Fiesta Restaurant (FRGI) 10-Q 5 Nov 18 2018 Q3 Quarterly report Financial data

Document and Entity Information

Document and Entity Information - shares	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Oct. 31, 2018
Document And Entity Information [Abstract]
Entity Registrant Name	FIESTA RESTAURANT GROUP, INC.
Entity Central Index Key	1,534,992
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-30
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Sep. 30, 2018
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2,018
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q3
Amendment Flag	false
Entity Emerging Growth Company	false
Entity Small Business	false
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		27,256,842

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Current assets:
Cash	$ 5,743	$ 3,599
Accounts receivable	9,462	9,830
Inventories	2,761	2,880
Prepaid rent	3,360	3,300
Income tax receivable	16,059	11,334
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	6,970	10,105
Total current assets	44,355	41,048
Property and equipment, net	235,609	234,561
Goodwill	123,484	123,484
Deferred income taxes	9,376	17,232
Other assets	7,074	6,988
Total assets	419,898	423,313
Current liabilities:
Current portion of long-term debt	106	98
Accounts payable	16,042	20,293
Accrued payroll, related taxes and benefits	11,813	11,776
Accrued real estate taxes	6,525	5,860
Other current liabilities	15,052	21,817
Total current liabilities	49,538	59,844
Long-term debt, net of current portion	71,664	76,425
Deferred income—sale-leaseback of real estate	20,765	23,466
Other non-current liabilities	30,474	32,062
Total liabilities	172,441	191,797
Commitments and contingencies
Stockholders' equity:
Common stock, $0.01 par value; 100,000,000 shares authorized, 27,258,395 and 27,086,958 shares issued, respectively, and 26,865,639 and 26,847,458 shares outstanding, respectively	270	268
Additional paid-in capital	169,465	166,823
Retained earnings	80,206	64,425
Treasury stock, at cost; 97,358 shares	(2,484)	0
Total stockholders' equity	247,457	231,516
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity	$ 419,898	$ 423,313

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANC_2

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (Parenthetical) - $ / shares	Sep. 30, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Statement of Financial Position [Abstract]
Common stock, par value (usd per share)	$ 0.01	$ 0.01
Common stock, shares authorized	100,000,000	100,000,000
Common stock, shares issued	27,258,395	27,086,958
Common stock, shares outstanding	26,865,639	26,847,458
Treasury stock, shares	97,358

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMEN

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Oct. 01, 2017	Sep. 30, 2018	Oct. 01, 2017
Revenues:
Revenues	$ 174,648	$ 158,691	$ 520,959	$ 506,922
Costs and expenses:
Cost of sales	56,021	49,151	166,275	150,827
Restaurant wages and related expenses (including stock-based compensation expense of $6, $9, $56 and $44, respectively)	47,943	44,649	142,103	139,050
Restaurant rent expense	9,129	9,104	26,861	27,881
Other restaurant operating expenses	27,294	24,856	75,398	73,560
Advertising expense	6,472	5,885	18,046	17,716
General and administrative (including stock-based compensation expense of $732, $938, $2,588 and $2,723, respectively)	13,284	12,057	41,023	46,751
Depreciation and amortization	9,739	8,483	27,908	26,265
Pre-opening costs	223	544	1,481	1,878
Impairment and other lease charges	6,417	15,905	6,539	59,081
Other expense (income), net	47	469	(3,132)	1,721
Total operating expenses	176,569	171,103	502,502	544,730
Income (loss) from operations	(1,921)	(12,412)	18,457	(37,808)
Interest expense	924	672	2,979	1,910
Income (loss) before income taxes	(2,845)	(13,084)	15,478	(39,718)
Benefit from income taxes	(4,892)	(4,827)	(246)	(14,241)
Net income (loss)	$ 2,047	$ (8,257)	$ 15,724	$ (25,477)
Earnings per common share:
Basic (usd per share)	$ 0.08	$ (0.31)	$ 0.58	$ (0.95)
Diluted (usd per share)	$ 0.08	$ (0.31)	$ 0.58	$ (0.95)
Weighted average common shares outstanding:
Basic (in shares)	26,954,285	26,845,568	26,900,716	26,811,610
Diluted (in shares)	26,958,874	26,845,568	26,905,391	26,811,610
Restaurant sales
Revenues:
Revenues	$ 173,966	$ 158,100	$ 518,951	$ 505,082
Franchise royalty revenues and fees
Revenues:
Revenues	$ 682	$ 591	$ 2,008	$ 1,840

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEM_2

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (Parenthetical) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Oct. 01, 2017	Sep. 30, 2018	Oct. 01, 2017
Stock-based compensation	$ 700	$ 900	$ 2,600	$ 2,800
Restaurant Wages And Related Expenses
Stock-based compensation	6	9	56	44
General and Administrative Expense
Stock-based compensation	$ 732	$ 938	$ 2,588	$ 2,723

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEM_3

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Total	Common Stock	Additional Paid-In Capital	Retained Earnings	Treasury Stock
Beginning balance at Jan. 01, 2017	$ 264,175	$ 267	$ 163,204	$ 100,704
Beginning shares at Jan. 01, 2017	26,755,640
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity
Stock-based compensation	$ 2,767		2,767
Vesting of restricted shares (in shares)	91,169
Vesting of restricted shares	$ 1	1	0
Cumulative effect of adopting a new accounting standard	26		73	(47)
Net income (loss)	$ (25,477)			(25,477)
Ending shares at Oct. 01, 2017	26,846,809
Ending balance at Oct. 01, 2017	$ 241,492	268	166,044	75,180
Beginning balance at Dec. 31, 2017	$ 231,516	268	166,823	64,425	$ 0
Beginning shares at Dec. 31, 2017	26,847,458
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity
Stock-based compensation	$ 2,644		2,644
Vesting of restricted shares (in shares)	115,539
Vesting of restricted shares	$ 0	2	(2)
Cumulative effect of adopting a new accounting standard	$ 57			57
Purchase of treasury stock (in shares)	(97,358)
Purchase of treasury stock	$ (2,484)				(2,484)
Net income (loss)	$ 15,724			15,724
Ending shares at Sep. 30, 2018	26,865,639
Ending balance at Sep. 30, 2018	$ 247,457	$ 270	$ 169,465	$ 80,206	$ (2,484)

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEM_4

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS - USD ($) $ in Thousands	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Oct. 01, 2017
Operating activities:
Net income (loss)	$ 15,724	$ (25,477)
Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash provided by operating activities:
(Gain) loss on disposals of property and equipment	(1,167)	1,020
Stock-based compensation	2,644	2,767
Impairment and other lease charges	6,539	59,081
Depreciation and amortization	27,908	26,265
Amortization of deferred financing costs	203	231
Amortization of deferred gains from sale-leaseback transactions	(2,698)	(2,703)
Deferred income taxes	7,856	(16,886)
Changes in other operating assets and liabilities	(12,721)	3,355
Net cash provided by operating activities	44,288	47,653
Capital expenditures:
New restaurant development	(17,897)	(23,994)
Restaurant remodeling	(234)	(2,280)
Other restaurant capital expenditures	(15,536)	(7,650)
Corporate and restaurant information systems	(6,256)	(4,615)
Total capital expenditures	(39,923)	(38,539)
Proceeds from disposals of properties	4,676	0
Proceeds from insurance recoveries	813	0
Net cash used in investing activities	(34,434)	(38,539)
Financing activities:
Borrowings on revolving credit facility	18,000	7,000
Repayments on revolving credit facility	(23,000)	(16,000)
Principal payments on capital leases	(76)	(66)
Financing costs associated with issuance of debt	(150)	0
Payments to purchase treasury stock	(2,484)	0
Net cash used in financing activities	(7,710)	(9,066)
Net change in cash	2,144	48
Cash, beginning of period	3,599	4,196
Cash, end of period	5,743	4,244
Supplemental disclosures:
Interest paid on long-term debt	2,505	1,756
Interest paid on lease financing obligations	0	83
Accruals for capital expenditures	5,338	7,950
Income tax payments (refunds), net	(3,360)	3,003
Capital lease obligations incurred	322	0
Non-cash reduction of lease financing obligations	0	1,664
Non-cash reduction of assets under lease financing obligations	$ 0	$ 1,193

Basis of Presentation

Basis of Presentation	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Basis of Presentation	Basis of Presentation Business Description. Fiesta Restaurant Group, Inc. ("Fiesta Restaurant Group" or "Fiesta") owns, operates and franchises two restaurant brands through its wholly-owned subsidiaries Pollo Operations, Inc. and its subsidiaries, Pollo Franchise, Inc. (collectively "Pollo Tropical") and Taco Cabana, Inc. and its subsidiaries (collectively "Taco Cabana"). Unless the context otherwise requires, Fiesta and its subsidiaries, Pollo Tropical and Taco Cabana, are collectively referred to as the "Company." At September 30, 2018 , the Company owned and operated 150 Pollo Tropical ® restaurants and 171 Taco Cabana ® restaurants. The Pollo Tropical restaurants included 141 located in Florida and 9 located in Georgia. All of the Taco Cabana restaurants are located in Texas. At September 30, 2018 , the Company franchised a total of 30 Pollo Tropical restaurants and eight Taco Cabana restaurants. The franchised Pollo Tropical restaurants included 17 in Puerto Rico, four in Panama, two in Guyana, one in the Bahamas, five on college campuses and one at a hospital in Florida. The franchised Taco Cabana restaurants included six in New Mexico and two on college campuses in Texas. Basis of Consolidation. The unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements presented herein reflect the consolidated financial position, results of operations and cash flows of Fiesta and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. All intercompany transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. Fiscal Year . The Company uses a 52 – 53 week fiscal year ending on the Sunday closest to December 31. The fiscal year ended December 31, 2017 contained 52 weeks. The three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 and October 1, 2017 each contained thirteen and thirty-nine weeks, respectively. The fiscal year ending December 30, 2018 will contain 52 weeks. Basis of Presentation. The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 and October 1, 2017 have been prepared without an audit pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and do not include certain information and footnotes required by U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles ("GAAP") for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, all normal and recurring adjustments considered necessary for a fair presentation of such financial statements have been included. The results of operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 and October 1, 2017 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the full year. These unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto for the year ended December 31, 2017 included in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017 . The December 31, 2017 balance sheet data is derived from those audited financial statements. Reclassification. Write-offs of site development costs were reclassified from general and administrative expense to other expense (income), net in the condensed consolidated statement of operations to conform with the current year presentation. Guidance Adopted in 2018. In May 2014, and in subsequent updates, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606), which supersedes the guidance in former Topic 605, Revenue Recognition , and requires entities to recognize revenue when control of the promised goods or services is transferred to customers at an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled to in exchange for those goods or services. The Company adopted this new accounting standard and all the related amendments as of January 1, 2018 using the modified retrospective method, and recognized a total cumulative effect adjustment to increase retained earnings by less than $0.1 million , which consisted of a $0.3 million increase related to gift card breakage and a $0.3 million decrease related to initial franchise and area development fees, as a result of adopting the standard. The new standard did not impact the Company’s recognition of revenue from Company-owned and operated restaurants or its recognition of sale-based royalties from restaurants operated by franchisees. The comparative period information has not been restated and continues to be reported under the accounting standard in effect for those periods. When compared to the previous accounting policies, the impact of adopting the new standard was immaterial to current and non-current other liabilities and retained earnings at January 1, 2018 and to net income for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 . The adoption of the new standard had no impact on the Company's consolidated statements of cash flows. Revenue Recognition. Revenue is recognized upon transfer of promised products or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration the Company received in exchange for those products or services. Revenues from the Company's owned and operated restaurants are recognized when payment is tendered at the time of sale. Franchise royalty revenues are based on a percent of gross sales and are recorded as income when earned. Initial franchise fees and area development fees associated with new franchise agreements are not distinct from the continuing rights and services offered by the Company during the term of the related franchise agreements and are recognized as income over the term of the related franchise agreements. A portion of the initial franchise fee is allocated to training services and is recognized as revenue when the Company completes the training services. Prior to adopting Topic 606, the Company recognized initial franchise fees as revenue in the period that a franchised location opened for business. See Note 6—Business Segment Information. Gift cards . The Company sells gift cards to its customers in its restaurants and through select third parties. The Company recognizes revenue from gift cards upon redemption by the customer. For unredeemed gift cards that the Company expects to be entitled to breakage, the Company recognizes expected breakage as revenue in proportion to the pattern of redemption by the customers. The gift cards have no stated expiration dates. Revenues from unredeemed gift cards and gift card liabilities, which are recorded in other current liabilities, are not material to the Company's financial statements. Prior to adopting Topic 606, the Company did not recognize breakage on its gift cards. Fair Value of Financial Instruments. Fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date under current market conditions. In determining fair value, the accounting standards establish a three level hierarchy for inputs used in measuring fair value as follows: Level 1 inputs are quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities; Level 2 inputs are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly, including quoted prices in active markets for similar assets or liabilities; and Level 3 inputs are unobservable and reflect management's own assumptions. The following methods were used to estimate the fair value of each class of financial instruments for which it is practicable to estimate the fair value: • Current Assets and Liabilities. The carrying values reported on the balance sheet of cash, accounts receivable and accounts payable approximate fair value because of the short maturity of those financial instruments. • Revolving Credit Borrowings. The fair value of outstanding revolving credit borrowings under the Company's senior credit facility, which is considered Level 2, is based on current LIBOR rates. The fair value of the Company's senior credit facility was approximately $69.9 million at September 30, 2018 , and $75.0 million at December 31, 2017 . The carrying value of the Company's senior credit facility was $70.0 million at September 30, 2018 and $ 75.0 million at December 31, 2017 . Long-Lived Assets . The Company assesses the recoverability of property and equipment and definite-lived intangible assets by determining whether the carrying value of these assets can be recovered over their respective remaining lives through undiscounted future operating cash flows. Impairment is reviewed when events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amounts of these assets may not be fully recoverable. See Note 3—Impairment of Long-Lived Assets. Use of Estimates

Prepaid Expenses and Other Curr

Prepaid Expenses and Other Current Assets	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Deferred Costs, Capitalized, Prepaid, and Other Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
Prepaid Expenses and Other Current Assets	Prepaid Expenses and Other Current Assets Prepaid expenses and other current assets, consist of the following: September 30, 2018 December 31, 2017 Prepaid contract expenses $ 3,670 $ 3,681 Assets held for sale (1) — 2,705 Other 3,300 3,719 $ 6,970 $ 10,105 (1) Two closed Pollo Tropical restaurant properties owned by the Company that were classified as held for sale as of December 31, 2017 were sold in 2018 for a total of $3.3 million

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets and Other Lease Charges	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Property, Plant and Equipment [Abstract]
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets and Other Lease Charges	Impairment of Long-Lived Assets and Other Lease Charges The Company reviews its long-lived assets, principally property and equipment, for impairment at the restaurant level. In addition to considering management’s plans, known regulatory or governmental actions and damage due to acts of God (hurricanes, tornadoes, etc.), the Company considers a triggering event to have occurred related to a specific restaurant if the restaurant’s cash flows for the last twelve months are less than a minimum threshold or if consistent levels of cash flows for the remaining lease period are less than the carrying value of the restaurant’s assets. If an indicator of impairment exists for any of its assets, an estimate of undiscounted future cash flows over the life of the primary asset for each restaurant is compared to that long-lived asset’s carrying value. If the carrying value is greater than the undiscounted cash flow, the Company then determines the fair value of the asset and if an asset is determined to be impaired, the loss is measured by the excess of the carrying amount of the asset over its fair value. There is uncertainty in the projected undiscounted future cash flows used in the Company's impairment review analysis. If actual performance does not achieve the projections, the Company may recognize impairment charges in future periods, and such charges could be material. For closed restaurant locations, the Company reviews the future minimum lease payments and related ancillary costs from the date of the restaurant closure to the end of the remaining lease term and records a lease charge for the lease liabilities to be incurred, net of any estimated sublease recoveries. There is uncertainty in the estimates of future lease costs and sublease recoveries. Actual costs and sublease recoveries could vary significantly from the estimated amounts and result in additional lease charges or recoveries, and such amounts could be material. A summary of impairment on long-lived assets and other lease charges (recoveries) recorded by segment is as follows: Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended September 30, 2018 October 1, 2017 September 30, 2018 October 1, 2017 Pollo Tropical $ 3,295 $ 13,729 $ 3,439 $ 56,336 Taco Cabana 3,122 2,176 3,100 2,745 $ 6,417 $ 15,905 $ 6,539 $ 59,081 The Company recognized impairment charges totaling $5.7 million in the three months ended September 30, 2018 related to management's ongoing assessment of the Company's restaurant portfolio in light of continued sales declines at certain underperforming restaurants. Impairment and other lease charges for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 for Pollo Tropical include impairment charges of $3.4 million and $3.6 million , respectively, related primarily to impairment of three underperforming restaurants that the Company continues to operate and a benefit of $(0.1) million in net lease charge recoveries related to certain previously closed restaurants due to adjustments to estimates of future lease costs. Impairment and other lease charges for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 for Taco Cabana include impairment charges of $2.4 million and $2.6 million , respectively, related primarily to impairment of five underperforming restaurants that the Company continues to operate and other lease charges, net of recoveries, of $0.7 million and $0.5 million , respectively, due primarily to lease charges related to an office relocation in the third quarter of 2018 and other lease charges, net of recoveries, related to certain previously closed restaurants due to adjustments to estimates of future lease costs. In conjunction with the Strategic Renewal Plan to drive long-term shareholder value creation, Pollo Tropical recognized impairment charges of $15.6 million and $51.3 million for the three and nine months ended October 1, 2017 , respectively. In addition, Pollo Tropical recognized a $(1.9) million net benefit related to lease charge recoveries and $5.0 million of lease charges, net of recoveries, for the three and nine months ended October 1, 2017 , respectively. These charges were due primarily to impairment and closures of underperforming Pollo Tropical restaurants in 2017 and the net benefit related to lease charge recoveries during the third quarter of 2017 was due to closed restaurant lease terminations, assignments and other adjustments to estimates of future lease costs. Impairment and other lease charges for Taco Cabana consisted of impairment charges of $0.9 million and $1.4 million for the three and nine months ended October 1, 2017 , respectively, and other lease charges of $1.3 million for the three and nine months ended October 1, 2017 . These charges were due primarily to impairment and closures of underperforming Taco Cabana restaurants in 2017. The Company determined the fair value of restaurant equipment, for those restaurants reviewed for impairment, based on current economic conditions, the Company’s history of using these assets in the operation of its business and the Company's expectation of how a market participant would value the assets. In addition, for those restaurants reviewed for impairment where the Company owns the land and building, the Company utilized third-party information such as a broker quoted value to determine the fair value of the property. These fair value asset measurements rely on significant unobservable inputs and are considered Level 3 in the fair value hierarchy. The Level 3 assets measured at fair value associated with impairment charges recorded during the nine months ended September 30, 2018 and October 1, 2017 totaled $1.2 million and $13.5 million , respectively, which primarily consisted of equipment for the nine months ended September 30, 2018 and leasehold improvements related to Pollo Tropical restaurants that were or will be rebranded as Taco Cabana restaurants and the estimated fair value of owned properties for the nine months ended October 1, 2017

Other Liabilities

Other Liabilities	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Other Liabilities Disclosure [Abstract]
Other Liabilities	Other Liabilities Other current liabilities consist of the following: September 30, 2018 December 31, 2017 Accrued workers' compensation and general liability claims $ 5,401 $ 5,083 Sales and property taxes 2,299 2,279 Accrued occupancy costs 4,959 7,813 Other 2,393 6,642 $ 15,052 $ 21,817 Other non-current liabilities consist of the following: September 30, 2018 December 31, 2017 Accrued occupancy costs $ 20,007 $ 20,985 Deferred compensation 826 1,029 Accrued workers’ compensation and general liability claims 6,099 6,102 Other 3,542 3,946 $ 30,474 $ 32,062 Accrued occupancy costs include obligations pertaining to closed restaurant locations and accruals to expense operating lease rental payments on a straight-line basis over the lease term. The following table presents the activity in the closed-restaurant reserve, of which $ 3.3 million and $ 5.3 million are included in non-current accrued occupancy costs at September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017 , respectively, with the remainder in current accrued occupancy costs. Nine Months Ended September 30, 2018 Year Ended December 31, 2017 Balance, beginning of period $ 12,994 $ 4,912 Provisions for restaurant closures — 8,767 Additional lease charges (recoveries), net 413 (1,301 ) Payments, net (5,741 ) (5,528 ) Other adjustments (1) 388 6,144 Balance, end of period $ 8,054 $ 12,994 (1)

Stockholders' Equity

Stockholders' Equity	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Equity [Abstract]
Stockholders' Equity	Stockholders' Equity Purchase of Treasury Stock On February 26, 2018, the Company announced that its board of directors approved a share repurchase program for up to 1,500,000 shares of the Company's common stock. Under the share repurchase program, shares may be repurchased from time to time in open market transactions at prevailing market prices, in privately negotiated transactions or by other means in accordance with federal securities laws, including Rule 10b-18 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The share repurchase program has no time limit and may be modified, suspended, superseded or terminated at any time by the Company's board of directors. The Company repurchased 97,358 shares of its common stock under the program in open market transactions during the nine months ended September 30, 2018 for $2.5 million . The repurchased shares are held as treasury stock at cost. Stock-Based Compensation During the nine months ended September 30, 2018 , the Company granted certain employees, non-employee directors and a non-employee food and beverage consultant a total of 187,747 non-vested restricted shares under the Fiesta Restaurant Group, Inc. 2012 Stock Incentive Plan (the "Fiesta Plan"). The shares granted to employees generally vest and become non-forfeitable over a four -year vesting period. The shares granted to non-employee directors, the non-employee food and beverage consultant and a new non-employee director vest and become non-forfeitable over a one -, three - and five -year vesting period, respectively. The weighted average fair value at grant date for non-vested shares issued during the nine months ended September 30, 2018 and October 1, 2017 was $19.02 and $20.84 per share, respectively. During the nine months ended September 30, 2018 , the Company granted certain executives a total of 112,169 restricted stock units under the Fiesta Plan, which vest in three tranches over a three -year vesting period. The restricted stock units granted to executives are subject to continued service and attainment of specified share prices of the Company's common stock for a specified period of time within each vesting period. Each tranche vests by the end of a one-year period if the specified target stock price condition for that year is met. If the specified target stock price condition for any tranche is not met for the year, the cumulative unearned units will be rolled over to subsequent tranches on a pro rata basis. For the restricted stock units granted to executives in the nine months ended September 30, 2018 , the number of shares into which these restricted stock units convert ranges from no shares, if the service and market performance conditions are not met, to 112,169 shares, if the service and market performance conditions are met in the last vesting period. The weighted average fair value at grant date for the restricted stock units granted to executives in the nine months ended September 30, 2018 and October 1, 2017 was $6.96 and $12.13 per share, respectively. During the nine months ended October 1, 2017 , the Company granted certain employees restricted stock units under the Fiesta Plan. The restricted stock units granted during the nine months ended October 1, 2017 vest and become non-forfeitable at the end of a four -year vesting period. The weighted average fair value at grant date for these restricted stock units issued to employees during the nine months ended October 1, 2017 was $20.75 per share. Stock-based compensation expense for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 was $0.7 million and $2.6 million , respectively, and for the three and nine months ended October 1, 2017 was $0.9 million and $2.8 million , respectively. At September 30, 2018 , the total unrecognized stock-based compensation expense related to non-vested restricted shares and restricted stock units was approximately $ 5.8 million . At September 30, 2018 , the remaining weighted average vesting period for non-vested restricted shares was 2.7 years and restricted stock units was 1.3 years. A summary of all non-vested restricted shares and restricted stock units activity for the nine months ended September 30, 2018 is as follows: Non-Vested Shares Restricted Stock Units Shares Weighted Units Weighted Outstanding at December 31, 2017 239,500 $ 24.81 143,946 $ 23.11 Granted 187,747 19.02 112,169 6.96 Vested and released (105,240 ) 25.62 (10,344 ) 45.76 Forfeited (26,609 ) 22.56 (13,851 ) 52.93 Outstanding at September 30, 2018 295,398 $ 20.66 231,920 $ 12.51

Business Segment Information

Business Segment Information	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
Business Segment Information	Business Segment Information The Company owns, operates and franchises two restaurant brands, Pollo Tropical ® and Taco Cabana ® , each of which is an operating segment. Pollo Tropical restaurants feature 24-hour citrus marinated chicken and other freshly prepared tropical inspired menu items, while Taco Cabana restaurants specialize in Mexican inspired food. Each segment's accounting policies are described in the summary of significant accounting policies in Note 1 to the Company's audited financial statements contained in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017 . The primary measure of segment profit or loss used by the chief operating decision maker to assess performance and allocate resources is Adjusted EBITDA, which is defined as earnings attributable to the applicable operating segments before interest expense, income taxes, depreciation and amortization, impairment and other lease charges, stock-compensation expense, other expense (income), net, and certain significant items for each segment that management believes are related to strategic changes and/or are not related to the ongoing operation of the Company's restaurants as set forth in the reconciliation table below. The "Other" column includes corporate-related items not allocated to reportable segments and consists primarily of corporate-owned property and equipment, miscellaneous prepaid costs, capitalized costs associated with the issuance of indebtedness, corporate cash accounts and a current income tax receivable. Three Months Ended Pollo Tropical Taco Cabana Other Consolidated September 30, 2018: Restaurant sales $ 93,592 $ 80,374 $ — $ 173,966 Franchise revenue 453 229 — 682 Cost of sales 31,219 24,802 — 56,021 Restaurant wages and related expenses (1) 21,947 25,996 — 47,943 Restaurant rent expense 4,392 4,737 — 9,129 Other restaurant operating expenses 13,521 13,773 — 27,294 Advertising expense 3,413 3,059 — 6,472 General and administrative expense (2) 7,291 5,993 — 13,284 Adjusted EBITDA 12,544 2,493 — 15,037 Depreciation and amortization 5,438 4,301 — 9,739 Capital expenditures 4,621 7,489 525 12,635 October 1, 2017: Restaurant sales $ 87,888 $ 70,212 $ — $ 158,100 Franchise revenue 396 195 — 591 Cost of sales 28,527 20,624 — 49,151 Restaurant wages and related expenses (1) 21,208 23,441 — 44,649 Restaurant rent expense 4,655 4,449 — 9,104 Other restaurant operating expenses 13,034 11,822 — 24,856 Advertising expense 4,980 905 — 5,885 General and administrative expense (2) 6,647 5,410 — 12,057 Adjusted EBITDA 9,396 3,776 — 13,172 Depreciation and amortization 5,187 3,296 — 8,483 Capital expenditures 6,302 5,471 613 12,386 Nine Months Ended Pollo Tropical Taco Cabana Other Consolidated September 30, 2018: Restaurant sales $ 283,447 $ 235,504 $ — $ 518,951 Franchise revenue 1,376 632 — 2,008 Cost of sales 93,716 72,559 — 166,275 Restaurant wages and related expenses (1) 65,652 76,451 — 142,103 Restaurant rent expense 13,024 13,837 — 26,861 Other restaurant operating expenses 38,270 37,128 — 75,398 Advertising expense 9,859 8,187 — 18,046 General and administrative expense (2) 22,256 18,767 — 41,023 Adjusted EBITDA 42,520 9,652 — 52,172 Depreciation and amortization 16,117 11,791 — 27,908 Capital expenditures 17,656 21,400 867 39,923 October 1, 2017: Restaurant sales $ 281,572 $ 223,510 $ — $ 505,082 Franchise revenue 1,272 568 — 1,840 Cost of sales 87,430 63,397 — 150,827 Restaurant wages and related expenses (1) 66,945 72,105 — 139,050 Restaurant rent expense 14,502 13,379 — 27,881 Other restaurant operating expenses 39,353 34,207 — 73,560 Advertising expense 11,316 6,400 — 17,716 General and administrative expense (2) 26,161 20,590 — 46,751 Adjusted EBITDA 41,257 17,252 — 58,509 Depreciation and amortization 16,705 9,560 — 26,265 Capital expenditures 23,208 13,487 1,844 38,539 Identifiable Assets: September 30, 2018 $ 212,704 $ 174,575 $ 32,619 $ 419,898 December 31, 2017 227,194 167,237 28,882 423,313 (1) Includes stock-based compensation expense of $6 and $56 for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 , respectively, and $9 and $44 for the three and nine months ended October 1, 2017 , respectively. (2) Includes stock-based compensation expense of $732 and $2,588 for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 , respectively, and $938 and $2,723 for the three and nine months ended October 1, 2017 , respectively. A reconciliation of consolidated net income (loss) to Adjusted EBITDA follows: Three Months Ended Pollo Tropical Taco Cabana Consolidated September 30, 2018: Net income $ 2,047 Benefit from income taxes (4,892 ) Income (loss) before taxes $ 2,976 $ (5,821 ) $ (2,845 ) Add: Non-general and administrative expense adjustments: Depreciation and amortization 5,438 4,301 9,739 Impairment and other lease charges 3,295 3,122 6,417 Interest expense 448 476 924 Other expense (income), net (29 ) 76 47 Stock-based compensation expense in restaurant wages 4 2 6 Total non-general and administrative expense adjustments 9,156 7,977 17,133 General and administrative expense adjustments: Stock-based compensation expense 407 325 732 Strategic Renewal Plan restructuring costs and retention bonuses 5 12 17 Total general and administrative expense adjustments 412 337 749 Adjusted EBITDA $ 12,544 $ 2,493 $ 15,037 October 1, 2017: Net loss $ (8,257 ) Benefit from income taxes (4,827 ) Loss before taxes $ (10,816 ) $ (2,268 ) $ (13,084 ) Add: Non-general and administrative expense adjustments: Depreciation and amortization 5,187 3,296 8,483 Impairment and other lease charges 13,729 2,176 15,905 Interest expense 329 343 672 Other expense (income), net 574 (105 ) 469 Stock-based compensation expense in restaurant wages (4 ) 13 9 Total non-general and administrative expense adjustments 19,815 5,723 25,538 General and administrative expense adjustments: Stock-based compensation expense 587 351 938 Board and shareholder matter costs (89 ) (66 ) (155 ) Strategic Renewal Plan restructuring costs and retention bonuses 51 36 87 Office restructuring and relocation costs (152 ) — (152 ) Total general and administrative expense adjustments 397 321 718 Adjusted EBITDA $ 9,396 $ 3,776 $ 13,172 Nine Months Ended Pollo Tropical Taco Cabana Consolidated September 30, 2018: Net income $ 15,724 Benefit from income taxes (246 ) Income (loss) before taxes $ 21,901 $ (6,423 ) $ 15,478 Add: Non-general and administrative expense adjustments: Depreciation and amortization 16,117 11,791 27,908 Impairment and other lease charges 3,439 3,100 6,539 Interest expense 1,467 1,512 2,979 Other expense (income), net (1,577 ) (1,555 ) (3,132 ) Stock-based compensation expense in restaurant wages 23 33 56 Total non-general and administrative expense adjustments 19,469 14,881 34,350 General and administrative expense adjustments: Stock-based compensation expense 1,458 1,130 2,588 Board and shareholder matter costs (328 ) (269 ) (597 ) Strategic Renewal Plan restructuring costs and retention bonuses 187 333 520 Legal settlements and related costs (167 ) — (167 ) Total general and administrative expense adjustments 1,150 1,194 2,344 Adjusted EBITDA $ 42,520 $ 9,652 $ 52,172 October 1, 2017: Net loss $ (25,477 ) Benefit from income taxes (14,241 ) Loss before taxes $ (39,414 ) $ (304 ) $ (39,718 ) Add: Non-general and administrative expense adjustments: Depreciation and amortization 16,705 9,560 26,265 Impairment and other lease charges 56,336 2,745 59,081 Interest expense 873 1,037 1,910 Other expense (income), net 1,624 97 1,721 Stock-based compensation expense in restaurant wages (4 ) 48 44 Unused pre-production costs in advertising expense 322 88 410 Total non-general and administrative expense adjustments 75,856 13,575 89,431 General and administrative expense adjustments: Stock-based compensation expense 1,542 1,181 2,723 Terminated capital project 484 365 849 Board and shareholder matter costs 2,136 1,612 3,748 Strategic Renewal Plan restructuring costs and retention bonuses 1,278 823 2,101 Office restructuring and relocation costs (152 ) — (152 ) Legal settlements and related costs (473 ) — (473 ) Total general and administrative expense adjustments 4,815 3,981 8,796 Adjusted EBITDA $ 41,257 $ 17,252 $ 58,509

Earnings Per Share

Earnings Per Share	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Earnings Per Share	Earnings Per Share Basic earnings per share ("EPS") is computed by dividing net income (loss) applicable to common shares by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during each period. Non-vested restricted shares contain a non-forfeitable right to receive dividends on a one-to-one per share ratio to common shares and are thus considered participating securities. The impact of the participating securities is included in the computation of basic EPS pursuant to the two-class method. The two-class method of computing EPS is an earnings allocation formula that determines earnings attributable to common shares and participating securities according to dividends declared (whether paid or unpaid) and participation rights in undistributed earnings. EPS is computed by dividing undistributed earnings allocated to common stockholders by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding for the period. In applying the two-class method, undistributed earnings are allocated to both common shares and non-vested restricted shares based on the weighted average shares outstanding during the period. Diluted EPS reflects the potential dilution that could occur if the restricted stock units were to be converted into common shares. Restricted stock units with performance conditions are only included in the diluted EPS calculation to the extent that performance conditions have been met at the measurement date. Diluted EPS is computed by adjusting the basic weighted average number of common shares by the dilutive effect of the restricted stock units, determined using the treasury stock method. Weighted average outstanding restricted stock units totaling 568 and 746 shares were not included in the computation of diluted EPS for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 , respectively, because including them would have been antidilutive. For the three and nine months ended October 1, 2017 , all restricted stock units outstanding were excluded from the computation of diluted EPS because including them would have been antidilutive as a result of the net loss in these periods. The computation of basic and diluted EPS is as follows: Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended September 30, 2018 October 1, 2017 September 30, 2018 October 1, 2017 Basic and diluted EPS: Net income (loss) $ 2,047 $ (8,257 ) $ 15,724 $ (25,477 ) Less: income allocated to participating securities 23 — 171 — Net income (loss) available to common shareholders $ 2,024 $ (8,257 ) $ 15,553 $ (25,477 ) Weighted average common shares—basic 26,954,285 26,845,568 26,900,716 26,811,610 Restricted stock units 4,589 — 4,675 — Weighted average common shares—diluted 26,958,874 26,845,568 26,905,391 26,811,610 Earnings per common share—basic $ 0.08 $ (0.31 ) $ 0.58 $ (0.95 ) Earnings per common share—diluted 0.08 (0.31 ) 0.58 (0.95 )

Commitments and Contingencies

Commitments and Contingencies	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Commitments and Contingencies	Commitments and Contingencies Lease Assignments . Taco Cabana has assigned three leases to various parties on properties where it no longer operates restaurants with lease terms expiring on various dates through 2029. The assignees are responsible for making the payments required by the leases. The Company is a guarantor under one of the leases, and it remains secondarily liable as a surety with respect to two of the leases. Pollo Tropical assigned one lease to a third party on a property where it no longer operates with a lease term expiring in 2033. The assignee is responsible for making the payments required by the lease. The Company is a guarantor under the lease. The maximum potential liability for future rental payments that the Company could be required to make under these leases at September 30, 2018 was $3.7 million . The Company could also be obligated to pay property taxes and other lease related costs. The obligations under these leases will generally continue to decrease over time as the operating leases expire. The Company does not believe it is probable that it will be ultimately responsible for the obligations under these leases. Legal Matters . On November 24, 2015, Pollo Tropical received a legal demand letter alleging that assistant managers were misclassified as exempt from overtime wages under the Fair Labor Standards Act. On September 30, 2016, prior to any suit being filed, Pollo Tropical reached a settlement with seven named individuals and a proposed collective action class that allowed current and former assistant managers to receive notice and opt-in to the settlement. Pollo Tropical denies any liability or unlawful conduct. The settlement was approved by a Florida state judge on December 27, 2017 which resulted in dismissal with prejudice for the named individuals and all individuals that opted-in to the settlement. The Company reserved $0.8 million in 2016 to cover the estimated costs related to the settlement. During the second quarter of 2018, the Company paid all settlement claims costs and recognized a reduction in legal settlement costs of $0.2 million . The Company is also a party to various other litigation matters incidental to the conduct of business. The Company does not believe that the outcome of any of these matters will have a material effect on its consolidated financial statements. Contingency Related to Insurance Recoveries. During the third quarter of 2017, Texas and Florida were struck by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma (the "Hurricanes"). Forty-three Taco Cabana restaurants in the Houston metropolitan area and all Pollo Tropical restaurants in Florida and the Atlanta metropolitan area were temporarily closed and affected by the Hurricanes to varying degrees (e.g. property preparation and damages, inventory losses, payments to hourly employees while restaurants were closed and lost business related to temporary closures). In 2017, the Company recorded certain expected insurance proceeds in accounts receivable of $0.7 million and $0.4 million for Pollo Tropical and Taco Cabana, respectively. In the nine months ended September 30, 2018 , the Company received business interruption and property damage insurance settlement proceeds of $2.8 million and $1.4 million for Pollo Tropical and Taco Cabana, respectively, and recognized other income of $2.1 million and $1.0 million for Pollo Tropical and Taco Cabana, respectively, related to the Hurricanes. The Company has received a final settlement related to Hurricane Irma as of September 30, 2018

Income Taxes

Income Taxes	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Income Taxes	Income Taxes Tax Law Changes. On December 22, 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the "Act"), which includes a provision that reduced the federal corporate income tax rate from 35.0% to 21.0% effective January 1, 2018, was signed into law. In accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, the enactment of this new tax legislation required the Company to revalue its net deferred income tax assets at the new corporate statutory rate of 21.0% as of the enactment date, which resulted in an adjustment to its deferred income taxes of $9.0 million with a corresponding increase to the provision for income taxes as a discrete item during the fourth quarter of 2017. In 2018, in conjunction with a cost segregation study conducted prior to filing its 2017 federal income tax return, the Company changed the depreciation method for certain assets for federal income tax purposes to accelerate tax deductions. Changes in the Company's 2017 federal income tax return from the amounts recorded as of December 31, 2017 were primarily the result of changing the depreciable lives of assets for federal income tax purposes. These changes allowed the Company to record an incremental benefit of $3.9 million during the third quarter of 2018. On December 22, 2017, the Securities and Exchange Commission issued Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 118 (SAB 118), which provides guidance on accounting for the impact of the Act, that, in effect, allows entities to use a methodology similar to the measurement period in a business combination. Pursuant to the disclosure provisions of SAB 118, the Company continues to evaluate the impact of the Act on various matters. The actual impact of the Act on the Company may differ from the provisional amounts recognized based on its reasonable estimates due to, among other things, changes in assumptions made in the Company's interpretation of the Act, guidance related to application of the Act that may be issued in the future, and actions that the Company may take as a result of the expected impact of the Act. The Company will adjust the amounts recognized related to the Act if more information becomes available. The Company did not make any measurement period adjustments related to the Act in the nine months ended September 30, 2018

Recent Accounting Pronouncement

Recent Accounting Pronouncements	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Recent Accounting Pronouncements	Recent Accounting Pronouncements In February 2016, and in subsequent updates, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842), which requires lessee recognition of lease assets and lease liabilities on the balance sheet and disclosure of key information about leasing arrangements. For the Company, the new standard is effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2018, and early adoption is permitted. A modified retrospective approach is required with an option to use certain practical expedients. The Company intends to elect the transition method that allows it to initially apply the new standard at the adoption date and recognize a cumulative-effect adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings in the period of adoption. The comparative period information will not be restated and will continue to be reported under the accounting standard in effect for those periods. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of the new standard on its financial statements. Although the impact is not currently estimable, the Company expects to recognize right-of-use lease assets and lease liabilities for most of the leases it currently accounts for as operating leases. The right-of-use lease assets to be recognized will be adjusted by certain closed-restaurant lease reserves, accrued rent (including accruals to expense operating lease payments on a straight-line basis) and unamortized lease incentives upon the adoption of Topic 842. The Company intends to elect the transition practical expedient package as well as the practical expedient to combine lease and non-lease components of the contracts, which may result in reclassification of certain occupancy related expenses to restaurant rent expenses in the consolidated statement of operations. In addition, the Company will be required to record an initial adjustment to retained earnings associated with previously deferred gains on sale-leaseback transactions and will no longer receive the benefit to rent expense from amortizing such previously deferred gains on sale-leaseback transactions beginning in 2019. For any future sale-leaseback transactions, the gain (adjusted for any off-market terms) will be recognized immediately. Currently the Company amortizes sale-leaseback gains over the lease term. The Company has not assessed the potential impact of Topic 842 on its covenant financial ratios as the Company's senior credit facility does not give effect to any change in GAAP arising out of Topic 842. The Company is continuing its assessment of the impact of Topic 842 and may identify other impacts. In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-04, Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment , which eliminates the requirement to calculate the implied fair value of goodwill if the fair value of a reporting unit is less than the carrying amount of the reporting unit. Instead, if the carrying amount of a reporting unit exceeds its fair value, an impairment loss will be recognized in an amount equal to that excess, limited to the total amount of goodwill allocated to that reporting unit. The guidance will be effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2019. Early adoption is permitted for any goodwill impairment tests after January 1, 2017. This standard may have an impact on the Company's financial statements if goodwill impairment is recognized in future periods. In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-15, Customer's Accounting for Implementation Costs Incurred in a Cloud Computing Arrangement That is a Service Contract

Basis of Presentation (Policies

Basis of Presentation (Policies)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Basis of Consolidation	Basis of Consolidation. The unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements presented herein reflect the consolidated financial position, results of operations and cash flows of Fiesta and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. All intercompany transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.
Fiscal Year	Fiscal Year . The Company uses a 52 – 53 week fiscal year ending on the Sunday closest to December 31. The fiscal year ended December 31, 2017 contained 52 weeks. The three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 and October 1, 2017 each contained thirteen and thirty-nine weeks, respectively. The fiscal year ending December 30, 2018 will contain 52
Basis of Presentation	Basis of Presentation. The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 and October 1, 2017 have been prepared without an audit pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and do not include certain information and footnotes required by U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles ("GAAP") for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, all normal and recurring adjustments considered necessary for a fair presentation of such financial statements have been included. The results of operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 and October 1, 2017 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the full year. These unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto for the year ended December 31, 2017 included in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017 . The December 31, 2017
Reclassification	Reclassification. Write-offs of site development costs were reclassified from general and administrative expense to other expense (income), net in the condensed consolidated statement of operations to conform with the current year presentation.
Guidance Adopted in 2018 and Recent Accounting Pronouncements	Guidance Adopted in 2018. In May 2014, and in subsequent updates, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606), which supersedes the guidance in former Topic 605, Revenue Recognition , and requires entities to recognize revenue when control of the promised goods or services is transferred to customers at an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled to in exchange for those goods or services. The Company adopted this new accounting standard and all the related amendments as of January 1, 2018 using the modified retrospective method, and recognized a total cumulative effect adjustment to increase retained earnings by less than $0.1 million , which consisted of a $0.3 million increase related to gift card breakage and a $0.3 million decrease related to initial franchise and area development fees, as a result of adopting the standard. The new standard did not impact the Company’s recognition of revenue from Company-owned and operated restaurants or its recognition of sale-based royalties from restaurants operated by franchisees. The comparative period information has not been restated and continues to be reported under the accounting standard in effect for those periods. When compared to the previous accounting policies, the impact of adopting the new standard was immaterial to current and non-current other liabilities and retained earnings at January 1, 2018 and to net income for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 In February 2016, and in subsequent updates, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842), which requires lessee recognition of lease assets and lease liabilities on the balance sheet and disclosure of key information about leasing arrangements. For the Company, the new standard is effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2018, and early adoption is permitted. A modified retrospective approach is required with an option to use certain practical expedients. The Company intends to elect the transition method that allows it to initially apply the new standard at the adoption date and recognize a cumulative-effect adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings in the period of adoption. The comparative period information will not be restated and will continue to be reported under the accounting standard in effect for those periods. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of the new standard on its financial statements. Although the impact is not currently estimable, the Company expects to recognize right-of-use lease assets and lease liabilities for most of the leases it currently accounts for as operating leases. The right-of-use lease assets to be recognized will be adjusted by certain closed-restaurant lease reserves, accrued rent (including accruals to expense operating lease payments on a straight-line basis) and unamortized lease incentives upon the adoption of Topic 842. The Company intends to elect the transition practical expedient package as well as the practical expedient to combine lease and non-lease components of the contracts, which may result in reclassification of certain occupancy related expenses to restaurant rent expenses in the consolidated statement of operations. In addition, the Company will be required to record an initial adjustment to retained earnings associated with previously deferred gains on sale-leaseback transactions and will no longer receive the benefit to rent expense from amortizing such previously deferred gains on sale-leaseback transactions beginning in 2019. For any future sale-leaseback transactions, the gain (adjusted for any off-market terms) will be recognized immediately. Currently the Company amortizes sale-leaseback gains over the lease term. The Company has not assessed the potential impact of Topic 842 on its covenant financial ratios as the Company's senior credit facility does not give effect to any change in GAAP arising out of Topic 842. The Company is continuing its assessment of the impact of Topic 842 and may identify other impacts. In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-04, Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment , which eliminates the requirement to calculate the implied fair value of goodwill if the fair value of a reporting unit is less than the carrying amount of the reporting unit. Instead, if the carrying amount of a reporting unit exceeds its fair value, an impairment loss will be recognized in an amount equal to that excess, limited to the total amount of goodwill allocated to that reporting unit. The guidance will be effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2019. Early adoption is permitted for any goodwill impairment tests after January 1, 2017. This standard may have an impact on the Company's financial statements if goodwill impairment is recognized in future periods. In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-15, Customer's Accounting for Implementation Costs Incurred in a Cloud Computing Arrangement That is a Service Contract
Revenue Recognition	Revenue Recognition. Revenue is recognized upon transfer of promised products or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration the Company received in exchange for those products or services. Revenues from the Company's owned and operated restaurants are recognized when payment is tendered at the time of sale. Franchise royalty revenues are based on a percent of gross sales and are recorded as income when earned. Initial franchise fees and area development fees associated with new franchise agreements are not distinct from the continuing rights and services offered by the Company during the term of the related franchise agreements and are recognized as income over the term of the related franchise agreements. A portion of the initial franchise fee is allocated to training services and is recognized as revenue when the Company completes the training services. Prior to adopting Topic 606, the Company recognized initial franchise fees as revenue in the period that a franchised location opened for business. See Note 6—Business Segment Information. Gift cards
Fair Value of Financial Instruments	Fair Value of Financial Instruments. Fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date under current market conditions. In determining fair value, the accounting standards establish a three level hierarchy for inputs used in measuring fair value as follows: Level 1 inputs are quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities; Level 2 inputs are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly, including quoted prices in active markets for similar assets or liabilities; and Level 3 inputs are unobservable and reflect management's own assumptions. The following methods were used to estimate the fair value of each class of financial instruments for which it is practicable to estimate the fair value: • Current Assets and Liabilities. The carrying values reported on the balance sheet of cash, accounts receivable and accounts payable approximate fair value because of the short maturity of those financial instruments. • Revolving Credit Borrowings.
Long-Lived Assets	Long-Lived Assets . The Company assesses the recoverability of property and equipment and definite-lived intangible assets by determining whether the carrying value of these assets can be recovered over their respective remaining lives through undiscounted future operating cash flows. Impairment is reviewed when events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amounts of these assets may not be fully recoverable. See Note 3—Impairment of Long-Lived Assets.
Use of Estimates	Use of Estimates. The preparation of the condensed consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the dates of the financial statements. Estimates also affect the reported amounts of expenses during the reporting periods. Significant items subject to such estimates and assumptions include: accrued occupancy costs, insurance liabilities, evaluation for impairment of goodwill and long-lived assets and lease accounting matters. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets	The Company reviews its long-lived assets, principally property and equipment, for impairment at the restaurant level. In addition to considering management’s plans, known regulatory or governmental actions and damage due to acts of God (hurricanes, tornadoes, etc.), the Company considers a triggering event to have occurred related to a specific restaurant if the restaurant’s cash flows for the last twelve months are less than a minimum threshold or if consistent levels of cash flows for the remaining lease period are less than the carrying value of the restaurant’s assets. If an indicator of impairment exists for any of its assets, an estimate of undiscounted future cash flows over the life of the primary asset for each restaurant is compared to that long-lived asset’s carrying value. If the carrying value is greater than the undiscounted cash flow, the Company then determines the fair value of the asset and if an asset is determined to be impaired, the loss is measured by the excess of the carrying amount of the asset over its fair value. There is uncertainty in the projected undiscounted future cash flows used in the Company's impairment review analysis. If actual performance does not achieve the projections, the Company may recognize impairment charges in future periods, and such charges could be material. For closed restaurant locations, the Company reviews the future minimum lease payments and related ancillary costs from the date of the restaurant closure to the end of the remaining lease term and records a lease charge for the lease liabilities to be incurred, net of any estimated sublease recoveries. There is uncertainty in the estimates of future lease costs and sublease recoveries. Actual costs and sublease recoveries could vary significantly from the estimated amounts and result in additional lease charges or recoveries, and such amounts could be material.
Purchase of Treasury Stock	Purchase of Treasury Stock On February 26, 2018, the Company announced that its board of directors approved a share repurchase program for up to 1,500,000 shares of the Company's common stock. Under the share repurchase program, shares may be repurchased from time to time in open market transactions at prevailing market prices, in privately negotiated transactions or by other means in accordance with federal securities laws, including Rule 10b-18 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The share repurchase program has no time limit and may be modified, suspended, superseded or terminated at any time by the Company's board of directors. The Company repurchased 97,358 shares of its common stock under the program in open market transactions during the nine months ended September 30, 2018 for $2.5 million
Segment Reporting	Each segment's accounting policies are described in the summary of significant accounting policies in Note 1 to the Company's audited financial statements contained in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017
Earnings per Share	Basic earnings per share ("EPS") is computed by dividing net income (loss) applicable to common shares by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during each period. Non-vested restricted shares contain a non-forfeitable right to receive dividends on a one-to-one per share ratio to common shares and are thus considered participating securities. The impact of the participating securities is included in the computation of basic EPS pursuant to the two-class method. The two-class method of computing EPS is an earnings allocation formula that determines earnings attributable to common shares and participating securities according to dividends declared (whether paid or unpaid) and participation rights in undistributed earnings. EPS is computed by dividing undistributed earnings allocated to common stockholders by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding for the period. In applying the two-class method, undistributed earnings are allocated to both common shares and non-vested restricted shares based on the weighted average shares outstanding during the period.Diluted EPS reflects the potential dilution that could occur if the restricted stock units were to be converted into common shares. Restricted stock units with performance conditions are only included in the diluted EPS calculation to the extent that performance conditions have been met at the measurement date. Diluted EPS is computed by adjusting the basic weighted average number of common shares by the dilutive effect of the restricted stock units, determined using the treasury stock method.

Prepaid Expenses and Other Cu_2

Prepaid Expenses and Other Current Assets (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Deferred Costs, Capitalized, Prepaid, and Other Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
Prepaid Expenses and Other Current Assets	Prepaid expenses and other current assets, consist of the following: September 30, 2018 December 31, 2017 Prepaid contract expenses $ 3,670 $ 3,681 Assets held for sale (1) — 2,705 Other 3,300 3,719 $ 6,970 $ 10,105 (1) Two closed Pollo Tropical restaurant properties owned by the Company that were classified as held for sale as of December 31, 2017 were sold in 2018 for a total of $3.3 million

Impairment of Long-Lived Asse_2

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets and Other Lease Charges (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Property, Plant and Equipment [Abstract]
Summary of Impairment on Long-Lived Assets by Segment	A summary of impairment on long-lived assets and other lease charges (recoveries) recorded by segment is as follows: Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended September 30, 2018 October 1, 2017 September 30, 2018 October 1, 2017 Pollo Tropical $ 3,295 $ 13,729 $ 3,439 $ 56,336 Taco Cabana 3,122 2,176 3,100 2,745 $ 6,417 $ 15,905 $ 6,539 $ 59,081
Other Lease Charges (Recoveries) by Segment	A summary of impairment on long-lived assets and other lease charges (recoveries) recorded by segment is as follows: Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended September 30, 2018 October 1, 2017 September 30, 2018 October 1, 2017 Pollo Tropical $ 3,295 $ 13,729 $ 3,439 $ 56,336 Taco Cabana 3,122 2,176 3,100 2,745 $ 6,417 $ 15,905 $ 6,539 $ 59,081

Other Liabilities (Tables)

Other Liabilities (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Other Liabilities Disclosure [Abstract]
Other Liabilities, Current	Other current liabilities consist of the following: September 30, 2018 December 31, 2017 Accrued workers' compensation and general liability claims $ 5,401 $ 5,083 Sales and property taxes 2,299 2,279 Accrued occupancy costs 4,959 7,813 Other 2,393 6,642 $ 15,052 $ 21,817
Other Liabilities, Non-current	Other non-current liabilities consist of the following: September 30, 2018 December 31, 2017 Accrued occupancy costs $ 20,007 $ 20,985 Deferred compensation 826 1,029 Accrued workers’ compensation and general liability claims 6,099 6,102 Other 3,542 3,946 $ 30,474 $ 32,062
Activity in the Closed-Store Reserve	The following table presents the activity in the closed-restaurant reserve, of which $ 3.3 million and $ 5.3 million are included in non-current accrued occupancy costs at September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017 , respectively, with the remainder in current accrued occupancy costs. Nine Months Ended September 30, 2018 Year Ended December 31, 2017 Balance, beginning of period $ 12,994 $ 4,912 Provisions for restaurant closures — 8,767 Additional lease charges (recoveries), net 413 (1,301 ) Payments, net (5,741 ) (5,528 ) Other adjustments (1) 388 6,144 Balance, end of period $ 8,054 $ 12,994 (1)

Stockholders' Equity (Tables)

Stockholders' Equity (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Equity [Abstract]
Schedule of Non-vested Restricted Shares Activity	A summary of all non-vested restricted shares and restricted stock units activity for the nine months ended September 30, 2018 is as follows: Non-Vested Shares Restricted Stock Units Shares Weighted Units Weighted Outstanding at December 31, 2017 239,500 $ 24.81 143,946 $ 23.11 Granted 187,747 19.02 112,169 6.96 Vested and released (105,240 ) 25.62 (10,344 ) 45.76 Forfeited (26,609 ) 22.56 (13,851 ) 52.93 Outstanding at September 30, 2018 295,398 $ 20.66 231,920 $ 12.51
Schedule of Restricted Stock Units Activity	A summary of all non-vested restricted shares and restricted stock units activity for the nine months ended September 30, 2018 is as follows: Non-Vested Shares Restricted Stock Units Shares Weighted Units Weighted Outstanding at December 31, 2017 239,500 $ 24.81 143,946 $ 23.11 Granted 187,747 19.02 112,169 6.96 Vested and released (105,240 ) 25.62 (10,344 ) 45.76 Forfeited (26,609 ) 22.56 (13,851 ) 52.93 Outstanding at September 30, 2018 295,398 $ 20.66 231,920 $ 12.51

Business Segment Information (T

Business Segment Information (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
Schedule of Segment Reporting Information, by Segment	Three Months Ended Pollo Tropical Taco Cabana Other Consolidated September 30, 2018: Restaurant sales $ 93,592 $ 80,374 $ — $ 173,966 Franchise revenue 453 229 — 682 Cost of sales 31,219 24,802 — 56,021 Restaurant wages and related expenses (1) 21,947 25,996 — 47,943 Restaurant rent expense 4,392 4,737 — 9,129 Other restaurant operating expenses 13,521 13,773 — 27,294 Advertising expense 3,413 3,059 — 6,472 General and administrative expense (2) 7,291 5,993 — 13,284 Adjusted EBITDA 12,544 2,493 — 15,037 Depreciation and amortization 5,438 4,301 — 9,739 Capital expenditures 4,621 7,489 525 12,635 October 1, 2017: Restaurant sales $ 87,888 $ 70,212 $ — $ 158,100 Franchise revenue 396 195 — 591 Cost of sales 28,527 20,624 — 49,151 Restaurant wages and related expenses (1) 21,208 23,441 — 44,649 Restaurant rent expense 4,655 4,449 — 9,104 Other restaurant operating expenses 13,034 11,822 — 24,856 Advertising expense 4,980 905 — 5,885 General and administrative expense (2) 6,647 5,410 — 12,057 Adjusted EBITDA 9,396 3,776 — 13,172 Depreciation and amortization 5,187 3,296 — 8,483 Capital expenditures 6,302 5,471 613 12,386 Nine Months Ended Pollo Tropical Taco Cabana Other Consolidated September 30, 2018: Restaurant sales $ 283,447 $ 235,504 $ — $ 518,951 Franchise revenue 1,376 632 — 2,008 Cost of sales 93,716 72,559 — 166,275 Restaurant wages and related expenses (1) 65,652 76,451 — 142,103 Restaurant rent expense 13,024 13,837 — 26,861 Other restaurant operating expenses 38,270 37,128 — 75,398 Advertising expense 9,859 8,187 — 18,046 General and administrative expense (2) 22,256 18,767 — 41,023 Adjusted EBITDA 42,520 9,652 — 52,172 Depreciation and amortization 16,117 11,791 — 27,908 Capital expenditures 17,656 21,400 867 39,923 October 1, 2017: Restaurant sales $ 281,572 $ 223,510 $ — $ 505,082 Franchise revenue 1,272 568 — 1,840 Cost of sales 87,430 63,397 — 150,827 Restaurant wages and related expenses (1) 66,945 72,105 — 139,050 Restaurant rent expense 14,502 13,379 — 27,881 Other restaurant operating expenses 39,353 34,207 — 73,560 Advertising expense 11,316 6,400 — 17,716 General and administrative expense (2) 26,161 20,590 — 46,751 Adjusted EBITDA 41,257 17,252 — 58,509 Depreciation and amortization 16,705 9,560 — 26,265 Capital expenditures 23,208 13,487 1,844 38,539 Identifiable Assets: September 30, 2018 $ 212,704 $ 174,575 $ 32,619 $ 419,898 December 31, 2017 227,194 167,237 28,882 423,313 (1) Includes stock-based compensation expense of $6 and $56 for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 , respectively, and $9 and $44 for the three and nine months ended October 1, 2017 , respectively. (2) Includes stock-based compensation expense of $732 and $2,588 for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 , respectively, and $938 and $2,723 for the three and nine months ended October 1, 2017
Reconciliation of Consolidated Net Income (Loss) to Adjusted EBITDA	A reconciliation of consolidated net income (loss) to Adjusted EBITDA follows: Three Months Ended Pollo Tropical Taco Cabana Consolidated September 30, 2018: Net income $ 2,047 Benefit from income taxes (4,892 ) Income (loss) before taxes $ 2,976 $ (5,821 ) $ (2,845 ) Add: Non-general and administrative expense adjustments: Depreciation and amortization 5,438 4,301 9,739 Impairment and other lease charges 3,295 3,122 6,417 Interest expense 448 476 924 Other expense (income), net (29 ) 76 47 Stock-based compensation expense in restaurant wages 4 2 6 Total non-general and administrative expense adjustments 9,156 7,977 17,133 General and administrative expense adjustments: Stock-based compensation expense 407 325 732 Strategic Renewal Plan restructuring costs and retention bonuses 5 12 17 Total general and administrative expense adjustments 412 337 749 Adjusted EBITDA $ 12,544 $ 2,493 $ 15,037 October 1, 2017: Net loss $ (8,257 ) Benefit from income taxes (4,827 ) Loss before taxes $ (10,816 ) $ (2,268 ) $ (13,084 ) Add: Non-general and administrative expense adjustments: Depreciation and amortization 5,187 3,296 8,483 Impairment and other lease charges 13,729 2,176 15,905 Interest expense 329 343 672 Other expense (income), net 574 (105 ) 469 Stock-based compensation expense in restaurant wages (4 ) 13 9 Total non-general and administrative expense adjustments 19,815 5,723 25,538 General and administrative expense adjustments: Stock-based compensation expense 587 351 938 Board and shareholder matter costs (89 ) (66 ) (155 ) Strategic Renewal Plan restructuring costs and retention bonuses 51 36 87 Office restructuring and relocation costs (152 ) — (152 ) Total general and administrative expense adjustments 397 321 718 Adjusted EBITDA $ 9,396 $ 3,776 $ 13,172 Nine Months Ended Pollo Tropical Taco Cabana Consolidated September 30, 2018: Net income $ 15,724 Benefit from income taxes (246 ) Income (loss) before taxes $ 21,901 $ (6,423 ) $ 15,478 Add: Non-general and administrative expense adjustments: Depreciation and amortization 16,117 11,791 27,908 Impairment and other lease charges 3,439 3,100 6,539 Interest expense 1,467 1,512 2,979 Other expense (income), net (1,577 ) (1,555 ) (3,132 ) Stock-based compensation expense in restaurant wages 23 33 56 Total non-general and administrative expense adjustments 19,469 14,881 34,350 General and administrative expense adjustments: Stock-based compensation expense 1,458 1,130 2,588 Board and shareholder matter costs (328 ) (269 ) (597 ) Strategic Renewal Plan restructuring costs and retention bonuses 187 333 520 Legal settlements and related costs (167 ) — (167 ) Total general and administrative expense adjustments 1,150 1,194 2,344 Adjusted EBITDA $ 42,520 $ 9,652 $ 52,172 October 1, 2017: Net loss $ (25,477 ) Benefit from income taxes (14,241 ) Loss before taxes $ (39,414 ) $ (304 ) $ (39,718 ) Add: Non-general and administrative expense adjustments: Depreciation and amortization 16,705 9,560 26,265 Impairment and other lease charges 56,336 2,745 59,081 Interest expense 873 1,037 1,910 Other expense (income), net 1,624 97 1,721 Stock-based compensation expense in restaurant wages (4 ) 48 44 Unused pre-production costs in advertising expense 322 88 410 Total non-general and administrative expense adjustments 75,856 13,575 89,431 General and administrative expense adjustments: Stock-based compensation expense 1,542 1,181 2,723 Terminated capital project 484 365 849 Board and shareholder matter costs 2,136 1,612 3,748 Strategic Renewal Plan restructuring costs and retention bonuses 1,278 823 2,101 Office restructuring and relocation costs (152 ) — (152 ) Legal settlements and related costs (473 ) — (473 ) Total general and administrative expense adjustments 4,815 3,981 8,796 Adjusted EBITDA $ 41,257 $ 17,252 $ 58,509

Earnings Per Share (Tables)

Earnings Per Share (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Schedule of Earnings Per Share	The computation of basic and diluted EPS is as follows: Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended September 30, 2018 October 1, 2017 September 30, 2018 October 1, 2017 Basic and diluted EPS: Net income (loss) $ 2,047 $ (8,257 ) $ 15,724 $ (25,477 ) Less: income allocated to participating securities 23 — 171 — Net income (loss) available to common shareholders $ 2,024 $ (8,257 ) $ 15,553 $ (25,477 ) Weighted average common shares—basic 26,954,285 26,845,568 26,900,716 26,811,610 Restricted stock units 4,589 — 4,675 — Weighted average common shares—diluted 26,958,874 26,845,568 26,905,391 26,811,610 Earnings per common share—basic $ 0.08 $ (0.31 ) $ 0.58 $ (0.95 ) Earnings per common share—diluted 0.08 (0.31 ) 0.58 (0.95 )

Basis of Presentation - Narrati

Basis of Presentation - Narrative (Details)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018restaurant	Oct. 01, 2017	Sep. 30, 2018segmentrestaurant	Oct. 01, 2017	Dec. 30, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Entity Information [Line Items]
Number of operating segments | segment			2
Fiscal period duration	91 days	91 days	273 days	273 days		364 days
Forecast
Entity Information [Line Items]
Fiscal period duration					364 days
Minimum | Forecast
Entity Information [Line Items]
Fiscal period duration					364 days
Maximum | Forecast
Entity Information [Line Items]
Fiscal period duration					371 days
Entity Operated Units | Pollo Tropical
Entity Information [Line Items]
Number of restaurants	150		150
Entity Operated Units | Pollo Tropical | Florida
Entity Information [Line Items]
Number of restaurants	141		141
Entity Operated Units | Pollo Tropical | Georgia
Entity Information [Line Items]
Number of restaurants	9		9
Entity Operated Units | Taco Cabana
Entity Information [Line Items]
Number of restaurants	171		171
Entity Operated Units | Taco Cabana | Texas
Entity Information [Line Items]
Number of restaurants	171		171
Franchised Units | Pollo Tropical
Entity Information [Line Items]
Number of restaurants	30		30
Franchised Units | Pollo Tropical | Florida | College Campus
Entity Information [Line Items]
Number of restaurants	5		5
Franchised Units | Pollo Tropical | Florida | Hospital
Entity Information [Line Items]
Number of restaurants	1		1
Franchised Units | Pollo Tropical | Puerto Rico
Entity Information [Line Items]
Number of restaurants	17		17
Franchised Units | Pollo Tropical | Panama
Entity Information [Line Items]
Number of restaurants	4		4
Franchised Units | Pollo Tropical | Guyana
Entity Information [Line Items]
Number of restaurants	2		2
Franchised Units | Pollo Tropical | Bahamas
Entity Information [Line Items]
Number of restaurants	1		1
Franchised Units | Taco Cabana
Entity Information [Line Items]
Number of restaurants	8		8
Franchised Units | Taco Cabana | Texas
Entity Information [Line Items]
Number of restaurants	2		2
Franchised Units | Taco Cabana | New Mexico
Entity Information [Line Items]
Number of restaurants	6		6

Basis of Presentation - Guidanc

Basis of Presentation - Guidance Adopted in 2018 (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2018	Jan. 01, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]
Cumulative effect adjustment to retained earnings	$ 80,206		$ 64,425
Difference between Revenue Guidance in Effect before and after Topic 606 | ASU 2014-09 | Gift Card Breakage
New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]
Cumulative effect adjustment to retained earnings		$ 300
Difference between Revenue Guidance in Effect before and after Topic 606 | ASU 2014-09 | Initial Franchise and Area Development Fees
New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]
Cumulative effect adjustment to retained earnings		(300)
Difference between Revenue Guidance in Effect before and after Topic 606 | ASU 2014-09 | Less Than
New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]
Cumulative effect adjustment to retained earnings		$ 100

Basis of Presentation - Fair Va

Basis of Presentation - Fair Value Disclosures (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Sep. 30, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Carrying value of senior credit facility	$ 70	$ 75
Level 2
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair value of senior credit facility	$ 69.9	$ 75

Prepaid Expenses and Other Cu_3

Prepaid Expenses and Other Current Assets (Details) $ in Thousands	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018USD ($)restaurant	Oct. 01, 2017USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2017USD ($)
Deferred Costs, Capitalized, Prepaid, and Other Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
Prepaid contract expenses	$ 3,670		$ 3,681
Assets held for sale	0		2,705
Other	3,300		3,719
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	6,970		$ 10,105
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Proceeds from sale of restaurant property	$ 4,676	$ 0
Pollo Tropical
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Number of restaurants sold | restaurant	2
Proceeds from sale of restaurant property	$ 3,300

Impairment of Long-Lived Asse_3

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets and Other Lease Charges - Summary by Segment (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Oct. 01, 2017	Sep. 30, 2018	Oct. 01, 2017
Impairment and Other Lease Charges [Line Items]
Impairment and other lease charges	$ 6,417	$ 15,905	$ 6,539	$ 59,081
Pollo Tropical
Impairment and Other Lease Charges [Line Items]
Impairment and other lease charges	3,295	13,729	3,439	56,336
Taco Cabana
Impairment and Other Lease Charges [Line Items]
Impairment and other lease charges	$ 3,122	$ 2,176	$ 3,100	$ 2,745

Impairment of Long-Lived Asse_4

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets and Other Lease Charges - Narrative (Details) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018USD ($)restaurant	Oct. 01, 2017USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2018USD ($)restaurant	Oct. 01, 2017USD ($)
Impairment and Other Lease Charges [Line Items]
Asset impairment charges	$ 5.7
Level 3
Impairment and Other Lease Charges [Line Items]
Assets measured at fair value associated with impairment charges	1.2	$ 13.5	$ 1.2	$ 13.5
Pollo Tropical
Impairment and Other Lease Charges [Line Items]
Asset impairment charges	$ 3.4	15.6	$ 3.6	51.3
Number of impaired underperforming restaurants | restaurant	3		3
Lease charges, net of recoveries	$ (0.1)	(1.9)	$ (0.1)	5
Taco Cabana
Impairment and Other Lease Charges [Line Items]
Asset impairment charges	$ 2.4	0.9	$ 2.6	1.4
Number of impaired underperforming restaurants | restaurant	5		5
Lease charges, net of recoveries	$ 0.7	$ 1.3	$ 0.5	$ 1.3

Other Liabilities - Current (De

Other Liabilities - Current (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Other Liabilities Disclosure [Abstract]
Accrued workers' compensation and general liability claims	$ 5,401	$ 5,083
Sales and property taxes	2,299	2,279
Accrued occupancy costs	4,959	7,813
Other	2,393	6,642
Other current liabilities	$ 15,052	$ 21,817

Other Liabilities - Non-current

Other Liabilities - Non-current (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Other Liabilities Disclosure [Abstract]
Accrued occupancy costs	$ 20,007	$ 20,985
Deferred compensation	826	1,029
Accrued workers’ compensation and general liability claims	6,099	6,102
Other	3,542	3,946
Other non-current liabilities	$ 30,474	$ 32,062

Other Liabilities - Narrative (

Other Liabilities - Narrative (Details) - Closed Stores - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Jan. 01, 2017
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Closed-restaurant reserve	$ 8,054	$ 12,994	$ 4,912
Other Liabilities, Non-current
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Closed-restaurant reserve	$ 3,300	$ 5,300

Other Liabilities - Restructuri

Other Liabilities - Restructuring Reserve (Details) - Closed Stores - USD ($) $ in Thousands	9 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Activity in the Closed-Restaurant Reserve
Balance, beginning of period	$ 12,994	$ 4,912
Provisions for restaurant closures	0	8,767
Additional lease charges (recoveries), net	413	(1,301)
Payments, net	(5,741)	(5,528)
Other adjustments	388	6,144
Balance, end of period	$ 8,054	$ 12,994

Stockholders' Equity - Purchase

Stockholders' Equity - Purchase of Treasury Stock (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Feb. 26, 2018
Equity [Abstract]
Number of shares authorized to be repurchased		1,500,000
Treasury stock purchases (in shares)	97,358
Treasury stock purchases	$ 2,484

Stockholders' Equity - Stock-Ba

Stockholders' Equity - Stock-Based Compensation (Details) $ / shares in Units, $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018USD ($)tranche	Oct. 01, 2017USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2018USD ($)tranche$ / sharesshares	Oct. 01, 2017USD ($)$ / shares
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Stock-based compensation | $	$ 0.7	$ 0.9	$ 2.6	$ 2.8
Unrecognized stock-based compensation expense | $	$ 5.8		$ 5.8
Nonvested Restricted Shares
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Shares granted in period			187,747
Weighted average grant date fair value, grants in period (usd per share) | $ / shares			$ 19.02	$ 20.84
Share-based compensation cost not yet recognized, period for recognition			2 years 8 months 12 days
Nonvested Restricted Shares | Employee
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Vesting period			4 years
Nonvested Restricted Shares | Director | Vesting 1
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Vesting period			1 year
Nonvested Restricted Shares | Director | Vesting 2
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Vesting period			5 years
Nonvested Restricted Shares | Non-Employee
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Vesting period			3 years
Restricted Stock Units
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Shares granted in period			112,169
Weighted average grant date fair value, grants in period (usd per share) | $ / shares			$ 6.96	$ 20.75
Share-based compensation cost not yet recognized, period for recognition			1 year 3 months 18 days
Restricted Stock Units | Employee
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Vesting period				4 years
Market Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units (RSUs)
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Weighted average grant date fair value, grants in period (usd per share) | $ / shares			$ 6.96	$ 12.13
Market Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) | Minimum
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Shares to be issued at end of performance period			0
Market Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) | Maximum
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Shares to be issued at end of performance period			112,169
Market Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) | Executive Officer
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Shares granted in period			112,169
Vesting period			3 years
Number of tranches | tranche	3		3

Stockholders' Equity - Non-vest

Stockholders' Equity - Non-vested Restricted Shares and Restricted Stock Units Activity (Details) - $ / shares	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Oct. 01, 2017
Non-Vested Shares
Non-vested Restricted Shares and Restricted Stock Units
Outstanding at beginning of period (in shares)	239,500
Granted (in shares)	187,747
Vested/Released (in shares)	(105,240)
Forfeited (in shares)	(26,609)
Outstanding at end of period (in shares)	295,398
Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value
Outstanding at beginning of period (usd per share)	$ 24.81
Granted (usd per share)	19.02	$ 20.84
Vested/Released (usd per share)	25.62
Forfeited (usd per share)	22.56
Outstanding at end of period (usd per share)	$ 20.66
Restricted Stock Units
Non-vested Restricted Shares and Restricted Stock Units
Outstanding at beginning of period (in shares)	143,946
Granted (in shares)	112,169
Vested/Released (in shares)	(10,344)
Forfeited (in shares)	(13,851)
Outstanding at end of period (in shares)	231,920
Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value
Outstanding at beginning of period (usd per share)	$ 23.11
Granted (usd per share)	6.96	$ 20.75
Vested/Released (usd per share)	45.76
Forfeited (usd per share)	52.93
Outstanding at end of period (usd per share)	$ 12.51

Business Segment Information -

Business Segment Information - Segment Reporting Information, by Segment (Details) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018USD ($)	Oct. 01, 2017USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2018USD ($)segment	Oct. 01, 2017USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2017USD ($)
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
Number of operating segments | segment			2
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues	$ 174,648	$ 158,691	$ 520,959	$ 506,922
Cost of sales	56,021	49,151	166,275	150,827
Restaurant wages and related expenses	47,943	44,649	142,103	139,050
Restaurant rent expense	9,129	9,104	26,861	27,881
Other restaurant operating expenses	27,294	24,856	75,398	73,560
Advertising expense	6,472	5,885	18,046	17,716
General and administrative expense	13,284	12,057	41,023	46,751
Adjusted EBITDA	15,037	13,172	52,172	58,509
Depreciation and amortization	9,739	8,483	27,908	26,265
Capital expenditures	12,635	12,386	39,923	38,539
Identifiable assets	419,898		419,898		$ 423,313
Stock-based compensation expense	700	900	2,600	2,800
Restaurant Wages And Related Expenses
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Stock-based compensation expense	6	9	56	44
General and Administrative Expense
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Stock-based compensation expense	732	938	2,588	2,723
Restaurant sales
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues	173,966	158,100	518,951	505,082
Franchise royalty revenues and fees
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues	682	591	2,008	1,840
Operating Segments | Pollo Tropical
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Cost of sales	31,219	28,527	93,716	87,430
Restaurant wages and related expenses	21,947	21,208	65,652	66,945
Restaurant rent expense	4,392	4,655	13,024	14,502
Other restaurant operating expenses	13,521	13,034	38,270	39,353
Advertising expense	3,413	4,980	9,859	11,316
General and administrative expense	7,291	6,647	22,256	26,161
Adjusted EBITDA	12,544	9,396	42,520	41,257
Depreciation and amortization	5,438	5,187	16,117	16,705
Capital expenditures	4,621	6,302	17,656	23,208
Identifiable assets	212,704		212,704		227,194
Operating Segments | Pollo Tropical | Restaurant Wages And Related Expenses
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Stock-based compensation expense	4	(4)	23	(4)
Operating Segments | Pollo Tropical | General and Administrative Expense
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Stock-based compensation expense	407	587	1,458	1,542
Operating Segments | Pollo Tropical | Restaurant sales
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues	93,592	87,888	283,447	281,572
Operating Segments | Pollo Tropical | Franchise royalty revenues and fees
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues	453	396	1,376	1,272
Operating Segments | Taco Cabana
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Cost of sales	24,802	20,624	72,559	63,397
Restaurant wages and related expenses	25,996	23,441	76,451	72,105
Restaurant rent expense	4,737	4,449	13,837	13,379
Other restaurant operating expenses	13,773	11,822	37,128	34,207
Advertising expense	3,059	905	8,187	6,400
General and administrative expense	5,993	5,410	18,767	20,590
Adjusted EBITDA	2,493	3,776	9,652	17,252
Depreciation and amortization	4,301	3,296	11,791	9,560
Capital expenditures	7,489	5,471	21,400	13,487
Identifiable assets	174,575		174,575		167,237
Operating Segments | Taco Cabana | Restaurant Wages And Related Expenses
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Stock-based compensation expense	2	13	33	48
Operating Segments | Taco Cabana | General and Administrative Expense
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Stock-based compensation expense	325	351	1,130	1,181
Operating Segments | Taco Cabana | Restaurant sales
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues	80,374	70,212	235,504	223,510
Operating Segments | Taco Cabana | Franchise royalty revenues and fees
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues	229	195	632	568
Other
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Cost of sales	0	0	0	0
Restaurant wages and related expenses	0	0	0	0
Restaurant rent expense	0	0	0	0
Other restaurant operating expenses	0	0	0	0
Advertising expense	0	0	0	0
General and administrative expense	0	0	0	0
Adjusted EBITDA	0	0	0	0
Depreciation and amortization	0	0	0	0
Capital expenditures	525	613	867	1,844
Identifiable assets	32,619		32,619		$ 28,882
Other | Restaurant sales
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues	0	0	0	0
Other | Franchise royalty revenues and fees
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues	$ 0	$ 0	$ 0	$ 0

Business Segment Information _2

Business Segment Information - Reconciliation of Consolidated Net Income (Loss) to Adjusted EBITDA (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Oct. 01, 2017	Sep. 30, 2018	Oct. 01, 2017
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net income (loss)	$ 2,047	$ (8,257)	$ 15,724	$ (25,477)
Benefit from income taxes	(4,892)	(4,827)	(246)	(14,241)
Income (loss) before income taxes	(2,845)	(13,084)	15,478	(39,718)
Non-general and administrative expense adjustments:
Depreciation and amortization	9,739	8,483	27,908	26,265
Impairment and other lease charges	6,417	15,905	6,539	59,081
Interest expense	924	672	2,979	1,910
Other expense (income), net	47	469	(3,132)	1,721
Stock-based compensation expense in restaurant wages	700	900	2,600	2,800
Unused pre-production costs in advertising expense				410
Total non-general and administrative expense adjustments	17,133	25,538	34,350	89,431
General and administrative expense adjustments:
Stock-based compensation expense	700	900	2,600	2,800
Terminated capital project				849
Board and shareholder matter costs		(155)	(597)	3,748
Restructuring, relocation and retention costs	17	(152)	520	(152)
Legal settlements and related costs			(167)	(473)
Total general and administrative expense adjustments	749	718	2,344	8,796
Adjusted EBITDA	15,037	13,172	52,172	58,509
Restaurant Wages And Related Expenses
Non-general and administrative expense adjustments:
Stock-based compensation expense in restaurant wages	6	9	56	44
General and administrative expense adjustments:
Stock-based compensation expense	6	9	56	44
General and Administrative Expense
Non-general and administrative expense adjustments:
Stock-based compensation expense in restaurant wages	732	938	2,588	2,723
General and administrative expense adjustments:
Stock-based compensation expense	732	938	2,588	2,723
Renewal Plan
General and administrative expense adjustments:
Restructuring, relocation and retention costs		87		2,101
Pollo Tropical
Non-general and administrative expense adjustments:
Impairment and other lease charges	3,295	13,729	3,439	56,336
Taco Cabana
Non-general and administrative expense adjustments:
Impairment and other lease charges	3,122	2,176	3,100	2,745
Operating Segments | Pollo Tropical
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Income (loss) before income taxes	2,976	(10,816)	21,901	(39,414)
Non-general and administrative expense adjustments:
Depreciation and amortization	5,438	5,187	16,117	16,705
Impairment and other lease charges	3,295	13,729	3,439	56,336
Interest expense	448	329	1,467	873
Other expense (income), net	(29)	574	(1,577)	1,624
Unused pre-production costs in advertising expense				322
Total non-general and administrative expense adjustments	9,156	19,815	19,469	75,856
General and administrative expense adjustments:
Terminated capital project				484
Board and shareholder matter costs		(89)	(328)	2,136
Restructuring, relocation and retention costs	5	(152)	187	(152)
Legal settlements and related costs			(167)	(473)
Total general and administrative expense adjustments	412	397	1,150	4,815
Adjusted EBITDA	12,544	9,396	42,520	41,257
Operating Segments | Pollo Tropical | Restaurant Wages And Related Expenses
Non-general and administrative expense adjustments:
Stock-based compensation expense in restaurant wages	4	(4)	23	(4)
General and administrative expense adjustments:
Stock-based compensation expense	4	(4)	23	(4)
Operating Segments | Pollo Tropical | General and Administrative Expense
Non-general and administrative expense adjustments:
Stock-based compensation expense in restaurant wages	407	587	1,458	1,542
General and administrative expense adjustments:
Stock-based compensation expense	407	587	1,458	1,542
Operating Segments | Pollo Tropical | Renewal Plan
General and administrative expense adjustments:
Restructuring, relocation and retention costs		51		1,278
Operating Segments | Taco Cabana
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Income (loss) before income taxes	(5,821)	(2,268)	(6,423)	(304)
Non-general and administrative expense adjustments:
Depreciation and amortization	4,301	3,296	11,791	9,560
Impairment and other lease charges	3,122	2,176	3,100	2,745
Interest expense	476	343	1,512	1,037
Other expense (income), net	76	(105)	(1,555)	97
Unused pre-production costs in advertising expense				88
Total non-general and administrative expense adjustments	7,977	5,723	14,881	13,575
General and administrative expense adjustments:
Terminated capital project				365
Board and shareholder matter costs		(66)	(269)	1,612
Restructuring, relocation and retention costs	12	0	333	0
Legal settlements and related costs			0	0
Total general and administrative expense adjustments	337	321	1,194	3,981
Adjusted EBITDA	2,493	3,776	9,652	17,252
Operating Segments | Taco Cabana | Restaurant Wages And Related Expenses
Non-general and administrative expense adjustments:
Stock-based compensation expense in restaurant wages	2	13	33	48
General and administrative expense adjustments:
Stock-based compensation expense	2	13	33	48
Operating Segments | Taco Cabana | General and Administrative Expense
Non-general and administrative expense adjustments:
Stock-based compensation expense in restaurant wages	325	351	1,130	1,181
General and administrative expense adjustments:
Stock-based compensation expense	$ 325	351	$ 1,130	1,181
Operating Segments | Taco Cabana | Renewal Plan
General and administrative expense adjustments:
Restructuring, relocation and retention costs		$ 36		$ 823

Earnings Per Share - Narrative

Earnings Per Share - Narrative (Details)	3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018shares	Sep. 30, 2018shares
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Nonvested restricted shares right to receive dividends, per share ratio to common shares	1	1
Restricted Stock Units
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Line Items]
Weighted average antidilutive securities excluded from computation of diluted earnings per share (in shares)	568	746

Earnings Per Share - Computatio

Earnings Per Share - Computation of Basic and Diluted Net Income per Share (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Oct. 01, 2017	Sep. 30, 2018	Oct. 01, 2017
Basic and diluted EPS:
Net income (loss)	$ 2,047	$ (8,257)	$ 15,724	$ (25,477)
Less: income allocated to participating securities	23	0	171	0
Net income (loss) available to common shareholders	$ 2,024	$ (8,257)	$ 15,553	$ (25,477)
Weighted average common shares—basic	26,954,285	26,845,568	26,900,716	26,811,610
Restricted stock units (in shares)	4,589	0	4,675	0
Weighted average common shares—diluted	26,958,874	26,845,568	26,905,391	26,811,610
Earnings per common share—basic (usd per share)	$ 0.08	$ (0.31)	$ 0.58	$ (0.95)
Earnings per common share—diluted (usd per share)	$ 0.08	$ (0.31)	$ 0.58	$ (0.95)

Commitments and Contingencies -

Commitments and Contingencies - Lease Assignments (Details) $ in Millions	Sep. 30, 2018USD ($)restaurant
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Maximum potential liability for future rental payments | $	$ 3.7
Taco Cabana
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of leases assigned	3
Pollo Tropical
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of leases assigned	1

Commitments and Contingencies_2

Commitments and Contingencies - Legal Matters (Details) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2016USD ($)plaintiff	Jul. 01, 2018USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2018USD ($)	Oct. 01, 2017USD ($)
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Recognized reduction in legal settlement costs			$ 167	$ 473
Fair Labor Standards Act Legal Demand Letter
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of named individuals related to settlement | plaintiff	7
Recorded charge to cover estimated costs related to settlement	$ 800
Recognized reduction in legal settlement costs		$ 200

Commitments and Contingencies_3

Commitments and Contingencies - Contingency Related to Insurance Recoveries (Details) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018USD ($)	Oct. 01, 2017USD ($)restaurant	Sep. 30, 2018USD ($)	Oct. 01, 2017USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2017USD ($)
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Other income	$ (47)	$ (469)	$ 3,132	$ (1,721)
Loss from Catastrophes | Pollo Tropical
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Recorded expected insurance proceeds					$ 700
Insurance settlement proceeds			2,800
Other income			2,100
Loss from Catastrophes | Taco Cabana
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Recorded expected insurance proceeds					$ 400
Insurance settlement proceeds			1,400
Other income			$ 1,000
Houston | Loss from Catastrophes | Taco Cabana
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of restaurants affected by the hurricanes | restaurant		43

Income Taxes (Details)

Income Taxes (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
One-time adjustment to deferred income taxes due to change in enacted rate		$ 9
Incremental tax benefit	$ 3.9