Carrols Restaurant (TAST) 10-Q 7 May 14 2014 Q1 Quarterly report Financial data

Document_And_Entity_Informatio

Document And Entity Information	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2014	5-May-14
Document Information [Line Items]	'	'
Entity Registrant Name	'CARROLS RESTAURANT GROUP, INC.	'
Entity Central Index Key	'0000809248	'
Current Fiscal Year End Date	'--12-28	'
Entity Filer Category	'Accelerated Filer	'
Document Type	'10-Q	'
Document Period End Date	30-Mar-14	'
Document Fiscal Year Focus	'2014	'
Document Fiscal Period Focus	'Q1	'
Amendment Flag	'false	'
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding	'	35,210,312

Consolidated_Balance_Sheets

Consolidated Balance Sheets (USD $)	Mar. 30, 2014	Dec. 29, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
ASSETS	'	'
Cash	$1,402	$8,302
Trade and other receivables	3,819	2,846
Inventories	5,824	6,494
Prepaid rent	2,393	2,332
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	3,863	2,874
Refundable income taxes	2,599	2,631
Deferred income taxes	3,196	3,196
Total current assets	23,096	28,675
Restricted cash	20,000	20,000
Property and equipment, net	150,601	152,175
Franchise rights, net	89,131	90,168
Goodwill	8,162	8,162
Franchise agreements, net	12,765	12,802
Favorable Leases, net	2,895	2,974
Deferred financing fees	4,093	4,344
Deferred income taxes	10,614	6,824
Other assets	3,238	3,357
Total assets	324,595	329,481
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY	'	'
Current portion of long-term debt	1,033	1,147
Accounts payable	13,216	14,687
Accrued interest	6,377	2,140
Accrued payroll, related taxes and benefits	14,900	18,021
Accrued real estate taxes	4,189	4,945
Other liabilities	12,183	9,709
Total current liabilities	51,898	50,649
Long-term debt, net of current portion	158,753	158,189
Lease financing obligations	1,200	1,200
Deferred income-sale-leaseback of real estate	16,274	16,824
Accrued postretirement benefits	2,321	2,370
Unfavorable leases, net	7,957	8,175
Other liabilities	16,121	14,870
Total liabilities	254,524	252,277
Commitments and contingencies	'	'
Stockholders' equity:	'	'
Preferred stock, par value $.01	0	0
Voting common stock, par value $.01	232	230
Additional paid-in capital	69,552	69,258
Retained Earnings	-274	7,155
Accumulated other comprehensive income	702	702
Treasury stock, at cost	-141	-141
Total stockholders' equity	70,071	77,204
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity	$324,595	$329,481

Consolidated_Balance_Sheets_Pa

Consolidated Balance Sheets (Parenthetical) (USD $)	Mar. 30, 2014	Dec. 29, 2013
In Thousands, except Share data, unless otherwise specified
Property and equipment, accumulated depreciation	$192,640	$188,492
Franchise rights, accumulated amortization	79,855	78,818
Franchise agreements, accumulated amortization	6,337	6,353
Favorable leases, accumulated amortization	575	496
Unfavorable leases, accumulated amortization	$1,596	$1,378
Preferred stock, par value	$0.01	$0.01
Preferred stock, shares authorized	20,000,000	20,000,000
Preferred stock, shares issued	100	100
Preferred stock, shares outstanding	100	100
Common stock, par value	$0.01	$0.01
Common stock, shares authorized	100,000,000	100,000,000
Common stock, shares issued	23,710,910	23,711,257
Common stock, shares, outstanding	23,175,229	23,048,334

Consolidated_Statements_Of_Ope

Consolidated Statements Of Operations And Comprehensive Loss (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 30, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Revenues:	'	'
Restaurant sales	$151,453	$156,139
Costs and expenses:	'	'
Cost of sales	43,349	48,631
Restaurant wages and related expenses	50,937	50,667
Restaurant rent expense	11,438	11,709
Other restaurant operating expenses	26,025	26,236
Advertising expense	6,543	7,094
General and administrative	10,267	9,078
Depreciation and amortization	8,758	8,063
Impairment and other lease charges	620	630
Other Income	0	-185
Total operating expenses	157,937	161,923
Income (loss) from operations	-6,484	-5,784
Interest expense	4,703	4,711
Income (loss) before income taxes	-11,187	-10,495
Provision (benefit) for income taxes	-3,758	-5,296
Net income (loss)	-7,429	-5,199
Basic and diluted net income (loss) per share	($0.32)	($0.23)
Basic and diluted weighted average common shares outstanding	23,151,523	22,868,894
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax:	'	'
Net income (loss)	-7,429	-5,199
Other	0	-13
Comprehensive income (loss)	($7,429)	($5,212)

Recovered_Sheet1

Consolidated Statements of Operations And Comprehensive Loss (Parenthetical) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 30, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Stock-based compensation	$296	$301

Consolidated_Statements_Of_Cas

Consolidated Statements Of Cash Flows (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 30, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Cash flows provided from operating activities:	'	'
Net income (loss)	($7,429)	($5,199)
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash provided from operating activities	'	'
Loss on disposals of property and equipment	119	106
Stock-based compensation	296	301
Impairment and other lease charges	620	630
Depreciation and amortization	8,758	8,063
Amortization of deferred financing costs	251	251
Amortization of unearned income	-44	-9
Amortization of deferred gains from sale-leaseback transactions	-450	-450
Deferred income taxes	-3,790	-5,284
Change in refundable income taxes	32	0
Changes in other operating assets and liabilities	1,988	3,771
Net cash provided from operating activities	351	2,180
Cash flows used for investing activities:	'	'
New restaurant development	-1,408	-121
Restaurant remodeling	-4,020	-10,946
Other restaurant capital expenditures	-1,283	-2,096
Corporate and restaurant information systems	-254	-355
Total capital expenditures	-6,965	-13,518
Properties purchased for sale-leaseback	-3,412	0
Proceeds from sale-leaseback transactions	1,621	0
Net cash used for investing activities	-8,756	-13,518
Cash flows provided from (used for) financing activities:	'	'
Borrowings under senior credit facilities	20,500	0
Repayments on prior revolving credit facilities	-18,750	0
Principal payments on capital leases	-245	-258
Financing costs associated with issuance of debt	0	-8
Net cash provided from (used for) financing activities:	1,505	-266
Net increase (decrease) in cash	-6,900	-11,604
Cash, beginning of period	8,302	38,290
Cash, end of period	$1,402	$26,686

Consolidated_Statements_Of_Cas1

Consolidated Statements Of Cash Flows Supplemental Disclosures (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 30, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Statement of Cash Flows [Abstract]	'	'
Interest paid on long-term debt	$189	$246
Interest paid on lease financing obligations	23	26
Accruals for capital expenditures	1,046	3,672
Non-cash assets acquired	0	861
Non-cash reduction of capital lease assets and obligation	$1,055	$0

Basis_Of_Presentation_Notes

Basis Of Presentation (Notes)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2014
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]	'
Basis Of Presentation	'
	Basis of Presentation
	Business Description. At March 30, 2014 Carrols Restaurant Group, Inc. ("Carrols Restaurant Group" or the "Company") operated, as franchisee, 560 restaurants under the trade name “Burger King ®” in 13 Northeastern, Midwestern and Southeastern states.
	Basis of Consolidation. Carrols Restaurant Group is a holding company and conducts all of its operations through Carrols Corporation (“Carrols”) and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. The unaudited consolidated financial statements presented herein include the accounts of Carrols Restaurant Group and its wholly-owned subsidiary Carrols. Any reference to “Carrols LLC” refers to Carrols’ wholly-owned subsidiary, Carrols LLC, a Delaware limited liability company.
	Unless the context otherwise requires, Carrols Restaurant Group, Carrols and the direct and indirect subsidiaries of Carrols are collectively referred to as the “Company.” 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 29, 2013 contained 52 weeks. The three months ended March 30, 2014 and March 31, 2013 each contained thirteen weeks.
	Basis of Presentation. The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements for the three months ended March 30, 2014 and March 31, 2013 have been prepared without an audit, pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and do not include certain of the information and the footnotes required by accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, all normal and recurring adjustments considered necessary for a fair presentation of such unaudited consolidated financial statements have been included. The results of operations for three months ended March 30, 2014 and March 31, 2013 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the full year.
	These unaudited consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto contained in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 29, 2013. The December 29, 2013 consolidated balance sheet data is derived from those audited financial statements.
	Use of Estimates. The preparation of the consolidated financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the dates of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting periods. Significant items subject to such estimates include: accrued occupancy costs, insurance liabilities, the evaluation for impairment of goodwill, long-lived assets and franchise rights, lease accounting matters and the valuation of deferred income tax assets. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
	Segment Information. Operating segments are components of an entity for which separate financial information is available and is regularly reviewed by the chief operating decision maker in order to allocate resources and assess performance. The Company's chief operating decision maker currently evaluates the Company's operations from a number of different operational perspectives. The Company derives all significant revenues from a single operating segment. Accordingly, the Company views the operating results for all of its Burger King restaurants as one reportable segment.
	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 on the measurement date. 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 our own assumptions. Financial instruments include cash, accounts receivable, accounts payable, and long-term debt. The carrying amounts of cash, accounts receivable and accounts payable approximate fair value because of the short-term nature of these financial instruments. The fair value of the Carrols Restaurant Group 11.25% Senior Secured Second Lien Notes due 2018 is based on a recent trading value, which is considered Level 2, and at March 30, 2014 was approximately $172.1 million.
	Fair value measurements of non-financial assets and non-financial liabilities are primarily used in the impairment analysis of long-lived assets, goodwill and intangible assets. Long-lived assets and definite-lived intangible assets are measured at fair value on a nonrecurring basis using Level 3 inputs. As described in Note 3, the Company recorded long-lived asset impairment charges of $0.2 million and $0.6 million during the three months ended March 30, 2014 and March 31, 2013, respectively. Goodwill is reviewed annually for impairment on the last day of the fiscal year, or more frequently, if impairment indicators arise.
	Burger King Acquisition. On May 30, 2012, the Company completed the acquisition of 278 of Burger King Corporation's ("BKC") company-owned Burger King® restaurants ("the 2012 acquisition") located in Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia (the "acquired BKC restaurants").

StockBased_Compensation_Notes

Stock-Based Compensation (Notes)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2014
Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Abstract]	'
Stock-Based Compensation	'
	Stock-Based Compensation
	Stock-based compensation expense in each of the three months ended March 30, 2014 and March 31, 2013 was $0.3 million. As of March 30, 2014, the total unrecognized stock-based compensation expense relating to non-vested shares was approximately $2.4 million, which the Company expects to recognize over a remaining weighted average vesting period for non-vested shares of 2.3 years. The Company expects to record an additional $0.9 million as compensation expense for the remainder of 2014.
	A summary of all non-vested shares activity for the three months ended March 30, 2014 was as follows:
		Shares		Weighted Average Grant Date Price
	Non-vested at December 29, 2013	662,923		$	7.35
	Vested	(126,895	)	10.77
	Forfeited	(347	)	10.34
	Non-vested at March 30, 2014	535,681		$	6.54
	The fair value of the non-vested shares is based on the closing price on the date of grant, a Level 1 input.

Impairment_Of_LongLived_Assets

Impairment Of Long-Lived Assets And Other Lease Charges (Notes)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2014
Asset Impairment Charges [Abstract]	'
Asset Impairment Charges [Text Block]	'
	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. If an indicator of impairment exists for any of its assets, an estimate of the 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. 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.
	The Company determined the fair value of restaurant equipment, for those restaurants reviewed for impairment, based on current economic conditions and the Company’s history of using these assets in the operation of its business. These fair value asset measurements rely on significant unobservable inputs and are considered Level 3 in the fair value hierarchy. There were no Level 3 assets measured at fair value during the three months ended March 30, 2014.
	During the three months ended March 30, 2014, the Company recorded other lease charges of $0.4 million associated with the closure of one of the Company's restaurants in the first quarter of 2014 and impairment charges of $0.2 million consisting of capital expenditures at previously impaired restaurants.
	The following table presents the activity in the closed-restaurant reserve for the three months ended March 30, 2014 and year ended December 29, 2013:
		Three months ended			Year ended
		March 30, 2014			December 29, 2013
	Balance, beginning of the period	$	1,466		$	—
	Provisions for restaurant closures	414			1,616
	Payments, net	(126		)	(242		)
	Other adjustments, including the effect of discounting future obligations	47			92
	Balance, end of the period	$	1,801		$	1,466

Goodwill_Franchise_Rights_Favo

Goodwill, Franchise Rights, Favorable and Unfavorable Leases (Notes)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2014
Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Goodwill And Franchise Rights [Text Block]	'
	Goodwill, Franchise Rights, Favorable and Unfavorable Leases
	Goodwill. The Company is required to review goodwill for impairment annually, or more frequently, when events and circumstances indicate that the carrying amount may be impaired. If the determined fair value of goodwill is less than the related carrying amount, an impairment loss is recognized. The Company performs its annual impairment assessment as of the last day of its fiscal year and does not believe circumstances have changed since the last assessment date which would make it necessary to reassess its value. There were no goodwill additions or impairment losses during the three months ended March 30, 2014 or the year ended December 29, 2013.
	Franchise Rights. Amounts allocated to franchise rights for each acquisition of Burger King restaurants are amortized using the straight-line method over the average remaining term of the acquired franchise agreements plus one twenty-year renewal period.
	The Company assesses the potential impairment of franchise rights whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value may not be recoverable. If an indicator of impairment exists, an estimate of the aggregate undiscounted cash flows from the acquired restaurants is compared to the respective carrying value of franchise rights for each acquisition. 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. No impairment charges were recorded related to the Company’s franchise rights during the three months ended March 30, 2014 or the year ended December 29, 2013.
	Amortization expense related to franchise rights was $1.0 million in both the three months ended March 30, 2014 and March 31, 2013. The Company estimates the annual amortization expense to be $4.1 million in 2014 and in each of the five succeeding years.
	Favorable and Unfavorable Leases. Amounts allocated to favorable and unfavorable leases related to the 2012 acquisition are being amortized using the straight-line method over the remaining terms of the underlying lease agreements as a net reduction of restaurant rent expense.
	The net reduction of rent expense related to the amortization of favorable and unfavorable leases for both the three months ended March 30, 2014 and March 31, 2013 was $139 and the Company expects the annual net reduction of rent expense from the amortization of favorable and unfavorable leases to be $546 in 2014, $528 in 2015, $499 in 2016, $439 in 2017, $410 in 2018 and $375 in 2019.

LongTerm_Debt_Notes

Long-Term Debt (Notes)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2014
Long-term Debt, Unclassified [Abstract]	'
Long-Term Debt	'
	Long-term Debt
	Long-term debt at March 30, 2014 and December 29, 2013 consisted of the following:
		March 30, 2014			December 29, 2013
	Collateralized:
	Carrols Restaurant Group 11.25% Senior Secured Second Lien Notes	$	150,000		$	150,000
	Senior Credit Facility - Revolving credit borrowings	1,750			—
	Capital leases	8,036			9,336
		159,786			159,336
	Less: current portion	(1,033		)	(1,147		)
		$	158,753		$	158,189
	Senior Secured Second Lien Notes. On May 30, 2012, Carrols Restaurant Group issued $150.0 million of 11.25% Senior Secured Second Lien Notes due 2018 (the "Notes") pursuant to an indenture dated as of May 30, 2012 governing such Notes.
	The Notes mature and are payable on May 15, 2018. Interest is payable semi-annually on May 15 and November 15. The Notes are guaranteed by the Company’s subsidiaries and are secured by second-priority liens on substantially all of the Company’s and its subsidiaries’ assets (including a pledge of all of the capital stock and equity interests of its subsidiaries).
	The Notes are redeemable at the option of the Company in whole or in part at any time after May 15, 2015 at a price of 105.625% of the principal amount plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, if redeemed before May 15, 2016, 102.813% of the principal amount plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, if redeemed after May 15, 2016 but before May 15, 2017 and 100% of the principal amount plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, if redeemed after May 15, 2017. Prior to May 15, 2015, the Company may redeem some or all of the Notes at a redemption price of 100% of the principal amount of each note plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, and a make-whole premium. In addition, the indenture governing the Notes also provides that the Company may redeem up to 35% of the Notes using the proceeds of certain equity offerings completed before May 15, 2015.
	The Notes are jointly and severally guaranteed, unconditionally and in full by the Company's subsidiaries which are directly or indirectly 100% owned by the Company. Separate condensed consolidating information is not included because the Company is a holding company that has no independent assets or operations. There are no significant restrictions on the ability of the Company or any of the guarantor subsidiaries to obtain funds from its respective subsidiaries. All consolidated amounts in the Company's financial statements are representative of the combined guarantors.
	The indenture governing the Notes includes certain covenants, including limitations and restrictions on the Company and all of its subsidiaries who are guarantors under such indenture to, among other things: incur indebtedness or issue preferred stock; incur liens; pay dividends or make distributions in respect of capital stock or make certain other restricted payments or investments; sell assets; agree to payment restrictions affecting certain subsidiaries; enter into transaction with affiliates; or merge, consolidate or sell substantially all of the Company's assets.
	The indenture governing the Notes and the security agreement provide that any capital stock and equity interests of any of the Company's subsidiaries will be excluded from the collateral to the extent that the par value, book value or market value of such capital stock or equity interests exceeds 20% of the aggregate principal amount of the Notes then outstanding.
	The indenture governing the Notes contains customary default provisions, including without limitation, a cross default provision pursuant to which it is an event of default under the Notes and the indenture if there is a default under any indebtedness of the Company having an outstanding principal amount of $15.0 million or more which results in the acceleration of such indebtedness prior to its stated maturity or is caused by a failure to pay principal when due. The Company was in compliance as of March 30, 2014 with the restrictive covenants of the indenture governing the Notes.
	Senior Credit Facility. On May 30, 2012, the Company entered into a senior credit facility, which provides for aggregate revolving credit borrowings of up to $20.0 million (including $15.0 million available for letters of credit) maturing on May 30, 2017. The senior credit facility also provides for incremental borrowing increases of up to $25.0 million, in the aggregate. At March 30, 2014, there were $1.75 million of revolving credit borrowings outstanding under the senior credit facility.
	Under the senior credit facility (all terms not otherwise defined herein are defined in the Company's senior credit facility), the Company has deposited $20.0 million in an account with the Administrative Agent as collateral for the senior credit facility until the date on which its Adjusted Leverage Ratio is less than 6.00x for two consecutive fiscal quarters (the “Cash Collateral Release Date"). This amount is classified as restricted cash on the Company's consolidated balance sheet as of March 30, 2014.
	Prior to the Cash Collateral Release Date, revolving credit borrowings under the senior credit facility bear interest at a rate per annum, at the Company’s option, of:
	(i) the Alternate Base Rate plus the applicable margin of 0.75% or
	(ii) the LIBOR Rate plus the applicable margin of 1.75%
	Following the Cash Collateral Release Date, borrowings under the senior credit facility will bear interest at a rate per annum, at the Company’s option, of
	(i) the Alternate Base Rate plus the applicable margin of 2.50% to 3.25% based on the Company’s Adjusted Leverage Ratio, or
	(ii) the LIBOR Rate plus the applicable margin of 3.50% to 4.25% based on the Company’s Adjusted Leverage Ratio.
	The Company’s obligations under the senior credit facility are guaranteed by its subsidiaries and are secured by first priority liens on substantially all of the assets of the Company and its subsidiaries, including a pledge of all of the capital stock and equity interests of its subsidiaries.
	Under the senior credit facility, the Company will be required to make mandatory prepayments of borrowings in the event of dispositions of assets, debt issuances and insurance and condemnation proceeds (all subject to certain exceptions).
	The senior credit facility contains certain covenants, including, without limitation, those limiting the Company’s and its subsidiaries' ability to, among other things, incur indebtedness, incur liens, sell or acquire assets or businesses, change the character of its business in all material respects, engage in transactions with related parties, make certain investments, make certain restricted payments or pay dividends. In addition, the senior credit facility requires the Company to meet certain financial ratios, including Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio and Adjusted Leverage Ratio (all as defined under the senior credit facility); provided, however that the Company is not required to be in compliance with such ratios so long as the senior credit facility is cash collateralized.
	The senior credit facility contains customary default provisions, including that the lenders may terminate their obligation to advance and may declare the unpaid balance of borrowings, or any part thereof, immediately due and payable upon the occurrence and during the continuance of customary defaults which include, without limitation, payment default, covenant defaults, bankruptcy type defaults, cross-defaults on other indebtedness, judgments or upon the occurrence of a change of control.
	After reserving $7.6 million for letters of credit issued under the senior credit facility for workers’ compensation and other insurance policies, $10.6 million was available for revolving credit borrowings under the senior credit facility at March 30, 2014.

Income_Taxes_Notes

Income Taxes (Notes)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2014
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Income Taxes	'
	Income Taxes
	The benefit for income taxes for the three months ended March 30, 2014 and March 31, 2013 was comprised of the following:
		Three Months Ended
		March 30, 2014			March 31, 2013
	Current	$	32		$	(12	)
	Deferred	(3,790		)	(5,284		)
		$	(3,758	)	$	(5,296	)
	The benefit for income taxes for the three months ended March 30, 2014 was derived using an estimated effective annual income tax rate for all of 2014 of 33.9%, which excluded any discrete tax adjustments. The Company's estimated effective tax rate for 2014 does not consider the Work Opportunity Tax Credit which expired at the end of 2013. This credit will be reflected in the Company's estimated effective tax rate in the period if and when re-enacted into law.
	The benefit for income taxes for the three months ended March 31, 2013 was derived using an estimated effective annual income tax rate for all of 2013 of 41.2%, which excluded any discrete tax adjustments. In January 2013, the United States Congress authorized, and the President signed into law, certain federal tax credits that were reflected in the Company's Federal tax return for 2012. However, since the law was enacted in 2013, the financial statement benefit of such credits totaling $1.0 million was included in the benefit for income taxes in the consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss for the three months ended March 31, 2013.
	The Company establishes a valuation allowance when it is necessary to reduce deferred tax assets to an amount for which realization is likely. The Company has performed the required assessment of positive and negative evidence regarding the realization of deferred income tax assets in accordance with ASC 740. The Company considered all available positive and negative evidence to determine whether, based on the weight of that evidence, a valuation allowance is needed for some portion or all of its deferred income tax assets. Judgment is used in considering the relative impact of negative and positive evidence. In arriving at these judgments, the weight given to the potential effect of negative and positive evidence is commensurate with the extent to which such evidence can be objectively verified.
	In evaluating the objective evidence provided by historical results, the Company considered (among other things) the past three years of cumulative losses, projected reversal of deferred tax liabilities, recent and prospective operating results, the ability to carry-back net operating losses generated through December 30, 2012 against taxable income reported in prior years, and that the first year of expiration of its net operating loss carryforwards is 2033. The Company also considered subjective evidence related to the forecast of expected operating results for the years over the carryforward period. Additionally, the deferred tax liabilities the Company has considered in the assessment of the realization of deferred tax assets will reverse in the carryforward period and same jurisdiction. Based on the analysis of positive and negative evidence, the Company believed that there was enough positive evidence to overcome our cumulative loss position at March 30, 2014, and therefore no valuation allowance of its deferred tax assets of $13.8 million was necessary.
	The Company will continue to monitor and evaluate the positive and negative evidence considered in arriving at the above conclusion, in order to assess whether such conclusion remains appropriate in future periods.
	The Company recognizes interest and penalties related to uncertain tax positions in income tax expense. As of March 30, 2014 and December 29, 2013, the Company had no unrecognized tax benefits and no accrued interest related to uncertain tax positions.
	The tax years 2009-2013 remain open to examination by the major taxing jurisdictions to which the Company is subject. Although it is not reasonably possible to estimate the amount by which unrecognized tax benefits may increase within the next twelve months due to the uncertainties regarding the timing of any examinations, the Company does not expect unrecognized tax benefits to significantly change in the next twelve months.

Other_Liabilities_LongTerm_Not

Other Liabilities, Long-Term (Notes)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2014
Other Liabilities, Noncurrent [Abstract]	'
Other Liabilities Disclosure [Text Block]	'
	Other Liabilities, Long-Term
	Other liabilities, long-term, at March 30, 2014 and December 29, 2013 consisted of the following:
		March 30, 2014		December 29, 2013
	Accrued occupancy costs	$	8,262	$	7,793
	Accrued workers’ compensation and general liability claims	3,283		2,272
	Deferred compensation	398		353
	Long-term obligation to BKC for right of first refusal	1,491		1,672
	Other	2,687		2,780
		$	16,121	$	14,870
	Accrued occupancy costs above include long-term obligations pertaining to closed restaurant locations, contingent rent, and accruals to expense operating lease rental payments on a straight-line basis over the lease term.

Commitments_And_Contingencies_

Commitments And Contingencies (Notes)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2014
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Text Block]	'
	Commitments and Contingencies
	Lease Guarantees. Fiesta Restaurant Group, Inc. ("Fiesta"), a former wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, was spun-off in 2012 to the Company's stockholders. As of March 30, 2014, the Company is a guarantor under 35 Fiesta restaurant property leases, with lease terms expiring on various dates through 2030, and is the primary lessee on five Fiesta restaurant property leases, which it subleases to Fiesta. The Company is fully liable for all obligations under the terms of the leases in the event that Fiesta fails to pay any sums due under the lease, subject to indemnification provisions of the Separation and Distribution Agreement entered into in connection with the spin-off of Fiesta.
	The maximum potential amount of future undiscounted rental payments the Company could be required to make under these leases at March 30, 2014 was $47.0 million. The obligations under these leases will generally continue to decrease over time as these operating leases expire. No payments related to these guarantees have been made by the Company to date and none are expected to be required to be made in the future. The Company has not recorded a liability for these guarantees in accordance with ASC 460 - Guarantees as Fiesta has indemnified the Company for all such obligations and the Company did not believe it was probable it would be required to perform under any of the guarantees or direct obligations.
	Litigation. The Company is a party to various litigation matters that arise in the ordinary course of business. The Company does not believe that the outcome of any of these other matters will have a material adverse effect on its consolidated financial statements.

Transactions_with_Related_Part

Transactions with Related Party	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2014
Related Party Transactions [Abstract]	'
Related Party Transactions Disclosure [Text Block]	'
	Transactions with Related Parties
	As part of the 2012 acquisition, the Company issued to BKC 100 shares of Series A Convertible Preferred Stock which is convertible into 9,414,580 shares, or 28.9% of the outstanding shares of common stock calculated on the date of the closing of the 2012 acquisition on a fully diluted basis. As a result of the 2012 acquisition, BKC has two representatives on the Company's board of directors.
	Each of our Burger King restaurants operates under a separate franchise agreement with BKC. These franchise agreements generally provide for an initial term of twenty years and currently have an initial franchise fee of fifty thousand dollars. Any franchise agreement, including renewals, can be extended at the Company's discretion for an additional 20 year term, with BKC's approval, provided that, among other things, the restaurant meets the current Burger King image standard and the Company is not in default under terms of the franchise agreement.
	In addition to the initial franchise fee, the Company generally pays BKC a monthly royalty at a rate of 4.5% of sales. Royalty expense was $6.3 million and $6.4 million in the three months ended March 30, 2014 and March 31, 2013, respectively.
	The Company is also generally required to contribute 4% of restaurant sales from our Burger King restaurants to an advertising fund utilized by BKC for its advertising, promotional programs and public relations activities, and additional amounts for participation in local advertising campaigns in markets that approve such additional spending. Advertising expense associated with these expenditures was $6.4 million and $6.9 million in the three months ended March 30, 2014 and March 31, 2013, respectively.
	As of March 30, 2014, the Company leased 294 of its restaurant locations from BKC. For 195 of the restaurants, the terms and conditions of the lease with BKC are identical to those between BKC and the third-party lessor. Aggregate rent under these BKC leases for the three months ended March 30, 2014 and March 31, 2013 was $6.4 million and $6.6 million, respectively. The Company believes the related party lease terms have not been significantly affected by the fact that the Company and BKC are deemed to be related parties.
	As of March 30, 2014, the Company owed BKC $2.2 million associated with its purchase of the right of first refusal related to the 2012 acquisition and $4.1 million related to the monthly payment of advertising, royalties and rent.

Other_Income_Notes

Other Income (Notes)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2014
Other Income and Expenses [Abstract]	'
Other Income and Other Expense Disclosure [Text Block]	'
	Other Income
	In the three months ended March 31, 2013, the Company recorded a gain of $0.2 million related to business interruption insurance recoveries from a fire at a restaurant.

Net_Income_Loss_Per_Share_Note

Net Income (Loss) Per Share (Notes)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2014
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]	'
Net Income (Loss) Per Share	'
	Net Loss per Share
	The Company applies the two-class method to calculate and present net loss per share. The Company's non-vested share awards and Series A Convertible Preferred Stock issued to BKC contain non-forfeitable rights to dividends and are considered participating securities for purposes of computing net loss per share pursuant to the two-class method. Under the two-class method, net earnings are reduced by the amount of dividends declared (whether paid or unpaid) and the remaining undistributed earnings are then allocated to common stock and participating securities, based on their respective rights to receive dividends. However, as the Company has incurred net losses for the three months ended March 30, 2014 and March 31, 2013, and as those losses are not allocated to the participating securities under the two-class method, such method is not applicable for the aforementioned reporting periods.
	Basic net loss per share is computed by dividing net income available to common shareholders by the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding for the reporting period. Diluted net loss per share reflects additional shares of common stock outstanding, where applicable, calculated using the treasury stock method or the two-class method.
	The following table sets forth the calculation of basic and diluted net loss per share:
		Three Months Ended
		30-Mar-14			31-Mar-13
	Basic and diluted net loss per share:
	Net loss	$	(7,429	)	$	(5,199	)
	Basic and diluted weighted average common shares outstanding	23,151,523			22,868,894
	Basic and diluted net loss per share	$	(0.32	)	$	(0.23	)
	Common shares excluded from diluted net loss per share computation (1)	9,950,261			10,188,883
	-1	Shares subject to preferred stock and non-vested shares were excluded from the computation of diluted net loss per share because their effect would have been anti-dilutive.

Subsequent_Event_Notes

Subsequent Event (Notes)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2014
Subsequent Events [Abstract]	'
Subsequent Events [Text Block]	'
	Subsequent Event
	On April 30, 2014, the Company completed an underwritten public offering of 10.0 million shares of common stock at a price of $6.20 per share (the "Public Offering"). All shares were issued and sold by the Company. The Company also issued and sold an additional 1.5 million shares of common stock pursuant to the underwriters exercise of the option to purchase additional shares at the same terms and conditions as offered in the Public Offering, for a total share issuance of 11.5 million shares. The Company estimates that the net proceeds received will be approximately $67.2 million in the aggregate after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses.
	The Company intends to use the net proceeds of the Public Offering to accelerate the remodeling of the Company's restaurants to Burger King Corporation's 20/20 restaurant image, to acquire additional franchised Burger King restaurants, and, to a lesser extent, develop new restaurants and for other general corporate purposes.
	A shelf registration statement (including a prospectus) relating to these securities was filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and was declared effective by the SEC on April 9, 2014.

Basis_Of_Presentation_Policies

Basis Of Presentation (Policies)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2014
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]	'
Basis of Presentation, Policy [Policy Text Block]	'
	Basis of Presentation. The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements for the three months ended March 30, 2014 and March 31, 2013 have been prepared without an audit, pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and do not include certain of the information and the footnotes required by accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, all normal and recurring adjustments considered necessary for a fair presentation of such unaudited consolidated financial statements have been included. The results of operations for three months ended March 30, 2014 and March 31, 2013 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the full year.
Consolidation, Policy [Policy Text Block]	'
	Basis of Consolidation. Carrols Restaurant Group is a holding company and conducts all of its operations through Carrols Corporation (“Carrols”) and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. The unaudited consolidated financial statements presented herein include the accounts of Carrols Restaurant Group and its wholly-owned subsidiary Carrols. Any reference to “Carrols LLC” refers to Carrols’ wholly-owned subsidiary, Carrols LLC, a Delaware limited liability company.
	Unless the context otherwise requires, Carrols Restaurant Group, Carrols and the direct and indirect subsidiaries of Carrols are collectively referred to as the “Company.” All intercompany transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.
Fiscal Period, Policy [Policy Text Block]	'
	Fiscal Year. The Company uses a 52-53 week fiscal year ending on the Sunday closest to December 31. The fiscal year ended December 29, 2013 contained 52 weeks. The three months ended March 30, 2014 and March 31, 2013 each contained thirteen weeks.
Fair Value of Financial Instruments, Policy [Policy Text Block]	'
	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 on the measurement date. 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 our own assumptions. Financial instruments include cash, accounts receivable, accounts payable, and long-term debt. The carrying amounts of cash, accounts receivable and accounts payable approximate fair value because of the short-term nature of these financial instruments. The fair value of the Carrols Restaurant Group 11.25% Senior Secured Second Lien Notes due 2018 is based on a recent trading value, which is considered Level 2, and at March 30, 2014 was approximately $172.1 million.
	Fair value measurements of non-financial assets and non-financial liabilities are primarily used in the impairment analysis of long-lived assets, goodwill and intangible assets. Long-lived assets and definite-lived intangible assets are measured at fair value on a nonrecurring basis using Level 3 inputs.
Use of Estimates, Policy [Policy Text Block]	'
	Use of Estimates. The preparation of the consolidated financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the dates of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting periods. Significant items subject to such estimates include: accrued occupancy costs, insurance liabilities, the evaluation for impairment of goodwill, long-lived assets and franchise rights, lease accounting matters and the valuation of deferred income tax assets. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
Segment Reporting, Policy [Policy Text Block]	'
	Segment Information. Operating segments are components of an entity for which separate financial information is available and is regularly reviewed by the chief operating decision maker in order to allocate resources and assess performance. The Company's chief operating decision maker currently evaluates the Company's operations from a number of different operational perspectives. The Company derives all significant revenues from a single operating segment. Accordingly, the Company views the operating results for all of its Burger King restaurants as one reportable segment.

StockBased_Compensation_Polici

Stock-Based Compensation Policies (Policies)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2014
Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Abstract]	'
Stock-Based Compensation Costs, Policy [Policy Text Block]	'
	The fair value of the non-vested shares is based on the closing price on the date of grant, a Level 1 input.

Impairment_Of_LongLived_Assets1

Impairment Of Long-Lived Assets And Other Lease Charges (Policies)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2014
Asset Impairment Charges [Abstract]	'
Impairment or Disposal of Long-Lived Assets, Policy [Policy Text Block]	'
	The Company reviews its long-lived assets, principally property and equipment, for impairment at the restaurant level. If an indicator of impairment exists for any of its assets, an estimate of the 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. 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.

Goodwill_Franchise_Rights_Favo1

Goodwill, Franchise Rights, Favorable and Unfavorable Leases (Policies)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2014
Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Goodwill and Intangible Assets, Goodwill, Policy [Policy Text Block]	'
	Goodwill. The Company is required to review goodwill for impairment annually, or more frequently, when events and circumstances indicate that the carrying amount may be impaired. If the determined fair value of goodwill is less than the related carrying amount, an impairment loss is recognized. The Company performs its annual impairment assessment as of the last day of its fiscal year and does not believe circumstances have changed since the last assessment date which would make it necessary to reassess its value.
Goodwill and Intangible Assets, Intangible Assets, Policy [Policy Text Block]	'
	Franchise Rights. Amounts allocated to franchise rights for each acquisition of Burger King restaurants are amortized using the straight-line method over the average remaining term of the acquired franchise agreements plus one twenty-year renewal period.
Intangible Assets, Finite-Lived, Policy [Policy Text Block]	'
	Favorable and Unfavorable Leases. Amounts allocated to favorable and unfavorable leases related to the 2012 acquisition are being amortized using the straight-line method over the remaining terms of the underlying lease agreements as a net reduction of restaurant rent expense.

Income_Taxes_Policies_Policies

Income Taxes Policies (Policies)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2014
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Income Tax, Policy [Policy Text Block]	'
	The Company establishes a valuation allowance when it is necessary to reduce deferred tax assets to an amount for which realization is likely. The Company has performed the required assessment of positive and negative evidence regarding the realization of deferred income tax assets in accordance with ASC 740. The Company considered all available positive and negative evidence to determine whether, based on the weight of that evidence, a valuation allowance is needed for some portion or all of its deferred income tax assets. Judgment is used in considering the relative impact of negative and positive evidence. In arriving at these judgments, the weight given to the potential effect of negative and positive evidence is commensurate with the extent to which such evidence can be objectively verified.

Net_Income_Loss_Per_Share_Poli

Net Income (Loss) Per Share (Policies)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2014
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]	'
Earnings Per Share, Policy [Policy Text Block]	'
	The Company applies the two-class method to calculate and present net loss per share. The Company's non-vested share awards and Series A Convertible Preferred Stock issued to BKC contain non-forfeitable rights to dividends and are considered participating securities for purposes of computing net loss per share pursuant to the two-class method. Under the two-class method, net earnings are reduced by the amount of dividends declared (whether paid or unpaid) and the remaining undistributed earnings are then allocated to common stock and participating securities, based on their respective rights to receive dividends. However, as the Company has incurred net losses for the three months ended March 30, 2014 and March 31, 2013, and as those losses are not allocated to the participating securities under the two-class method, such method is not applicable for the aforementioned reporting periods.
	Basic net loss per share is computed by dividing net income available to common shareholders by the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding for the reporting period. Diluted net loss per share reflects additional shares of common stock outstanding, where applicable, calculated using the treasury stock method or the two-class method.

StockBased_Compensation_Tables

Stock-Based Compensation (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2014
Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Abstract]	'
Summary of Nonvested Share Activity [Table Text Block]	'
	A summary of all non-vested shares activity for the three months ended March 30, 2014 was as follows:
		Shares		Weighted Average Grant Date Price
	Non-vested at December 29, 2013	662,923		$	7.35
	Vested	(126,895	)	10.77
	Forfeited	(347	)	10.34
	Non-vested at March 30, 2014	535,681		$	6.54

Impairment_Of_LongLived_Assets2

Impairment Of Long-Lived Assets And Other Lease Charges Impairment (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2014
Restructuring and Related Activities [Abstract]	'
Schedule of Closed-Store Restaurant Reserve by Type of Cost [Table Text Block]	'
	The following table presents the activity in the closed-restaurant reserve for the three months ended March 30, 2014 and year ended December 29, 2013:
		Three months ended			Year ended
		March 30, 2014			December 29, 2013
	Balance, beginning of the period	$	1,466		$	—
	Provisions for restaurant closures	414			1,616
	Payments, net	(126		)	(242		)
	Other adjustments, including the effect of discounting future obligations	47			92
	Balance, end of the period	$	1,801		$	1,466

LongTerm_Debt_Tables

Long-Term Debt (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2014
Long-term Debt, Unclassified [Abstract]	'
Schedule of Long-term Debt Instruments [Table Text Block]	'
	Long-term debt at March 30, 2014 and December 29, 2013 consisted of the following:
		March 30, 2014			December 29, 2013
	Collateralized:
	Carrols Restaurant Group 11.25% Senior Secured Second Lien Notes	$	150,000		$	150,000
	Senior Credit Facility - Revolving credit borrowings	1,750			—
	Capital leases	8,036			9,336
		159,786			159,336
	Less: current portion	(1,033		)	(1,147		)
		$	158,753		$	158,189

Income_Taxes_Tables

Income Taxes (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2014
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Schedule of Components of Income Tax Expense (Benefit) [Table Text Block]	'
	The benefit for income taxes for the three months ended March 30, 2014 and March 31, 2013 was comprised of the following:
		Three Months Ended
		March 30, 2014			March 31, 2013
	Current	$	32		$	(12	)
	Deferred	(3,790		)	(5,284		)
		$	(3,758	)	$	(5,296	)

Other_Liabilities_LongTerm_Tab

Other Liabilities, Long-Term (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2014
Other Liabilities, Noncurrent [Abstract]	'
Schedule of Other Assets and Other Liabilities [Table Text Block]	'
	Other liabilities, long-term, at March 30, 2014 and December 29, 2013 consisted of the following:
		March 30, 2014		December 29, 2013
	Accrued occupancy costs	$	8,262	$	7,793
	Accrued workers’ compensation and general liability claims	3,283		2,272
	Deferred compensation	398		353
	Long-term obligation to BKC for right of first refusal	1,491		1,672
	Other	2,687		2,780
		$	16,121	$	14,870

Net_Income_Loss_Per_Share_Tabl

Net Income (Loss) Per Share (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2014
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]	'
Schedule of Earnings Per Share, Basic and Diluted [Table Text Block]	'
	The following table sets forth the calculation of basic and diluted net loss per share:
		Three Months Ended
		30-Mar-14			31-Mar-13
	Basic and diluted net loss per share:
	Net loss	$	(7,429	)	$	(5,199	)
	Basic and diluted weighted average common shares outstanding	23,151,523			22,868,894
	Basic and diluted net loss per share	$	(0.32	)	$	(0.23	)
	Common shares excluded from diluted net loss per share computation (1)	9,950,261			10,188,883
	-1	Shares subject to preferred stock and non-vested shares were excluded from the computation of diluted net loss per share because their effect would have been anti-dilutive.

Basis_Of_Presentation_Details

Basis Of Presentation (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 30, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013	Mar. 30, 2014	Mar. 30, 2014	30-May-12
			Minimum [Member]	Maximum [Member]	Number of Restaurants Acquired [Member]
Entity Information [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'
Number of Restaurants	560	'	'	'	278
Number of States in which Entity Operates	13	'	'	'	'
Weeks In Fiscal Period	13	13	52	53	'
Long-term Debt, Fair Value	$172.10	'	'	'	'
Impairment Charges	$0.20	$0.60	'	'	'

StockBased_Compensation_Detail

Stock-Based Compensation (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Abstract]	'	'
Stock-based compensation	$296,000	$301,000
Unrecognized Stock-Based Compensation Expense, Non-vested Shares	2,400,000	'
Weighted Average Remaining Vesting Period, Non-Vested Shares	'2 years 3 months	'
Expected Stock-Based Compensation, Remainder of Fiscal Year	$900,000	'

StockBased_Compensation_Summar

Stock-Based Compensation Summary of Non-Vested Stock Activity (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2014
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Nonvested, Number of Shares [Roll Forward]	'
Nonvested, beginning of period	662,923
Weighted Average Grant Date Price, beginning of period	$7.35
Vested Shares	-126,895
Weighted Average Grant Date Price, Vested Shares	$10.77
Forfeited Shares	-347
Weighted Average Grant Date Price, Forfeited Shares	$10.34
Nonvested, end of period	535,681
Weighted Average Grant Date Price, end of period	$6.54

Impairment_Of_LongLived_Assets3

Impairment Of Long-Lived Assets And Other Lease Charges (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 30, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Asset Impairment Charges [Abstract]	'	'
Level 3 Assets Measured at Fair Value	$0	'
Other Lease Charges	0.4	'
Other Lease Charges, Number of Restaurants	1	'
Impairment Charges	$0.20	$0.60

Impairment_Of_LongLived_Assets4

Impairment Of Long-Lived Assets And Other Lease Charges Closed Restaurant Reserve Activity (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 30, 2014	Dec. 29, 2013
Restructuring and Related Activities [Abstract]	'	'
Closed-restaurant reserve, beginning of the period	$1,466	$0
Provisions for restaurant closures	414	1,616
Payments, net	-126	-242
Other adjustments, including the effect of discounting further obligations	47	92
Closed-restaurant reserve, end of the period	$1,801	$1,466

Goodwill_Details

Goodwill (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 30, 2014	Dec. 29, 2013
Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]	'	'
Goodwill, Impairment Loss	$0	$0

Franchise_Rights_Details

Franchise Rights (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 30, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013	Dec. 29, 2013
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]	'	'	'
Franchise Term	'20 years	'	'
Franchise Rights [Member]	'	'	'
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]	'	'	'
Impairment of Franchise Rights	$0	'	$0
Amortization expense, Franchise Rights	1,000	1,000	'
Amortization Expense, Expected Full Year	4,100	'	'
Next Fiscal Year	4,100	'	'
Second Fiscal Year	4,100	'	'
Third Fiscal Year	4,100	'	'
Fourth Fiscal Year	4,100	'	'
Fifth Fiscal Year	$4,100	'	'

Favorable_and_Unfavorable_Leas

Favorable and Unfavorable Leases (Details) (Leases, Acquired-in-Place, Market Adjustment [Member], USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 30, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Leases, Acquired-in-Place, Market Adjustment [Member]	'	'
Acquired Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Amortization of favorable and unfavorable leases	$139	$139
Amortization Expense, Expected Full Year	546	'
Next Fiscal Year	528	'
Second Fiscal Year	499	'
Third Fiscal Year	439	'
Fourth Fiscal Year	410	'
Fifth Fiscal Year	$375	'

LongTerm_Debt_Debt_Balances_De

Long-Term Debt Debt Balances (Details) (USD $)	Mar. 30, 2014	Dec. 29, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]	'	'
Carrols Restaurant Group 11.25% Senior Secured Second Lien Notes	$150,000	$150,000
Senior Credit Facility - Revolving credit borrowings	1,750	0
Capital leases	8,036	9,336
Long-term Debt	159,786	159,336
Less: current portion	-1,033	-1,147
Long-term Debt, Excluding Current Maturities	$158,753	$158,189

LongTerm_Debt_Senior_Secured_S

Long-Term Debt Senior Secured Second Lien Notes (Details) (USD $)	Mar. 30, 2014	Dec. 29, 2013
	Rate
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]	'	'
Carrols Restaurant Group 11.25% Senior Secured Second Lien Notes	$150,000,000	$150,000,000
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage	11.25%	'
Senior Notes, Redemption Price, Year One and Two	100.00%	'
Senior Notes, Redemption Price, Year Three	105.63%	'
Senior Notes, Redemption Price, Year Four	102.81%	'
Senior Notes, Redemption Price, Year Five	100.00%	'
Senior Notes, Amount Redeemable with Proceeds from Equity Offerings	35.00%	'
Collateral exclusion for material subsidiaries, percentage of Senior Notes	20.00%	'
Senior Notes, Cross Default Provision, Minimum Debt Principal Amount	$15,000,000	'

LongTerm_Debt_Senior_Credit_Fa

Long-Term Debt Senior Credit Facility (Details) (USD $)	Mar. 30, 2014	Dec. 29, 2013	Mar. 30, 2014	Mar. 30, 2014	Mar. 30, 2014	Mar. 30, 2014
			Letter of Credit [Member]	Prior to Cash Collateral Release [Member]	Minimum [Member]	Maximum [Member]
				Rate	Following the Cash Collateral Release [Member]	Following the Cash Collateral Release [Member]
					Rate	Rate
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'	'
Line of Credit Facility, Current Borrowing Capacity	$20,000,000	'	$15,000,000	'	'	'
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity	25,000,000	'	'	'	'	'
Senior Credit Facility - Revolving credit borrowings	1,750,000	0	'	'	'	'
Restricted cash	20,000,000	20,000,000	'	'	'	'
Senior Credit Facility, Cash Collateral Release, Adjusted Leverage Ratio	6	'	'	'	'	'
Line of Credit Facility, Alternative Base Rate, Interest Rate Margin	'	'	'	0.75%	2.50%	3.25%
Line of Credit Facility, Libor Rate, Interest Rate Margin	'	'	'	1.75%	3.50%	4.25%
Letters of Credit Outstanding, Amount	7,600,000	'	'	'	'	'
Line of Credit Facility, Remaining Borrowing Capacity	$10,600,000	'	'	'	'	'

Income_Taxes_Details

Income Taxes (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013	Dec. 29, 2013
	Rate	Rate
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]	'	'	'
Current	$32,000	($12,000)	'
Deferred	-3,790,000	-5,284,000	'
Provision (benefit) for income taxes	-3,758,000	-5,296,000	'
Effective Income Tax Rate	33.90%	41.20%	'
Discrete tax adjustments	'	-1,000,000	'
Deferred Tax Assets, Net	13,800,000	'	'
Unrecognized Tax Benefits	0	'	0
Unrecognized Tax Benefits, Interest on Income Taxes Accrued	$0	'	$0

Other_Liabilities_LongTerm_Det

Other Liabilities, Long-Term (Details) (USD $)	Mar. 30, 2014	Dec. 29, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Other Liabilities, Noncurrent [Abstract]	'	'
Accrued occupancy costs	$8,262	$7,793
Accrued workers' compensation and general liability claims	3,283	2,272
Deferred compensation	398	353
Long-term obligation to BKC for right of first refusal	1,491	1,672
Other	2,687	2,780
Other Liabilities	$16,121	$14,870

Commitments_And_Contingencies_1

Commitments And Contingencies (Details) (USD $)	Mar. 30, 2014
In Millions, unless otherwise specified
Guarantor Obligations [Line Items]	'
Guarantor Obligations, Maximum Exposure, Undiscounted	$47
Primary Lessee [Member]	'
Guarantor Obligations [Line Items]	'
Leases, Number of Leased Restaurant Properties	5
Property Lease Guarantee [Member]	'
Guarantor Obligations [Line Items]	'
Leases, Number of Leased Restaurant Properties	35

Transactions_with_Related_Part1

Transactions with Related Party Preferred Stock (Details)	Mar. 30, 2014	Dec. 29, 2013	30-May-12
			Rate
Related Party Transactions [Abstract]	'	'	'
Preferred stock, shares issued	100	100	100
Convertible Preferred Stock, Common Shares Issuable upon Conversion	9,414,580	'	'
Ownership percentage at acquisition	'	'	28.90%

Transactions_with_Related_Part2

Transactions with Related Party (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2014
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'
Initial Franchise Fees	$50,000
Franchise Term	'20 years
Other Liabilities [Member]	'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'
Liabilities due to BKC	2,200,000
Accounts Payable [Member]	'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'
Liabilities due to BKC	$4,100,000

Transactions_with_Related_Part3

Transactions with Related Party Expense Disclosures (Details) (Affiliated Entity [Member], USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 30, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
	Rate
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'
Related Party Transaction, Royalty Fee Rate	4.50%	'
Royalty Expense	$6.30	$6.40
Related Party Transaction, Advertising Fee Rate	4.00%	'
Advertising Expense	6.4	6.9
Leases, Number of Leased Restaurant Properties	294	'
Operating Leases, Rent Expense	$6.40	$6.60
Property Leases Identical to BKC's Lease with Third Party [Member]	'	'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'
Leases, Number of Leased Restaurant Properties	195	'

Other_Income_Details

Other Income (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2013
Other Income and Expenses [Abstract]	'
Gain on business interruption insurance recovery	$0.20

Net_Income_Loss_Per_Share_Deta

Net Income (Loss) Per Share (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 30, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]	'	'
Net income (loss)	($7,429)	($5,199)
Basic and diluted weighted average common shares outstanding	23,151,523	22,868,894
Basic and diluted net income (loss) per share	($0.32)	($0.23)
Common shares excluded from diluted net loss per share computation	9,950,261	10,188,883

Subsequent_Event_Details

Subsequent Event (Details) (Subsequent Event [Member], USD $)	Apr. 30, 2014
In Millions, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified
Subsequent Event [Line Items]	'
Common Stock, New Shares Issued	11.5
Shares Issued, Price Per Share	$6.20
Proceeds from Issuance of Common Stock	$67.20
Public Offering [Member]	'
Subsequent Event [Line Items]	'
Common Stock, New Shares Issued	10
Underwriters' Option [Member]	'
Subsequent Event [Line Items]	'
Common Stock, New Shares Issued	1.5