Item 2. | Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations |
The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read together with the accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements and the related notes in Item 1 and with the audited consolidated financial statements and the related notes included in our Annual Report on Form
10-K
as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on April 3, 2020. Unless otherwise specified, the meanings of all defined terms in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” are consistent with the meanings of such terms as defined in the Notes to Unaudited Consolidated Financial Statements. This discussion contains statements that are, or may be deemed to be, “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). These forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology, including the terms “believes,” “estimates,” “anticipates,” “expects,” “intends,” “may,” “will” or “should” or, in each case, their negative or other variations or comparable terminology. These forward-looking statements include all matters that are not historical facts. They appear in a number of places throughout this report and include statements regarding our intentions, beliefs or current expectations concerning, among other things, our results of operations, financial condition, liquidity, prospects, growth, strategies and the industry in which we operate.
By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that may or may not occur in the future. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and our actual results of operations, financial condition and liquidity, and the development of the industry in which we operate may differ materially from those made in or suggested by the forward-looking statements contained in this quarterly report as a result of various factors, including those set forth in the section entitled “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form
10-K
filed with the SEC on April 3, 2020. In addition, even if our results of operations, financial condition and liquidity, and the development of the industry in which we operate are consistent with the forward-looking statements contained in this Form
10-Q,
those results or developments may not be indicative of results or developments in subsequent periods.
On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the
COVID-19
outbreak to be a global pandemic and on March 13, 2020, the United States declared a National Public Health Emergency. As a result, several state and local mandates were implemented that encouraged the practice of social distancing, placed restrictions from individuals gathering in groups and, in many areas and placed complete restrictions on
non-essential
movement outside of the home. Shortly after the national emergency declaration, state and local officials began placing restrictions on restaurants, some of which allowed
To-Go
or curbside service only while others limited capacity in the dining room or midway. By March 20, 2020, all our 137 operating stores were temporarily closed. Almost all our stores remained closed for the duration of the first quarter. On April 30, 2020 one store opened to the public with limited food and beverage offerings. Two additional stores offered limited food and beverage for
off-premises
dining.
As a result of these developments, the Company is experiencing a significant decrease in traffic which has impacted the Company’s operating results during the thirteen weeks ended May 3, 2020. We expect our operating results to continue to be severely impacted until such time that state and local restrictions are lifted, and our dining rooms and midways can
re-open
at full capacity. We cannot predict how long the pandemic will last or when the state and local restrictions will be lifted or potentially
re-imposed.
In addition, we cannot predict how quickly our guests will return to our restaurants once such restrictions have been lifted or the impact this will have on consumer spending habits.
In response to the pandemic, the Company and its Board of Directors implemented the following measures during the quarter to enhance financial flexibility:
| • | reduced expenses broadly, including by furloughing all our hourly store team members and approximately 94% of store management personnel, on or about March 19, 2020, while enacting temporary salary reductions for remaining managers. In addition, effective March 24, 2020, the Company furloughed all but a small team of essential corporate and administrative staff, temporarily reducing salaries by 10% to 50%, and temporarily suspended all board fees through the remainder of fiscal 2020; |
| • | canceled or delayed all non-essential planned capital spending for the remainder of fiscal 2020; |
| • | halted all planned store openings after our one store opening in Chattanooga, TN, on March 16, 2020, including delayed construction; |
| • | abandoned work on future planned sites; |
| • | suspended our share repurchase program and declaration of dividends; |
| • | drew down substantially all the remaining credit available under our $500,000 revolving credit facility; |
| • | sold shares of our common stock, which generated net proceeds of $72,144; and |
| • | began discussions with our landlords, vendors, and other business partners to reduce our lease and contract payments and obtain other concessions, including executing amendments to four of our operating leases, abating or deferring rent obligations of approximately $1,400, generally for a minimum of three months beginning in April 2020, and modifying rents an additional six months for two of these stores. |
We expect the
re-opening
process to be a gradual one with the safety of our employees and guests as our top priority. During the period subsequent to the end of our first quarter through June 4, 2020, we have progressively reopened limited operations in an additional 27 stores resulting in a total of 28 stores operating in 12 states. Our remaining stores are closed. All our
re-opened
stores are operating with streamlined menus, reduced games, new seating and game configurations and reduced operating hours. As dining room and midway restrictions continue to ease and sales begin to improve, some labor inefficiencies and increased cleaning and supply costs are anticipated as stores adjust to improved sales volumes and enhanced health and safety protocols.
Given the level of volatility and uncertainty surrounding the future impact of the pandemic, we have not provided a full year financial outlook for fiscal 2020.
We are a leading owner and operator of high-volume venues in North America that combine dining and entertainment for both adults and families under the name “Dave & Buster’s”. Founded in 1982, the core of our concept is to offer our customers the opportunity to “Eat, Drink, Play and Watch” all in one location. Eat and Drink are offered through a full menu of entrées and appetizers and a full selection of
non-alcoholic
and alcoholic beverages. Our Play and Watch offerings provide an extensive assortment of entertainment attractions centered around playing games and watching live sports and other televised events. Our brand appeals to a relatively balanced mix of male and female adults, as well as families and teenagers, in low to middle-income households.
Our stores average 41,000 square feet, range in size between 16,000 and 70,000 square feet and are open seven days a week, with normal hours of operation typically from 11:30 a.m. to midnight on Sunday through Thursday and 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.
Key Measures of Our Performance
We monitor and analyze a number of key performance measures to manage our business and evaluate financial and operating performance. These measures include:
Comparable store sales are a year-over-year comparison of sales at stores open at the end of the period which have been open for at least 18 months as of the beginning of each of the fiscal years. It is a key performance indicator used within the industry and is indicative of acceptance of our initiatives as well as local economic and consumer trends. Our comparable store base consisted of 116 stores as of May 3, 2020.
Our ability to expand our business and reach new customers is influenced by the opening of additional stores in both new and existing markets. The success of our new stores is indicative of our brand appeal and the efficacy of our site selection and operating models. Between May 5, 2019 and May 3, 2020, we opened ten new stores, four of which were in new markets.
Non-GAAP
Financial Measures
In addition to the results provided in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”), we provide
non-GAAP
measures which present operating results on an adjusted basis. These are supplemental measures of performance that are not required by or presented in accordance with GAAP and include Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA Margin, Store Operating Income Before Depreciation and Amortization and Store Operating Income Before Depreciation and Amortization Margin (defined below). These
non-GAAP
measures do not represent and should not be considered as an alternative to net income or cash flows from operations, as determined in accordance with GAAP, and our calculations thereof may not be comparable to similarly entitled measures reported by other companies and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with GAAP. Although we use these
non-GAAP
measures to assess the operating performance of our business, they have significant limitations as an analytical tool because they exclude certain material costs. For example, Adjusted EBITDA does not take into account a number of significant items, including our interest expense and depreciation and amortization expense. In addition, Adjusted EBITDA excludes
pre-opening
and other costs which may be important in analyzing our GAAP results. Because
Adjusted EBITDA does not account for these expenses, its utility as a measure of our operating performance has material limitations. Our calculations of Adjusted EBITDA adjust for these amounts because they vary from period to period and do not directly relate to the ongoing operations of the currently underlying business of our stores and therefore complicate comparison of underlying business between periods. Nevertheless, because of the limitations described above, management does not view Adjusted EBITDA or Store Operating Income Before Depreciation and Amortization in isolation and also uses other measures, such as revenues, gross margin, operating income and net income, to measure operating performance.
Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin
. We define “Adjusted EBITDA” as net income (loss) plus interest expense, net, loss on debt refinancing, provision (benefit) for income taxes, depreciation and amortization expense, loss on asset disposal, impairment of long-lived assets, share-based compensation,
pre-opening
costs, currency transaction (gains) losses and other costs. “Adjusted EBITDA Margin” is defined as Adjusted EBITDA divided by total revenues.
Adjusted EBITDA is presented because we believe that it provides useful information to investors and analysts regarding our operating performance. By reporting Adjusted EBITDA, we provide a basis for comparison of our business operations between current, past and future periods by excluding items that we do not believe are indicative of our core operating performance.
Store Operating Income Before Depreciation and Amortization and Store Operating Income Before Depreciation and Amortization Margin.
We define “Store Operating Income Before Depreciation and Amortization” as operating income (loss) plus depreciation and amortization expense, general and administrative expenses and
pre-opening
costs. “Store Operating Income Before Depreciation and Amortization Margin” is defined as Store Operating Income Before Depreciation and Amortization divided by total revenues. Store Operating Income Before Depreciation and Amortization Margin allows us to evaluate operating performance of each store across stores of varying size and volume.
We believe that Store Operating Income Before Depreciation and Amortization is another useful measure in evaluating our operating performance because it removes the impact of general and administrative expenses, which are not incurred at the store-level, and the costs of opening new stores, which are
non-recurring
at the store-level, and thereby enables the comparability of the operating performance of our stores for the periods presented. We also believe that Store Operating Income Before Depreciation and Amortization is a useful measure in evaluating our operating performance within the entertainment and dining industry because it permits the evaluation of store-level productivity, efficiency and performance, and we use Store Operating Income Before Depreciation and Amortization as a means of evaluating store financial performance compared with our competitors. However, because this measure excludes significant items such as general and administrative expenses and
pre-opening
costs, as well as our interest expense, net and depreciation and amortization expense, which are important in evaluating our consolidated financial performance from period to period, the value of this measure is limited as a measure of our consolidated financial performance.
Presentation of Operating Results
We operate on a 52 or
53-week
fiscal year that ends on the Sunday after the Saturday closest to January 31. Each quarterly period has 13 weeks, except in a
53-week
year when the fourth quarter has 14 weeks. All references to the first quarter of 2020 relate to the
13-week
period ended May 3, 2020. All references to the first quarter of 2019 relate to the
13-week
period ended May 5, 2019. Fiscal 2020 and fiscal 2019 consist of 52 weeks. All dollar amounts are presented in thousands, unless otherwise noted, except share and per share amounts.
Store-Level Variability, Quarterly Fluctuations, Seasonality and Inflation
We have historically operated stores varying in size and have experienced significant variability among stores in volumes, operating results and net investment costs.
Our new stores typically open with sales volumes in excess of their expected long term
run-rate
levels, which we refer to as a “honeymoon” effect. We expect our new store sales volumes in year two to be 10% to 20% lower than our year one targets, and to grow in line with the rest of our comparable store base thereafter. As a result of the substantial revenues associated with each new store, the number and timing of new store openings will result in significant fluctuations in quarterly results.
In the first year of operation new store operating margins (excluding
pre-opening
expenses) typically benefit from honeymoon sales leverage on occupancy, management labor, and other fixed costs. This benefit is partially offset by normal inefficiencies in hourly labor and other costs associated with establishing a new store. In year two, operating margins may decline due to the loss of honeymoon sales leverage on fixed costs which is partially offset by improvements in store operating efficiency. Furthermore, rents in our new stores are typically higher than our comparable store base.
Our operating results fluctuate significantly due to seasonal factors. Typically, we have higher revenues associated with spring and
year-end
holidays which will continue to be susceptible to the impact of severe or unseasonably mild weather on customer traffic and sales during that period. Our third quarter, which encompasses the
back-to-school
fall season, has historically had lower revenues as compared to the other quarters.
We expect that economic and environmental conditions and changes in regulatory legislation will continue to exert pressure on both supplier pricing and consumer spending related to entertainment and dining alternatives. Although there is no assurance that our cost of products will remain stable or that federal, state or local minimum wage rates will not increase beyond amounts currently legislated, the effects of any supplier price increases or wage rate increases might be partially offset by selected menu price increases if competitively appropriate. In addition, how quickly, and to what extent, normal economic and operating conditions can resume cannot be predicted, and the resumption of normal business operations may be delayed or constrained by lingering effects of the
COVID-19
pandemic on us or our suppliers, third-party service providers, and/or customers.
Thirteen Weeks Ended May 3, 2020 Compared to Thirteen Weeks Ended May 5, 2019
The following table sets forth selected data, in thousands of dollars and as a percentage of total revenues (unless otherwise noted) for the periods indicated. All information is derived from the accompanying unaudited consolidated statements of comprehensive income (loss).
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | |
Food and beverage revenues | | | | | | % | | $ | | | | | | % |
Amusement and other revenues | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Cost of food and beverage (as a percentage of food and beverage revenues) | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Cost of amusement and other (as a percentage of amusement and other revenues) | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Operating payroll and benefits | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Other store operating expenses | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
General and administrative expenses | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Depreciation and amortization expense | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | ) | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Income (loss) before provision (benefit) for income taxes | | | | | | ) | | | | | | | | |
Provision (benefit) for income taxes | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | )% | | $ | | | | | | % |
Change in comparable store sales (1) | | | | | | )% | | | | | | | | )% |
Company-owned stores at end of period (1) | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Comparable stores at end of period (1) | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
(1) | As of the end of the first quarter of fiscal 2020 only one of our 137 stores was open and two stores offered off premises dining. Our store in Duluth (Atlanta), Georgia permanently closed on March 3, 2019 as we did not exercise the renewal option and has been excluded from fiscal 2019 store counts and comparable store sales. |