HOUSTON - March 3, 2016 - (BUSINESS WIRE) - Ignite Restaurant Group (NASDAQ:IRG) today reported financial results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year endedDecember 28, 2015.
Robert S. Merritt, Chief Executive Officer of Ignite Restaurant Group, stated, "We continued to experience declining sales at Joe's during the fourth quarter and we also began to see sales declines at Brick House later in the year. In order to reverse the negative sales trends, we have narrowed the focus of the operations team to three core areas that we believe provide the best opportunity to increase sales and operating margins in both brands - execution, people, and food. We believe that these core areas are critical to making sure that we are providing a more consistent dining experience for our guests including high quality food and excellent service on every visit. We also initiated several new weekday value programs at Joe's, including All-You-Can-Eat crab on Wednesdays, which have contributed to increases in comparable sales and guest traffic in sequential periods at Joe's since being rolled out system-wide in mid-November."
Total revenues were $93.3 million in the fourth quarter of 2015, a decrease of 4.7% compared to $97.9 million in the fourth quarter of last year.
Comparable restaurant sales at Brick House Tavern + Tap decreased 2.8%.
Loss from continuing operations for the fourth quarter of 2015 was $19.1 million, or $0.74 per diluted share. The Company's loss from continuing operations for the fourth quarter of 2015 included a $7.5 million deferred tax valuation allowance, a $5.5 million non-cash impairment charge, a $1.0 millionwrite-off of debt issuance costs and debt discount, and $0.3 million of costs related to conversions, remodels and closures. Excluding the impact of these items, adjusted loss from continuing operations and adjusted loss from continuing operations per diluted share (which are non-GAAP financial measures), net of tax, were $7.5 million and $0.29, respectively, in the fourth quarter of 2015.
Loss from continuing operations for the fourth quarter of 2014 was $33.5 million, or $1.30 per diluted share. The Company's loss from continuing operations for the fourth quarter of 2014 included a $25.6 million deferred tax valuation allowance. Excluding the impact of this item, adjusted loss from continuing operations and adjusted loss from continuing operations per diluted share (which are non-GAAP financial measures), net of tax, were $7.9 million and $0.31, respectively, in the fourth quarter of 2014.
During the fourth quarter of 2015, the Company closed one Joe's restaurant, which will be converted to a Brick House, and opened one Joe's franchise restaurant in Dubai, U.A.E. For the year, the Company opened two Brick House restaurants and closed nine Joe's restaurants, of which three were converted to Brick Houses and opened in the first quarter of 2016. The three converted Brick House restaurants are located in Latham, NY, Sugarland, TX, and Methuen, MA.
At December 28, 2015, the Company had $7.8 million of cash and approximately $26.4 million of available borrowing capacity under its current credit facility. The Company was in compliance with the financial covenants under the credit facility.
Ignite will host a conference call to discuss fourth quarter financial results today at 5:00 PM Eastern Standard Time. Hosting the call will be Robert S. Merritt, Chief Executive Officer and Brad Leist, Chief Financial Officer.
The conference call can be accessed live over the phone by dialing 800-839-7875 or for international callers by dialing 913-312-0408. A replay will be available one hour after the call and can be accessed by dialing 877-870-5176 or 858-384-5517 for international callers; the password is 4357030. The replay will be available until Thursday, March 10, 2016. The call will also be webcast live from the Company's website at www.igniterestaurants.com under the "Investors" section.
Ignite Restaurant Group, Inc., headquartered in Houston, Texas, operates a portfolio of restaurant concepts, including Joe's Crab Shack and Brick House Tavern + Tap, in a diverse set of markets across the United States. Each brand offers a variety of high-quality food in a distinctive, casual, high-energy atmosphere. For more information on Ignite and its distinctive brands, visit www.igniterestaurants.com.
This press release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which may be beyond the Company's control. The Company cautions you that the forward-looking information presented in this press release is not a guarantee of future events, and that actual events and results may differ materially from those made in or suggested by the forward-looking information contained in this press release. In addition, forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "may," "plan," "seek," "comfortable with," "will," "expect," "intend," "estimate," "anticipate," "believe" or "continue" or the negative thereof or variations thereon or similar terminology. Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the scheduled conversions of restaurants, the anticipated growth of Brick House Tavern + Tap, and our effective tax rate.
A number of important factors could cause actual events and results to differ materially from those contained in or implied by the forward-looking statements included in this press release, including the risk factors discussed in the Company's Form 10-K for the year ended December 28, 2015 (which can be found at the SEC's website www.sec.gov). Each such risk factor is specifically incorporated into this press release. Any forward-looking information presented herein is made only as of the date of this press release, and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information to reflect changes in assumptions, the occurrence of unanticipated events, or otherwise.
The following tables present the consolidated statements of operations and selected other data for the thirteen and fifty-two weeks ended December 28, 2015 and December 29, 2014, and selected consolidated balance sheet information as of December 28, 2015 and December 29, 2014:
View Original for Full Data Table
View Original for Full Data Table
View Original for Full Data Table
View Original for Full Data Table
Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Results to GAAP Results
The Company provided detailed explanation of this non-GAAP financial measure, including a discussion of the usefulness and purpose of the measure, in its Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 3, 2016.
View Original for Full Data Table
SOURCE Ignite Restaurant Group
Fitzhugh Taylor
Investor Relations, ICR
203-682-8261
fitzhugh.taylor@icrinc.com
News Provided by Acquire Media
Ignite Restaurant Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: IRG) owns, and operates restaurants throughout the U.S. Headquartered in Houston, Ignite's portfolio of restaurant concepts currently includes Joe's Crab Shack and Brick House Tavern + Tap.