 6	79,979					79,985
Distributions to noncontrolling interest	(65)								(65)
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of taxes	(18)			(18)				(18)
Net income (loss)	$ (7,728)				(7,832)			(7,832)	104
Ending balance (in shares) at Sep. 30, 2020	14,396	14,396
Ending balance at Sep. 30, 2020	$ 646,886	$ 14	780,557	(190)	(135,017)		0	645,364	1,522
Beginning balance (in shares) at Jun. 30, 2020		8,298
Beginning balance at Jun. 30, 2020	558,285	$ 8	700,619	(190)	(143,622)		0	556,815	1,470
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Grants under share award plan and stock based compensation, net (in shares)		(2)
Grants under share award plan and stock based compensation, net	(41)	$ 0						(41)
Grants under share award plan and stock based compensation, net			(41)
Proceeds from underwritten public equity offering (in shares)		6,100
Proceeds from underwritten public equity offering	79,985	$ 6	79,979					79,985
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of taxes	0
Net income (loss)	$ 8,657				8,605			8,605	52
Ending balance (in shares) at Sep. 30, 2020	14,396	14,396
Ending balance at Sep. 30, 2020	$ 646,886	$ 14	$ 780,557	$ (190)	$ (135,017)		$ 0	$ 645,364	$ 1,522

Consolidated Balance Sheets (_2

Consolidated Balance Sheets (Unaudited) (Parenthetical) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Statement of Financial Position [Abstract]
Allowance for doubtful accounts	$ 1,375	$ 1,083
Common stock, par value (in USD per share)	$ 0.001	$ 0.001
Common stock, shares authorized (in shares)	216,000,000	16,000,000
Common stock, shares issued (in shares)	14,396,000	8,307,000
Common stock, shares outstanding (in shares)	14,396,000	8,307,000

Consolidated Statements of Op_2

Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Loss) (Unaudited) (Parenthetical) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019
Income Statement [Abstract]
Foreign currency (loss) gain, taxes	$ 27	$ (14)	$ (33)	$ 37

Business Description and Basis

Business Description and Basis of Presentation	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Business Description and Basis of Presentation	Business Description and Basis of Presentation TravelCenters of America Inc. is a Maryland corporation. As of September 30, 2020, we operated or franchised 314 travel centers, standalone truck service facilities and standalone restaurants. Our customers include trucking fleets and their drivers, independent truck drivers, highway and local motorists and casual diners. We also collect rents, royalties and other fees from our tenants and franchisees. As of September 30, 2020, our business included 270 travel centers in 44 states in the United States and the province of Ontario, Canada, primarily along the U.S. interstate highway system, operated primarily under the "TravelCenters of America," "TA," "TA Express," "Petro Stopping Centers" and "Petro" brand names. Of these travel centers, we owned 51, we leased 181, we operated two for a joint venture in which we owned a noncontrolling interest and 36 were owned or leased from others by our franchisees. We operated 232 of our travel centers and franchisees operated 38 travel centers, including two we leased to franchisees. Our travel centers offer a broad range of products and services, including diesel fuel and gasoline, as well as nonfuel products and services such as truck repair and maintenance services, diesel exhaust fluid, full service restaurants, quick service restaurants and various customer amenities. As of September 30, 2020, our business included three standalone truck service facilities operated under the "TA Truck Service" brand name. Of these standalone truck service facilities, we leased two and owned one. Our standalone truck service facilities offer extensive maintenance and emergency repair and roadside services to large trucks. As of September 30, 2020, our business included 41 standalone restaurants in 12 states in the United States operated primarily under the "Quaker Steak & Lube," or QSL, brand name. Of these standalone restaurants, we operated 14 restaurants (four we owned, eight we leased, one we operated for one of our franchisees and one we operated for a joint venture in which we owned a noncontrolling interest) and 27 were owned by or leased from others and operated by our franchisees. We manage our business as one segment. We make specific disclosures concerning fuel and nonfuel products and services because they facilitate our discussion of trends and operational initiatives within our business and industry. We have a single travel center located in a foreign country, Canada, that we do not consider material to our operations. The accompanying consolidated financial statements are unaudited. These unaudited interim financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, or GAAP, applicable for interim financial statements. The disclosures presented do not include all the information necessary for complete financial statements in accordance with GAAP. These unaudited interim financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes contained in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019, or our Annual Report. In the opinion of our management, the accompanying consolidated financial statements include all adjustments, including normal recurring adjustments, considered necessary for a fair presentation. All intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated. While our revenues are modestly seasonal, the quarterly variations in our operating results may reflect greater seasonal differences because our rent expense and certain other costs do not vary seasonally. For this and other reasons, our operating results for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for a full year. Fair Value Measurement Senior Notes We collectively refer to our $110,000 of 8.25% Senior Notes due 2028, our $120,000 of 8.00% Senior Notes due 2029 and our $100,000 of 8.00% Senior Notes due 2030 as our Senior Notes, which are our senior unsecured obligations. We estimate that, based on their trading prices (a Level 1 input), the aggregate fair value of our Senior Notes on September 30, 2020, was $335,736. Intangible Assets and Definite Lived Assets Impairment In March 2020, COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization, and the U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary declared a public health emergency in the United States in response to the outbreak. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on our operations, we assessed our indefinite and definite lived intangible assets and our definite lived assets for potential indicators of impairment as of September 30, 2020. For information about our impairment assessment of goodwill, please refer to Note 4 of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, or this Quarterly Report. Indefinite lived intangible assets were assessed for potential indicators of impairment by assessing certain trends and factors, including actual sales, discount rates and other relevant qualitative factors. These trends and factors were compared to, and based on, the assumptions used in the most recent quantitative assessment. Definite lived intangible assets were assessed using a qualitative analysis that was performed by assessing certain trends and factors, including actual sales, collection of royalties from franchisees, any changes in the manner in which the assets were used that could impact the values of the assets and whether a revision to the remaining period of amortization was required. Based on our analyses, we concluded that as of September 30, 2020, the fair value of our indefinite and definite lived intangible assets more likely than not exceeded the carrying value. However, we are unable to predict the duration and severity of the COVID-19 pandemic and as a result, we are unable to determine what the ultimate impact will be on our financial results and financial position. We will continue to closely monitor the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the fair value of our intangible assets and definite lived assets. Definite lived assets are reviewed for potential indicators of impairment during each reporting period at the individual location level because that is the lowest level of asset groupings for which cash flows are largely independent of cash flows of other asset groups. If indicators of impairment exist, we record an impairment charge to the extent that the carrying value of the asset grouping is not recoverable and exceeds the estimated fair value of the asset grouping. Our estimates of fair value are based on our estimates of likely market participant assumptions, including our current expectations for projected fuel sales volume, nonfuel revenues, fuel and nonfuel gross margins, site level operating expense and real estate rent expense. The discount rate is used to measure the present value of projected future cash flows and is set at a rate we believe is likely to be used by a market participant using a weighted average cost of capital method that considers market and industry data as well as our specific risk factors. The weighted average cost of capital is our estimate of the overall after tax rate of return required by equity and debt holders of a business enterprise. We use a number of assumptions and methods in preparing valuations underlying the impairment tests including estimates of future cash flows and discount rates, and in some instances we may obtain third party appraisals. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020, we recorded impairment charges aggregating $6,610 to our property and equipment and $1,262 to our operating lease assets related to certain continued low performing owned and leased standalone QSL restaurants, which were recognized in depreciation and amortization expense and real estate rent expense, respectively, in our consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income (loss) for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020. Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncement and Other Accounting Matters In August 2018, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Accounting Standards Update 2018-15, Intangibles - Goodwill and Other - Internal-Use Software , which aligns the accounting for capitalizing implementation costs incurred in a hosting arrangement that is a service contract with the accounting for implementation costs incurred to develop or obtain internal-use software. The capitalized implementation costs are to be amortized over the term of the contract. We adopted this standard on January 1, 2020, using the prospective transition method. The implementation of this update did not cause a material change to our consolidated financial statements. On March 27, 2020, the United States enacted the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, or the CARES Act, as a response to the economic uncertainty resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, which, among other things, included several temporary changes to corporate income tax provisions. The CARES Act did not have a material impact on our (provision) benefit for income taxes for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020. We will continue to assess the effect, if any, the CARES Act will have on our income taxes.

Revenues

Revenues	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020
Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]
Revenues	Revenues We recognize revenues based on the consideration specified in the contract with the customer, excluding any sales incentives (such as customer loyalty programs and customer rebates) and amounts collected on behalf of third parties (such as sales and excise taxes). The majority of our revenues are generated at the point of sale in our retail locations. Revenues consist of fuel revenues, nonfuel revenues and rents and royalties from franchisees. Disaggregation of Revenues We disaggregate our revenues based on the type of good or service provided to the customer, or by fuel revenues and nonfuel revenues, in our consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income (loss). Nonfuel revenues disaggregated by type of good or service for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, were as follows: Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended 2020 2019 2020 2019 Nonfuel revenues: Truck service $ 189,630 $ 186,430 $ 504,584 $ 521,056 Store and retail services 179,517 173,033 489,575 500,830 Restaurant 77,665 109,129 233,369 317,139 Diesel exhaust fluid 27,285 23,497 77,146 70,020 Total nonfuel revenues $ 474,097 $ 492,089 $ 1,304,674 $ 1,409,045 Contract Liabilities Our contract liabilities, which are presented in our consolidated balance sheets in other current and other noncurrent liabilities, primarily include deferred revenues related to our customer loyalty programs, gift cards, rebates payable to customers and other deferred revenues. The following table shows the changes in our contract liabilities between periods. Customer Other Total December 31, 2018 $ 15,490 $ 3,470 $ 18,960 Increases due to unsatisfied performance obligations arising during the period 103,228 12,982 116,210 Revenues recognized from satisfied performance obligations during the period (90,462) (10,519) (100,981) Other (10,263) (1,111) (11,374) December 31, 2019 17,993 4,822 22,815 Increases due to unsatisfied performance obligations arising during the period 83,637 11,678 95,315 Revenues recognized from satisfied performance obligations during the period (70,553) (9,540) (80,093) Other (9,020) (437) (9,457) September 30, 2020 $ 22,057 $ 6,523 $ 28,580 As of September 30, 2020, we expect the unsatisfied performance obligations relating to our customer loyalty programs will be satisfied within 12 months.

Stockholders' Equity

Stockholders' Equity	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020
Stockholders' Equity Note [Abstract]
Stockholders' Equity	Stockholders' Equity On June 22, 2020, we amended our Articles of Incorporation to increase our authorized shares of common stock from 16,000 to 216,000. Underwritten Public Equity Offering On July 6, 2020, we received net proceeds of $79,985, after $291 of offering costs and $5,124 of underwriting discounts and commissions, from the sale and issuance of 6,100 shares of common stock in an underwritten public equity offering. We intend to use the net proceeds from this offering to fund deferred maintenance and other capital expenditures necessary to enhance property conditions and implement growth initiatives, for working capital and for general corporate purposes. Net Income (Loss) Per Share of Common Stock Attributable to Common Stockholders The following table presents a reconciliation of net income (loss) attributable to common stockholders to net income (loss) available to common stockholders and the related earnings per share of common stock for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019. Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended 2020 2019 2020 2019 Net income (loss) attributable to common stockholders $ 8,605 $ 1,832 $ (7,832) $ (9,737) Less: net income (loss) attributable to participating securities 175 70 (273) (377) Net income (loss) available to common stockholders $ 8,430 $ 1,762 $ (7,559) $ (9,360) Weighted average shares of common stock (1) 13,779 7,777 9,890 7,770 Basic and diluted net income (loss) per share of common stock attributable to common stockholders $ 0.61 $ 0.23 $ (0.76) $ (1.20) (1) Excludes unvested shares of common stock awarded under our share award plans, which shares of common stock are considered participating securities because they participate equally in earnings and losses with all of our other shares of common stock. The weighted average number of unvested shares of common stock outstanding for the three months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, was 286 and 309, respectively. The weighted average number of unvested shares of common stock outstanding for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, was 358 and 313, respectively.

Goodwill

Goodwill	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020
Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
Goodwill	Goodwill As of September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, our goodwill balance consisted of the following: September 30, December 31, Travel centers business $ 22,213 $ 22,213 QSL business — 3,046 Total $ 22,213 $ 25,259 Goodwill Impairment Goodwill is tested for impairment annually as of July 31, or more frequently if the circumstances warrant, at the reporting unit level. We have two reporting units, travel centers and the QSL reporting unit. During the three months ended June 30, 2020, we evaluated our travel centers and QSL reporting units for potential indicators of impairment, which included evaluating financial trends and industry and market conditions and assessing the reasonableness of the assumptions used in the most recent quantitative analysis. Based on our analyses, we determined that the decline in site level gross margin in excess of site level operating expense for our QSL reporting unit for the three months ended June 30, 2020, as compared to the three months ended June 30, 2019, in conjunction with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, were indicators of impairment. Accordingly, we performed an impairment assessment of the goodwill in our QSL reporting unit as of May 31, 2020, using the same quantitative analysis approach that we historically followed for our goodwill impairment assessments. Based on the assessment performed, we recorded a goodwill impairment charge of $3,046, which was recognized in depreciation and amortization expense in our consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive income (loss) for the nine months ended September 30, 2020. Impairment testing for the travel center reporting unit for 2020 was performed using a quantitative analysis under which the fair value of our reporting unit was estimated using both an income approach and a market approach. The income approach considered discounted forecasted cash flows that were based on our long term operating plan. A terminal value was used to estimate the cash flows beyond the period covered by the operating plan. The discount rate is an estimate of the overall after tax market rate of return we believe may be required by equity and debt holders of a business enterprise. The market approach considered the estimated fair values of possible comparable publicly traded companies. For each comparable publicly traded company, value indicators, or pricing multiples, were considered to estimate the value of our business enterprise. However, due to the lack of comparable publicly traded companies within the travel center industry, we relied solely on the fair value estimated under the income approach. These analyses require the exercise of significant judgments, including judgments about appropriate discount rates, perpetual growth rates and the timing of expected future cash flows, including revenue growth rates and operating cash flow margins, of the respective reporting unit. For the travel centers reporting unit, we determined a discount rate and perpetual growth rate of 10.5% and 2.5%, respectively, was appropriate as of July 31, 2020. The fair value estimates are sensitive and actual rates and results may differ materially. Applying different assumptions could lead to different results. Based on our analyses, we concluded that as of July 31, 2020, our goodwill was not impaired. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our operations was included in our analyses. However, we are unable to predict the duration and severity of the COVID-19 pandemic and as a result, we are unable to determine what the ultimate impact will be on our financial results and financial position. We will continue to closely monitor the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the fair value of our travel centers reporting unit.

Leasing Transactions

Leasing Transactions	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020
Leases [Abstract]
Leasing Transactions, As a Lessee	Leasing Transactions As a Lessee We have lease agreements covering many of our properties, as well as various equipment, with the most significant leases being our five leases with Service Properties Trust, or SVC, which are further described below. Certain of our leases include renewal options, and certain leases include escalation clauses and purchase options. Renewal periods are included in calculating our operating lease assets and liabilities when they are reasonably certain. Leases with an initial term of 12 months or less are not recognized in our consolidated balance sheets. As of September 30, 2020, our SVC Leases (as defined below), the leases covering our other properties and most of our equipment leases were classified as operating leases and certain of our other equipment leases were classified as finance leases. As of September 30, 2020, our finance lease assets and liabilities were immaterial to our consolidated financial statements. Finance lease assets were included in other noncurrent assets, with the corresponding current and noncurrent finance lease liabilities included in other current liabilities and other noncurrent liabilities, respectively, in our consolidated balance sheet. Certain of our operating leases provide for variable lease costs, which primarily include percentage rent and our obligation for the estimated cost of removing underground storage tanks under the SVC Leases. Our lease costs are included in various balances in our consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income (loss), as shown in the following table. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, our lease costs consisted of the following: Classification in our Consolidated Three Months Ended 2020 2019 Operating lease costs: SVC Leases Real estate rent expense $ 59,500 $ 59,410 Operating lease costs: other Real estate rent expense 4,182 2,781 Variable lease costs: SVC Leases Real estate rent expense 1,372 1,575 Variable lease costs: other Real estate rent expense 172 145 Total real estate rent expense 65,226 63,911 Operating lease costs: equipment and other Site level operating expense and selling, general and administrative expense 881 930 Short-term lease costs Site level operating expense and selling, general and administrative expense 390 710 Amortization of finance lease assets Depreciation and amortization expense 79 — Interest on finance lease liabilities Interest expense, net 32 — Sublease income Nonfuel revenues (542) (532) Net lease costs $ 66,066 $ 65,019 Classification in our Consolidated Nine Months Ended 2020 2019 Operating lease costs: SVC Leases Real estate rent expense $ 178,499 $ 180,954 Operating lease costs: other Real estate rent expense 9,859 8,257 Variable lease costs: SVC Leases Real estate rent expense 3,073 4,461 Variable lease costs: other Real estate rent expense 462 422 Total real estate rent expense 191,893 194,094 Operating lease costs: equipment and other Site level operating expense and selling, general and administrative expense 2,797 2,147 Short-term lease costs Site level operating expense and selling, general and administrative expense 1,340 2,255 Amortization of finance lease assets Depreciation and amortization expense 79 — Interest on finance lease liabilities Interest expense, net 32 — Sublease income Nonfuel revenues (1,565) (1,687) Net lease costs $ 194,576 $ 196,809 Maturities of our operating lease liabilities that had remaining noncancelable lease terms in excess of one year as of September 30, 2020, were as follows: SVC Leases (1) Other Total Years ended December 31: 2020 $ 67,861 $ 1,711 $ 69,572 2021 270,799 6,414 277,213 2022 268,936 5,054 273,990 2023 255,344 3,050 258,394 2024 251,150 1,721 252,871 Thereafter 2,034,504 7,484 2,041,988 Total operating lease payments 3,148,594 25,434 3,174,028 Less: present value discount (2) (1,260,157) (4,602) (1,264,759) Present value of operating lease liabilities $ 1,888,437 $ 20,832 $ 1,909,269 (1) Includes rent for properties we sublease from SVC and pay directly to SVC's landlords. (2) The discount rate used to derive the present value of unpaid lease payments is based on the rates implicit in the SVC Leases and our incremental borrowing rate for all other leases. The weighted average remaining lease term for our operating leases as of September 30, 2020, was approximately 12 years. Our weighted average discount rate for our operating leases as of September 30, 2020, was approximately 9.1%. During the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, we paid $207,720 and $208,327, respectively, for amounts that had been included in the measurement of our operating lease liabilities. As of September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, our operating lease assets and liabilities consisted of the following: September 30, December 31, Operating lease assets: SVC Leases $ 1,743,246 $ 1,796,406 Other 17,668 21,592 Total operating lease assets $ 1,760,914 $ 1,817,998 Current operating lease liabilities: SVC Leases $ 105,066 $ 98,574 Other 5,703 5,496 Total current operating lease liabilities $ 110,769 $ 104,070 Noncurrent operating lease liabilities: SVC Leases $ 1,783,371 $ 1,862,060 Other 15,129 18,128 Total noncurrent operating lease liabilities $ 1,798,500 $ 1,880,188 Leasing Agreements with SVC. As of September 30, 2020, we leased from SVC a total of 179 properties under five leases, four of which we refer to as the TA Leases and one of which we refer to as the Petro Lease, and which we refer to collectively as the SVC Leases. In January 2019, we entered into agreements, or the Transaction Agreements, with SVC pursuant to which: • We purchased 20 travel center properties from SVC, which we previously leased from SVC, for a total acquisition cost of $309,637, including $1,437 of transaction related costs. • Upon completing the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Agreements, these travel centers were removed from the SVC Leases and our annual minimum rent due to SVC was reduced by $43,148. • The term of each SVC Lease was extended by three years. • Commencing on April 1, 2019, we began to pay SVC 16 quarterly installments of approximately $4,404 each (an aggregate of $70,458) to fully satisfy and discharge our $150,000 deferred rent obligation to SVC that otherwise would have become due in five installments between 2024 and 2030. • Commencing on January 1, 2020, we are obligated to pay to SVC an additional amount of percentage rent equal to one-half percent (0.5%) of the excess of our annual nonfuel revenues at leased sites over the nonfuel revenues for each respective site for the year ending December 31, 2019. • Certain of the 179 travel center properties that we continue to lease from SVC were reallocated among the SVC Leases. As a result of the Transaction Agreements, our operating lease assets and liabilities each increased by $23,673. In addition, the purchase of the 20 travel center properties resulted in the derecognition of certain operating lease assets and liabilities. In addition to the payment of annual minimum rent, the SVC Leases provide for payment to SVC of percentage rent, calculated at 3.5% (which includes the 0.5% that was added pursuant to the Transaction Agreements) of the increase in total nonfuel revenues at each property over base year levels. The percentage rent amounts due were $893 and $1,020 for the three months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively, and $1,742 and $3,047 for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively. We recognized total real estate rent expense under the SVC Leases of $60,872 and $60,985 for the three months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively, and $181,572 and $185,415 for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively. Pursuant to the SVC Leases, we may request that SVC purchase qualifying capital improvements we make at the leased travel centers in return for increased annual minimum rent. We did not sell to SVC any improvements we made to properties leased from SVC for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019. At September 30, 2020, our property and equipment balance included $51,621 of improvements of the type that qualify for sale to SVC for an increase in annual minimum rent; however, we may elect not to sell some or all of those improvements and SVC is not obligated to purchase these improvements. We paid $4,404 of deferred rent to SVC for the three months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, and $13,211 and $8,807 for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively. The total amount of deferred rent outstanding as of September 30, 2020, was $44,036. Pursuant to our rent deferral agreement with SVC, deferred rent shall be accelerated and interest shall begin to accrue thereon at 1.0% per month on the deferred rent amounts if certain events occur, including: our default under the SVC Leases; a change of control of us, as defined in the deferral agreement; or our declaration or payment of a dividend or other distribution in respect of our common stock. As permitted by the SVC Leases, we sublease a portion of certain travel centers to third parties to operate other retail operations. These subleases are classified as operating leases. We recognized sublease rental income of $542 and $532 for the three months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively, and $1,565 and $1,687 for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively. As a Lessor We leased two travel centers to franchisees as of September 30, 2020 and 2019. These two lease agreements expire in June 2022. These leases include rent escalations that are contingent on future events, namely inflation or our investing in capital improvements at these travel centers. Rent revenues from these operating leases totaled $584 and $572 for the three months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively, and $1,728 and $1,722 for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively. Future minimum lease payments due to us for the two leased sites under these operating leases as of September 30, 2020, were $584 for the remainder of 2020, $2,336 for the year 2021 and $1,168 for the year 2022. See above for information regarding certain travel centers that we leased from SVC in which we sublease a portion of the travel centers to third parties to operate other retail operations.
Leasing Transactions, As a Lessor	Leasing Transactions As a Lessee We have lease agreements covering many of our properties, as well as various equipment, with the most significant leases being our five leases with Service Properties Trust, or SVC, which are further described below. Certain of our leases include renewal options, and certain leases include escalation clauses and purchase options. Renewal periods are included in calculating our operating lease assets and liabilities when they are reasonably certain. Leases with an initial term of 12 months or less are not recognized in our consolidated balance sheets. As of September 30, 2020, our SVC Leases (as defined below), the leases covering our other properties and most of our equipment leases were classified as operating leases and certain of our other equipment leases were classified as finance leases. As of September 30, 2020, our finance lease assets and liabilities were immaterial to our consolidated financial statements. Finance lease assets were included in other noncurrent assets, with the corresponding current and noncurrent finance lease liabilities included in other current liabilities and other noncurrent liabilities, respectively, in our consolidated balance sheet. Certain of our operating leases provide for variable lease costs, which primarily include percentage rent and our obligation for the estimated cost of removing underground storage tanks under the SVC Leases. Our lease costs are included in various balances in our consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income (loss), as shown in the following table. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, our lease costs consisted of the following: Classification in our Consolidated Three Months Ended 2020 2019 Operating lease costs: SVC Leases Real estate rent expense $ 59,500 $ 59,410 Operating lease costs: other Real estate rent expense 4,182 2,781 Variable lease costs: SVC Leases Real estate rent expense 1,372 1,575 Variable lease costs: other Real estate rent expense 172 145 Total real estate rent expense 65,226 63,911 Operating lease costs: equipment and other Site level operating expense and selling, general and administrative expense 881 930 Short-term lease costs Site level operating expense and selling, general and administrative expense 390 710 Amortization of finance lease assets Depreciation and amortization expense 79 — Interest on finance lease liabilities Interest expense, net 32 — Sublease income Nonfuel revenues (542) (532) Net lease costs $ 66,066 $ 65,019 Classification in our Consolidated Nine Months Ended 2020 2019 Operating lease costs: SVC Leases Real estate rent expense $ 178,499 $ 180,954 Operating lease costs: other Real estate rent expense 9,859 8,257 Variable lease costs: SVC Leases Real estate rent expense 3,073 4,461 Variable lease costs: other Real estate rent expense 462 422 Total real estate rent expense 191,893 194,094 Operating lease costs: equipment and other Site level operating expense and selling, general and administrative expense 2,797 2,147 Short-term lease costs Site level operating expense and selling, general and administrative expense 1,340 2,255 Amortization of finance lease assets Depreciation and amortization expense 79 — Interest on finance lease liabilities Interest expense, net 32 — Sublease income Nonfuel revenues (1,565) (1,687) Net lease costs $ 194,576 $ 196,809 Maturities of our operating lease liabilities that had remaining noncancelable lease terms in excess of one year as of September 30, 2020, were as follows: SVC Leases (1) Other Total Years ended December 31: 2020 $ 67,861 $ 1,711 $ 69,572 2021 270,799 6,414 277,213 2022 268,936 5,054 273,990 2023 255,344 3,050 258,394 2024 251,150 1,721 252,871 Thereafter 2,034,504 7,484 2,041,988 Total operating lease payments 3,148,594 25,434 3,174,028 Less: present value discount (2) (1,260,157) (4,602) (1,264,759) Present value of operating lease liabilities $ 1,888,437 $ 20,832 $ 1,909,269 (1) Includes rent for properties we sublease from SVC and pay directly to SVC's landlords. (2) The discount rate used to derive the present value of unpaid lease payments is based on the rates implicit in the SVC Leases and our incremental borrowing rate for all other leases. The weighted average remaining lease term for our operating leases as of September 30, 2020, was approximately 12 years. Our weighted average discount rate for our operating leases as of September 30, 2020, was approximately 9.1%. During the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, we paid $207,720 and $208,327, respectively, for amounts that had been included in the measurement of our operating lease liabilities. As of September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, our operating lease assets and liabilities consisted of the following: September 30, December 31, Operating lease assets: SVC Leases $ 1,743,246 $ 1,796,406 Other 17,668 21,592 Total operating lease assets $ 1,760,914 $ 1,817,998 Current operating lease liabilities: SVC Leases $ 105,066 $ 98,574 Other 5,703 5,496 Total current operating lease liabilities $ 110,769 $ 104,070 Noncurrent operating lease liabilities: SVC Leases $ 1,783,371 $ 1,862,060 Other 15,129 18,128 Total noncurrent operating lease liabilities $ 1,798,500 $ 1,880,188 Leasing Agreements with SVC. As of September 30, 2020, we leased from SVC a total of 179 properties under five leases, four of which we refer to as the TA Leases and one of which we refer to as the Petro Lease, and which we refer to collectively as the SVC Leases. In January 2019, we entered into agreements, or the Transaction Agreements, with SVC pursuant to which: • We purchased 20 travel center properties from SVC, which we previously leased from SVC, for a total acquisition cost of $309,637, including $1,437 of transaction related costs. • Upon completing the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Agreements, these travel centers were removed from the SVC Leases and our annual minimum rent due to SVC was reduced by $43,148. • The term of each SVC Lease was extended by three years. • Commencing on April 1, 2019, we began to pay SVC 16 quarterly installments of approximately $4,404 each (an aggregate of $70,458) to fully satisfy and discharge our $150,000 deferred rent obligation to SVC that otherwise would have become due in five installments between 2024 and 2030. • Commencing on January 1, 2020, we are obligated to pay to SVC an additional amount of percentage rent equal to one-half percent (0.5%) of the excess of our annual nonfuel revenues at leased sites over the nonfuel revenues for each respective site for the year ending December 31, 2019. • Certain of the 179 travel center properties that we continue to lease from SVC were reallocated among the SVC Leases. As a result of the Transaction Agreements, our operating lease assets and liabilities each increased by $23,673. In addition, the purchase of the 20 travel center properties resulted in the derecognition of certain operating lease assets and liabilities. In addition to the payment of annual minimum rent, the SVC Leases provide for payment to SVC of percentage rent, calculated at 3.5% (which includes the 0.5% that was added pursuant to the Transaction Agreements) of the increase in total nonfuel revenues at each property over base year levels. The percentage rent amounts due were $893 and $1,020 for the three months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively, and $1,742 and $3,047 for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively. We recognized total real estate rent expense under the SVC Leases of $60,872 and $60,985 for the three months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively, and $181,572 and $185,415 for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively. Pursuant to the SVC Leases, we may request that SVC purchase qualifying capital improvements we make at the leased travel centers in return for increased annual minimum rent. We did not sell to SVC any improvements we made to properties leased from SVC for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019. At September 30, 2020, our property and equipment balance included $51,621 of improvements of the type that qualify for sale to SVC for an increase in annual minimum rent; however, we may elect not to sell some or all of those improvements and SVC is not obligated to purchase these improvements. We paid $4,404 of deferred rent to SVC for the three months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, and $13,211 and $8,807 for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively. The total amount of deferred rent outstanding as of September 30, 2020, was $44,036. Pursuant to our rent deferral agreement with SVC, deferred rent shall be accelerated and interest shall begin to accrue thereon at 1.0% per month on the deferred rent amounts if certain events occur, including: our default under the SVC Leases; a change of control of us, as defined in the deferral agreement; or our declaration or payment of a dividend or other distribution in respect of our common stock. As permitted by the SVC Leases, we sublease a portion of certain travel centers to third parties to operate other retail operations. These subleases are classified as operating leases. We recognized sublease rental income of $542 and $532 for the three months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively, and $1,565 and $1,687 for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively. As a Lessor We leased two travel centers to franchisees as of September 30, 2020 and 2019. These two lease agreements expire in June 2022. These leases include rent escalations that are contingent on future events, namely inflation or our investing in capital improvements at these travel centers. Rent revenues from these operating leases totaled $584 and $572 for the three months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively, and $1,728 and $1,722 for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively. Future minimum lease payments due to us for the two leased sites under these operating leases as of September 30, 2020, were $584 for the remainder of 2020, $2,336 for the year 2021 and $1,168 for the year 2022. See above for information regarding certain travel centers that we leased from SVC in which we sublease a portion of the travel centers to third parties to operate other retail operations.

Long Term Debt

Long Term Debt	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
Long Term Debt	Long Term Debt As of September 30, 2020, our long term debt, net, consisted of our Senior Notes, the West Greenwich Loan, as defined below, and other long term debt. In addition, we have a revolving credit facility that as of September 30, 2020, had no borrowings outstanding. For more information about our long term debt, please refer to Note 8 to the Consolidated Financial Statements in our Annual Report. West Greenwich Loan On February 7, 2020, we entered into a 10 year term loan for $16,600 with The Washington Trust Company, or the West Greenwich Loan. The West Greenwich Loan is secured by a mortgage encumbering one of our travel centers located in West Greenwich, Rhode Island. The interest rate is fixed at 3.85% for five years based on the five year Federal Home Loan Bank rate plus 198 basis points, and will reset thereafter. The West Greenwich Loan requires us to make principal and interest payments monthly. We may, at our option with 60 days prior written notice, repay the loan in full prior to the end of the 10 year term plus, if repaid prior to February 7, 2023, a nominal penalty. As a result of entering into the West Greenwich Loan, we capitalized $353 of deferred financing costs during the nine months ended September 30, 2020, which was presented as a reduction of long term debt, net in our consolidated balance sheet.

Business Management Agreement w

Business Management Agreement with RMR	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Business Management Agreement with RMR	Related Party Transactions We have relationships and historical and continuing transactions with SVC, RMR and others related to them, including other companies to which RMR or its subsidiaries provide management services and some of which have directors, trustees or officers who are also our Directors or officers. RMR is a majority owned subsidiary of The RMR Group Inc. The Chair of our Board of Directors and one of our Managing Directors, Adam D. Portnoy, as the sole trustee of ABP Trust, is the controlling shareholder of The RMR Group Inc. and is a managing director and the president and chief executive officer of The RMR Group Inc. and an officer and employee of RMR. Jonathan M. Pertchik, our other Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, also serves as an officer and employee of RMR. Certain of our other officers and SVC's officers also serve as officers and employees of RMR. Some of our Independent Directors also serve as independent trustees or independent directors of other public companies to which RMR or its subsidiaries provide management services. Mr. Portnoy serves as chair of the boards of trustees or boards of directors of several of these public companies and as a managing director or managing trustee of these public companies. Other officers of RMR, including certain of our officers, serve as managing trustees, managing directors or officers of certain of these companies. As of September 30, 2020, Adam D. Portnoy beneficially owned 622 shares of our common stock (including indirectly through RMR), representing approximately 4.3% of our outstanding shares of common stock. This amount includes 219 shares of our common stock that RMR purchased in our underwritten public equity offering in July 2020 at the public offering price of $14 per share and 105 shares of our common stock that RMR purchased from Andrew J. Rebholz, our former Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, pursuant to a right of first refusal. Relationship with SVC We are SVC's largest tenant and SVC is our principal landlord and one of our largest stockholders. As of September 30, 2020, SVC owned 1,185 shares of our common stock, representing approximately 8.2% of our outstanding shares of common stock, which amount includes 501 shares of our common stock that SVC purchased in our underwritten public equity offering in July 2020 at the public offering price of $14 per share. As of September 30, 2020, we leased from SVC a total of 179 travel center properties under the SVC Leases. We have also engaged in other transactions with SVC, including in connection with the Transaction Agreements. Please refer to Note 5 for more information about our relationship, agreements and transactions with SVC. RMR provides management services to both us and SVC, and Mr. Portnoy also serves as a managing trustee and chair of the board of trustees of SVC. Relationship with AIC Until its dissolution on February 13, 2020, we, ABP Trust, SVC and four other companies to which RMR provides management services owned Affiliates Insurance Company, or AIC, an Indiana insurance company, in equal amounts. We and the other AIC shareholders historically participated in a combined property insurance program arranged and insured or reinsured in part by AIC. The policies under that program expired on June 30, 2019, and we and the other AIC shareholders elected not to renew the AIC property insurance program; we have instead purchased standalone property insurance coverage with unrelated third party insurance providers. As of September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, our investment in AIC had a carrying value of $12 and $298, respectively. These amounts are included in other noncurrent assets in our consolidated balance sheets. In June 2020, we received approximately $286 in connection with AIC's dissolution. We recognized income of $83 and $617 related to our investment in AIC for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019, respectively, which was included in other expense (income), net in our consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income (loss). Our other comprehensive (loss) income attributable to common stockholders for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019, included our proportionate share of unrealized losses and gains on fixed income securities held for sale, which were owned by AIC, related to our investment in AIC. For more information about these and other such relationships and certain other related party transactions, please refer to Notes 9, 13 and 14 to the Consolidated Financial Statements in our Annual Report. Retirement and Separation Agreements In December 2019, we and RMR entered into a retirement agreement with Mr. Rebholz. Pursuant to his retirement agreement, Mr. Rebholz continued to serve, through June 30, 2020, as a non-executive employee in order to assist in transitioning his duties and responsibilities to his successor. Under Mr. Rebholz’s retirement agreement, consistent with past practice, we paid Mr. Rebholz his current annual base salary of $300 until June 30, 2020, and we paid Mr. Rebholz a cash bonus in respect of 2019 in the amount of $1,000 in December 2019. Pursuant to the retirement agreement, after his retirement on June 30, 2020, we made an additional cash payment to Mr. Rebholz in the amount of $1,000 and fully accelerated the vesting of any unvested shares of our common stock previously awarded to Mr. Rebholz.
RMR Group LLC | Affiliated entity
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Business Management Agreement with RMR	Business Management Agreement with RMR The RMR Group LLC, or RMR, provides us certain services that we require to operate our business, and which relate to various aspects of our business. RMR provides these services pursuant to a business management agreement. Pursuant to the business management agreement, we incurred aggregate fees and certain cost reimbursements payable to RMR of $3,369 and $3,572 for the three months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively, and $9,513 and $9,983 for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively, which included reimbursements for our share of RMR's costs for providing internal audit services. These amounts are included in selling, general and administrative expense in our consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income (loss). For more information about our relationship with RMR, please refer to Note 8 of this Quarterly Report and Notes 13 and 14 to the Consolidated Financial Statements in our Annual Report.

Related Party Transactions

Related Party Transactions	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020
Related Party Transactions [Abstract]
Related Party Transactions	Related Party Transactions We have relationships and historical and continuing transactions with SVC, RMR and others related to them, including other companies to which RMR or its subsidiaries provide management services and some of which have directors, trustees or officers who are also our Directors or officers. RMR is a majority owned subsidiary of The RMR Group Inc. The Chair of our Board of Directors and one of our Managing Directors, Adam D. Portnoy, as the sole trustee of ABP Trust, is the controlling shareholder of The RMR Group Inc. and is a managing director and the president and chief executive officer of The RMR Group Inc. and an officer and employee of RMR. Jonathan M. Pertchik, our other Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, also serves as an officer and employee of RMR. Certain of our other officers and SVC's officers also serve as officers and employees of RMR. Some of our Independent Directors also serve as independent trustees or independent directors of other public companies to which RMR or its subsidiaries provide management services. Mr. Portnoy serves as chair of the boards of trustees or boards of directors of several of these public companies and as a managing director or managing trustee of these public companies. Other officers of RMR, including certain of our officers, serve as managing trustees, managing directors or officers of certain of these companies. As of September 30, 2020, Adam D. Portnoy beneficially owned 622 shares of our common stock (including indirectly through RMR), representing approximately 4.3% of our outstanding shares of common stock. This amount includes 219 shares of our common stock that RMR purchased in our underwritten public equity offering in July 2020 at the public offering price of $14 per share and 105 shares of our common stock that RMR purchased from Andrew J. Rebholz, our former Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, pursuant to a right of first refusal. Relationship with SVC We are SVC's largest tenant and SVC is our principal landlord and one of our largest stockholders. As of September 30, 2020, SVC owned 1,185 shares of our common stock, representing approximately 8.2% of our outstanding shares of common stock, which amount includes 501 shares of our common stock that SVC purchased in our underwritten public equity offering in July 2020 at the public offering price of $14 per share. As of September 30, 2020, we leased from SVC a total of 179 travel center properties under the SVC Leases. We have also engaged in other transactions with SVC, including in connection with the Transaction Agreements. Please refer to Note 5 for more information about our relationship, agreements and transactions with SVC. RMR provides management services to both us and SVC, and Mr. Portnoy also serves as a managing trustee and chair of the board of trustees of SVC. Relationship with AIC Until its dissolution on February 13, 2020, we, ABP Trust, SVC and four other companies to which RMR provides management services owned Affiliates Insurance Company, or AIC, an Indiana insurance company, in equal amounts. We and the other AIC shareholders historically participated in a combined property insurance program arranged and insured or reinsured in part by AIC. The policies under that program expired on June 30, 2019, and we and the other AIC shareholders elected not to renew the AIC property insurance program; we have instead purchased standalone property insurance coverage with unrelated third party insurance providers. As of September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, our investment in AIC had a carrying value of $12 and $298, respectively. These amounts are included in other noncurrent assets in our consolidated balance sheets. In June 2020, we received approximately $286 in connection with AIC's dissolution. We recognized income of $83 and $617 related to our investment in AIC for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019, respectively, which was included in other expense (income), net in our consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income (loss). Our other comprehensive (loss) income attributable to common stockholders for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019, included our proportionate share of unrealized losses and gains on fixed income securities held for sale, which were owned by AIC, related to our investment in AIC. For more information about these and other such relationships and certain other related party transactions, please refer to Notes 9, 13 and 14 to the Consolidated Financial Statements in our Annual Report. Retirement and Separation Agreements In December 2019, we and RMR entered into a retirement agreement with Mr. Rebholz. Pursuant to his retirement agreement, Mr. Rebholz continued to serve, through June 30, 2020, as a non-executive employee in order to assist in transitioning his duties and responsibilities to his successor. Under Mr. Rebholz’s retirement agreement, consistent with past practice, we paid Mr. Rebholz his current annual base salary of $300 until June 30, 2020, and we paid Mr. Rebholz a cash bonus in respect of 2019 in the amount of $1,000 in December 2019. Pursuant to the retirement agreement, after his retirement on June 30, 2020, we made an additional cash payment to Mr. Rebholz in the amount of $1,000 and fully accelerated the vesting of any unvested shares of our common stock previously awarded to Mr. Rebholz.

Contingencies

Contingencies	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Contingencies	Contingencies Environmental Contingencies Extensive environmental laws regulate our operations and properties. These laws may require us to investigate and clean up hazardous substances, including petroleum or natural gas products, released at our owned and leased properties. Governmental entities or third parties may hold us liable for property damage and personal injuries, and for investigation, remediation and monitoring costs incurred in connection with any contamination and regulatory compliance at our locations. We use both underground storage tanks and above ground storage tanks to store petroleum products, natural gas and other hazardous substances at our locations. We must comply with environmental laws regarding tank construction, integrity testing, leak detection and monitoring, overfill and spill control, release reporting and financial assurance for corrective action in the event of a release. At some locations we must also comply with environmental laws relative to vapor recovery or discharges to water. Under the terms of the SVC Leases, we generally have agreed to indemnify SVC for any environmental liabilities related to properties that we lease from SVC and we are required to pay all environmental related expenses incurred in the operation of the leased properties. We have entered into certain other arrangements in which we have agreed to indemnify third parties for environmental liabilities and expenses resulting from our operations. From time to time we have received, and in the future likely will receive, notices of alleged violations of environmental laws or otherwise have become or will become aware of the need to undertake corrective actions to comply with environmental laws at our locations. Investigatory and remedial actions were, and regularly are, undertaken with respect to releases of hazardous substances at our locations. In some cases we have received, and may receive in the future, contributions to partially offset our environmental costs from insurers, from state funds established for environmental clean up associated with the sale of petroleum products or from indemnitors who agreed to fund certain environmental related costs at locations purchased from those indemnitors. To the extent we incur material amounts for environmental matters for which we do not receive or expect to receive insurance or other third party reimbursement and for which we have not previously recorded a liability, our operating results may be materially adversely affected. In addition, to the extent we fail to comply with environmental laws and regulations, or we become subject to costs and requirements not similarly experienced by our competitors, our competitive position may be harmed. At September 30, 2020, we had an accrued liability of $2,779 for environmental matters as well as a receivable for expected recoveries of certain of these estimated future expenditures of $801, resulting in an estimated net amount of $1,978 that we expect to fund in the future. We cannot precisely know the ultimate costs we may incur in connection with currently known environmental related violations, corrective actions, investigation and remediation; however, we do not expect the costs for such matters to be material, individually or in the aggregate, to our financial position or results of operations. We currently have insurance of up to $20,000 per incident and up to $20,000 in the aggregate for certain environmental liabilities, subject, in each case, to certain limitations and deductibles, which expires in June 2021. However, we can provide no assurance that we will be able to maintain similar environmental insurance coverage in the future on acceptable terms. We cannot predict the ultimate effect changing circumstances and changing environmental laws may have on us in the future or the ultimate outcome of matters currently pending. We cannot be certain that contamination presently unknown to us does not exist at our sites, or that a material liability will not be imposed on us in the future. If we discover additional environmental issues, or if government agencies impose additional environmental requirements, increased environmental compliance or remediation expenditures may be required, which could have a material adverse effect on us. Legal Proceedings We are routinely involved in various legal and administrative proceedings incidental to the ordinary course of business, including commercial disputes, employment related claims, wage and hour claims, premises liability claims and tax audits among others. We do not expect that any litigation or administrative proceedings in which we are presently involved, or of which we are aware, will have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

Inventory

Inventory	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020
Inventory Disclosure [Abstract]
Inventory	Inventory Inventory as of September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, consisted of the following: September 30, December 31, Nonfuel products $ 139,577 $ 161,560 Fuel products 21,336 35,051 Total inventory $ 160,913 $ 196,611

Reorganization Costs

Reorganization Costs	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020
Restructuring and Related Activities [Abstract]
Reorganization Costs	Reorganization Costs On April 30, 2020, we committed to and initiated a reorganization plan, or the Reorganization Plan, to improve the efficiency of our operations. As part of the Reorganization Plan, we reduced our headcount and eliminated certain positions. On April 30, 2020, the Reorganization Plan was communicated to those employees impacted. The costs of the Reorganization Plan were $4,288, which were comprised primarily of severance, outplacement services, stock based compensation expense associated with the accelerated vesting of previously granted stock awards for certain employees and fees for recruitment of certain executive positions. During the nine months ended September 30, 2020, we recognized $4,288 of costs associated with the Reorganization Plan as selling, general and administrative expense in our consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income (loss). As of September 30, 2020, we had a liability recognized relating to the Reorganization Plan of $45, which was included in other current liabilities in our consolidated balance sheet.

Business Description and Basi_2

Business Description and Basis of Presentation (Policies)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Segment Reporting	We manage our business as one segment. We make specific disclosures concerning fuel and nonfuel products and services because they facilitate our discussion of trends and operational initiatives within our business and industry. We have a single travel center located in a foreign country, Canada, that we do not consider material to our operations.
Basis of Presentation	The accompanying consolidated financial statements are unaudited. These unaudited interim financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, or GAAP, applicable for interim financial statements. The disclosures presented do not include all the information necessary for complete financial statements in accordance with GAAP. These unaudited interim financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes contained in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019, or our Annual Report. In the opinion of our management, the accompanying consolidated financial statements include all adjustments, including normal recurring adjustments, considered necessary for a fair presentation. All intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated. While our revenues are modestly seasonal, the quarterly variations in our operating results may reflect greater seasonal differences because our rent expense and certain other costs do not vary seasonally. For this and other reasons, our operating results for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for a full year.
Intangible Assets and Definite Lived Assets Impairment	Intangible Assets and Definite Lived Assets Impairment In March 2020, COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization, and the U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary declared a public health emergency in the United States in response to the outbreak. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on our operations, we assessed our indefinite and definite lived intangible assets and our definite lived assets for potential indicators of impairment as of September 30, 2020. For information about our impairment assessment of goodwill, please refer to Note 4 of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, or this Quarterly Report. Indefinite lived intangible assets were assessed for potential indicators of impairment by assessing certain trends and factors, including actual sales, discount rates and other relevant qualitative factors. These trends and factors were compared to, and based on, the assumptions used in the most recent quantitative assessment. Definite lived intangible assets were assessed using a qualitative analysis that was performed by assessing certain trends and factors, including actual sales, collection of royalties from franchisees, any changes in the manner in which the assets were used that could impact the values of the assets and whether a revision to the remaining period of amortization was required. Based on our analyses, we concluded that as of September 30, 2020, the fair value of our indefinite and definite lived intangible assets more likely than not exceeded the carrying value. However, we are unable to predict the duration and severity of the COVID-19 pandemic and as a result, we are unable to determine what the ultimate impact will be on our financial results and financial position. We will continue to closely monitor the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the fair value of our intangible assets and definite lived assets. Definite lived assets are reviewed for potential indicators of impairment during each reporting period at the individual location level because that is the lowest level of asset groupings for which cash flows are largely independent of cash flows of other asset groups. If indicators of impairment exist, we record an impairment charge to the extent that the carrying value of the asset grouping is not recoverable and exceeds the estimated fair value of the asset grouping. Our estimates of fair value are based on our estimates of likely market participant assumptions, including our current expectations for projected fuel sales volume, nonfuel revenues, fuel and nonfuel gross margins, site level operating expense and real estate rent expense. The discount rate is used to measure the present value of projected future cash flows and is set at a rate we believe is likely to be used by a market participant using a weighted average cost of capital method that considers market and industry data as well as our specific risk factors. The weighted average cost of capital is our estimate of the overall after tax rate of return required by equity and debt holders of a business enterprise. We use a number of assumptions and methods in preparing valuations underlying the impairment tests including estimates of future cash flows and discount rates, and in some instances we may obtain third party appraisals. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020, we recorded impairment charges aggregating $6,610 to our property and equipment and $1,262 to our operating lease assets related to certain continued low performing owned and leased standalone QSL restaurants, which were recognized in depreciation and amortization expense and real estate rent expense, respectively, in our consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income (loss) for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020.
Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncement and Other Accounting Matters	Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncement and Other Accounting Matters In August 2018, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Accounting Standards Update 2018-15, Intangibles - Goodwill and Other - Internal-Use Software , which aligns the accounting for capitalizing implementation costs incurred in a hosting arrangement that is a service contract with the accounting for implementation costs incurred to develop or obtain internal-use software. The capitalized implementation costs are to be amortized over the term of the contract. We adopted this standard on January 1, 2020, using the prospective transition method. The implementation of this update did not cause a material change to our consolidated financial statements. On March 27, 2020, the United States enacted the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, or the CARES Act, as a response to the economic uncertainty resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, which, among other things, included several temporary changes to corporate income tax provisions. The CARES Act did not have a material impact on our (provision) benefit for income taxes for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020. We will continue to assess the effect, if any, the CARES Act will have on our income taxes.
Revenue Recognition	We recognize revenues based on the consideration specified in the contract with the customer, excluding any sales incentives (such as customer loyalty programs and customer rebates) and amounts collected on behalf of third parties (such as sales and excise taxes). The majority of our revenues are generated at the point of sale in our retail locations. Revenues consist of fuel revenues, nonfuel revenues and rents and royalties from franchisees.
Goodwill Impairment	Goodwill Impairment Goodwill is tested for impairment annually as of July 31, or more frequently if the circumstances warrant, at the reporting unit level. We have two reporting units, travel centers and the QSL reporting unit. During the three months ended June 30, 2020, we evaluated our travel centers and QSL reporting units for potential indicators of impairment, which included evaluating financial trends and industry and market conditions and assessing the reasonableness of the assumptions used in the most recent quantitative analysis. Based on our analyses, we determined that the decline in site level gross margin in excess of site level operating expense for our QSL reporting unit for the three months ended June 30, 2020, as compared to the three months ended June 30, 2019, in conjunction with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, were indicators of impairment. Accordingly, we performed an impairment assessment of the goodwill in our QSL reporting unit as of May 31, 2020, using the same quantitative analysis approach that we historically followed for our goodwill impairment assessments. Based on the assessment performed, we recorded a goodwill impairment charge of $3,046, which was recognized in depreciation and amortization expense in our consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive income (loss) for the nine months ended September 30, 2020. Impairment testing for the travel center reporting unit for 2020 was performed using a quantitative analysis under which the fair value of our reporting unit was estimated using both an income approach and a market approach. The income approach considered discounted forecasted cash flows that were based on our long term operating plan. A terminal value was used to estimate the cash flows beyond the period covered by the operating plan. The discount rate is an estimate of the overall after tax market rate of return we believe may be required by equity and debt holders of a business enterprise. The market approach considered the estimated fair values of possible comparable publicly traded companies. For each comparable publicly traded company, value indicators, or pricing multiples, were considered to estimate the value of our business enterprise. However, due to the lack of comparable publicly traded companies within the travel center industry, we relied solely on the fair value estimated under the income approach. These analyses require the exercise of significant judgments, including judgments about appropriate discount rates, perpetual growth rates and the timing of expected future cash flows, including revenue growth rates and operating cash flow margins, of the respective reporting unit. For the travel centers reporting unit, we determined a discount rate and perpetual growth rate of 10.5% and 2.5%, respectively, was appropriate as of July 31, 2020. The fair value estimates are sensitive and actual rates and results may differ materially. Applying different assumptions could lead to different results. Based on our analyses, we concluded that as of July 31, 2020, our goodwill was not impaired.
Leasing Transactions	Certain of our leases include renewal options, and certain leases include escalation clauses and purchase options. Renewal periods are included in calculating our operating lease assets and liabilities when they are reasonably certain. Leases with an initial term of 12 months or less are not recognized in our consolidated balance sheets.

Revenues (Tables)

Revenues (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020
Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]
Nonfuel revenues disaggregated by type of good or service	Nonfuel revenues disaggregated by type of good or service for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, were as follows: Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended 2020 2019 2020 2019 Nonfuel revenues: Truck service $ 189,630 $ 186,430 $ 504,584 $ 521,056 Store and retail services 179,517 173,033 489,575 500,830 Restaurant 77,665 109,129 233,369 317,139 Diesel exhaust fluid 27,285 23,497 77,146 70,020 Total nonfuel revenues $ 474,097 $ 492,089 $ 1,304,674 $ 1,409,045
Changes in contract liabilities between periods	The following table shows the changes in our contract liabilities between periods. Customer Other Total December 31, 2018 $ 15,490 $ 3,470 $ 18,960 Increases due to unsatisfied performance obligations arising during the period 103,228 12,982 116,210 Revenues recognized from satisfied performance obligations during the period (90,462) (10,519) (100,981) Other (10,263) (1,111) (11,374) December 31, 2019 17,993 4,822 22,815 Increases due to unsatisfied performance obligations arising during the period 83,637 11,678 95,315 Revenues recognized from satisfied performance obligations during the period (70,553) (9,540) (80,093) Other (9,020) (437) (9,457) September 30, 2020 $ 22,057 $ 6,523 $ 28,580

Stockholders' Equity (Tables)

Stockholders' Equity (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020
Stockholders' Equity Note [Abstract]
Reconciliation of net income (loss) attributable to common stockholders to net income (loss) available to common stockholders	The following table presents a reconciliation of net income (loss) attributable to common stockholders to net income (loss) available to common stockholders and the related earnings per share of common stock for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019. Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended 2020 2019 2020 2019 Net income (loss) attributable to common stockholders $ 8,605 $ 1,832 $ (7,832) $ (9,737) Less: net income (loss) attributable to participating securities 175 70 (273) (377) Net income (loss) available to common stockholders $ 8,430 $ 1,762 $ (7,559) $ (9,360) Weighted average shares of common stock (1) 13,779 7,777 9,890 7,770 Basic and diluted net income (loss) per share of common stock attributable to common stockholders $ 0.61 $ 0.23 $ (0.76) $ (1.20) (1) Excludes unvested shares of common stock awarded under our share award plans, which shares of common stock are considered participating securities because they participate equally in earnings and losses with all of our other shares of common stock. The weighted average number of unvested shares of common stock outstanding for the three months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, was 286 and 309, respectively. The weighted average number of unvested shares of common stock outstanding for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, was 358 and 313, respectively.

Goodwill (Tables)

Goodwill (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020
Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of goodwill	As of September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, our goodwill balance consisted of the following: September 30, December 31, Travel centers business $ 22,213 $ 22,213 QSL business — 3,046 Total $ 22,213 $ 25,259

Leasing Transactions (Tables)

Leasing Transactions (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020
Leases [Abstract]
Schedule of lease costs as a lessee	For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, our lease costs consisted of the following: Classification in our Consolidated Three Months Ended 2020 2019 Operating lease costs: SVC Leases Real estate rent expense $ 59,500 $ 59,410 Operating lease costs: other Real estate rent expense 4,182 2,781 Variable lease costs: SVC Leases Real estate rent expense 1,372 1,575 Variable lease costs: other Real estate rent expense 172 145 Total real estate rent expense 65,226 63,911 Operating lease costs: equipment and other Site level operating expense and selling, general and administrative expense 881 930 Short-term lease costs Site level operating expense and selling, general and administrative expense 390 710 Amortization of finance lease assets Depreciation and amortization expense 79 — Interest on finance lease liabilities Interest expense, net 32 — Sublease income Nonfuel revenues (542) (532) Net lease costs $ 66,066 $ 65,019 Classification in our Consolidated Nine Months Ended 2020 2019 Operating lease costs: SVC Leases Real estate rent expense $ 178,499 $ 180,954 Operating lease costs: other Real estate rent expense 9,859 8,257 Variable lease costs: SVC Leases Real estate rent expense 3,073 4,461 Variable lease costs: other Real estate rent expense 462 422 Total real estate rent expense 191,893 194,094 Operating lease costs: equipment and other Site level operating expense and selling, general and administrative expense 2,797 2,147 Short-term lease costs Site level operating expense and selling, general and administrative expense 1,340 2,255 Amortization of finance lease assets Depreciation and amortization expense 79 — Interest on finance lease liabilities Interest expense, net 32 — Sublease income Nonfuel revenues (1,565) (1,687) Net lease costs $ 194,576 $ 196,809
Schedule of maturities of operating lease liabilities with remaining noncancelable lease terms in excess of one year	Maturities of our operating lease liabilities that had remaining noncancelable lease terms in excess of one year as of September 30, 2020, were as follows: SVC Leases (1) Other Total Years ended December 31: 2020 $ 67,861 $ 1,711 $ 69,572 2021 270,799 6,414 277,213 2022 268,936 5,054 273,990 2023 255,344 3,050 258,394 2024 251,150 1,721 252,871 Thereafter 2,034,504 7,484 2,041,988 Total operating lease payments 3,148,594 25,434 3,174,028 Less: present value discount (2) (1,260,157) (4,602) (1,264,759) Present value of operating lease liabilities $ 1,888,437 $ 20,832 $ 1,909,269 (1) Includes rent for properties we sublease from SVC and pay directly to SVC's landlords. (2) The discount rate used to derive the present value of unpaid lease payments is based on the rates implicit in the SVC Leases and our incremental borrowing rate for all other leases.
Schedule of operating lease assets and liabilities	As of September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, our operating lease assets and liabilities consisted of the following: September 30, December 31, Operating lease assets: SVC Leases $ 1,743,246 $ 1,796,406 Other 17,668 21,592 Total operating lease assets $ 1,760,914 $ 1,817,998 Current operating lease liabilities: SVC Leases $ 105,066 $ 98,574 Other 5,703 5,496 Total current operating lease liabilities $ 110,769 $ 104,070 Noncurrent operating lease liabilities: SVC Leases $ 1,783,371 $ 1,862,060 Other 15,129 18,128 Total noncurrent operating lease liabilities $ 1,798,500 $ 1,880,188

Inventory (Tables)

Inventory (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020
Inventory Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of inventory	Inventory as of September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, consisted of the following: September 30, December 31, Nonfuel products $ 139,577 $ 161,560 Fuel products 21,336 35,051 Total inventory $ 160,913 $ 196,611

Business Description and Basi_3

Business Description and Basis of Presentation - Business Description (Details)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020truck_service_facilitytravel_centerstaterestaurantfranchiseestoresegment
Real Estate Properties [Line Items]
Number of sites | store	314
Number of reportable segments | segment	1
Travel centers
Real Estate Properties [Line Items]
Number of states | state	44
Number of sites owned	51
Travel centers | Company operated sites
Real Estate Properties [Line Items]
Number of sites	232
Number of sites leased	181
Number of sites operated under joint venture	2
Travel centers | Franchisee operated sites
Real Estate Properties [Line Items]
Number of sites	38
Number of sites owned by franchisees or leased from others	36
Travel centers | Franchisee operated and leased sites
Real Estate Properties [Line Items]
Number of sites	2
Travel centers | TA, TA Express and Petro brands
Real Estate Properties [Line Items]
Number of sites	270
Truck service facilities | TA Truck Service brand
Real Estate Properties [Line Items]
Number of sites | truck_service_facility	3
Number of sites owned | truck_service_facility	1
Number of sites leased | truck_service_facility	2
Restaurants
Real Estate Properties [Line Items]
Number of sites | restaurant	41
Number of states | state	12
Restaurants | Company operated sites
Real Estate Properties [Line Items]
Number of sites | restaurant	14
Number of sites owned | restaurant	4
Number of sites leased | restaurant	8
Number of sites owned by franchisees or leased from others | restaurant	1
Number of franchisees | franchisee	1
Number of sites operated under joint venture | restaurant	1
Restaurants | Franchisee operated sites
Real Estate Properties [Line Items]
Number of sites owned by franchisees or leased from others | restaurant	27

Business Description and Basi_4

Business Description and Basis of Presentation - Senior Notes (Details) - Senior Notes	Sep. 30, 2020USD ($)
Level 1 input
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Fair value of long term debt	$ 335,736,000
8.25% Senior Notes due 2028
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Aggregate principal amount issued	$ 110,000,000
Interest rate (as a percent)	8.25%
8.00% Senior Notes due 2029
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Aggregate principal amount issued	$ 120,000,000
Interest rate (as a percent)	8.00%
8.00% Senior Notes due 2030
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Aggregate principal amount issued	$ 100,000,000
Interest rate (as a percent)	8.00%

Business Description and Basi_5

Business Description and Basis of Presentation - Intangible Assets and Definite Lived Assets Impairment (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2020
Depreciation and amortization expense | Property, plant and equipment
Impaired Long-Lived Assets Held and Used [Line Items]
Property and equipment impairment charge	$ 6,610	$ 6,610
Real estate rent expense | Operating lease assets
Impaired Long-Lived Assets Held and Used [Line Items]
Operating lease assets impairment charge	$ 1,262	$ 1,262

Revenues - Disaggregation of No

Revenues - Disaggregation of Nonfuel Revenues (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019
Total nonfuel revenues	$ 1,269,924	$ 1,570,492	$ 3,559,375	$ 4,595,148
Truck service
Total nonfuel revenues	189,630	186,430	504,584	521,056
Store and retail services
Total nonfuel revenues	179,517	173,033	489,575	500,830
Restaurant
Total nonfuel revenues	77,665	109,129	233,369	317,139
Diesel exhaust fluid
Total nonfuel revenues	27,285	23,497	77,146	70,020
Nonfuel
Total nonfuel revenues	$ 474,097	$ 492,089	$ 1,304,674	$ 1,409,045

Revenues - Changes in Contract

Revenues - Changes in Contract Liabilities Between Periods (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	9 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Movement in Deferred Revenue [Roll Forward]
Beginning balance	$ 22,815	$ 18,960
Increases due to unsatisfied performance obligations arising during the period	95,315	116,210
Revenues recognized from satisfied performance obligations during the period	(80,093)	(100,981)
Other	(9,457)	(11,374)
Ending balance	28,580	22,815
Customer Loyalty Programs
Movement in Deferred Revenue [Roll Forward]
Beginning balance	17,993	15,490
Increases due to unsatisfied performance obligations arising during the period	83,637	103,228
Revenues recognized from satisfied performance obligations during the period	(70,553)	(90,462)
Other	(9,020)	(10,263)
Ending balance	22,057	17,993
Other
Movement in Deferred Revenue [Roll Forward]
Beginning balance	4,822	3,470
Increases due to unsatisfied performance obligations arising during the period	11,678	12,982
Revenues recognized from satisfied performance obligations during the period	(9,540)	(10,519)
Other	(437)	(1,111)
Ending balance	$ 6,523	$ 4,822

Revenues - Contract Liabilities

Revenues - Contract Liabilities (Details)	Sep. 30, 2020
Customer Loyalty Programs | Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction, Start Date [Axis]: 2020-10-01
Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction [Line Items]
Expected timing for unsatisfied performance obligations to be satisfied	12 months

Stockholders' Equity - Narrativ

Stockholders' Equity - Narrative (Details) - shares	Sep. 30, 2020	Jun. 22, 2020	Jun. 21, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Stockholders' Equity Note [Abstract]
Common stock, shares authorized (in shares)	216,000,000	216,000,000	16,000,000	16,000,000

Stockholders' Equity - Underwri

Stockholders' Equity - Underwritten Public Equity Offering (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Jul. 06, 2020	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019
Debt and Equity Securities, FV-NI [Line Items]
Proceeds from underwritten public equity offering	$ 79,985	$ 79,985	$ 0
Offering costs	291
Underwriting discounts and commissions	$ 5,124
Common stock
Debt and Equity Securities, FV-NI [Line Items]
Common stock, shares issued (in shares)	6,100,000

Stockholders' Equity - Net Inco

Stockholders' Equity - Net Income (Loss) Per Share of Common Stock Attributable to Common Stockholders (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands		3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
		Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019
Stockholders' Equity Note [Abstract]
Net income (loss) attributable to common stockholders		$ 8,605	$ 1,832	$ (7,832)	$ (9,737)
Less: net income (loss) attributable to participating securities		175	70	(273)	(377)
Net income (loss) available to common stockholders		$ 8,430	$ 1,762	$ (7,559)	$ (9,360)
Weighted average shares of common stock (in shares)	[1]	13,779	7,777	9,890	7,770
Basic and diluted net income (loss) per share of common stock attributable to common stockholders (in USD per share)		$ 0.61	$ 0.23	$ (0.76)	$ (1.20)
Weighted average number of unvested shares of common stock outstanding (in shares)		286	309	358	313
[1]	Excludes unvested shares of common stock awarded under our share award plans, which shares of common stock are considered participating securities because they participate equally in earnings and losses with all of our other shares of common stock. The weighted average number of unvested shares of common stock outstanding for the three months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, was 286 and 309, respectively. The weighted average number of unvested shares of common stock outstanding for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, was 358 and 313, respectively.

Goodwill - Schedule of Goodwill

Goodwill - Schedule of Goodwill (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Goodwill [Line Items]
Total goodwill	$ 22,213	$ 25,259
Travel centers business
Goodwill [Line Items]
Total goodwill	22,213	22,213
QSL business
Goodwill [Line Items]
Total goodwill	$ 0	$ 3,046

Goodwill - Goodwill Impairment

Goodwill - Goodwill Impairment (Details) $ in Thousands	Jul. 31, 2020	Sep. 30, 2020USD ($)reportingUnits
Goodwill [Line Items]
Number of reporting units | reportingUnits		2
Travel centers | Discount rate
Goodwill [Line Items]
Goodwill impairment testing rates used	10.5
Travel centers | Perpetual growth rate
Goodwill [Line Items]
Goodwill impairment testing rates used	2.5
Depreciation and amortization expense | Restaurants
Goodwill [Line Items]
Goodwill impairment charge | $		$ 3,046

Leasing Transactions - As a Les

Leasing Transactions - As a Lessee Narrative (Details) $ in Thousands	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020USD ($)lease	Sep. 30, 2019USD ($)
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Operating lease weighted average remaining lease term (in years)	12 years
Operating lease weighted average discount rate	9.10%
Amount paid included in measurement of operating lease liabilities | $	$ 207,720	$ 208,327
SVC Leases | SVC | Principal landlord and one of the largest stockholders
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Number of leases | lease	5

Leasing Transactions - Schedule

Leasing Transactions - Schedule of Lease Costs as a Lessee (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items]
Real estate rent expense	$ 65,226	$ 63,911	$ 191,893	$ 194,094
Net lease costs	66,066	65,019	194,576	196,809
Real estate rent expense | SVC Leases
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items]
Operating lease costs	59,500	59,410	178,499	180,954
Variable lease costs	1,372	1,575	3,073	4,461
Real estate rent expense | Other
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items]
Operating lease costs	4,182	2,781	9,859	8,257
Variable lease costs	172	145	462	422
Site level operating expense and selling, general and administrative expense
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items]
Short-term lease costs	390	710	1,340	2,255
Site level operating expense and selling, general and administrative expense | Equipment and other
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items]
Operating lease costs	881	930	2,797	2,147
Depreciation and amortization expense
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items]
Amortization of finance lease assets	79	0	79	0
Interest expense, net
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items]
Interest on finance lease liabilities	32	0	32	0
Nonfuel revenues | SVC Leases
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items]
Sublease income	$ (542)	$ (532)	$ (1,565)	$ (1,687)

Leasing Transactions - Schedu_2

Leasing Transactions - Schedule of Maturities of Operating Leases Liabilities (Details) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2020USD ($)
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items]
2020	$ 69,572
2021	277,213
2022	273,990
2023	258,394
2024	252,871
Thereafter	2,041,988
Total operating lease payments	3,174,028
Less: present value discount	(1,264,759)	[1]
Present value of operating lease liabilities	1,909,269
SVC Leases
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items]
2020	67,861	[2]
2021	270,799	[2]
2022	268,936	[2]
2023	255,344	[2]
2024	251,150	[2]
Thereafter	2,034,504	[2]
Total operating lease payments	3,148,594	[2]
Less: present value discount	(1,260,157)	[1],[2]
Present value of operating lease liabilities	1,888,437	[2]
Other
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items]
2020	1,711
2021	6,414
2022	5,054
2023	3,050
2024	1,721
Thereafter	7,484
Total operating lease payments	25,434
Less: present value discount	(4,602)	[1]
Present value of operating lease liabilities	$ 20,832
[1]	The discount rate used to derive the present value of unpaid lease payments is based on the rates implicit in the SVC Leases and our incremental borrowing rate for all other leases.
[2]	Includes rent for properties we sublease from SVC and pay directly to SVC's landlords.

Leasing Transactions - Schedu_3

Leasing Transactions - Schedule of Operating Lease Assets and Liabilities (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items]
Operating lease assets	$ 1,760,914	$ 1,817,998
Current operating lease liabilities	110,769	104,070
Noncurrent operating lease liabilities	1,798,500	1,880,188
SVC Leases
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items]
Operating lease assets	1,743,246	1,796,406
Current operating lease liabilities	105,066	98,574
Noncurrent operating lease liabilities	1,783,371	1,862,060
Other
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items]
Operating lease assets	17,668	21,592
Current operating lease liabilities	5,703	5,496
Noncurrent operating lease liabilities	$ 15,129	$ 18,128

Leasing Transactions - Leasing

Leasing Transactions - Leasing Agreements with SVC (Details)	Jan. 01, 2020	Apr. 01, 2019USD ($)installment	Jan. 31, 2019USD ($)travel_center	Sep. 30, 2020USD ($)propertylease	Sep. 30, 2019USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2020USD ($)propertylease	Sep. 30, 2019USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2018USD ($)installment
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Rent expense under the SVC Leases				$ 65,226,000	$ 63,911,000	$ 191,893,000	$ 194,094,000
Aggregate selling price of improvements sold						$ 1,270,000	880,000
SVC | Principal landlord and one of the largest stockholders | SVC Leases
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Number of sites leased | property				179		179
Number of leases | lease				5		5
Number of locations acquired | travel_center			20
Total acquisition cost			$ 309,637,000
Transaction related costs			1,437,000
Decrease in annual minimum rent			$ (43,148,000)
Extension of lease term (in years)			3 years
Number of payments for deferred rent obligation | installment		16						5
Payment due for deferred rent obligation		$ 4,404,000
Deferred rent obligation			$ 70,458,000	$ 44,036,000		$ 44,036,000		$ 150,000,000
Rate of percentage rent incurred	0.50%					3.50%
Increase in operating lease assets and liabilities due to Transaction Agreements			$ 23,673,000
Percentage rent incurred				893,000	1,020,000	$ 1,742,000	3,047,000
Rent expense under the SVC Leases				60,872,000	60,985,000	181,572,000	185,415,000
Aggregate selling price of improvements sold						0	0
Property and equipment that may be sold to SVC for an increase in annual minimum rent				51,621,000		51,621,000
Deferred rent obligation installment payments				$ 4,404,000	4,404,000	$ 13,211,000	8,807,000
Interest rate percentage on deferred rent amounts				1.00%		1.00%
Sublease income				$ 542,000	$ 532,000	$ 1,565,000	$ 1,687,000
SVC | Principal landlord and one of the largest stockholders | TA Leases
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Number of leases | lease				4		4
SVC | Principal landlord and one of the largest stockholders | Petro Lease
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Number of leases | lease				1		1

Leasing Transactions - As a L_2

Leasing Transactions - As a Lessor Narrative (Details) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020USD ($)travel_centeragreement	Sep. 30, 2019USD ($)travel_center	Sep. 30, 2020USD ($)travel_centeragreement	Sep. 30, 2019USD ($)travel_center
Lessor, Lease, Description [Line Items]
Number of lease agreements | agreement	2		2
Rent revenue	$ 584	$ 572	$ 1,728	$ 1,722
Remainder of 2020	584		584
2021	2,336		2,336
2022	$ 1,168		$ 1,168
Franchised units | Travel centers
Lessor, Lease, Description [Line Items]
Number of sites leased | travel_center	2	2	2	2

Long Term Debt - Narrative (Det

Long Term Debt - Narrative (Details)	Sep. 30, 2020USD ($)
Credit Facility
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Borrowings outstanding	$ 0

Long Term Debt - West Greenwich

Long Term Debt - West Greenwich Loan (Details)	Feb. 07, 2020USD ($)yrtravel_center	Sep. 30, 2020USD ($)travel_center
Travel centers
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Number of sites owned | travel_center		51
West Greenwich Loan
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Loan term (in years)	10 years
Face amount | $	$ 16,600,000
Interest rate (as a percent)	3.85%
Period in which Federal Home Loan Bank rate is fixed (in years)	5 years
Term of Federal Home Loan Bank rate | yr	5
Amount added to fixed Federal Home Loan Bank rate (in basis points)	198
Notice to be given in order to repay early (in days)	60 days
West Greenwich Loan | Long term debt, net
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Deferred financing costs | $		$ 353,000
West Greenwich Loan | Travel centers | Company operated sites
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Number of sites owned | travel_center	1

Business Management Agreement_2

Business Management Agreement with RMR (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019
RMR Group LLC | Affiliated entity | Selling, general and administrative expense | Business management agreement
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Business management fees and internal audit costs	$ 3,369	$ 3,572	$ 9,513	$ 9,983

Related Party Transactions - Na

Related Party Transactions - Narrative (Details) shares in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2020directorshares	Jul. 31, 2020$ / sharesshares	Dec. 31, 2019shares
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Common stock, shares outstanding (in shares)	14,396		8,307
RMR Group LLC | Affiliated entity
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Number of TA Managing Directors who are also the sole trustee of ABP Trust as well as RMR's managing director, president and CEO | director	1
Common stock, shares outstanding (in shares)	622	219
Stock price | $ / shares		$ 14
Percentage of outstanding shares of common stock owned	4.30%
RMR Group LLC | Affiliated entity | Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Common stock, shares outstanding (in shares)	105

Related Party Transactions - Re

Related Party Transactions - Relationship with SVC (Details) shares in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2020propertynumberOfStockholdersshares	Jul. 31, 2020$ / sharesshares	Dec. 31, 2019shares
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Common stock, shares outstanding (in shares)	14,396		8,307
SVC | Principal landlord and one of the largest stockholders
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Number of stockholders | numberOfStockholders	1
Common stock, shares outstanding (in shares)	1,185	501
Stock price | $ / shares		$ 14
Percentage of outstanding shares of common stock owned	8.20%
SVC | SVC Leases | Principal landlord and one of the largest stockholders
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Number of sites leased | property	179

Related Party Transactions - _2

Related Party Transactions - Relationship with AIC (Details) $ in Thousands	1 Months Ended		3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2020USD ($)	Feb. 13, 2020company	Sep. 30, 2019USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2019USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2020USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2019USD ($)
AIC | Equity method investee
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
AIC distribution	$ 286
AIC | Equity method investee | Other expense (income), net
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Income from equity investee			$ 83	$ 617
AIC | Equity method investee | Other noncurrent assets
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Carrying value of investment					$ 12	$ 298
RMR Group LLC | Affiliated entity
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Number of companies managed by RMR | company		4

Related Party Transactions - _3

Related Party Transactions - Retirement and Separation Arrangements (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Jun. 30, 2020	Feb. 29, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Jun. 30, 2020
Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer | Current annual salary paid
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Compensation per agreement				$ 300
Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer | Cash bonus paid relating to 2019
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Compensation per agreement			$ 1,000
Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer | Additional cash payment
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Compensation per agreement	$ 1,000
Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer | Additional cash payment
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Compensation per agreement		$ 300

Contingencies - Environmental C

Contingencies - Environmental Contingencies (Details) - Environmental issue	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020USD ($)
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Total recorded liabilities	$ 2,779,000
Expected recoveries of future expenditures	801,000
Net recorded liability	1,978,000
Environmental liability insurance maximum coverage per incident	20,000,000
Environmental liability insurance annual coverage limit	$ 20,000,000

Inventory (Details)

Inventory (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Inventory [Line Items]
Total inventory	$ 160,913	$ 196,611
Nonfuel products
Inventory [Line Items]
Total inventory	139,577	161,560
Fuel products
Inventory [Line Items]
Total inventory	$ 21,336	$ 35,051

Reorganization Costs - Narrativ

Reorganization Costs - Narrative (Details) $ in Thousands	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020USD ($)
Other current liabilities
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Liability recognized relating to the Reorganization Plan	$ 45
Selling, general and administrative expense
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Total reorganization costs	4,288
Incurred reorganization costs	$ 4,288