Annual report [Section 13 and 15(d), not S-K Item 405]

Long Term Debt

v3.26.1
Long Term Debt
12 Months Ended
Dec. 28, 2025
Long Term Debt  
Long Term Debt

Note 6 – Long Term Debt

Long-term debt consists of the following (in thousands):

December 28,

December 31,

2025

2024

Term loan agreements

$

344,313

$

348,250

Revolving credit facility

7,000

Equipment security notes

 

2,856

 

Total long-term debt

 

354,169

 

348,250

Less: current portion of long-term debt

 

(9,302)

 

(6,125)

Less: debt issuance costs

 

(414)

 

(534)

Less: debt original issuance discount

 

(10,440)

 

(13,481)

Total long-term debt, net of current portion

$

334,013

$

328,110

Future minimum loan payments:

  ​ ​ ​

2026

$

9,302

2027

 

11,512

2028

 

22,493

2029

 

310,413

2030

 

449

Total

$

354,169

Interest expense for the Company’s debt arrangements, excluding the amortization of debt issuance costs and fees, was $37.1 million and $28.8 million for the years ended December 28, 2025 and December 31, 2024, respectively. Capitalized interest was $1.3 million and $2.4 million for the years ended December 28, 2025 and December 31, 2024, respectively.

As of December 28, 2025, the Company had $5.8 million in standby letters of credit for certain restaurants and $27.2 million available in its revolving credit facility, subject to certain conditions.

Credit and Guaranty Agreement

In connection with the Benihana Acquisition, on May 1, 2024, the Company entered into a credit agreement (the “Credit Agreement”) with Deutsche Bank AG New York Branch, Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., HPS Investment Partners, LLC and HG Vora Capital Management, LLC (collectively, the “Lenders”). The Credit Agreement provides a $350.0 million senior secured term loan facility (the “Term Loan Facility”) and a $40.0 million senior secured revolving credit facility (the “Revolving Facility”, and together with the Term Loan Facility, the “Facilities”), which allows up to $10.0 million of which will be available in the form of letters of credit. As of December 28, 2025, the Company had borrowings of $7.0 million on the Revolving Facility.

The Term Loan Facility is not subject to a financial covenant and the Revolving Facility’s financial covenant will apply only after 35% of the Revolving Facility’s capacity has been drawn.

The Term Loan Facility bears interest at a margin over a reference rate selected at the option of the borrower. The margin for the Term Loan Facility is 6.5% per annum for SOFR borrowings and 5.5% per annum for base rate borrowings. The Term Loan Facility matures on the fifth anniversary of the date of the related loan agreement. The Term Loan Facility is payable in quarterly installments commencing with the fiscal quarter ending September 30, 2024, and are 1% per annum for the first year (through June 30, 2025), then 2.5% per annum for the next two years (through June 2027), then 5% per annum thereafter through maturity on April 30, 2029.

The Revolving Facility bears interest at a margin over a reference rate selected at the option of the borrower. The margin for the Revolving Facility is set quarterly based on the Company’s Consolidated Net Leverage Ratio for the preceding four fiscal quarters and ranges from 5.5% to 6.0% per annum for SOFR borrowings and 4.5% to 5.0% for base rate borrowings. The Revolving Facility matures on November 1, 2028.

The Company’s weighted average interest rate on the borrowings under the Credit Agreement as of December 28, 2025 was 10.33%.

As of December 28, 2025, the Company had $0.4 million of debt issuance costs and $10.4 million of debt original issuance discount related to the Credit Agreement, which were capitalized and are recorded as a direct deduction to long-term debt and less than $0.1 million in debt issuance costs and $1.1 million of debt original issuance discount recorded in Other Assets on the consolidated balance sheets.

Equipment Security Notes

Between July 10, 2025 and September 23, 2025, the Company entered into three Equipment Security Notes with Banc of America Leasing & Capital, LLC in an aggregate amount of $3.0 million to purchase restaurant equipment (the “Equipment Security Notes”). The Equipment Security Notes bear interest at rates ranging from 7.09% to 7.19% per annum, and are each payable in 60 equal monthly installments, inclusive of interest. Each of the Equipment Security Notes is secured by the equipment purchased with the proceeds of such note. As of December 28, 2025, the aggregate amount outstanding under the Equipment Security Notes was approximately $2.9 million.

Debt Extinguishment

On October 4, 2019, the Company entered into the credit agreement with Goldman Sachs Bank NA, which was replaced with the Credit Agreement described above on May 1, 2024. The Goldman Sachs credit agreement provided for a secured revolving credit facility of $12.0 million, a $25.0 million term loan and a $50.0 million delayed draw term loan. On May 1, 2024, the outstanding loan balance was repaid and the unamortized debt issuance costs of $1.7 million and fees incurred of $2.4 million were recognized as a loss on early debt extinguishment on the consolidated statements of operations.