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Diversified Restaurant Holdings, Inc.

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FY2015 Annual Report · Diversified Restaurant Holdings, Inc.
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RESTAURANT LOCATIONS

2015

ANNUAL REPORT

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(cid:37)(cid:68)(cid:74)(cid:74)(cid:72)(cid:85)(cid:3)(cid:39)(cid:68)(cid:89)(cid:72)(cid:183)(cid:86)

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Ohio

Missouri

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LOCATIONS

Adrian
Birch Run
Chesterfield
Clinton Township
Detroit
Fenton 
Flint

Brandon
Clearwater
Fort Myers
Lakeland
Largo

MICHIGAN
Gaylord
Grand Blanc
Lapeer
Marquette
Novi
Petoskey
Port Huron

FLORIDA
New Port Richey
North Port
Oldsmar
Pinellas Park
Riverview

INDIANA

Royal Oak
Sault Ste. Marie
Sterling Heights
Traverse City
Troy
Warren

Sarasota
Tyrone
University Park
Wesley Chapel
Ybor

Crown Point
Hammond

Hobart
Schererville

Valparaiso

Belleville
Calumet City
Chicago

Ballwin
Brentwood
Chesterfield
Columbia
Creve Coeur

ILLINOIS

Edwardsville
Homewood

Lansing
O’Fallon

MISSOURI
Fenton
Jefferson City
Kirkwood
Lake Ozark
O’Fallon

Rolla
St. Charles
St. Louis
St. Peters
Wentzville

LOCATIONS

MICHIGAN

Ann Arbor
Berkley
Birch Run
Bloomfield
Brighton
Canton

Cascade Township
Chesterfield
East Lansing
Grand Blanc
Grand Rapids

Shelby Township
Traverse City
Novi
West Grand Rapids
Woodhaven

INDIANA

Fort Wayne

OHIO

Centerville

DEAR FELLOW SHAREHOLDERS, GUESTS, ASSOCIATES, AND FANS:

2015 began a transitional period for Diversified Restaurant Holdings that we believe  will ultimately deliver
long-term benefits for our business and shareholders.  Specifically, we took definitive steps to improve the 
health of our portfolio which should ultimately lead to higher profitability and a stronger balance sheet. 

Accordingly, we made the decision to close 12 underperforming locations and pause further development of 
Dave’s  Burger  Tavern® (“Bagger  Dave’s”).    This  was  done so  we  can digest  the  many investments  and 
changes made to the brand over the years, including menu enhancements along with the increased level of 
guest service. Looking forward, we plan to focus our attention and resources primarily on our Buffalo Wild 
Wings® (“BWW”)  business which  represents the  vast  majority  of  both  our  revenue  and  Adjusted EBITDA.  
We believe these actions provide us the best means to improve our business and grow shareholder value 
over time from current levels. 

To better align with our updated strategic direction and to emphasize the significance of BWW, we changed
our stock ticker  symbol.  Our  shares  now trade  on  the  NASDAQ  under SAUC,  in  tribute  to  BWW's  New 
York-style chicken wings prepared with the options of 21 different signature sauces and seasonings.

We were delighted to have been honored  with the Buffalo Wild Wings' 2015 Franchise Founder’s Award, 
which  recognizes  a  franchisee  owner  or  executive  who  has  displayed  enthusiasm,  teamwork,  leadership, 
and  an  entrepreneurial  spirit.    The  award  was  presented  by  Buffalo  Wild  Wings, Inc.'s  Chief  Executive 
Officer, Sally Smith, during the company's recent annual meeting of its franchisees and suppliers.

From a financial standpoint, in 2015 we increased our top line by over 34% to a record $172.5 million.  This 
included a 2.9% increase in comparable-store sales, representing our fifth consecutive year of comparable-
store sales growth, and consisted of a 3.0% increase at BWW and 1.3% increase at Bagger Dave’s. We 
also generated $17.2 million in Adjusted EBITDA.  

We ended 2015 with 80 total restaurants, representing over 21% unit growth, comprising 62 Buffalo Wild 
Wings  and 18 Bagger  Dave’s  across  major  metropolitan  areas  such  as  Detroit,  St.  Louis,  Chicago,  and,
Florida's  West  Coast.    During  the  year,  we added eight  new  restaurants  to  our  portfolio -- five  Bagger 
Dave's and three  BWW, along  with 18 highly-successful  BWW in  the  St.  Louis  market  we  acquired  last
July.    We  remain  on  track  integrating  this  acquisition  through  investments  in  technology  and  are  now 
applying our operational best practices in the economies of scale to build margins.

We have signed an amended area development agreement with Buffalo Wild Wings, Inc. that gives us the 
opportunity to open 15 additional BWW in Michigan and Florida over the next five years, inclusive of the two 
A-Class locations planned for Florida’s West Coast in 2016.  This agreement solidifies our near- to medium-
term development plans as Buffalo Wild Wings, Inc.’s largest franchisee and allows us to capitalize on the
brand’s long runway of expansion. We are also committed to brand re-investment by remodeling our BWW 
and currently have 19 restaurants featuring the Stadia prototype design.  We have two additional remodels
planned for completion in 2016 and anticipate that all of our BWW will showcase the stadium-like look and 
feel by the end of 2020.

All in all, 2015 was a year in which we realized opportunities, but also took the necessary steps to position 
ourselves  for  a  better  future.    We  will  continue  this  work  in  2016  with  an  emphasis  on  realizing  at  least 
$4.0 million in cost savings as a result of restaurant closures and associated overhead reduction, vendor 
consolidation, and other initiatives at both the restaurant and support levels.  These cost reduction efforts 
are  expected  to  bolster  margins  and  enable  us  to  meaningfully  grow  Adjusted  EBITDA.    This will  also 
enable us to build cash and strengthen our balance sheet as we grow our top-line.

To our Board, my fellow associates, our guests and fans, and our shareholders, thank you for your support 
of Diversified Restaurant Holdings.  We are taking the right steps to strengthen our business as we position 
ourselves for success in the years ahead.

Sincerely,

T. Michael Ansley
Chairman, President and CEO
April 20, 2016

U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION 
Washington, D.C. 20549 
FORM 10-K 
(cid:59)(cid:3)Annual Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 

for the fiscal year ended December 27, 2015  
or 
(cid:133)(cid:3)Transition Report Under Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 

Commission File No. 000-53577 
DIVERSIFIED RESTAURANT HOLDINGS, INC. 

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter) 

Nevada 

03-0606420 

(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) 

(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) 

27680 Franklin Rd., Southfield, MI 48034 
(248) 223-9160  
(Address, including zip code and telephone number, including area code, of Registrant’s principal executive offices) 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act: 
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:  
Common Stock, $.0001 par value per share 
(Title of Class) 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.    Yes (cid:1407)    No (cid:59) 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act.    Yes (cid:1407)    No (cid:59) 
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange 
Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been 

subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.    Yes (cid:59)    No (cid:1407) 
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data 
File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or 

for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).    Yes (cid:59)    No (cid:1407) 
Indicate  by  check  mark  if  disclosure  of  delinquent  filers  pursuant  to  Item  405  of  Regulation  S-K  is  not  contained  herein,  and  will  not  be 
contained, to the best of registrant's knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 
10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K.  (cid:59) 
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting 
company. See the definitions of "large accelerated filer," "accelerated filer" and "smaller reporting company" in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange 
Act. (Check one): 

Large accelerated filer (cid:1407) 

Accelerated filer (cid:59) 

Non-accelerated filer (cid:1407) 

Smaller reporting company (cid:1407) 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act).    Yes (cid:1407)    No (cid:59)  
The aggregate market value of the Registrant’s voting common stock held by non-affiliates was $51.6 million based on the per share closing 
price of the Company's common stock as reported on the NASDAQ stock market on June 28, 2015. 
The number of shares outstanding of the registrant's common stock as of March 9, 2016 was 26,335,850 shares. 

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE: 
Portions  of  the  registrant's  definitive  Proxy  Statement  for  its  Annual  Meeting  of  Stockholders  to  be  held  on  or  about  June  2,  2016  are 
incorporated by reference in Part III herein. The registrant intends to file such Proxy Statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission 
no later than 120 days after the end of the fiscal year covered by this report on Form 10-K. 

 
 
 
   
   
TABLE OF CONTENTS 

PART I ..........................................................................................................................................................................  

Item 1. Business .....................................................................................................................................................  

Item 1A. Risk Factors ............................................................................................................................................  

Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments ...................................................................................................................  

Item 2. Properties ...................................................................................................................................................  

Item 3. Legal Proceedings .....................................................................................................................................  

Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures ............................................................................................................................  

Page 

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10 

22 

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23 

PART II .........................................................................................................................................................................  

23 

Item 5. Market for Registrant's Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity 
Securities ...............................................................................................................................................................  

Item 6. Selected Financial Data .............................................................................................................................  

Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operation ......................  

Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk .................................................................  

Item 8. Consolidated Financial Statements and Supplementary Data ...................................................................  

Item 9. Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure ....................  

Item 9A. Controls and Procedures .........................................................................................................................  

Item 9B. Other Information ...................................................................................................................................  

PART III ........................................................................................................................................................................  

Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance ......................................................................  

Item 11. Executive Compensation .........................................................................................................................  

Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters  

Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence.........................................  

Item 14. Principal Accountant Fees and Services ..................................................................................................  

PART IV .......................................................................................................................................................................  

Item 15. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules ...........................................................................................  

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85 

SIGNATURES ..............................................................................................................................................................  

88 

Exhibit 10.13 

Exhibit 21 

Exhibit 23 

Exhibit 31.1 

Exhibit 31.2 

Exhibit 32.1 

Exhibit 32.2 

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PART I 

When used in this Form 10-K, the “Company” and “DRH” refers to Diversified Restaurant Holdings, Inc. and, depending on 
the context, could also be used to refer generally to the Company and its subsidiaries, which are described below. 

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information 

Some of the statements in the sections entitled “Business,” and “Risk Factors,” and statements made elsewhere in this Annual 
Report may constitute forward-looking statements.  These statements reflect the current views of our senior management 
team with respect to future events, including our financial performance, business, and industry in general.  Statements that 
include the words “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “project,” “forecast,” “estimate,” “may,” “should,” “anticipate” and 
similar  statements  of  a  future  or  forward-looking  nature  identify  forward-looking  statements  for  purposes  of  the  federal 
securities laws or otherwise. 

Forward-looking statements address matters that involve risks and uncertainties.  Accordingly, there are or will be important 
factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those indicated in these statements.  We believe that these 
factors include, but are not limited to, the following: 

(cid:404) 

(cid:404) 

(cid:404) 

(cid:404) 

(cid:404) 

(cid:404) 

(cid:404) 

(cid:404) 

(cid:404) 

(cid:404) 

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(cid:404) 

(cid:404) 

(cid:404) 

the success of our existing and new restaurants; 

our ability to identify appropriate sites and develop and expand our operations; 

changes in economic conditions, including continuing effects from the recent recession; 

damage to our reputation or lack of acceptance of our brands in existing or new markets; 

economic  and  other  trends  and  developments,  including  adverse  weather  conditions,  in  the  local  or 
regional areas in which our restaurants are located; 

the  impact  of  negative  economic  factors,  including  the  availability  of  credit,  on  our  landlords  and 
surrounding tenants; 

changes in food availability and costs; 

labor shortages and increases in our compensation costs, including, as a result, changes in government 
regulation; 

increased competition in the restaurant industry and the segments in which we compete; 

the impact of legislation and regulations regarding nutritional information, new information or attitudes 
regarding diet and health, or adverse opinions about the health of consuming our menu offerings; 

the impact of federal, state, and local beer, liquor, and food service regulations; 

the success of our marketing programs; 

the impact of new restaurant openings, including on the effect on our existing restaurants of opening 
new restaurants in the same markets; 

the loss of key members of our management team; 

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(cid:404) 

(cid:404) 

(cid:404) 

(cid:404) 

(cid:404) 

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(cid:404) 

inability or failure to effectively manage our growth, including without limitation, our need for liquidity 
and human capital; 

the impact of litigation; 

the adequacy of our insurance coverage and fluctuating insurance requirements and costs; 

the impact of our indebtedness on our ability to invest in the ongoing needs of our business; 

our ability to obtain debt or other financing on favorable terms, or at all; 

the impact of a potential requirement to record asset impairment charges in the future; 

the impact of any security breaches of confidential guest information in connection with our electronic 
processing of credit/debit card transactions; 

our ability to protect our intellectual property; 

the impact of any failure of our information technology system or any breach of our network security; 

the impact of any materially adverse changes in our federal, state, and local taxes; 

our ability to maintain our relationship with our franchisor on economically favorable terms; 

the impact of future sales of our common stock in the public market, the exercise of stock options, and 
any additional capital raised by us through the sale of our common stock; and 

the effect of changes in accounting principles applicable to us. 

The foregoing factors should not be construed as exhaustive and should be read together with the other cautionary statements 
included  in  this  Annual  Report.  If  one  or  more  of  these  or  other  risks  or  uncertainties  materialize,  or  if  our  underlying 
assumptions  prove  to  be  incorrect,  actual  results  may  differ  materially  from  what  we  anticipate.    Any  forward-looking 
statements you read in this Annual Report reflect our views as of the date of this Annual Report with respect to future events 
and are subject to these and other risks, uncertainties, and assumptions relating to our operations, results of operations, growth 
strategy, and liquidity.  You should carefully consider all of the factors identified in this Annual Report that could cause 
actual results to differ. 

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ITEM 1.     BUSINESS 

Business Overview 

DRH  is  a  fast-growing  restaurant  company  operating  two  complementary  concepts:  Buffalo  Wild  Wings  ®  Grill  &  Bar 
(“BWW”) and Bagger Dave’s Burger Tavern  ® (“Bagger Dave’s”).  As the largest franchisee of BWW and as the creator, 
developer, and operator of Bagger Dave’s, we provide a unique guest experience in a casual and inviting environment.  We 
were incorporated in 2006 and are headquartered in the Detroit metropolitan area.  As of December 27, 2015, we had 80 
restaurants in Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Missouri. 

In  2008,  DRH  became  publicly-owned  completing  a  self-underwritten  initial  public  offering  for  $735,000  and  140,000 
shares.    We subsequently completed an underwritten, follow-on offering on April 23, 2013 of 6.9 million shares with net 
proceeds of $31.9 million. 

DRH  and  its  wholly-owned  subsidiaries  (collectively,  the  “Company”),  AMC  Group,  Inc.  (“AMC”),  AMC  Wings,  Inc. 
(WINGS”), AMC Burgers, Inc. (“BURGERS”), and AMC Real Estate, Inc. (“REAL ESTATE”) own and operate Bagger 
Dave's and DRH-owned BWW restaurants located throughout Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Missouri. 

DRH is the largest BWW franchisees and currently operates 62 DRH-owned BWW restaurants (20 in Michigan, 15 in both 
Florida and Missouri, seven in Illinois, five in Indiana), including the nation’s largest BWW, based on square footage, in 
downtown Detroit, Michigan. We remain on track to fulfill our area development agreement (“ADA”) with Buffalo Wild 
Wings International, Inc.("BWLD") and expect to operate 77 DRH-owned BWW restaurants by the end of 2020, exclusive 
of potential additional BWW restaurant acquisitions. In 2014, DRH was awarded the Franchisee of the Year and our Chief 
Operating Officer received the Founders’ Award by BWLD. 

DRH  originated  the  Bagger  Dave’s  concept  with  our  first  restaurant  opening  in  January  2008  in  Berkley, 
Michigan.  Currently, there are 18 Bagger Dave’s restaurants, 16 in Michigan, one both in Indiana and Ohio.  

The following organizational chart outlines the current corporate structure of DRH.  A brief textual description of the entities 
follows the organizational chart. DRH is incorporated in Nevada. 

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AMC was formed on March 28, 2007, and serves as our operational and administrative center. AMC renders management, 
operational  support,  and  advertising  services  to  WINGS,  BURGERS,  REAL  ESTATE  and  their  subsidiaries.  Services 
rendered  by  AMC  include  marketing,  restaurant  operations,  restaurant  management  consultation,  hiring  and  training  of 
management and staff, and other management services reasonably required in the ordinary course of restaurant operations. 

BURGERS was formed on March 12, 2007 and serves as a holding company for our Bagger Dave’s restaurants.  Bagger 
Dave’s  Franchising  Corporation,  a  subsidiary  of  BURGERS,  was  formed  to  act  as  the  franchisor  for  the  Bagger  Dave’s 
concept and has rights to franchise in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio and Wisconsin.  We do not intend 
to pursue franchise development at this time.   

WINGS was formed on March 12, 2007, and serves as a holding company for our DRH-owned BWW restaurants.  We are 
economically dependent on retaining our franchise rights with BWLD.  The franchise agreements have specific initial term 
expiration dates ranging from December 2020 through December 2035, depending on the date each was executed and the 
duration of its initial term.  The franchise agreements are renewable at the option of the franchisor and are generally renewable 
if  the  franchisee  has  complied  with  the  franchise  agreement.    When  factoring  in  any  applicable  renewals,  the  franchise 
agreements  have  specific  expiration  dates ranging from  December  2025  through December  2050.   We believe  we  are in 
compliance with the terms of these agreements.    

REAL ESTATE was formed on March 18, 2013, and serves as the holding company for the real estate properties owned by 
DRH. Currently, DRH owns one property. Due to the closure of the restaurant, DRH will be selling this property in fiscal 
year 2016. Refer to Note 4 of the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information on restaurant closures. DRH 
also owned two Bagger Dave’s restaurants, which were sold as part of the sale leaseback transaction that occurred in the 
Second  and  Third  Quarters of 2015.  Refer  to  Note  2 for  additional  information  on  the  sale  leaseback  transactions of  the 
Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information. 

Our headquarters are located at 27680 Franklin Road, Southfield, Michigan 48034.  Our telephone number is (248) 223-
9160.  We can also be found on the Internet at www.diversifiedrestaurantholdings.com and www.baggerdaves.com. 

Background 

Restaurant Concepts 

Buffalo Wild Wings®  

With  62  DRH-owned  BWW  restaurants  (20  in  Michigan,  15  in  both  Florida  and  Missouri,  seven  in  Illinois  and  five  in 
Indiana), including the nation’s largest BWW, based on square footage, in downtown Detroit, Michigan, DRH is the largest 
BWLD franchisee. As of December 27, 2015, BWLD reported over 1,100 BWW restaurants in North America that were 
either directly owned or franchised. The restaurants feature a variety of boldly-flavored, craveable menu items in a welcoming 
neighborhood atmosphere with an extensive multimedia social environment, a full bar and an open layout designed to create 
a distinctive dining experience for sports fans and families alike. We believe the restaurants are differentiated by the social 
environment we create and the connection the restaurants make with our team members, guests and the local community. 
The inviting and energetic environment of the restaurants is complemented by furnishings that can easily be rearranged to 
accommodate parties of various sizes. Guests have the option of watching various sporting events on projection screens or 
approximately 50 additional televisions, competing in Buzztime Trivia or playing video games. 

BWW restaurants have won dozens of “Best Wings” and “Best Sports Bar” awards across the country. We believe the BWW 
menu is competitively priced between the quick-casual and casual dining segments. The menu features traditional chicken 
wings, boneless wings and other items including chicken tenders, Wild Flatbreads ™ , popcorn shrimp, specialty hamburgers 
and  sandwiches,  wraps,  Buffalito®  soft  tacos,  appetizers,  and  salads.  The  Buffalo  Wild  Wings®  menu  specializes  in  21 

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mouth-watering  signature  sauces  and  seasonings  with  flavor  sensations  ranging  from  Sweet  BBQ™  to  Blazin’®.    The 
restaurants offer approximately 12 to 30 domestic and imported beers on tap, including several local or regional microbrews 
and a wide selection of bottled beer, wine and liquor.  We believe the award-winning food and memorable experience drives 
guest visits and loyalty.  For fiscal year 2015, our average DRH-owned BWW restaurant derived 81.2% of its revenue from 
food, including non-alcoholic beverages, and 18.8% of its revenue from alcohol sales, primarily draft beer. 

Bagger Dave’s Burger Tavern®  

Launched in January 2008, Bagger Dave's is our first initiative to diversify our operations outside of the BWW concept by 
developing our own unique, full-service, ultra-casual restaurant and bar concept. We have worked to create a concept that 
provides a warm, inviting and entertaining atmosphere through a friendly and memorable guest experience. As of the date of 
this report, there are 18 Bagger Dave's restaurants (16 in Michigan and one in both Indiana and Ohio). 

Bagger Dave’s specializes in locally-sourced, never-frozen prime rib recipe burgers, all-natural lean turkey burgers, hand-cut 
fries, locally crafted beers on draft, hand-dipped milk shakes, salads, black bean turkey chili and much more, delivered in a 
warm,  hip  atmosphere  with  friendly  "full"  service.  The  concept  differentiates  itself  from  other  full-service  casual  dining 
establishments  by  the  absence  of  walk-in  freezers  and  microwaves,  substantiating  our  fresh  food  offerings.  The  concept 
focuses on local flair of the city in which the restaurant resides by showcasing historical photos. It also features an electric 
train that runs above the dining room and bar areas.    

The guiding principle of the Bagger Dave’s brand is to delight guests through fresh food offerings, exceptional service, and 
an entertaining atmosphere.   The menu focuses on burgers, with a variety of sides. Burgers are offered with a choice of four 
proteins; USDA, fresh premium prime-rib recipe beef (offered in regular or petite size patties), Michigan ground turkey, 
farm-raised, cage-free grilled chicken breasts and black bean patties. Guests can choose from our list of chef-created burgers 
including the Train Wreck Burger ®, the Blues Burger ®, and Tuscan Chicken. Guests can also choose to “Create Your Own” 
which allows them to totally customize their experience by choosing from a variety of proteins, buns, cheeses, house-recipe 
sauces presenting bold and exciting new flavors, premium toppings such as bacon, egg, guacamole, and 19 complimentary 
toppings, such as sautéed mushrooms and onions, barbecue sauce, and other standard condiments. 

To further customize their experience, guests can choose from a selection of sides including fresh hand-cut fries, Dave’s 
Sweet Potato Chips®, Amazingly Delicious Turkey Black Bean Chili® and our fresh, made from scratch Twisted Mac ‘N’ 
Cheese. The fries are cut in-house from domestic Northeastern potatoes and cooked in a cottonseed soy bean specialty oil, 
using a seven-step Belgian-style process producing a fry reminiscent of those served at community fairs. Dave’s Sweet Potato 
Chips ® are a Bagger Dave’s specialty using fresh-cut premium sweet potatoes from North Carolina.  Guests can choose from 
our own signature dipping sauces to complement their order entrée and sides. Since our fryers are dedicated to potatoes and 
there are no breaded, frozen products offered at Bagger Dave’s, our potato fries and sweet potato chips are gluten free and 
trans-fat free. 

Beyond burger offerings, Bagger Dave’s offers other entrées such as an Awesome Grilled Cheese sandwich, a California 
BLT sandwich, Sloppy Dave’s sandwich and entrée-sized chopped salads with grilled chicken breast. Bagger Dave’s also 
offers hand-dipped ice cream and milkshakes with a variety of free mix-ins, adult shakes, sommelier-selected wines and a 
full  selection  of  liquors.  For  fiscal  year  2015,  our  average  Bagger  Dave’s  restaurant  derived  approximately  86.0%  of  its 
revenue from food, including non-alcoholic beverages, and 14.0% of its revenue from alcohol sales, primarily draft beer.  

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Growth Strategy 

We plan to drive top and bottom line growth through the development of new restaurant locations, achievement of positive 
same-store-sales in comparable restaurant locations, and the successful implementation of cost reduction initiatives at the 
restaurant and support level.  

Our new restaurant growth strategy is to open DRH-owned BWW locations consistent with the ADA we have with BWLD, 
calling for 15 additional locations by the end of 2021, most of which will be located in the Florida market. With the exception 
of  one  new  Bagger  Dave’s  location  in  early  2016,  our  focus  at  Bagger  Dave's  will  be  on  sustaining  higher  average  unit 
volumes and restaurant-level profitability for our current restaurants. We currently own 62 DRH-owned BWW restaurants in 
five states and 18 Bagger Dave’s in three states.   

We intend to drive same-store-sales growth in all of our locations through the execution of local, traffic-driven marketing 
and advertising strategies, continued support of the community through sponsorship programs and local charities and delivery 
of quality food and service in a clean and modernized environment. One of our guiding principles is that a happy team member 
translates  to  a  happy  guest.    A  happy  guest  drives  repeat  sales  and  word-of-mouth  referrals;  two  key  factors  that  are 
fundamental and directly support our local marketing strategy.     

We plan to improve our margins through a number of initiatives including; enhanced methods to manage cost of sales and 
hourly labor with use of technology and improve application of standards; consolidation of vendors (local-to-regional and 
regional-to national), leveraging our scale to obtain lower product pricing and distribution costs; bringing our accounting 
process in-house which significantly reduces cost, and also dramatically enhances our ability to provide granular information 
for  more  effective  forecasting  and  cost  control;  working  with  all  service  vendors  to  obtain  competitive  pricing,  optimal 
frequency  of  service  and  productive  billing  which  includes  minimizing  the  number  of  invoices  and  securing  highly-
predictable periodic pricing.  

Site Selection 

We consider the real estate selection process to be a key factor in the long-term success of each restaurant, and as such, devote 
a significant amount of time and effort into identifying and evaluating each potential location.  We consider several metrics 
to assess the strength of each proposed site, including daytime population, accessibility, population density, visibility and 
neighboring retailers.    

For  our  restaurants,  we  prefer  a  strong  end-cap  position,  which  is  a  premier,  highly  visible  corner  positioned  in  a  well-
anchored shopping center or lifestyle entertainment center.  We also seek to develop freestanding locations, if the opportunity 
meets our site selection criteria, along with specific economic thresholds.     

Restaurant Operations 

We believe retaining high quality restaurant managers, valuing our team members and providing fast, friendly service to our 
guests are key to our continued success.  In order to retain our unique culture as we grow, we devote substantial resources to 
identifying, selecting, and training our restaurant-level team members.  We typically have six in-restaurant trainers at each 
existing location who provide both front- and back-of-house training on site.  We also have a seven-week training program 
for our restaurant managers, which consists of an average of four weeks of restaurant training and three weeks of cultural 
training. During their training, managers observe our established restaurants’ operations and guest interactions.  We believe 
our focus on guest-centric training is a core aspect of our Company and reinforces our mission to delight our guests.   

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Management and Staffing 

The  core  values  that  define  our  corporate  culture  are  cleanliness,  service  and  organization.  Our  restaurants  are  generally 
staffed with one managing partner and up to five assistant managers depending on the sales volume of the restaurant. The 
managing partner is responsible for day-to-day operations and for maintaining the standards of quality and performance that 
define our  corporate  culture.   We  utilize  regional  managing partners  to oversee  our  managing partners  and supervise  the 
operation of our restaurants, including the continuing development of each restaurant’s management team.  Through regular 
visits  to  the  restaurants  and  constant  communication  with  the  management  team,  the  regional  managing  partners  ensure 
adherence  to  all  aspects  of  our  concept,  strategy  and  standards  of  quality.    We  also  have  secret  shoppers  that  visit  our 
restaurants on a monthly basis and provide guest satisfaction scores for the criteria we define. 

Training, Development, and Recruiting 

We believe that successful restaurant operations, guest satisfaction, quality, and cleanliness begin with the team member - a 
key component of our strategy.  We pride ourselves on facilitating a well-organized, thorough, hands-on training program.  In 
2013,  after  nine  months  of  developing  our  new  training  program  with  the  help  of  industry  experts,  we  introduced  our 
Hospitality Excellence Academy ("HEA"). To ensure success of our organization, HEA was designed to foster our culture of 
excellence by cultivating the leaders of tomorrow.  

We offer an incentive program that we believe is very competitive in the restaurant industry.  Aside from competitive base 
salaries and benefits, management is incentivized with a performance-based bonus program.  We also provide group health, 
dental, and vision insurance, a company-sponsored 401(k) plan with a discretionary matching contribution feature, a tuition 
reimbursement program, a referral bonus program and opportunities for career advancement. 

We emphasize growth from within the organization as much as possible, giving our team members the opportunity to develop 
and advance.  We believe this philosophy helps build a strong, loyal management team with high team member retention 
rates, giving us an advantage over our competitors.  We strive for a balance of internal promotion and external hiring. 

Restaurants 

Our DRH-owned BWW restaurants range in size from 5,300 to 13,500 square feet, with a historical square foot average of 
about 6,400. We anticipate that future restaurants will range in size from 5,500 to 6,500 square feet with an average cash 
investment per restaurant of approximately $1.7 million to $2.1 million. From time to time, our restaurants may be smaller 
or larger or cost more or less than our targeted range, depending on the particular circumstances of the selected site. Also, 
from time to time, we may elect to purchase either the building or the land and building for certain restaurants, which would 
require additional capital. 

Our typical Bagger Dave's restaurants range in size from 3,800 to 6,100 square feet, with a historical square foot average of 
about 4,300. We have paused further development of our Bagger Dave’s concept until we feel confident that we can achieve 
and sustain average unit volumes that will provide adequate returns on investment. 

We have a continuous capital improvement plan for our restaurants and plan major renovations every five to seven years. For 
a more detailed discussion of our capital improvement plans, see the section entitled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis 
of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” and specifically, the subsection entitled “Liquidity and Capital Resources; 
Expansion Plans”. 

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Quality Control and Purchasing 

We strive to maintain high quality standards, protecting our food supply at all times. 

Purchasing for DRH-owned BWW restaurants is primarily through channels established by BWLD corporate operations.  We 
do, however, negotiate directly with most of these channels a price and delivery terms.  When we purchase directly, we seek 
to  obtain  the  highest  quality  ingredients,  products,  and  supplies  from  reliable  sources  at  competitive  prices.    For  Bagger 
Dave’s, we believe that we have been able to leverage our DRH-owned BWW purchasing power to develop supply sources 
at a more reasonable cost than would be expected for a smaller restaurant concept. 

To maximize our purchasing efficiencies, our centralized purchasing staff negotiates, when available, fixed-price contracts 
(usually for a one-year period) or, where appropriate, commodity-price contracts. 

Marketing and Advertising 

In fiscal year 2015, we spent approximately 2.0% of all restaurant sales on marketing efforts.  In addition, charitable donations 
and  local  community  sponsorships  help  us  develop  local  public  relations  and  are  a  major  component  of  our  marketing 
efforts.  We support programs that build traffic at the grass-roots level.  We also participate in numerous local restaurant 
marketing events for both DRH-owned BWW and Bagger Dave’s throughout the communities we serve. 

BWW 

We also pay an advertising fee to BWLD equal to 3.0% of net sales globally, which is supported by national advertising 
designed to build brand awareness. Some examples include television commercials on ESPN and CBS during key games for 
the NFL, MLB, NBA and March Madness NCAA basketball tournaments. In addition, we invest 0.25% - 0.5% of net sales 
globally in a regional cooperative of BWW franchisees for certain metropolitan areas. The co-op was formed for the Indiana, 
Illinois and Michigan markets through coordinated local restaurant marketing efforts and operating strengths that focus on 
the guest experience. 

Bagger Dave’s 

The advertising and marketing plan for developing the Bagger Dave’s brand relies on local media, menu specials, promotions, 
and community events. We are also building our marketing reach with our current guests by telling our story through social 
media and Bagger Bucks loyalty rewards program.  We attribute a large part of our Bagger Dave’s growth through word-of-
mouth. 

Information Systems and Technology 

Enhancing the security of our financial data and other personal information remains a high priority for us. We continue to 
innovate and modernize our technology infrastructure to provide improved efficiency, control and security. Our ability to 
accept credit cards as payment in our restaurants and for online gift card orders depends on us remaining compliant with 
standards set by the PCI Security Standards Council (“PCI”). The standards set by PCI contain compliance guidelines and 
standards  with  regard  to  our  security  surrounding  the  physical  and  electronic  storage,  processing  and  transmission  of 
individual cardholder data. We maintain security measures that are designed to protect and prevent unauthorized access to 
such information. 

We also believe that technology can provide a competitive advantage and enable our strategy for growth through efficient 
restaurant operations, information analysis and ease and speed of guest service. We have a standard point-of-sale system in 
our restaurants that is integrated to our corporate office through a web-based above-store business intelligence reporting and 

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analysis tool. Our systems are designed to improve operating efficiencies, enable rapid analysis of marketing and financial 
information and improve administrative productivity. In 2012, we launched online ordering for our Bagger Dave’s restaurants 
and  recently  launched  tableside ordering devices  that  allow  servers  to  create orders  and  send orders to  the kitchen while 
standing with the customer. We believe the table-side ordering will help decrease serving time and increase customer turnover 
and satisfaction since these devices also accommodate credit card swipes so that the card never has to leave the customer’s 
sight. Beginning in 2014, we also integrated the online ordering function for BWW and the Rockbot music experience where 
guests can D.J. and select the music played throughout the restaurant using their mobile device.  

We are constantly assessing new technologies to improve operations, back-office processes and overall guest experience. 
This includes the implementation of mobile payment options, advanced programming of kitchen display units, tablet-based 
wait-listing applications and a mobile-based loyalty program.  

Competition 

The restaurant industry is highly competitive.  We believe we compete primarily with local and regional sports bars and 
national casual dining and quick-casual establishments.  Competition is expected to remain intense with respect to price, 
service, location, concept and type and quality of food.  There is also competition for real estate sites, qualified management 
personnel and hourly restaurant staff.  Many of our competitors have been in existence longer than we have and may be better 
established in markets where we are currently located or may, in the future, be located.  Accordingly, we strive to continually 
improve our restaurants, maintain high quality standards and treat our guests in a manner that encourages them to return.  We 
believe our pricing communicates value to the guest in a comfortable, welcoming atmosphere that provides full service to the 
guest. 

Trademarks, Service Marks, and Trade Secrets 

The BWW registered service mark is owned by BWLD. 

Our domestically-registered trademarks and service marks include Bagger Dave’s Burger Tavern®, Sloppy Dave’s BBQ  ®, 
Railhouse  Burger  Sauce  ®,  The  Blues  Burger  ®,  Train  Wreck  Burger,  Dave’s  Sweet  Potato  Chips  ®,  Meaningless  Free 
Toppings®, Sloppy Dave’s Fries ® and Amazingly Delicious Turkey Black Bean Chili ®.  We place considerable value on our 
trademarks, service marks, trade secrets and other proprietary rights and believe they are important to our brand-building 
efforts and the marketing of our Bagger Dave’s restaurant concept.  We intend to actively enforce and defend our intellectual 
property,  however,  we  cannot  predict  whether  the  steps  taken  by  us  to  protect  our  proprietary  rights  will  be  adequate  to 
prevent  misappropriation  of  these  rights  or  the  use  by  others  of  restaurant  features  based  upon  or  similar  to  our 
concepts.  Although we believe we have sufficient protections concerning our trademarks and service marks, we may face 
claims of infringement that could interfere with our ability to market our restaurants and promote our brand. 

Government Regulations 

The restaurant industry is subject to numerous federal, state, and local governmental regulations, including those relating to 
the preparation and sale of food and alcoholic beverages, sanitation, public health, nutrition labeling requirements, fire codes, 
zoning, and building requirements and to periodic review by state and municipal authorities for areas in which the restaurants 
are located.  Each restaurant requires appropriate licenses from regulatory authorities allowing it to sell beer, wine and liquor 
and each restaurant requires food service licenses from local health authorities.  The majority of our licenses to sell alcoholic 
beverages must be renewed annually and may be suspended or revoked at any time for cause, including violation by us or 
our team members of any law or regulation pertaining to alcoholic beverage control, such as those regulating the minimum 
age of team members or patrons who may serve or be served alcoholic beverages, the serving of alcoholic beverages to visibly 
intoxicated patrons, advertising, wholesale purchasing and inventory control.  In order to reduce this risk, restaurant team 

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members  are  trained  in  standardized  operating  procedures  designed  to  assure  compliance  with  all  applicable  codes  and 
regulations.  We have not encountered any material problems relating to alcoholic beverage licenses or permits to date. 

We are also subject to laws governing our relationship with team members.  Our failure to comply with federal, state and 
local employment laws and regulations may subject us to losses and harm our brands.  The laws and regulations govern such 
matters  as:  wage  and hour requirements;  workers’ compensation  insurance; unemployment  and other  taxes;  working  and 
safety conditions; overtime; and citizenship and immigration status.  Significant additional government-imposed regulations 
under the Fair Labor Standards Act and similar laws related to minimum wages, overtime, rest breaks, paid leaves of absence, 
and mandated health benefits may also impact the performance of our operations.  In addition, team member claims based 
on, among other things, discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination, wages, hour requirements and payments to team 
members who receive gratuities, may divert financial and management resources and adversely affect operations.  The losses 
that may be incurred as a result of any violation of such governmental regulations by the Company are difficult to quantify.  To 
our knowledge, we are in compliance in all material respects with all applicable federal, state and local laws affecting our 
business.  

The  federal  Patient  Protection  and  Affordable  Care  Act  (PPACA)  was  enacted  in  March  2010.  On  January  1,  2015,  the 
employer portion of the PPACA went into effect. In addition to being required to provide full-time employees with medical 
insurance  that  meets  minimum  value  and  affordability  standards,  the  employer  mandate  requires  employers  to  provide 
covered  employees  and  the  Internal  Revenue  Service  with  specific  reportable  benefit  information.  The  Company’s  2015 
medical plan has been offered to all full-time employees and meets the minimum value and affordability requirements of the 
PPACA, and the Company believes that it will be able to meet the informational reporting requirements of the act when due. 

Compliance with these laws and regulations may lead to increased costs and operational complexity and may increase our 
exposure  to  governmental  investigations  or  litigation. We may  also  be  subject,  in  certain  states,  to  “dram  shop”  statutes, 
which generally allow a person injured by an intoxicated person to recover damages from an establishment that wrongfully 
served alcoholic beverages to the intoxicated person.  We carry liquor liability coverage as part of our existing comprehensive 
general liability insurance which we believe is consistent with coverage carried by other companies in the restaurant industry 
of similar size and scope of operations.  Even though we carry liquor liability insurance, a judgment against us under a “dram 
shop” statute in excess of our liability coverage could have a material adverse effect on our operations. 

ITEM 1A.     RISK FACTORS 

This Form 10-K, including the discussions contained in Items 1 and 7, contains various “forward-looking statements” that 
are  based  on  current  expectations  or  beliefs  concerning  future  events.  Such  statements  can  be  identified  by  the  use  of 
terminology  such  as  “anticipate,”  “believe,”  “estimate,”  “expect,”  “intend,”  “may,”  “could,”  “possible,”  “plan,” 
“project,”  “will,”  “forecast”  and  similar  words  or  expressions.  Our  forward-looking  statements  generally  relate  to  our 
growth strategy, financial results, sales efforts, franchise expectations, restaurant openings and related expense and cash 
requirements. Although we believe there is a reasonable basis for the forward-looking statements, our actual results could 
be materially different. While it is not possible to foresee all of the factors that may cause actual results to differ from our 
forward-looking statements, such factors include, among others, the risk factors that follow. Investors are cautioned that all 
forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties and speak only as of the date on which they are made, and we do 
not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement. 

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Risks Related to Our Business and Industry 

Our Financial Results Depend Significantly Upon the Success of Our Existing and New Restaurants 

Future growth in our revenue and profits will depend on our ability to maintain or grow sales and efficiently manage costs in 
  Currently,  we  have  62  DRH-owned  BWW  restaurants  and  18  Bagger 
our  existing  and  new  restaurants. 
Dave’s restaurant.  The results achieved by our current restaurants may not be indicative of longer-term performance or the 
potential market acceptance of our restaurant concepts in other locations.  Additionally, the success of one restaurant concept 
may not be indicative or predictive of the success of the other. 

The  success  of  our  restaurants  depends  principally  upon  generating  and  maintaining  guest  traffic,  loyalty  and  achieving 
positive margins.  Significant factors that might adversely affect guest traffic and loyalty and profit margins include: 

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economic conditions, including housing market downturns, rising unemployment rates, lower disposable 
income, credit conditions, fuel prices and consumer confidence and other events or factors that adversely 
affect consumer spending in the markets we serve; 

competition in the restaurant industry, particularly in the casual and fast-casual dining segments; 

changes in consumer preferences; 

our guests’ failure to accept menu price increases that we may make to offset increases in certain operating 
costs; 

our reputation and consumer perception of our concepts’ offerings in terms of quality, price, value, ambiance 
and service; and 

our guests’ actual experiences from dining in our restaurants. 

Our restaurants are also susceptible to increases in certain key operating expenses that are either wholly or partially beyond 
our control, including: 

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food and other raw materials costs, many of which we cannot effectively hedge; 

compensation costs, including wage, workers’ compensation, health care and other benefits expenses; 

rent  expenses  and  construction,  remodeling,  maintenance  and  other  costs  under  leases  for  our  new  and 
existing restaurants; 

compliance costs as a result of changes in regulatory or industry standards; 

energy, water and other utility costs; 

costs for insurance (including health, liability and workers’ compensation); 

information technology and other logistical costs; and 

expenses due to litigation against us. 

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We May Not Be Able to Manage Our Growth 

Our expansion strategy will depend upon our ability to open and operate additional restaurants profitably.  The opening of 
new restaurants will depend on a number of factors, many of which are beyond our control.  These factors include, among 
others, the availability of management, restaurant staff, and other personnel, the cost and availability of suitable restaurant 
locations,  cost-effective  and  timely  planning,  design  and  build  out  of  restaurants,  acceptable  leasing  terms,  acceptable 
financing, and securing required governmental permits.  Although we have formulated our business plans and expansion 
strategies based on certain estimates and assumptions we believe are reasonable, we anticipate that we will be subject to 
changing conditions that will cause certain of these estimates and assumptions to be incorrect.  For example, our restaurants 
may not open at the planned time due to factors beyond our control, including, among other factors, site selection, BWLD’s 
approval with respect to new BWW openings, negotiations with landlord and construction or permitting delays. 

We May Not Be Successful When Entering New Markets 

When expanding the BWW and Bagger Dave's concepts, we will enter new markets in which we may have limited or no 
operating  experience.   There can be  no  assurance  that  we will  be  able  to  achieve success  and/or  profitability  in  our new 
markets  or  in  our  new  restaurants.    The  success  of  these  new  restaurants  will  be  affected  by  the  different  competitive 
conditions, consumer taste, and discretionary spending patterns within the new markets, as well as by our ability to generate 
market awareness of the Bagger Dave's and BWW brands.  New restaurants typically require several months of operation 
before achieving normal levels of profitability.  When we enter highly competitive new markets or territories in which we 
have not yet established a market presence, the realization of our revenue targets and desired profit margins may be more 
susceptible to volatility and/or more prolonged than anticipated. 

Competition in the Restaurant Industry May Affect Our Ability to Compete Effectively 

The restaurant industry is intensely competitive.  We believe we compete primarily with regional and local sports bars, burger 
establishments, casual dining concept, and fast-casual establishments.  Competition from “better burger” establishments has 
recently been particularly intense.  Many of our direct and indirect competitors are well-established national, regional or local 
chains with a greater market presence than us. Further, some competitors have substantially greater financial, marketing and 
other resources than us. In addition, independent owners of local or regional establishments may enter the wing-based or 
burger-based  restaurant  businesses  without  significant  barriers  to  entry  and  such  establishments  may  provide  price 
competition for our restaurants.  Competition in the casual dining, fast-casual and quick-service segments of the restaurant 
industry is expected to remain intense with respect to price, service, location, concept and the type and quality of food.  We 
also face intense competition for real estate sites, qualified management personnel and hourly restaurant staff. 

New Restaurants Added to Our Existing Markets May Take Sales From Existing Restaurants 

New  restaurants  added  to  our  existing  markets,  whether  by  us  or  others,  may  take  sales  away  from  our  existing 
restaurants.  Because we intend to open restaurants in our existing markets, and others may intend the same, this may impact 
revenue earned by our existing restaurants. 

Higher-Than-Anticipated  Costs  Associated  With  the Opening  of  New Restaurants  or  With  the  Closing,  Relocating,  or 
Remodeling of Existing Restaurants May Adversely Affect Our Results of Operations 

Our revenue and expenses may be significantly impacted by the location, number and timing of the opening of new restaurants 
and the closing, relocating and remodeling of existing restaurants.  We incur substantial pre-opening expenses each time we 
open a new restaurant and will incur other expenses if we close, relocate or remodel existing restaurants.  These expenses are 
generally higher when we open restaurants in new markets, but the costs of opening, closing, relocating or remodeling any 

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of our restaurants may be higher than anticipated.  An increase in such expenses could have an adverse effect on our results 
of operations.  

Future  Acquisitions  May  Have  Unanticipated  Consequences  That  Could  Harm  Our  Business  and  Our  Financial 
Condition 

We may seek to selectively acquire existing BWW restaurants.  To do so, we would need to identify suitable acquisition 
candidates, negotiate acceptable acquisition terms and obtain appropriate financing as needed.  Any acquisitions we pursue, 
whether successfully completed or not, may involve risks, including: 

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material adverse effects on our operating results, particularly in the fiscal quarters immediately following 
the acquisition as the acquired restaurants are integrated into our operations; 

customary closing and indemnification risks associated with any acquisition; 

funds used pursuing acquisitions we are ultimately unable to consummate because the transaction is subject 
to a right of first refusal in favor of our franchisor, BWLD; and 

diversion of management’s attention from other business concerns. 

Future acquisitions of existing restaurants, which may be accomplished through a cash purchase transaction, the issuance of 
our  equity  securities,  or  a  combination  of  both,  could  result  in  potentially  dilutive  issuances of  our  equity  securities,  the 
incurrence of debt and contingent liabilities and impairment charges related to intangible assets, any of which could harm our 
business and financial condition. 

We May Suffer Negative Consequences if New Restaurants Do Not Open in a Timely Manner 

If we are unable to successfully open new restaurants in a timely manner, our revenue growth rate and profits may be adversely 
affected.  We must open restaurants in a timely and profitable manner to successfully expand our business.  In the past, we 
have experienced delays in restaurant openings, and we may face similar delays in the future.  These delays may trigger 
material financial penalties assessed against us by BWLD, as provided in our ADA.  These delays may also not meet market 
expectations, which may negatively affect our stock price.  Our ability to expand successfully and in a timely manner will 
depend on a number of factors, many of which are beyond our control.  A few of the factors are listed below: 

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Locating and securing quality locations in new and existing markets; 

Negotiating acceptable leases or purchase agreements; 

Securing acceptable financing for new locations; 

Cost-effective and timely planning, design and build-out of restaurants; 

Attracting, recruiting, training and retaining qualified team members; 

Hiring reputable and satisfactory construction contractors; 

Competition in new and existing markets; 

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(cid:404) 

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Obtaining and maintaining required local, state and federal government approvals and permits related to the 
construction of sites and the sale of food and alcoholic beverages; 

Creating brand awareness in new markets; and 

General economic conditions. 

The Loss of Key Executives Could Affect Our Performance 

Our success depends substantially on the contributions and abilities of key executives and other team members.  The loss of 
any of our executive officers could jeopardize our ability to meet our financial targets.  In particular, we are highly dependent 
upon the services of T. Michael Ansley, David G. Burke and Jason T. Curtis.  We do not have employment agreements with 
these individuals or any of our other team members.  Our inability to retain the full-time services of any of these people or to 
attract other qualified executives could have an adverse effect on us, and there would likely be a difficult transition period in 
finding suitable replacements for any of them. 

We May Not Be Able to Attract and Retain Qualified Team Members to Operate and Manage Our Restaurants 

The success of our restaurants depends on our ability to attract, motivate, develop and retain a sufficient number of qualified 
restaurant team members, including managers and hourly team members.  The inability to recruit, develop and retain these 
individuals may delay the planned openings of new restaurants or result in high team member turnover in existing restaurants, 
thus  increasing  the  cost  to  efficiently  operate  our  restaurants.    This  could  inhibit  our  expansion  strategy  and  business 
performance and negatively impact our operating results 

Fluctuations in the Cost of Food Could Impact Operating Results 

Our primary food products are fresh bone-in chicken wings, ground beef and potatoes.  Our food, beverage and packaging 
costs could be significantly affected by increases in the cost of fresh chicken wings and ground beef, which can result from 
a number of factors, including but not limited to, seasonality, cost of corn and grain, animal disease, drought and other weather 
phenomena, increase in demand domestically and internationally, and other factors that may affect availability.  Additionally, 
if there is a significant rise in the price of chicken wings or ground beef, and we are unable to successfully adjust menu prices 
or menu mix or otherwise make operational adjustments to account for the higher wing and beef prices, our operating results 
could be adversely affected.  We also depend on our franchisor, BWLD, as it relates to chicken wings, to negotiate prices and 
deliver product to us at a reasonable cost.  Chicken wing prices per pound averaged $1.81 in 2015, $0.28 higher than the 
average of $1.53 in 2014.  BWLD currently purchases and secures for its franchisees chicken wings at market price.   

Shortages or Interruptions in the Availability and Delivery of Food and Other Supplies May Increase Costs or Reduce 
Revenue 

Possible shortages or interruptions in the supply of food items and other supplies to our restaurants caused by inclement 
weather, terrorist attacks, natural disasters such as floods, drought, and hurricanes, pandemics, the inability of our vendors to 
obtain credit in a tightened credit market, food safety warnings or advisories, or the prospect of such pronouncements or other 
conditions beyond our control, could adversely affect the availability, quality and cost of items we buy and the operations of 
our restaurants.  Our inability to effectively manage supply chain risk could increase our costs and limit the availability of 
products critical to our restaurant operations. 

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Our Success Depends Substantially on the Value of Our Brands and Unfavorable Publicity Could Harm Our Business 

Multi-unit restaurant businesses such as ours can be adversely affected by publicity resulting from complaints, litigation or 
general publicity regarding poor food quality, food-borne illness, personal injury, food tampering, adverse health effects of 
consumption of various food products or high-calorie foods (including obesity) or other concerns.  Negative publicity from 
traditional media or online social network postings may also result from actual or alleged incidents or events taking place in 
our restaurants. 

There has been a marked increase in the use of social media platforms and similar devices, including weblogs (blogs), social 
media websites, and other forms of Internet-based communications which allow individuals access to a broad audience of 
consumers and other interested persons.  Consumers value readily available information concerning goods and services that 
they  have  or  plan  to  purchase,  and  may  act  on  such  information  without  further  investigation  or  authentication.    The 
availability of information on social media platforms is virtually immediate, as is its impact.  Many social media platforms 
immediately publish the content their subscribers and participants can post, often without filters or checks on accuracy of the 
content posted.  The opportunity for dissemination of information, including inaccurate information, is seemingly limitless 
and readily available.  Information concerning our Company may be posted on such platforms at any time.  Information 
posted  may  be  adverse  to  our  interests  or  may  be  inaccurate,  each  of  which  may  harm  our  performance,  prospects  or 
business.  The harm may be immediate without affording us an opportunity for redress or correction.  Such platforms also 
could  be  used  for  dissemination  of  trade  secret  information,  compromising  valuable  company  assets.    In  summary,  the 
dissemination  of  information  online  could  harm  our  business,  prospects,  financial  condition  and  results  of  operations, 
regardless of the information’s accuracy. 

Regardless  of  whether  any  public  allegations  or  complaints  are  valid,  unfavorable  publicity  relating  to  a  number  of  our 
restaurants, or only to a single restaurant, could adversely affect public perception of the entire brand.  Adverse publicity and 
its effect on overall consumer perceptions of food safety, or our failure to respond effectively to adverse publicity, could have 
a material adverse effect on our business.  We must protect and grow the value of our brands to continue to be successful in 
the future.  Any incident that erodes consumer trust in or affinity for our brands could significantly reduce their value.  If 
consumers perceive or experience a reduction in food quality, service, ambiance or in any way believe we failed to deliver a 
consistently positive experience, the value of our brands could suffer. 

Increases in Our Compensation Costs, Including as a Result of Changes in Government Regulation, Could Slow Our 
Growth or Harm Our Business 

We are subject to a wide range of compensation costs.  Because our compensation costs are, as a percentage of revenue, 
higher than other industries, we may be significantly harmed by compensation cost increases.  Unfavorable fluctuations in 
market conditions, availability of such insurance, or changes in state and/or federal regulations could significantly increase 
our insurance premiums.  In addition, we are subject to the risk of employment-related litigation at both the state and federal 
levels, including claims styled as class action lawsuits, which are more costly to defend.  Also, some employment-related 
claims in the area of wage and hour disputes are not insurable risks. 

Significant increases in health care costs may also continue to occur, and we can provide no assurance that we will be able to 
effectively  contain  those  costs.    Further,  we  are  continuing  to  assess  the  impact  of  recently-adopted  federal  health  care 
legislation  on  our  health  care  benefit  costs,  and  significant  increases  in  such  costs  could  adversely  impact  our  operating 
results. 

In addition, many of our restaurant personnel are hourly team members subject to various minimum wage requirements or 
changes to existing tip credit laws.  Mandated increases in minimum wage levels and changes to the tip credit laws, which 
dictate the amounts an employer is permitted to assume a team member receives in tips when calculating the team member’s 
hourly wage for minimum wage compliance purposes, have recently been and continue to be proposed and implemented at 

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both federal and state government levels.  Continued minimum wage increases or changes to allowable tip credits may further 
increase our compensation costs or effective tax rate. 

Various states in which we operate are considering or have already adopted new immigration laws, and the U.S. Congress 
and  Department  of  Homeland  Security  from  time  to  time  consider  or  implement  changes  to  federal  immigration  laws, 
regulations,  or  enforcement  programs  as  well.    Some  of  these  changes  may  increase  our  obligations  for  compliance  and 
oversight, which could subject us to additional costs and make our hiring process more cumbersome, or reduce the availability 
of potential team members.  Although we require all team members to provide us with government-specified documentation 
evidencing  their  employment  eligibility,  some  of  our  team  members  may,  without  our  knowledge,  be  unauthorized  team 
members.  Unauthorized team members are subject to deportation and may subject us to fines or penalties, and if any of our 
team members are found to be unauthorized, we could experience adverse publicity that negatively impacts our brand and 
may make it more difficult to hire and keep qualified team members.  Termination of a significant number of team members 
that, unbeknownst to us, were unauthorized team  members may disrupt our operations, cause temporary increases in our 
compensation costs as we train new team members and result in additional adverse publicity.  Our financial performance 
could be materially harmed as a result of any of these factors. 

Changes in Public Health Concerns and Legislation and Regulations Requiring the Provision of Nutritional Information 
May Impact Our Performance 

Government regulation and consumer eating habits may impact our business as a result of changes in attitudes regarding diet 
and health or new information regarding the health effects of consuming our menu offerings.  These changes have resulted 
in, and may continue to result in, the enactment of laws and regulations that impact the ingredients and nutritional content of 
our menu offerings, or laws and regulations requiring us to disclose the nutritional content of our food offerings.  For example, 
a number of states, counties and cities have enacted menu labeling laws requiring multi-unit restaurant operators to disclose 
certain nutritional information available to guests, or have enacted legislation restricting the use of certain types of ingredients 
in restaurants.  The U.S. health care reform law included nation-wide menu labeling and nutrition disclosure requirements as 
well, and our restaurants will be covered by these national requirements when they go into effect. The final rule was published 
on December 1, 2014 and required implementation by end of 2016. Although the federal legislation is intended to preempt 
conflicting state or local laws on nutrition labeling, until we are required to comply with the federal law, we will be subject 
to a patchwork of state and local laws and regulations regarding nutritional content disclosure requirements.  Many of these 
requirements  are  inconsistent  or  are  interpreted  differently  from  one  jurisdiction  to  another.    The  effect  of  such  labeling 
requirements on consumer choices, if any, is unclear at this time.  We cannot make any assurances regarding our ability to 
effectively respond to changes in consumer health perceptions or our ability to successfully implement the nutrient content 
disclosure requirements and to adapt our menu offerings to trends in eating habits.  The imposition of menu-labeling laws 
could have an adverse effect on our results of operations and financial position, as well as the restaurant industry in general.   

Multiple  jurisdictions  in  which  we  operate  could  adopt  recently  enacted  new  requirements  that  require  us  to  adopt  and 
implement a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (“HACCP”) system for managing food safety and quality.  HACCP 
refers to a management system in which food safety is addressed through the analysis and control of potential hazards from 
production, procurement and handling, to manufacturing, distribution and consumption of the finished product.  We expect 
to incur certain costs to comply with these regulations, and these costs may be more than we anticipate.  If we fail to comply 
with these laws or regulations, our business could experience a material adverse effect. 

Further,  growing  movements  to  change  laws  relating  to  alcohol  may  result  in  a  decline  in  alcohol  consumption  at  our 
restaurants or increase the number of dram shop claims made against us, either of which may negatively impact operations 
or result in the loss of liquor licenses. 

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Changes in Consumer Preferences or Discretionary Consumer Spending Could Harm Our Performance 

Our  success  depends,  in  part,  upon  the  continued  popularity  of  our  chicken  and  boneless  wings,  hamburgers  and  turkey 
burgers, other food and beverage items and the appeal of our restaurant concepts.  We also depend on trends toward consumers 
eating away from home.  Shifts in these consumer preferences could negatively affect our future profitability.  Such shifts 
could be based on health concerns related to the cholesterol, carbohydrate, fat, calorie or salt content of certain food items, 
including items featured on our menu.  Negative publicity over the health aspects of such food items may adversely affect 
consumer demand for our menu items and could result in a decrease in guest traffic to our restaurants, which could materially 
harm our business.  In addition, our success depends, to a significant extent, on numerous factors affecting discretionary 
consumer  spending,  general  economic  conditions  (including  the  continuing  effects  of  the  recent  recession),  disposable 
consumer income, and consumer confidence.  A decline in consumer spending or in economic conditions could reduce guest 
traffic or impose practical limits on pricing, either of which could harm our business, financial condition, operating results or 
cash flow. 

Actions by Our Franchisor Could Negatively Affect Our Business and Operating Results 

We are economically dependent on retaining our franchise rights with BWLD. Our DRH-owned BWW restaurant operations 
depend, in part, on decisions made by our franchisor, including changes of distributors, food menu items and prices, policies 
and  procedures,  and  advertising  programs.  Business  decisions  made  by  BWLD  could  adversely  impact  our  operating 
performance  and profitability. Under our ADA,  BWLD has  the right  to immediately  terminate  the  ADA  if,  among other 
things, we are unable to comply with the development schedule, or if one of the Franchise Agreements entered into pursuant 
to the area ADA is terminated. Termination of the ADA could adversely affect our growth strategy and, in turn, our financial 
condition. Additionally, the ADA and the individual Franchise Agreements provide BWLD with the authority to approve the 
location selected for our future BWLD franchises, as well as approve the design of the individual restaurant. BWLD must 
give its consent prior to the opening of a new BWW restaurant and, once the restaurant is open, we are subject to various 
operational requirements, including the use of specific suppliers and products. Delays in the approval of our locations or pre-
opening approval, as well as changes to the operational requirements, may impact our operating performance.     

Our Operating Results May Fluctuate Due to the Timing of Special Events 

Our operating results depend, in part, on special events, such as the Super Bowl® and other sporting events viewed by our 
guests  in  our  restaurants,  including  those  sponsored  by  the  National  Football  League,  Major  League  Baseball,  National 
Basketball Association, National Hockey League and National Collegiate Athletic Association.  Interruptions in the viewing 
of  these  professional  sporting  league  events  due  to  strikes  or  lockouts  may  impact  our  business  and  operating 
results.  Additionally, our results are subject to fluctuations based on the dates of sporting events and their availability for 
viewing  through  broadcast, satellite,  and  cable networks.   Historically, sales  in  most of  our  restaurants have  been higher 
during fall and winter months based on the relative popularity and extent of national, regional and local sporting and other 
events in the geographic regions in which we currently operate. 

Our Inability to Renew Existing Leases or Enter Into New Leases For New or Relocated Restaurants on Favorable Terms 
May Adversely Affect Our Results of Operations 

As of December  27,  2015,  all  of our restaurants  are  located on  leased premises  and  are  subject  to varying  lease-specific 
arrangements.  For example, some of the leases require base rent that is subject to increase based on market factors, and other 
leases  include  base  rent  with  specified  periodic  increases.    Some  leases  are  subject  to  renewals,  which  could  involve 
substantial increases.  Additionally, a few leases require contingent rent based on a percentage of gross sales.   When our 
leases expire in the future, we will evaluate the desirability of renewing such leases.  While we currently expect to pursue all 
renewal  options,  no  guarantee  can  be  given  that  such  leases  will  be  renewed  or,  if  renewed,  that  rents  will  not  increase 
substantially.  The success of our restaurants depends in large part on their leased locations.  As demographic and economic 

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patterns change, current leased locations may or may not continue to be attractive or profitable. Possible declines in trade 
areas where our restaurants are located or adverse economic conditions in surrounding areas could result in reduced revenue 
in  those  locations.    In  addition,  desirable  lease  locations  for  new  restaurant  openings  or  for  the  relocation  of  existing 
restaurants  may  not  be  available  at  an  acceptable  cost  when  we  identify  a  particular  opportunity  for  a  new  restaurant  or 
relocation. 

Economic  Conditions  Could  Have  a  Material  Adverse  Impact  on  Our  Landlords  in  Retail  Centers  in  Which  We  Are 
Located 

Our landlords may be unable to obtain financing or remain in good standing under their existing financing arrangements, 
resulting in failures to pay required construction contributions or satisfy other lease covenants to us.  If our landlords fail to 
satisfy required co-tenancies, such failures may result in us terminating leases or delaying openings in these locations.  Also, 
decreases in total tenant occupancy in retail centers in which we are located may affect guest traffic at our restaurants.  All 
of these factors could have a material adverse impact on our operations. 

A Decline in Visitors to Any of the Business Districts Near the Locations of Our Restaurants Could Negatively Affect Our 
Restaurant Sales 

Some of our restaurants are located near high-activity areas such as retail centers, big-box shopping centers and entertainment 
centers.  We depend on high visitor rates at these businesses to attract guests to our restaurants.  If visitors to these centers 
decline  due  to  economic  conditions,  closure  of  big-box  retailers,  road  construction,  changes  in  consumer  preferences  or 
shopping patterns, changes in discretionary consumer spending or otherwise, our restaurant sales in these areas could decline 
significantly and adversely affect the results of our operations. 

Because Many of Our Restaurants are Concentrated in Local or Regional Areas, We are Susceptible to Economic and 
Other Trends and Developments, Including Adverse Weather Conditions, in These Areas 

Our financial performance is highly dependent on restaurants located in Florida, Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan.  As a result, 
adverse economic conditions in any of these areas could have a material adverse effect on our overall results of operations.  In 
recent years, certain of these states have been more negatively impacted by the housing decline, high unemployment rates 
and the overall economic crisis than other geographic areas.  In addition, other regional occurrences such as local strikes, 
terrorist attacks, increases in energy prices, adverse weather conditions, hurricanes, droughts or other natural or man-made 
disasters  have  occurred.    In  particular,  adverse  weather  conditions  can  impact  guest  traffic  at  our  restaurants,  cause  the 
temporary underutilization of certain seating areas, and, in more severe cases, cause temporary restaurant closures, sometimes 
for prolonged periods.  As of December 27, 2015, approximately 81.3% of our total restaurants are located in Illinois, Indiana, 
Michigan, Missouri and Ohio, which are particularly susceptible to snowfall, and approximately 18.7% of our total restaurants 
are located in Florida, which is particularly susceptible to hurricanes. 

Legal Actions Could Have an Adverse Effect on Us 

We have faced in the past and could face in the future legal action from government agencies, team members, guests, or other 
parties.  Many state and federal laws govern our industry, and if we fail to comply with these laws, we could be liable for 
damages or penalties.  In October 2015, the Company settled two collective actions alleging violations of fair labor standards 
acts and minimum wage laws. We are currently facing a similar claim and may face such claims in the future. Further, we 
may face litigation from guests alleging that we were responsible for an illness or injury they suffered at or after a visit to our 
restaurants, or alleging that we are not complying with regulations governing our food quality or operations.  We may also 
face  employment-related  litigation,  including  claims  of  age  discrimination,  sexual  harassment,  gender  discrimination, 
immigration violations, or other local, state, and federal labor law violations In light of the potential cost and uncertainty 

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involved in litigation, we may settle matters even when we believe we have a meritorious defense. Litigation and its related 
costs may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.  

We May Not Be Able to Obtain and Maintain Licenses and Permits Necessary to Operate Our Restaurants 

The  restaurant  industry  is  subject  to  various  federal,  state  and  local  government  licensure  and  permitting  requirements, 
including those relating to the sale of food and alcoholic beverages.  The failure to obtain and maintain these licenses, permits 
and approvals, including food and liquor licenses, could adversely affect our operating results.  Difficulties or failure to obtain 
any required licenses, permits or other government approvals could delay or result in our decision to cancel the opening of 
new restaurants.  Local authorities may revoke, suspend or deny renewal of our food and liquor licenses if they determine 
that our conduct violates applicable regulations. 

The Sale of Alcoholic Beverages at Our Restaurants Subjects Us to Additional Regulations and Potential Liability 

For  fiscal  year  2015,  approximately  18.0%  of  our  consolidated  restaurant  sales  were  attributable  to  the  sale  of  alcoholic 
beverages.    Our  restaurants  sell  alcoholic  beverages,  and  as  such,  we  are  required  to  comply  with  the  alcohol  licensing 
requirements  of  the federal government,  states  and  municipalities  where our restaurants  are  located.   Alcoholic beverage 
control regulations require applications to state authorities and, in certain locations, county and municipal authorities for a 
license  and  permit  to  sell  alcoholic  beverages  on  the  premises  and  to  provide  service  for  extended  hours  and  on 
Sundays.  Typically, the licenses are renewed annually and may be revoked or suspended for cause at any time.  Alcoholic 
beverage control regulations relate to numerous aspects of the daily operations of the restaurants, including minimum age of 
guests and team members, hours of operation, advertising, wholesale purchasing, inventory control and handling, storage and 
dispensing of alcoholic beverages.  If we fail to comply with federal, state or local regulations, our licenses may be revoked 
and we may be forced to terminate the sale of alcoholic beverages at one or more of our restaurants. 

In certain states, we are subject to “dram shop” statutes, which generally allow a person injured by an intoxicated person the 
right to recover damages from an establishment that wrongfully served alcoholic beverages to the intoxicated person.  Some 
dram shop litigation against restaurant companies has resulted in significant judgments, including punitive damages.   

We May Not Be Able to Protect Our Trademarks, Service Marks, and Trade Secrets 

We place considerable value on our trademarks, service marks, and trade secrets. We intend to actively enforce and defend 
our intellectual property, although we may not always be successful. We attempt to protect our recipes as trade secrets by, 
among other things, requiring confidentiality agreements with our suppliers and executive officers.  However, we cannot be 
sure that we will be able to successfully enforce our rights under our marks or prevent competitors from misappropriating 
our recipes, nor can we be sure that out methods of safeguarding our information are adequate and effective.  We also cannot 
be sure that our marks are valuable; that using our marks does not, or will not, violate others' marks; that the registrations of 
our marks would be upheld if challenged; or that we would not be prevented from using our marks in areas of the country 
where others might have already established rights to them.  Any of these uncertainties could have an adverse effect on us 
and our expansion strategy. 

We Are Dependent on Information Technology and Any Material Failure of That Technology Could Impair Our Ability 
to Efficiently Operate Our Business 

We rely on information systems across our operations, including, for example, point-of-sale processing in our restaurants, 
management of our supply chain, collection of cash, payment of obligations, and various other processes and procedures.  Our 
ability to efficiently manage our business depends significantly on the reliability and capacity of these systems. The failure 
of these systems to operate effectively, problems with maintenance, upgrading or transitioning to replacement systems, or a 

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breach in security of these systems could cause delays in guest service and reduce efficiency in our operations.  Significant 
capital investments might be required to remediate any problems. 

Our Ability to Raise Capital in the Future May Be Limited, Which Could Adversely Impact Our Business 

Changes in our restaurant operations, lower than anticipated restaurant sales, increased food or compensation costs, increased 
property expenses, acceleration of our expansion plans or other events, including those described in this Annual Report, may 
cause  us  to  seek  additional  debt  or  equity  financing  on  an  accelerated  basis.    Financing  may  not  be  available  to  us  on 
acceptable terms, and our failure to raise capital when needed could negatively impact our restaurant growth plans as well as 
our financial condition and the results of operations.  Additional equity financing, if available, may be dilutive to the holders 
of our common stock.  Debt financing may involve significant cash payment obligations, covenants and financial ratios that 
may restrict our ability to operate and grow our business. 

There Can Be No Assurances That, in the Future, We Will Be in Compliance With All Covenants of Our Current or 
Future Debt Agreements or That Our Lenders Will Waive Any Violations of Such Covenants 

Non-compliance with our debt covenants could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and 
financial  condition.    Non-compliance  may  result  in  us  being  in  default  under  our  debt  agreements,  which  could  cause  a 
substantial financial burden by requiring us to repay our debt earlier than otherwise anticipated. 

Our Current Insurance May Not Provide Adequate Levels of Coverage Against Claims 

We currently maintain insurance that is customary and required in our franchise agreements and leases.  However, there are 
types of losses we may incur that cannot be insured against or that we believe are not economically reasonable to insure 
against, such as losses due to natural disasters.  Such damages could have a material adverse effect on our business and the 
results of operations.  Additionally, there is no assurance that we will be able to maintain our current coverage at acceptable 
premium rates or that any coverage will be available to us in the future. 

An Impairment in the Carrying Value of Our Fixed Assets, Intangible Assets or Goodwill Could Adversely Affect Our 
Financial Condition and Consolidated Results of Operations 

Goodwill represents the excess of cost over the fair value of identified net assets of business acquired. We review goodwill 
for  impairment  annually,  or  whenever  circumstances  change  in  a  way  which  could  indicate  that  impairment  may  have 
occurred. Goodwill is tested at the reporting unit level. We identify potential goodwill impairments by comparing the fair 
value of the reporting unit to its carrying amount, which includes goodwill and other intangible assets. If the carrying amount 
of the reporting unit exceeds the fair value, this is an indication that impairment may exist. We calculate the amount of the 
impairment by comparing the fair value of the assets and liabilities to the fair value of the reporting unit. The fair value of 
the reporting unit in excess of the value of the assets and liabilities is the implied fair value of the goodwill. If this amount is 
less than the carrying amount of goodwill, impairment is recognized for the difference. A significant amount of judgment is 
involved in determining if an indication of impairment exists. Factors may include, among others: a significant decline in our 
expected future cash flows; a sustained, significant decline in our stock price and market capitalization; a significant adverse 
change in legal factors or in the business climate; unanticipated competition; the testing for recoverability of a significant 
asset group within a reporting unit; and slower growth rates. Any adverse change in these factors would have a significant 
impact  on  the  recoverability  of  these  assets  and  negatively  affect  our  financial  condition  and  consolidated  results  of 
operations. We are required to record a non-cash impairment charge if the testing performed indicates that goodwill has been 
impaired. 

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We evaluate the useful lives of our fixed assets and intangible assets to determine if they are definite- or indefinite-lived. 
Reaching  a  determination  on  useful  life  requires  significant  judgments  and  assumptions  regarding  the  lease  term,  future 
effects of obsolescence, demand, competition, other economic factors (such as the stability of the industry, legislative action 
that results in an uncertain or changing regulatory environment, and expected changes in distribution channels), the level of 
required maintenance expenditures and the expected lives of other related groups of assets. We cannot accurately predict the 
amount and timing of any impairment of assets. Should the value of fixed assets or intangible assets become impaired, there 
could be an adverse effect on our financial condition and consolidated results of operations.  

We  May  Incur  Costs  Resulting  From  Security  Risks  We  Face  in  Connection  With  Our  Electronic  Processing  and 
Transmission of Confidential Guest Information   

We  accept  electronic  payment  cards  from  our  guests  in  our  restaurants.  For  the  fiscal  year  ended  December  27,  2015, 
approximately  74.5%  of  our  sales  were  attributable  to  credit/debit  card  transactions,  and  credit/debit  card  usage  could 
continue to increase. A number of restaurant operators and retailers have experienced actual or potential security breaches in 
which credit/debit card information may have been stolen.  While we have taken reasonable steps to prevent the occurrence 
of security breaches in this respect, we may in the future become subject to claims for purportedly fraudulent transactions 
arising out of the actual or alleged theft of credit/debit card information, and we may also be subject to lawsuits or other 
proceedings in the future relating to these types of incidents.  Proceedings related to theft of credit/debit card information 
may be brought by payment card providers, banks, and credit unions that issue cards, cardholders (either individually or as 
part of a class action lawsuit), and federal and state regulators.  Any such proceedings could distract our management team 
members from running our business and cause us to incur significant unplanned losses and expenses. 

We also receive and maintain certain personal information about our guests and team members. The use of this information 
by  us  is  regulated  at  the  federal  and  state  levels.    If  our  security  and  information  systems  are  compromised  or  our  team 
members fail to comply with these laws and regulations and this information is obtained by unauthorized persons or used 
inappropriately, it could adversely affect our reputation, as well as the results of operations, and could result in litigation 
against us or the imposition of penalties.  In addition, our ability to accept credit/debit cards as payment in our restaurants 
and online depends on us maintaining our compliance status with standards set by the PCI Security Standards Council.  These 
standards, set by a consortium of the major credit card companies, require certain levels of system security and procedures to 
protect our guests’ credit/debit card information as well as other personal information.  Privacy and information security laws 
and regulations change over time, and compliance with those changes may result in cost increases due to necessary system 
and process changes. 

Failure  to  Establish  and  Maintain  Our  Internal  Control  Over  Financial  Reporting  Could  Harm  Our  Business  and 
Financial Results. 

Our management team  members  are responsible for establishing and maintaining effective internal control over financial 
reporting.  We previously identified a material weakness in connection with our assessment of the effectiveness of internal 
control  over  financial  reporting  as  of  December  28,  2014.  As  of  December  27,  2015,  management  has  remediated  the 
underlying  causes  of  the  material  weakness.  However,  internal  control  over  financial  reporting  is  a  process  to  provide 
reasonable  assurance  regarding  the  reliability  of  financial  reporting  for  external  purposes  in  accordance  with  accounting 
principles generally accepted in the United States.  Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting 
is not intended to provide absolute assurance that we would prevent or detect a misstatement of our financial statements or 
fraud.  Any failure to maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting could limit our ability to report 
our financial results accurately and timely or to detect and prevent fraud.  Any failure to remediate a material weakness or 
the occurrence of additional material weaknesses in internal control over financial reporting could cause a loss of investor 
confidence and decline in the market price of our stock. 

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Our Inability or Failure to Effectively Manage Our Marketing Through Social Media Could Materially Adversely Impact 
Our Business. 

As part of our marketing efforts, we rely on search engine marketing and social media platforms such as Facebook® and 
Twitter® to attract and retain guests. We also are initiating a multi-year effort to implement new technology platforms that 
should allow us to digitally engage with our guests and team members and strengthen our marketing and analytics capabilities. 
These initiatives may not be successful, resulting in expenses incurred without the benefit of higher revenues or increased 
employee engagement. In addition, a variety of risks are associated with the use of social media, including the improper 
disclosure  of  proprietary  information,  negative  comments  about  our  company,  exposure  of  personally  identifiable 
information, fraud, or out-of-date information. The inappropriate use of social media vehicles by our guests or team members 
could increase our costs, lead to litigation or result in negative publicity that could damage our reputation. 

ITEM 1B.     UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS 

None. 

ITEM 2.        PROPERTIES 

Our main office is located at 27680 Franklin Road, Southfield, Michigan 48034 and our telephone number is (248) 223-9160. 
Our main office has approximately 5,340 square feet of office space. We occupy this facility under a lease that ends June 30, 
2019. As of March 11, 2016, we operated 80 Company-owned restaurants, all of which are leased properties. Typically, our 
operating leases contain renewal options under which we may extend the renewal lease terms for periods of five to 10 years. 
Most of our leases include "exclusive use" provisions prohibiting our landlords from leasing space to other restaurants that 
fall  within  certain  specified  criteria  and incorporate  incremental  increases  based on  time  passage and payment  of certain 
occupancy-related expenses. 

We own all of the equipment, furnishings, and fixtures in our restaurants. The Company also owns a significant amount of 
leasehold improvements in the leased facilities. 

As of December 27, 2015, we operated restaurant properties for 36 locations in Michigan, 15 locations in both Florida and 
Missouri, seven locations in Illinois, six locations in Indiana, and one in Ohio. Our BWW restaurants range in size from 5,300 
square feet to 13,500 square feet and our typical Bagger Dave’s restaurants range in size from 3,800 square feet to 6,100 
square feet. The majority of our restaurants are located in end-cap positions in strip malls, with a few being inline; 40 of our 
restaurants are situated in stand-alone buildings. 

ITEM 3.        LEGAL PROCEEDINGS 

The following information is incorporated by reference: the information set forth under the heading "Legal Proceedings" in 
Note 14 "Commitments and Contingencies" of the "Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements" of Part II, Item 8 to this 
Report on Form 10-K. 

In addition, we are occasionally a defendant in litigation arising in the ordinary course of our business, including claims 
arising from personal injuries, contract claims, dram shop claims, employment-related claims, and claims from guests or team 
members alleging injury, illness, or other food quality, health, or operational concerns. We have insured and continue to 
insure against most of these types of claims. A judgment on any claim not covered by or in excess of our insurance coverage 
could materially adversely affect our financial condition or results of operations. 

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ITEM 4.         MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES 

Not applicable. 

PART II 

ITEM 5.        MARKET FOR REGISTRANT'S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS 
AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES 

Market Information 

The Company's common stock is listed on the NASDAQ Capital Market under the symbol “SAUC”.  The development and 
maintenance of an active public trading market depends upon the existence of willing buyers and sellers, the presence of 
which is beyond our control. While we are a publicly-traded company, the volume of trading activity in our stock is still 
relatively limited. 

The following table sets forth the high and low bid quotations for our common stock for the fiscal years ended December 27, 
2015 and December 28, 2014, as reported by NASDAQ: 

First Quarter ..............................................................................    $ 
Second Quarter .........................................................................    
Third Quarter ............................................................................    
Fourth Quarter ..........................................................................    

5.16    $ 
4.46    
4.41    
3.19    

3.94    $ 
3.59    
2.57    
2.40    

5.85    $ 
5.50    
5.00    
5.42    

4.42 
3.99 
4.19 
4.61 

2015 

2014 

High 

Low 

High 

Low 

Holders 

As of March 9, 2016, there were approximately 435 record holders of 26,335,850 shares of the Company's common stock, 
excluding shareholders whose stock is held either in nominee name and/or street name brokerage accounts.  

Dividends 

We have not declared or paid any cash dividends on our common stock. It is our policy to preserve cash for development and 
other working capital needs. Currently, DRH does not have plans to pay any cash dividends. Our future dividend policy will 
be determined by our Board of Directors and will depend on various factors, including our results of operations, financial 
condition, anticipated cash needs and plans for expansion. 

23 

  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
 
 
 
Performance Graph 

The following graph compares the cumulative total stockholder return from April 15, 2013 through December 27, 2015. The 
graph below shows the cumulative total stockholder return assuming the investment of $100 on the date specified (assuming 
reinvestment of dividends) in each of DRH common stock, the NASDAQ Composite Index and S&P 600 Restaurants Index. 
The comparisons in the graph below are based upon historical data and are not indicative of, or intended to forecast, future 
performance of our common stock. 

Diversified Restaurant Holdings, Inc. .........................................    $ 
S&P 600 Restaurants ..................................................................    
NASDAQ Composite .................................................................    

100.00    $ 
100.00    
100.00    

95.40     $ 
138.17    
127.93    

99.80    $ 
174.54    
147.24    

52.20 
167.33  
154.64  

   4/15/2013     12/29/2013     12/28/2014     12/27/2015  

24 

  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
Equity Compensation Plan Information 

The following table sets forth information, as of December 27, 2015, with respect to compensation plans (including individual 
compensation arrangements) under which our equity securities are authorized for issuance, aggregated as follows: 

Number of 
securities 
to be issued 
upon exercise 
of outstanding 
options, 
warrants and 
rights 

Weighted-
average exercise 
price of 
outstanding 
options, 
warrants and 
rights 

Number of 
securities 
remaining 
available for 
future issuance 
under equity 
compensation 
plans 
(excluding 
securities 
reflected in 
column (a)) 

—     

180,000     $ 

N/A    
2.50    

365,051 
N/A 

Plan Category 
Equity compensation plans approved by security holders 1 ..............    
Equity compensation plans not approved by security holders 2 ........    

1 In 2011, our Board of Directors and Stockholders approved the Stock Incentive Plan of 2011 (the “2011 Incentive Plan”) 
authorizing  the  grant  of  equity-based  incentives  to employees.    The  2011  Incentive  Plan permits  the  grant  and award  of 
750,000 shares of common stock by way of stock options and/or restricted stock. 

2 On July 31, 2010, the Company granted options for the purchase of 210,000 shares of common stock to the directors of the 
Company.  These  options  vest  ratably  over  a  three-year  period  and  expire  six  years  from  issuance.  The  options  can  be 
exercised at a price of $2.50 per share. 

25 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
ITEM 6.        SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA 

The following selected consolidated financial and operating data for each of the five fiscal years and are derived from our 
audited  consolidated  financial  statements.  The  following  data  should  be  read  in  conjunction  with  Item  7,  Management's 
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, and our audited financial statements included in 
Item  8,  Consolidated  Financial  Statements  and  Supplementary  Data,  within  this  Form  10-K.  Historical  results  are  not 
necessarily indicative of future performance. 

December 27, 
2015 

December 28, 
2014 

December 30, 
2012 

December 25, 
2011 

Fiscal Years Ended 
December 29, 
2013 

Statements of Operations: 
Revenue ............................................................    $172,485,378     $ 128,413,448    $ 108,886,139    $ 77,447,208    $ 60,707,475 
3,600,163 
Operating profit (loss) ......................................    
1,842,186 
Net income (loss) attributable to DRH .............    

(22,789,283)   
(16,192,492)   

(642,280)   
(1,268,497)   

1,440,277    
134,308    

1,581,243    
180,099    

Per Share: 
Basic earnings (loss) per share .........................    $
Diluted earnings (loss) per share ......................    $

Weighted average of common shares: 

(0.62 )   $
(0.62 )   $

(0.05)   $
(0.05)   $

0.01    $
0.01    $

0.01    $
0.01    $

0.10 
0.10 

Basic ..............................................................    
Diluted ..........................................................    

26,211,669    
26,211,669    

26,092,919    
26,092,919    

23,937,188    
24,058,072    

18,949,556    
19,091,849    

18,902,782 
19,055,500 

Balance Sheet: 
Goodwill ...........................................................    $ 50,097,081     $ 10,998,630    $
Total assets .......................................................     166,117,812     113,447,034    
60,569,814    
Total long term obligations ..............................     124,643,874    

8,578,776    $
92,333,733    
42,554,789    

8,578,776    $
56,544,738    
42,106,583    

— 
27,350,399 
19,205,371 

Statement of Cash Flows: 

Cash flows provided by (used in) 
Operating activities ...........................................    $ 9,448,584     $ 11,295,253    $
(17,469,345)   
Investing activities ............................................    
15,299,900    
Financing activities ...........................................    

(78,026,376)   
64,090,039    

7,180,971    $
(33,950,993)   
33,632,167    

7,592,621    $
(31,228,585)   
24,798,795    

6,577,016 

(8,215,522) 
1,817,622 

The Company utilizes a 52- or 53-week accounting period that ends on the last Sunday in December.  Fiscal year 2015 ended 
on December 27, 2015, fiscal year 2014 ended on December 28, 2014, and fiscal year 2013 ended December 29, 2013. Each 
fiscal year was comprised of 52 weeks. 

26 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    
    
    
    
    
  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  
 
 
 
 
ITEM 7.        MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS 
OF OPERATION 

The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial 
statements and the related notes to those statements included elsewhere in this document.  The following discussion contains, 
in addition to historical information, forward-looking statements that include risks and uncertainties.  Our actual results may 
differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors, including those set 
forth under the heading “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this document. 

Overview 

DRH is a fast-growing, multi-concept restaurant company operating two complementary concepts: BWW and Bagger Dave’s. 
As the largest franchisee of BWLD and the developer and operator of Bagger Dave’s, we provide a unique guest experience 
in a casual and inviting environment.  We are committed to providing value to our guests by offering generous portions of 
flavorful food in  an upbeat  and entertaining  atmosphere.  We believe  BWW and  Bagger Dave’s  are  uniquely  positioned 
restaurant brands designed to maximize guest appeal.  Both restaurant concepts offer competitive price points and a family-
friendly  atmosphere,  which  we  believe  enables  strong  performance  through  economic  cycles.    We  were  incorporated  in 
Nevada in 2006 and are headquartered in the Detroit metropolitan area. Currently, we have 80 locations in Florida, Illinois, 
Indiana, Michigan, Missouri and Ohio.   

Our Growth Strategies and Outlook 

Our strategy is comprised of the following key growth components: 

(cid:404) 

(cid:404) 

(cid:404) 

pursue  disciplined  restaurant  growth  through  a  combination  of  both  organic  expansion  and 
strategic acquisitions; 

deliver  comparable  restaurant  sales  growth  by  providing  our  guest  with  an  exceptional 
experience and executing effective marketing and advertising strategies; and 

leverage our infrastructure to grow profit margins 

We have an established growth pipeline and a disciplined strategy for opening new restaurants that includes the fulfillment 
of our current franchise agreement with BWLD. We also evaluate the potential for strategic accretive acquisitions of Buffalo 
Wild Wings franchises where we have an opportunity to leverage our operational expertise.   

We  will  continue  to  grow  our  Buffalo  Wild  Wings  restaurant  base  under  our  current  ADA.  In  addition,  we  believe  our 
historical track record of acquiring and integrating Buffalo Wild Wings restaurants provides us with an additional future 
growth opportunities and will seek to take advantage of strategic acquisitions that may be available in the marketplace. We 
have suspended further development of our Bagger Dave’s concept until we feel confident that we can achieve and sustain 
average unit volumes that will provide adequate returns on investment. 

The Company opened eight new restaurants, acquired 18 BWW locations and closed 12 underperforming restaurants in 2015. 
Over the next five years, we expect to open a minimum of 15 new DRH-owned BWW restaurants (for additional discussion 
of our growth strategies and outlook, see the section entitled “Business - Growth Strategy”).   

27 

  
  
  
  
  
 
   
    
  
  
  
  
 
 
Performance Indicators 

We use several metrics to evaluate and improve each restaurant’s performance that include: sales growth, ticket times, guest 
satisfaction, hourly compensation costs and food, beverage and packaging costs. 

We also use the following key performance indicators in evaluating restaurant performance: 

(cid:404) 

(cid:404) 

Comparable Restaurant Sales. We consider a restaurant to be comparable following the eighteenth or twenty-
fourth month of operations for BWW and Bagger Dave's respectively. Changes in comparable restaurant sales 
reflect changes in sales for the comparable group of restaurants over a specified period of time. Changes in 
comparable sales can also reflect changes in guest count trends and changes in average check. 

Restaurant-Level  Contribution.    Also  referred  to  as  Restaurant-Level  EBITDA,  this  metric  presents  a 
restaurant's on-going profit contribution and is defined as net revenue less costs of sales, labor, occupancy 
and  operational  expenses.  It  is  representative  of  a  restaurant's  cash  flow  and  is  often  times  presented  and 
measured as a percentage of sales in comparison to other restaurants.  

Restaurant Openings 

The following table outlines the restaurant unit information for each fiscal year from 2011 through 2015. 

Summary of restaurants open at the beginning of year 

DRH-owned BWW ............................................................    
Bagger Dave’s ...................................................................    
Total .....................................................................................    

Openings: 

DRH-owned BWW ............................................................    
Bagger Dave’s ...................................................................    
BWW Acquisitions ............................................................    
Closures - Bagger Dave's ...................................................    
Closures - DRH-owned BWW ..........................................    
Total restaurants .................................................................    

2015 

2014 

2013 

2012 

2011 

42    
24    
66    

3    
5    
18    
(11)   
(1)   
80    

36     
18     
54     

3     
6     
3     
—     
—     
66     

33     
11     
44     

3     
7     
—     
—     
—     
54     

22    
6    
28    

3    
5    
8    
—    
—    
44    

19     
3     
22     

3     
3     
—     
—     
—     
28     

Our Fiscal Year 

The Company utilizes a 52- or 53-week accounting period that ends on the last Sunday in December.  Fiscal year 2015 ended 
on December 27, 2015, fiscal year 2014 ended on December 28, 2014 and fiscal year 2013 ended December 29, 2013. Each 
fiscal year comprised of 52 weeks. 

Key Financial Definitions 

Revenue. Revenue primarily consists of food and beverage sales, and merchandise sales, such as BWW sauce and Bagger 
Dave’s Craft Sodas. Revenue is presented net of discounts associated with each sale. Revenue in a given period is directly 
influenced by the number of operating weeks in such period, the number of restaurants we operate and comparable restaurant 
sales growth. 

28 

  
  
 
  
   
 
 
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    
    
    
    
    
  
  
    
    
    
    
    
  
    
    
    
    
    
  
  
  
  
  
   
Food, Beverage, and Packaging Costs. Food, beverage and packaging costs consist primarily of food, beverage, packaging 
and merchandise-related costs. The components of food, beverage and packaging costs are variable in nature, change with 
sales volume and are subject to increases or decreases based on fluctuations in commodity costs. 

Compensation Costs.  Compensation costs include restaurant management salaries, front- and back-of-house hourly wages, 
and restaurant-level manager bonuses, team member benefits and payroll taxes. 

Occupancy Costs. Occupancy costs include rent charges, both fixed and variable, as well as common area maintenance costs, 
property insurance and taxes, the amortization of tenant allowances and the adjustment to straight-line rent. These expenses 
are generally fixed, but a portion may vary with an increase in sales if the lease contains a percentage rent provision. 

Other Operating Costs. Other operating costs consist primarily of restaurant-related operating costs, such as supplies, utilities, 
repairs and maintenance, travel cost, insurance, credit card fees, recruiting and security. These costs generally increase with 
sales volume but decline as a percentage of revenue.  For DRH-owned BWW restaurants, this expense category also includes 
franchise royalty and national advertising fund expense. 

General and Administrative Expenses.  General and administrative expenses include costs associated with administrative and 
operational support functions including senior and supervisory management and staff compensation costs (including stock-
based  compensation)  and  benefits,  marketing  and  advertising  expenses,  travel,  legal  and  professional  fees,  information 
systems, support office rent and other related support costs.  

Pre-Opening Costs.  Restaurant pre-opening costs consist of expenses incurred to open a new restaurant, including manager 
salaries, relocation costs, supplies, recruiting expenses, initial new market public relations costs, pre-opening activities, team 
member payroll and related training costs for new team members. Restaurant pre-opening expenses also include rent recorded 
during the period between date of possession and the restaurant opening date. In addition, the Company includes restaurant 
labor costs that exceed the historical average for the first three months of restaurant operations that are attributable to training 
and initial staff turnover. 

Depreciation and Amortization.   Depreciation and amortization includes depreciation on fixed assets, including equipment 
and leasehold improvements, and amortization of certain intangible assets for restaurants. 

Interest Expense.  Interest expense consists primarily of interest on our outstanding indebtedness and the amortization of our 
debt issuance costs, reduced by capitalized interest. 

29 

  
  
  
  
 
  
  
   
 
 
RESULTS OF OPERATIONS 

The  following  table  presents  the  consolidated  statements  of  operations  for  the  fiscal  years  ended  December  27,  2015, 
December 28, 2014, and December 29, 2013 with each line item in dollars and as a percentage of revenue.  

Total revenue 

Fiscal Years-Ended 

2015 
100.0 %   

2014 
100.0 %   

2013 
100.0 %   

Operating expenses 
Food, beverage and packaging costs ..............................................................    
Compensation costs .......................................................................................    
Occupancy costs ............................................................................................    
Other operating costs .....................................................................................    
General and administrative expenses .............................................................    
Pre-opening costs ...........................................................................................    
Depreciation and amortization .......................................................................    
Impairment and loss on asset disposal  ..........................................................    

28.7 %    
26.9 %    
7.2 %    
21.9 %    
8.9 %    
1.9 %    
9.6 %    
8.3 %    

28.9 %    
26.0 %    
5.6 %    
21.2 %    
6.8 %    
2.7 %    
8.5 %    
0.8 %    

Total operating expenses .............................................................................    

113.2 %    

100.5 %    

30.0 %    
25.8 %    
5.9 %    
19.9 %    
6.7 %    
3.0 %    
7.3 %    
0.1 %    

98.7 %    

Operating profit (loss) .................................................................................    

(13.2)%    

(0.5)%    

1.3 %    

Interest expense .............................................................................................    
Other income, net...........................................................................................    

(2.4)%    
0.5 %    

(1.8)%    
0.0 %    

(1.6)%    
0.1 %    

Loss before income taxes ...............................................................................    

(15.2)%    

(2.3)%    

(0.1)%    

Income tax benefit .........................................................................................    

(5.8)%    

(1.3)%    

(0.2)%    

Net income (loss) ..........................................................................................    

(9.4)%    

(1.0)%    

0.1 %    

FISCAL YEAR 2015 COMPARED WITH FISCAL YEAR 2014  

Revenue 

Total revenue for Fiscal Year 2015 was $172.5 million, an increase of $44.1 million, or 34.3%, over revenue generated during 
Fiscal Year 2014.  The increase was attributable to increased same store sales, two BWW acquisitions (three restaurants in 
the Tampa, FL market June 28, 2014 and 18 restaurants in the St. Louis, MO market on June 29, 2015), and the opening of 
eight DRH-owned restaurants (five Bagger Dave's and three BWW restaurants). $3.8 million of the increase was attributable 
to 2.9% same store sales for 55 BWW and 10 Bagger Dave's restaurants. $24.1 million of the increase in sales was attributable 
to the acquisition of 21 total BWW restaurants. The remaining $16.2 million increase is a result of restaurants opening prior 
to entering the comparable sales base (18 months and 24 months for BWW and Bagger Dave's, respectively), including eight 
Bagger Dave's and seven BWW restaurants. Same store sales increase by concept was 1.3% and 3.0% for Bagger Dave's and 
BWW, respectively. 

30 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
    
    
    
  
    
    
    
  
  
    
    
    
  
  
    
    
    
  
  
    
    
    
  
  
    
    
    
  
  
    
    
    
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
Operating Expenses 

Food, beverage and packaging costs increased by $12.4 million, or 33.4%, to $49.4 million in Fiscal Year 2015 from $37.1 
million in Fiscal Year 2014 as a result of the increase in the number of restaurants and inflationary factors.  Food, beverage, 
and packaging cost as a percentage of sales decreased to 28.7% in Fiscal Year 2015 from 28.9% in Fiscal Year 2014 primarily 
due to increased menu pricing and waste reduction efforts which offset net commodity cost inflation driven primarily by 
bone-in chicken wing prices.  Average cost per pound for bone-in chicken wings increased 18.3% to $1.81 in Fiscal Year 
2015 from $1.53 in Fiscal Year 2014. 

Compensation costs increased by $13.0 million, or 38.9%, to $46.3 million in Fiscal Year 2015 from $33.3 million in Fiscal 
Year  2014.  The  increase  was  primarily  due  to  the  increase  in  the  number  of  restaurants  operating  in  2015.  Eight  new 
restaurants were opened and 18 restaurants were acquired in Fiscal Year 2015.  Compensation cost as a percentage of sales 
increased to 26.9% in Fiscal Year 2015 from 26.0% in Fiscal Year 2014. A variance of 0.2% was attributable to the rollout 
of the new chef-inspired menu at Bagger Dave's, 0.1% variance is due to increased hourly wages, primarily tipped wages, 
0.3% is a result of our investment into the guest experience at Bagger Dave's by mandating minimum staffing levels, and the 
remaining 0.2% is a result of turnover and productivity. 

Occupancy costs increased by $5.2 million, or 71.8%, to $12.4 million in Fiscal Year 2015 from $7.2 million in Fiscal Year 
2014 primarily due to the increase in the number of restaurants operating in 2015, including the acquisition of 18 BWW 
restaurants.  Occupancy cost as a percentage of sales increased to 7.2% in Fiscal Year 2015 from 5.6% in Fiscal Year 2014. 
Approximately  100  basis  points  pertain  to  rents  from  the  sale  leaseback  of  the  12  previously  owned  properties  and 
approximately 40 basis points pertain to the one-time expense for lease liability of the12 restaurants closed restaurants.  

Other operating costs increased by $10.5 million, or 38.6%, to $37.7 million in Fiscal Year 2015 from $27.2 million in Fiscal 
Year 2014 primarily due to the increase in the number of restaurants operating in 2015.  Other operating cost as a percentage 
of sales increased to 21.9% in Fiscal Year 2015 from 21.2% in Fiscal Year 2014 primarily due to one-time expenses, much 
of which is related to the Company's efforts to ensure that the 18 acquired restaurants operate to DRH standards. Investing in 
equipment repairs and maintenance, restaurant supplies, team member incentives and leading-edge technology allows for 
enhanced team member and guest experience which we anticipate will drive incremental sales in the St. Louis market.  

General and administrative expenses increased by $6.6 million, or 74.7%, to $15.4 million in Fiscal Year 2015 from $8.8 
million  in  Fiscal  Year  2014.  During  fiscal  year  2015.  we  executed  two  sale  leasebacks,  pursued  several  acquisitions, 
successfully closed on a $54.0 million 18-restaurant acquisition, settled a class-action lawsuit for $1.9 million and transitioned 
accounting in-house. General and administrative costs as a percentage of sales increased to 8.9% in Fiscal Year 2015 from 
6.8% in Fiscal Year 2014 of which 2.0% was a result of the aforementioned projects and acquisition-related expenses. 

Pre-opening costs decreased by $0.2 million, or 6.6%, to $3.2 million in Fiscal Year 2015 from $3.5 million in Fiscal Year 
2014. The decrease in pre-opening costs was due to the timing and costs to open new restaurants during Fiscal Year 2015.  The 
Company opened eight new restaurants and relocated one in Fiscal Year 2015 versus nine new restaurant openings and two 
relocations openings in Fiscal Year 2014. As a percentage of sales, pre-opening costs decreased to 1.9% in Fiscal Year 2015 
from 2.7% in Fiscal Year 2014. 

Depreciation and amortization increased by $5.6 million, or 51.3%, to $16.6 million in Fiscal Year 2015 from $11.0 million 
in  Fiscal  Year  2014  primarily  due  to  the  increase  in  the  total  number of  restaurants operating  in  2015. Depreciation  and 
amortization as a percentage of sales increased to 9.6% in Fiscal Year 2015 from 8.5% in Fiscal Year 2014 partially due to 
the  18  acquired  restaurants  and  the  cost  of  constructing  a  restaurant  from  the  ground-up  versus  a  build-out  on  existing 
buildings. 

31 

  
   
  
  
  
  
  
  
Impairment and loss on asset disposal increased by $13.2 million, or 1,292.1%, to $14.2 million in Fiscal Year 2015 from 
$1.0 million in Fiscal Year 2014.  The increase was primarily due to the closure of 12 restaurants and the $10.0 million write 
down of their remaining assets. In addition, we impaired $2.8 million of assets for four Bagger Dave's locations. Loss on 
disposal of assets as a percentage of sales, increased to 8.3% in Fiscal Year 2015 from 0.8% in Fiscal Year 2014. 

Interest and Taxes 

Interest  expense  was  $4.2  million  and $2.3  million  during  the  years  ended  December  27,  2015  and  December  28,  2014, 
respectively. Of the increase, $0.4 million is a result of expensing extinguished loan fees and expensing a portion of the 
current loan fees and discounts and the remaining increase was a result of increased debt due to the acquisition and building 
of new restaurants.  

In Fiscal Year 2015, we recorded an income tax benefit of $10.0 million compared with Fiscal Year 2014, when we recorded 
an income tax benefit of $1.7 million.  The increase in the benefit is primarily due to the increased pre-tax loss.  

FISCAL YEAR 2014 COMPARED WITH FISCAL YEAR 2013  

Revenue 

Total revenue for Fiscal Year 2014 was $128.4 million, an increase of $19.5 million, or 17.9%, over revenue generated during 
Fiscal Year 2013.  The increase was attributable to increased same store sales, acquisition of three BWW restaurants, and the 
opening of nine DRH-owned restaurants (six Bagger Dave’s and three BWW restaurants). $3.4 million of the increase was 
attributable to 3.5% same store sales increase for 37 BWW and 12 Bagger Dave’s restaurants. $3.1 million of the increase in 
sales was attributable to the acquisition of three BWW restaurants on June 30, 2014. The remaining $13.0 million increase is 
a result of restaurants opening within the last 18 months, including 12 Bagger Dave’s and five BWW restaurants. Breaking 
down our same store sales increase of 3.5% into components, 3.4% was attributable to price increases from winter and fall 
menu rollouts and 0.1% was attributable to increased traffic in our comparable locations. 

Operating Expenses 

Food, beverage, and packaging costs increased by $4.3 million, or 13.3%, to $37.1 million in Fiscal Year 2014 from $32.7 
million in Fiscal Year 2013 as a result of the increase in the number of restaurants and inflationary factors.  Food, beverage 
and packaging cost as a percentage of sales decreased to 28.9% in Fiscal Year 2014 from 30.0% in Fiscal Year 2013 primarily 
due to lower bone-in chicken wing costs.  Average cost per pound for bone-in chicken wings decreased 13.1% to $1.53 in 
Fiscal Year 2014 from $1.76 in Fiscal Year 2013. 

Compensation costs increased by $5.2 million, or 18.7%, to $33.3 million in Fiscal Year 2014 from $28.1 million in Fiscal 
Year 2013.  The increase was primarily due to the increase in number of restaurants operating in 2014. Nine new restaurants 
were opened and three restaurants were acquired in Fiscal Year 2014.  Compensation costs as a percentage of sales increased 
to 26.0% in Fiscal Year 2014 from 25.8% in Fiscal Year 2013.  

Occupancy costs increased by $0.8 million, or 12.9%, to $7.2 million in Fiscal Year 2014 from $6.4 million in Fiscal Year 
2013 primarily due to the increase in the number of restaurants operating in 2014, including the acquisition of three BWW 
restaurants.  Occupancy cost as a percentage of sales decreased to 5.6% in Fiscal Year 2014 from 5.9% in Fiscal Year 2013 
due to the increase of purchased real estate versus leasing of property in late fiscal 2013 and throughout fiscal 2104. In Fourth 
Quarter  2014,  DRH  finalized  the  sale-leaseback  transaction  for  ten  of  the  twelve  Company  owned  properties,  as  further 
discussed in Note 2 of the Consolidated Financial Statements.  

32 

  
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
   
  
  
Other operating costs increased by $5.5 million, or 25.6%, to $27.2 million in Fiscal Year 2014 from $21.7 million in Fiscal 
Year 2013 primarily due to the increase in the number of restaurants operating in 2014.  Other operating costs as a percentage 
of  sales  increased  to  21.2%  in  Fiscal  Year  2014  from  19.9% in  Fiscal  Year  2013  due  to  implementing  new  information 
technology initiatives as well as increased in third-party costs for hiring and accounts payable processing.   

General and administrative expenses increased by $1.5 million, or 20.9%, to $8.8 million in Fiscal Year 2014 from $7.3 
million in Fiscal Year 2013 due to additional hiring of support staff for our on-going growth, increased professional fees, a 
result of the Florida BWW acquisition, and increased marketing costs, which historically ranges between 2.0% to 2.2% of 
sales. General and administrative cost as a percentage of sales increased to 6.8% in Fiscal Year 2014 from 6.7% in Fiscal 
Year 2013. 

Pre-opening costs increased by $0.3, or 7.5%, to $3.5 million in Fiscal Year 2014 from $3.2 million in Fiscal Year 2013. The 
increase in pre-opening costs was due to the timing and costs to open new restaurants during Fiscal Year 2014.  The Company 
had  nine  new  restaurant  openings  and  two  relocations  in  Fiscal  Year  2014  versus  ten  new  restaurant  openings  and  one 
relocation openings in Fiscal Year 2013. As a percentage of sales, pre-opening costs decreased to 2.7% in Fiscal Year 2014 
from 3.0%.  

Depreciation and amortization increased by $3.0 million, or 37.4%, to $11.0 million in Fiscal Year 2014 from $8.0 million 
in  Fiscal  Year  2013  primarily  due  to  the  increase  in  the  total  number  of  restaurants  operating  2014.  Depreciation  and 
amortization as a percentage of sales increased to 8.5% in Fiscal Year 2014 from 7.3% in Fiscal Year 2013 due to the increased 
investment in ground-up development of the restaurants. 

Impairment and loss on asset disposal increased by $0.9 million, or 942.3%, to $1.0 million in Fiscal Year 2014 from $0.1 
million in Fiscal Year 2013.  The increase was primarily due to a $0.5 million loss from our sale leaseback transaction and 
$0.4 million of which was a direct consequence of transitioning all of our locations to a new point of sale system.  Loss on 
disposal of property and equipment as a percentage of sales increased to 0.8% in Fiscal Year 2014 from 0.1% in Fiscal Year 
2013. 

Interest and Taxes 

Interest  expense  was  $2.3  million  and $1.7  million  during  the  years  ended  December  28,  2014  and  December  29,  2013, 
respectively. The increase is associated with the $77.0 million senior secured credit facility with Citizens, N.A. ("Citizens") 
which was effective December 16, 2014 and includes the write-off of loan fees of $0.3 million. Increased borrowings for new 
restaurant development in 2014 was also a contributing factor.  

In Fiscal Year 2014, we recorded an income tax benefit of $1.7 million compared with Fiscal Year 2013, when we recorded 
an income tax benefit of $0.3 million.   The increase in the benefit is primarily due to the increased pre-tax loss and the 
increased tip credits. 

33 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES; EXPANSION PLANS 

On June 29, 2015, the Company, entered into a $155.0 million Senior Secured Credit Facility with Citizens (the “June 2015 
Senior Secured Credit Facility”). The June 2015 Senior Secured Credit Facility consists of a $120.0 million Term Loan (the 
"June 2015 Term Loan"), a $30.0 million development line of credit (the "June 2015 DLOC") and a $5.0 million revolving 
line of credit (the "June 2015 RLOC"). The Company immediately used approximately $65.5 million of the June 2015 Term 
Loan to refinance existing outstanding debt and $54.0 million of the June 2015 Term Loan to finance the acquisition. The 
remaining balance of the June 2015 Term Loan, approximately $0.5 million, was used to pay the fees, costs and expenses 
arising in connection with the closing of the loans constituting the June 2015 Senior Secured Credit Facility. The June 2015 
Term Loan is for a term of five years. Payments of principal shall be based upon a 12-year straight-line amortization schedule, 
with monthly principal payments of $833,333 plus accrued interest. The interest rate for the Term Loan is LIBOR plus an 
applicable margin which ranges from 2.25% to 3.5%. The entire remaining outstanding principal and accrued interest on the 
Term Loan is due and payable on the Term Loan maturity date of June 29, 2020. The June 2015 DLOC is for a term of two 
years and is convertible upon maturity into a term note based on the terms of the agreement at which time monthly principal 
payments will be due based on a 12-year straight-line amortization schedule, plus interest, through maturity on June 29, 2020. 
The June 2015 RLOC is for a term of five years and bears interest at LIBOR plus an applicable margin, no amount was 
outstanding as of December 27, 2015. 

The current debt agreement contains various customary financial covenants generally based on the performance of the specific 
borrowing entity and other related entities. The financial covenants consist of a minimum debt service coverage ratio and a 
maximum lease adjusted leverage ratio. In connection with the closure of three locations discussed in Note 4, during the Third 
Quarter the Company violated one of its non-financial loan covenants related to the number of allowable restaurant closures. 
In the Third Quarter our primary lender modified our covenants within our debt agreement to allow for the closure of specified 
locations and one time transaction fees associated with the St. Louis acquisition and the wage-claim settlement, discussed in 
Note 14 of the Consolidated Financial Statements. As of December 27, 2015 the Company was in compliance with the loan 
covenants. 

We believe that along with our current cash balance, the cash flow from operations and availability of credit will be sufficient 
to meet our operational, development and debt obligations for at least the next 12 months. 

Our capital requirements are primarily dependent upon the pace of our new restaurant growth plan. The new restaurant growth 
plan is primarily dependent upon economic conditions, the real estate market and resources to both develop and operate new 
restaurants.    In  addition  to  new  restaurants,  our  capital  expenditure  outlays  are  also  dependent  on  the  cost  and  potential 
obligation  to  invest  in  maintenance,  facility  upgrades,  capacity  enhancements,  information  technology  and  other  general 
corporate capital expenditures. 

The amount of capital required to open a new restaurant is largely dependent on whether we build-out an existing leased 
space or build from the ground up.  Our preference is to find leased space for new restaurant locations, but depending on the 
availability  of  real  estate  in  specific  markets,  we  will  take  advantage  of  alternative  strategies,  which  may  include  land 
purchases, land leases, and ground-up construction of a building to house our restaurant operation.  We expect that a build-
out  of  a  new  DRH-owned  BWW  restaurant  will  require  an  estimated  cash  investment  of  $1.7  million  to  $2.1  million 
(excluding  potential  tenant  incentives).  Excluding  land  and  building,  we  expect  the  build-out  of  a  new  Bagger  Dave’s 
restaurant  will,  on  average,  require  a  total  cash  investment  of  $1.1  million  to  $1.4  million  (excluding  potential  tenant 
incentives).  We expect to spend up to $0.3 million per restaurant for pre-opening expenses.  Depending on individual lease 
negotiations, we may receive cash tenant incentives of up to $0.4 million.  The projected cash investment per restaurant is 
based on recent opening costs and future projections and may fluctuate based on construction costs specific to new restaurant 
locations. 

34 

 
  
 
  
 
  
We target a cash on cash payback on our initial total capital investment of less than four years. The expected payback is 
subject to how quickly we reach our target sales volume and the cost of construction. 

Cash flow from operations for fiscal 2015, 2014, and 2013 was $9.4 million, $11.3 million and $7.2 million respectively. Net 
cash provided by operating activities consisted primarily of net earnings adjusted for non-cash expenses. 

Opening new restaurants, including construction of the buildings associated with the new restaurant openings, is our primary 
use of capital and was 65.0% of our capital expenditures in 2015. For 2016, capital expenditures are anticipated to be between 
$14.0  million  and  $16.0  million.  We  plan  to  use  the  capital  as  follows:  35.0%  for  new  restaurant  openings,  15.0%  for 
construction of buildings associated with new restaurant openings; and the remaining 50.0% for restaurant remodels, upgrades 
and other general corporate purposes. 

Although investments in new restaurants are an integral part of our strategic and capital expenditures plan, we also believe 
that reinvesting in existing restaurants is an important factor and necessary to maintain the overall positive dining experience 
for our guests. Depending on the age of the existing restaurants, upgrades range from $50,000 (for minor interior refreshes) 
to $1.3 million (for a full extensive remodel of the restaurant), we target remodels of $0.6 million to upgrade a typical BWW 
restaurant to the new Stadia design. The strategy of the Company is to fully remodel existing BWW restaurants to the new 
Stadia design at time of scheduled refresh or remodel typically within seven years or less of opening. 

Mandatory Upgrades 

In fiscal 2015, we began seven mandatory remodels of existing DRH-owned BWW restaurants and completed four, which 
were  funded  with  cash  from  operations.  We  have  four  mandatory  remodels  for  DRH-owned  BWW  locations  in  2016 
including three additional remodels that began in 2015 and carried over in 2016. All upgrades were funded with cash from 
operations. 

Discretionary Upgrades and Relocations 

In fiscal year 2015, the Company invested additional capital to provide minor upgrades to a number of its existing locations, 
all  of  which  were  funded  by  cash  from  operations.  These  improvements  primarily  consist  of  refreshing  interior  building 
finishes audio/visual equipment upgrades, and patio upgrades. In fiscal 2015, we completed three discretionary remodels. In 
First Quarter 2015, we relocated one DRH-owned BWW location in lieu of a remodel. The decision to relocate is typically 
driven by timing of our current lease agreements and the availability of real estate that we deem to be a better long-term 
investment. Relocations and discretionary remodels are funded by a combination of cash from operations and borrowing from 
our credit facility. 

2016 Capital Plan 

We previously stated that we expected to operate between 35 and 39 Bagger Dave’s restaurants by the end of 2017, however, 
we have paused  the development  of  Bagger Dave's  restaurants  beginning  in 2016,  and  as  a result have  shifted our focus 
primarily  to  the  growth  of  our  BWW  portfolio,  which  represents  the  overwhelming  majority  of  both  our  revenue  and 
restaurant profit.  Accordingly, we will not commit to further development of Bagger Dave’s restaurants beyond the one 
restaurant currently under construction.  We believe that following this strategy will significantly reduce our capital needs 
and increase operating cash flow in the near term.  In 2016, we anticipate our capital expenses to range between $14.0 million 
and $16.0 million, nearly half of the 2015 capital expenditures. Our capital expenses for 2016 will include the development 
of two BWW restaurants and one Bagger Dave’s restaurant, all of which are under construction.  Our remaining capital needs 
will include four BWW Stadia remodels of existing locations and various maintenance capital expenditures. Remodels and 
refreshes represent roughly 50.0% of our current 2016 plan and although we can borrow on these items, we intend on funding 
these  remodels  and  refreshes  using  cash  from  operations.    Additionally,  we  expect  to  increase  profitability  by  reducing 

35 

   
  
  
 
  
 
  
 
 
preopening expenses, including training costs, and through gains in efficiency as we focus on improving operations and cost 
management initiatives.  Finally, we expect to improve our net debt coverage ratios by reducing our borrowing needs for the 
development of new restaurants and by using excess cash to pay down debt.   

Contractual Obligations 

The following table presents a summary of our contractual obligations as of December 27, 2015: 

Less than 
one year 

After 5 
years 

Total 
Long-term debt 1 ................................................    $ 126,601,307   $ 9,918,827   $21,522,363   $ 95,160,117   $
Operating lease obligations ................................    
Commitments for restaurants under 
development 2 ...................................................    

90,043,523    10,259,154    20,235,327   

   1 - 3 years     3 - 5 years 

11,146,773   

5,966,476   

1,043,692   

680,000   

— 
17,799,737    41,749,305 

3,456,605 

  $ 227,791,603   $26,144,457   $42,437,690   $114,003,546   $45,205,910 

1  

2  

  Amount represents the expected principal cash payments relating to our long-term debt and do not include any fair 
value adjustments or discounts/premiums or interest rate payments due to the variable of the rates. See Note 10 for 
additional details. 

  Amount  represents  capital  expenditures DRH  is  obligated to  pay for restaurants  under  development  in  addition  to 

noncancelable operating leases for these restaurants. 

Impact of Inflation 

Our  profitability  is  dependent,  among  other  things,  on  our  ability  to  anticipate  and  react  to  changes  in  the  costs  of  key 
operating  resources,  including  food  and  other  raw  materials,  labor,  energy,  and  other  supplies  and  services.  Substantial 
increases in costs and expenses could impact our operating results to the extent that such increases cannot be passed along to 
our  restaurant  guests.    The  impact  of  inflation  on  food,  labor,  energy  and  occupancy  costs  can  significantly  affect  the 
profitability of our restaurant operations. 

All of our restaurant staff members are paid hourly rates related to the federal minimum wage.  Certain operating costs, such 
as taxes, insurance and other outside services continue to increase with the general level of inflation or higher and may also 
be subject to other cost and supply fluctuations outside of our control. 

While we have been able to partially offset inflation and other changes in the costs of key operating resources by gradually 
increasing prices for our menu items, more efficient purchasing practices, productivity improvements, and greater economies 
of scale, there can be no assurance that we will be able to continue to do so in the future. From time to time, competitive 
conditions could limit our menu pricing flexibility.  In addition, macroeconomic conditions could make additional menu price 
increases imprudent.  There can be no assurance that all future cost increases can be offset by increased menu prices or that 
increased menu prices will be fully absorbed by our restaurant guests without any resulting changes in their visit frequencies 
or purchasing patterns. There can be no assurance that we will continue to generate increases in comparable restaurant sales 
in amounts sufficient to offset inflationary or other cost pressures. 

36 

 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
 
 
 
OFF-BALANCE SHEET ARRANGEMENTS 

The Company's ADA requires DRH to open 42 BWW restaurants within its designated "development territory” by April 1, 
2021. As of December 27, 2015, 27 of the required 42 ADA restaurants had been opened for business. We remain on track 
to fulfill our obligation under the amended ADA, and we expect to operate a total of 77 BWW restaurants by the end of 
2020, exclusive of potential acquisitions of additional BWW restaurants.  

Critical Accounting Polices and Estimates 

The preparation of financial statements and related disclosures in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles 
in the United States of America (“GAAP”) and the Company’s discussion and analysis of its financial condition and operating 
results require the Company’s management to make judgments, assumptions and estimates that affect the amounts reported 
in its consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. Note 1, “Nature of Business and Summary of Significant 
Accounting Policies,” of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements in Part II, Item 8 of this Form 10-K describes the 
significant  accounting  policies  and  methods  used  in  the  preparation  of  the  Company’s  consolidated  financial  statements. 
Management bases its estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions it believes to be reasonable under 
the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities. 
Actual results may differ from these estimates, and such differences may be material. We consider an accounting estimate to 
be  critical  if  it  requires  assumptions  to  be  made  and  changes  in  these  assumptions  could  have  a  material  impact  on  our 
consolidated financial condition or results of operations. 

Management considers these policies critical because they are both important to the portrayal of the Company’s financial 
condition and operating results, and they require management to make judgments and estimates about inherently uncertain 
matters. The Company’s management has reviewed these critical accounting policies and related disclosures with the Audit 
and Finance Committee of the Company’s Board of Directors.  

Impairment or Disposal of Long-Lived Assets  

We review long-lived assets quarterly to determine if triggering events have occurred which would require a test to determine 
if the carrying amount of these assets may not be recoverable based on estimated future cash flows. Assets are reviewed at 
the  lowest  level  for  which  cash  flows  can  be  identified,  which  is  at  the  individual  restaurant  level.  In  the  absence  of 
extraordinary circumstances, restaurants are included in the impairment analysis after they have been open for two years. We 
evaluate  the  recoverability  of  a  restaurant’s  long-lived  assets,  including  buildings,  intangibles,  leasehold  improvements, 
furniture, fixtures and equipment over the remaining life of the primary asset in the asset group, after considering the potential 
impact of planned operational improvements, marketing programs, and anticipated changes in the trade area. In determining 
future cash flows, significant estimates are made by management with respect to future operating results for each restaurant 
over the remaining life of the primary asset in the asset group. If assets are determined to be impaired, the impairment charge 
is measured by calculating the amount by which the asset carrying amount exceeds its fair value based on our estimate of 
discounted  future  cash  flows.  The  determination  of  asset  fair  value  is  also  subject  to  significant  judgment.  Based  on 
management's  quantitative  analysis,  an  impairment  of  $2.8  million  was  recorded  for  four  Bagger  Dave's  locations  as  of 
December 27, 2015. Refer to Note 4 of the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information. For fiscal years 
ended December 28, 2014 and December 29, 2013 no impairment losses were recognized.  

We are currently monitoring several restaurants in regards to the valuation of long-lived assets and have developed plans to 
continue improvement of operating results. As we periodically refine our estimated future operating results, changes in our 
estimates and assumptions may cause us to realize impairment charges in the future that could be material. 

37 

  
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
We account for exit or disposal activities, including restaurant closures, in accordance with Financial Accounting Standards 
Board  ("FASB")  Accounting  Standards  Codification  ("ASC")Topic  420,  Exit  or  Disposal  Cost  Obligations.  Such  costs 
include the cost of disposing of the assets, as well as other facility-related expenses from previously closed restaurants. These 
costs are generally expensed as incurred. Additionally, at the date we cease using a property under an operating lease, we 
record  a  liability  for  the  net  present  value  of  any  remaining  lease  obligations,  net  of  estimated  sublease  income.  Any 
subsequent adjustments to that liability as a result of lease termination or changes in estimates of sublease income are recorded 
in the period incurred. In June 2015, DRH management had determined three Bagger Dave's locations were underperforming 
and it was best to reallocate valuable resources to higher performing locations. In late July 2015, the Board of Directors 
approved the closure of these three Bagger Dave's locations. The restaurants closed on August 7, 2015. Additionally, in the 
Fourth Quarter 2015, DRH management determined nine additional restaurants were to be closed due to under-performance. 
The Board of Directors approved the closure of the locations on December 15, 2015. Closures occurred on December 27, 
2015. Refer to Note 4 for additional details.  

Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets 

Liquor  licenses,  also  a  component  of  intangible  assets,  are  deemed  to  have  an  indefinite  life  and,  accordingly,  are  not 
amortized.  Management  reviews  liquor  license  assets on an  annual  basis  or  more frequently  if  impairment  indicators  are 
present to determine whether carrying values have been impaired. We identify potential impairments for liquor licenses by 
comparing the fair value with its carrying amount. If the fair value exceeds the carrying amount, the liquor licenses are not 
impaired. If the carrying amount exceeds the fair value, an impairment loss is recorded for the difference.  If the fair value of 
the asset is less than the carrying amount, an impairment is recorded. No impairments were recognized in fiscal 2015, 2014 
or 2013. 

Goodwill 

Goodwill is not amortized and represents the excess of cost over the fair value of identified net assets of businesses acquired. 
Goodwill is subject to an annual impairment analysis or more frequently if indicators of impairment exist. At December 27, 
2015 and December 28, 2014, we had goodwill of $50.1 million and $11.0 million that was assigned to our Buffalo Wild 
Wings reporting unit. 

The impairment analysis, if necessary, consists of a two-step process. The first step is to compare the fair value of the reporting 
unit  to  its  carrying  value,  including  goodwill.  We  estimate  fair  value  using  market  information  (market  approach)  and 
discounted cash flow projections (income approach). The income approach uses the reporting unit’s projection of estimated 
operating results and cash flows that is discounted using a weighted-average cost of capital that reflects market conditions. 
The projection uses management’s best estimates of projected revenue, costs and cash expenditures, including an estimate of 
new restaurant openings and related capital expenditures. Other significant estimates also include terminal growth rates and 
working  capital  requirements.  We  supplement  our  estimate  of  fair  value  under  the  income  approach  by  using  a  market 
approach  which  estimates  fair  value  by  applying  multiples  to  the  reporting  unit’s  projected  operating  performance.  The 
multiples are derived from comparable publicly traded companies with similar characteristics to the reporting unit. If the fair 
value of the reporting unit is less than its carrying value, the second step of the impairment analysis must be performed in 
order to determine the amount of impairment loss, if any. The second step compares the implied fair value of goodwill with 
the carrying amount of that goodwill. If the carrying amount of the goodwill exceeds its implied fair value, an impairment 
charge is recognized in an amount equal to that excess. As of December 27, 2015 and December 28, 2014 , based on our 
quantitative analysis, goodwill was considered recoverable.  

38 

 
 
 
  
  
  
 
 
Investments 

The  Company’s  investment  securities  are  classified  as  available-for-sale.  Investments  classified  as  available-for-sale  are 
available to be sold in the future in response to the Company’s liquidity needs, changes in market interest rates, tax strategies, 
and asset-liability management strategies, among other reasons. Available-for-sale securities are reported at fair value, with 
unrealized  gains  and  losses,  net  of  taxes,  reported  in  the  accumulated  other  comprehensive  income  (loss)  component  of 
stockholders’ equity,  and  accordingly, have  no  effect on net  income.  Realized  gains or  losses  on sale  of  investments  are 
determined  on  the  basis  of  specific  costs  of  the  investments.  Dividend  income  is  recognized  when  declared  and  interest 
income is recognized when earned. Discount or premium on debt securities purchased at other than par value are amortized 
using the effective yield method. See Note 5 for details.  

Income Taxes 

Deferred income tax assets and liabilities are computed for differences between the financial statement and tax bases of assets 
and liabilities that will result in taxable or deductible amounts in the future, based on enacted tax laws and rates applicable to 
the  periods  in  which  the  differences  are  expected  to  affect  taxable  income.  Valuation  allowances  are  established  when 
necessary  to  reduce  deferred  tax  assets  to  the  amount  expected  to  be  realized.  Income  tax  expense  is  the  tax  payable  or 
refundable for the period plus or minus the change during the period in deferred tax assets and liabilities. 

In accordance with the provisions of FASB ASC 740, Income Taxes, (“ASC 740”) a valuation allowance is established when 
it is more likely than not that some portion of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. Realization is dependent upon the 
generation of future taxable income or the reversal of deferred tax liabilities during the periods in which those temporary 
differences become deductible. We consider the reversal of deferred tax liabilities, projected future taxable income and tax 
planning strategies. Since we believe sufficient future taxable income will be generated to utilize the benefits of the deferred 
tax  assets,  a  valuation  allowance  has  not  been  recognized.  In  fiscal  2015,  we  had  undergone  significant  changes  to  our 
company  structure.  This  includes  the  disposition  and  acquisition  of  assets,  namely  the  closure  of  12  underperforming 
restaurants, impairment of four Bagger Dave’s restaurants and acquisition of 18 profitable BWW restaurants. As such, we 
believe the changes to our company in fiscal 2015 combined with the planned opening of additional BWW restaurants will 
provide future taxable income prior to the expirations of carryfowards, which begin in 2028. Management continually reviews 
the  likelihood  that  deferred  tax  assets  will  be  realized  and  the  Company  recognizes  these  benefits  only  as  reassessment 
indicates that it is more likely than not that such tax benefits will be realized.  

The Company applies the provisions of ASC 740, regarding the accounting for uncertainty in income taxes. The Company 
classifies  all  interest  and  penalties  as  income  tax  expense.  There  are  no  accrued  interest  amounts  or  penalties  related  to 
uncertain tax positions as of December 27, 2015 and December 28, 2014. 

Interest Rate Swap Agreements 

The Company utilizes interest rate swap agreements with Citizens Bank, N.A. (“Citizens”) to fix interest rates on a portion 
of the Company’s portfolio of variable rate debt, which reduces exposure to interest rate fluctuations.  Our derivative financial 
instruments are recorded at fair value on the balance sheet. The effective portion of changes in the fair value of derivatives 
which qualify for hedge accounting is recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) and is recognized in the 
statement of operations when the hedged item affects earnings. Ineffective portion of the change in fair value of a hedge 
would be recognized in income immediately. The Company does not use any other types of derivative financial instruments 
to hedge such exposures, nor does it use derivatives for speculative purposes.   

The interest rate swap agreements associated with the Company’s current debt agreements qualify for hedge accounting. As 
such,  the  Company  records  the  change  in  the  fair  value  of  its  swap  agreements  as  a  component  of  accumulated  other 
comprehensive income (loss), net of tax. The Company records the fair value of its interest swaps on the Consolidated Balance 

39 

  
  
  
 
 
 
  
   
Sheet in other long-term assets or other liabilities depending on the fair value of the swaps. See Note 10 and Note 17 for 
additional information on the interest rate swap agreements. 

Stock Based Compensation 

The Company estimates the fair value of stock option awards utilizing the Black-Scholes pricing model.  The fair value of 
the awards is amortized as compensation expense on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period of the award, which 
is generally the vesting period.  The fair value of restricted shares is equal to the number of restricted shares issued times the 
Company’s stock price on the date of grant and is amortized as compensation expense on a straight-line basis over the service 
period of the award. 

ITEM 7A.     QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK 

Interest Rate Risk 

As a result of our normal borrowing activities, our operating results are exposed to fluctuations in interest rates. DRH has 
short-term and long-term debt with both fixed and variable interest rates. The short-term debt comprises the current portion 
of long-term debt maturing within twelve months from the balance sheet date. Long-term debt includes secured notes payable, 
one  line  of  credit  and  a  revolving  line  of  credit  which  is  used  to  finance  working  capital  requirements.  To  manage  our 
exposure, we have entered into interest rate swap agreements. The derivative instruments are not held for trading or other 
speculative purposes. 

As of December 27, 2015, DRH had $126.6 million of variable-rate debt with a weighted average interest rate of 3.86%, 
which approximates fair value. Interest based on the debt agreement is based on one-month LIBOR plus an applicable margin, 
which ranges from 2.25% to 3.15%, depending on the lease adjusted leverage ratio defined in the terms of the agreement. 
DRH currently estimates that a 100 basis point fluctuation in LIBOR would result in an approximate $1.3 million fluctuation 
in pretax income. See Notes 1, 10 and 17 of our audited Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information. 

Inflation 

The primary inflationary factors affecting our operations are food, labor and restaurant operating costs. Substantial increases 
in these costs could impact operating results to the extent that such increases cannot be passed along through higher menu 
prices. A large number of our restaurant personnel are paid at rates based on the applicable federal and state minimum wages, 
and increases in the minimum wage rates and tip-credit wage rates could directly affect our labor costs. Many of our leases 
require  us  to  pay  taxes,  maintenance,  repairs,  insurance  and  utilities,  all  of  which  are  generally  subject  to  inflationary 
increases. 

Commodity Price Risk 

Many of the food products purchased by us are affected by weather, production, availability and other factors outside our 
control. We believe almost all of our food and supplies are available from several sources, which helps to control food product 
risks. Our purchasing department for Bagger Dave’s negotiates directly with our independent suppliers for our supply of food 
and paper products. As negotiated by BWLD, our DRH-owned BWW restaurants have a distribution contract with a BWLD 
selected vendor for our supply of food, paper, and non-food products. We have minimum purchase requirements with some 
of our vendors, but the terms of the contracts and our historical use of the products are such that we believe these minimum 
purchase requirements do not create a material market risk. One of the primary food products used by our BWW restaurants 
is chicken wings. We work to counteract the effect of the volatility of chicken wing prices, which can significantly change 
our cost of sales and cash flow, with the introduction of new menu items, effective marketing promotions, focused efforts on 
food costs and waste and menu price increases. We also explore purchasing strategies to reduce the severity of cost increases 

40 

  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
and  fluctuations.  For  the  fiscal  years  ended  December  27,  2015  and  December  28,  2014,  chicken  wings  accounted  for 
approximately 34.3% and 29.7%, with an average price per pound of $1.81 and $1.53, respectively. 

ITEM 8.        CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA 

The  Consolidated  Financial  Statements,  Notes  to  Consolidated  Financial  Statements,  and  the  Report  of  Independent 
Registered Accounting Firm are included in this Annual Report and are incorporated herein by reference.  

41 

  
  
 
 
 
DIVERSIFIED RESTAURANT HOLDINGS, INC. 
 Index to Consolidated Financial Statements 

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM .........................................................  

43 

REPORT BY DIVERSIFIED RESTAURANT HOLDINGS, INC.'S MANAGEMENT ON INTERNAL CONTROL 
OVER FINANCIAL REPORTING .................................................................................................................................  

44 

CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS: 

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS ...............................................................................................................  

45 

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS ........................................................................................  

46 

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS) ..................................................  

47 

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY .................................................................  

48 

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS ........................................................................................  

49 

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS .............................................................................  

50 

42 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm 

Board of Directors and Stockholders 
Diversified Restaurant Holdings, Inc. and Subsidiaries 
Southfield, Michigan 

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Diversified Restaurant Holdings, Inc. and Subsidiaries as 
of December 27, 2015 and December 28, 2014 and the related consolidated statements of operations, comprehensive income 
(loss), stockholders’ equity, and cash flows for each of the three fiscal years in the period ended December 27, 2015. These 
financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these 
financial statements based on our audits. 

We  conducted  our  audits  in  accordance  with  the  standards  of  the  Public  Company  Accounting  Oversight  Board  (United 
States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial 
statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts 
and  disclosures  in  the  financial  statements,  assessing  the  accounting  principles  used  and  significant  estimates  made  by 
management,  as  well  as  evaluating  the  overall  financial  statement  presentation.  We  believe  that  our  audits  provide  a 
reasonable basis for our opinion. 

In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial 
position of Diversified Restaurant Holdings, Inc. and Subsidiaries at December 27, 2015 and December 28, 2014, and the 
results  of  its  operations  and  its  cash  flows  for  each  of  the  three  fiscal  years  in  the  period  ended  December  27,  2015,  in 
conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. 

We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), 
Diversified Restaurant Holdings, Inc. and Subsidiaries’ internal control over financial reporting as of December 27, 2015, 
based  on  criteria  established  in  Internal  Control  –  Integrated  Framework  (2013)  issued  by  the  Committee  of  Sponsoring 
Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO) and our report dated March 11, 2016 expressed an unqualified opinion 
thereon. 

/s/ BDO USA, LLP 

Troy, Michigan 
March 11, 2016 

43 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
REPORT BY DIVERSIFIED RESTAURANT HOLDINGS, INC.'S MANAGEMENT 
ON INTERNAL CONTROL OVER FINANCIAL REPORTING 

Management is responsible for establishing and maintaining an effective system of internal control over financial reporting 
that  is  designed  to  produce  reliable  financial  statements  presented  in  conformity  with  generally  accepted  accounting 
principles. There are inherent limitations in the effectiveness of any system of internal control. Accordingly, even an effective 
system of internal control can provide only reasonable assurance with respect to financial statement preparation. 

Management assessed the Company's system of internal control over financial reporting that is designed to produce reliable 
financial statements presented in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles as of December 27, 2015. This 
assessment was based on criteria for effective internal control over financial reporting described in   Internal Control — 
Integrated  Framework      (2013  Framework)  issued  by  the  Committee  of  Sponsoring  Organizations  of  the  Treadway 
Commission.  Based  on  this  assessment,  management  believes  that,  as  of  December  27,  2015,  Diversified  Restaurant 
Holdings, Inc. maintained an effective system of internal control over financial reporting that is designed to produce reliable 
financial statements presented in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles based on those criteria. 

The Company’s independent auditors have issued an audit report on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over 
financial reporting. 

Diversified Restaurant Holdings, Inc. 

/s/ T. Michael Ansley 
T. Michael Ansley 
Chairman of the Board, President, Chief Executive 
Officer, and Principal Executive Officer 

Dated:  March 11, 2016 

/s/ David G. Burke 
David G. Burke 
Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer, Principal Financial 
Officer, and Principal Accounting Officer 

Dated:  March 11, 2016 

44 

  
  
 
  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
 
 
 
DIVERSIFIED RESTAURANT HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES 
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS 

December 27, 
2015 

December 28, 
2014 

ASSETS 

Current assets 
Cash and cash equivalents ............................................................................................................     $ 
Investments...................................................................................................................................    
Accounts receivable .....................................................................................................................    
Inventory ......................................................................................................................................    
Prepaid assets ...............................................................................................................................    

14,200,528     $ 

—     
620,942     
1,934,584     
1,618,429     

18,688,281 
2,917,232 
1,417,510 
1,335,774 
397,715 

Total current assets ....................................................................................................................    

18,374,483     

24,756,512 

Deferred income taxes ..................................................................................................................    
Property and equipment, net .........................................................................................................    
Intangible assets, net .....................................................................................................................    
Goodwill .......................................................................................................................................    
Other long-term assets ..................................................................................................................    
Total assets ..................................................................................................................................     $ 

13,320,177     
79,189,661     
3,984,033     
50,097,081     
1,152,377     
166,117,812     $ 

2,960,640 
71,508,950 
2,916,498 
10,998,630 
305,804 
113,447,034 

LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY 

Current liabilities 
Accounts payable .........................................................................................................................     $ 
Accrued compensation .................................................................................................................    
Other accrued liabilities ................................................................................................................    
Current portion of long-term debt .................................................................................................    
Current portion of deferred rent ....................................................................................................    
Total current liabilities ...............................................................................................................    

7,807,552     $ 
3,087,883     
3,663,211     
9,918,827     
396,113     
24,873,586     

Deferred rent, less current portion ................................................................................................    
Unfavorable operating leases ........................................................................................................    
Other liabilities .............................................................................................................................    
Long-term debt, less current portion ............................................................................................    
Total liabilities ............................................................................................................................    

2,826,210     
671,553     
4,463,631     
116,682,480     
149,517,460     

7,043,143 
2,786,830 
1,357,510 
8,155,903 
377,812 
19,721,198 

3,051,445 
693,497 
3,212,376 
53,612,496 
80,291,012 

Commitments and contingencies (Notes 13 and 14) 

Stockholders' equity 
Common stock - $0.0001 par value; 100,000,000 shares authorized; 26,298,725 and 

26,149,824, respectively, issued and outstanding ......................................................................    
Additional paid-in capital .............................................................................................................    
Accumulated other comprehensive loss .......................................................................................    
Accumulated deficit .....................................................................................................................    

2,584     
36,136,332     
(1,006,667 )    
(18,531,897 )    

2,582 
35,668,001 
(175,156) 
(2,339,405) 

Total stockholders' equity ..........................................................................................................    

16,600,352     

33,156,022 

Total liabilities and stockholders' equity ..................................................................................     $ 

166,117,812     $ 

113,447,034 

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements. 

45 

  
  
  
  
     
     
     
     
  
     
     
  
     
     
  
  
  
  
     
     
  
     
     
  
     
     
    
    
  
     
     
     
     
  
     
     
  
 
 
DIVERSIFIED RESTAURANT HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES 
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS 

Fiscal Years Ended 

December 27, 
2015 

December 28, 
2014 

December 29, 
2013 

Revenue............................................................................................   $  172,485,378    $ 128,413,448    $  108,886,139 

Operating expenses 
Restaurant operating costs (exclusive of depreciation and 

amortization shown separately below): 

Food, beverage, and packaging ...................................................    
Compensation costs .....................................................................    
Occupancy ...................................................................................    
Other operating costs ...................................................................    
General and administrative expenses ................................................   
Pre-opening costs ..............................................................................   
Depreciation and amortization ..........................................................   
Impairment and loss on asset disposals ............................................   
Total operating expenses ................................................................   

49,437,576    
46,315,042    
12,377,659    
37,723,846    
15,351,440    
3,244,157    
16,582,236    
14,242,705    
195,274,661    

37,058,821    
33,337,000    
7,205,420    
27,214,208    
8,786,520    
3,473,664    
10,956,951    
1,023,144    
129,055,728    

32,719,254 
28,096,721 
6,381,052 
21,675,473 
7,270,597 
3,230,122 
7,974,481 
98,162 
107,445,862 

Operating profit (loss) ....................................................................   

(22,789,283)   

(642,280)   

1,440,277 

Interest expense ................................................................................   
Other income (expense), net .............................................................   

(4,211,255)   
822,039    

(2,274,041)   
(58,912)   

(1,718,711) 
151,292 

Loss before income taxes ................................................................   

(26,178,499)   

(2,975,233)   

(127,142) 

Income tax benefit ............................................................................   

(9,986,007)   

(1,706,736)   

(261,450) 

Net income (loss) .............................................................................   $ 

(16,192,492)   $

(1,268,497)   $ 

134,308 

Basic earnings per share ...................................................................   $ 

Fully diluted earnings per share ........................................................   $ 

(0.62)   $

(0.62)   $

(0.05)   $ 

(0.05)   $ 

0.01 

0.01 

Weighted average number of common shares outstanding 
Basic .................................................................................................   
Diluted ..............................................................................................   

26,211,669    
26,211,669    

26,092,919    
26,092,919    

23,937,188 
24,058,072 

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements. 

46 

   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  
    
    
    
  
    
    
    
  
    
    
    
  
    
    
    
  
    
    
    
  
    
    
    
  
    
    
    
    
    
    
  
 
 
 
 
DIVERSIFIED RESTAURANT HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES  
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS) 

Fiscal Years Ended 

December 27, 
2015 

December 28, 
2014 

December 29, 
2013 

Net income (loss) .............................................................................   $ 

(16,192,492)   $

(1,268,497)   $ 

134,308 

Other comprehensive income (loss) 

Unrealized changes in fair value of interest rate swaps, net of 

tax of $430,468, $23,097 and $35,084. ....................................    

(835,315)   

44,836    

68,106 

Unrealized changes in fair value of investments, net of tax of 

$1,959, $13,071 and $15,030. ..................................................    

3,804    

Total other comprehensive income (loss) .........................................   

(831,511)   

25,372    

70,208    

(29,176) 

38,930 

Comprehensive income (loss) .........................................................   $ 

(17,024,003)   $

(1,198,289)   $ 

173,238 

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements. 

47 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    
    
    
    
    
    
  
    
    
    
  
 
 
 
 
DIVERSIFIED RESTAURANT HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES 
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY 

   Additional 

Accumulated 
Other 

Common Stock 

Shares 

Amount 

Paid-in 

Capital 

   Comprehensive     Accumulated 

Loss 

Deficit 

Equity 

Total 
   Stockholders' 

Balances - December 30, 2012 ...............  

18,951,700 

   $ 

1,888 

   $ 

2,991,526  

   $ 

(284,294)     $ 

(1,205,216)     $ 

1,503,904 

Issuance of restricted shares .....................  

145,575 

Forfeitures of restricted shares .................  

(57,108)    

— 
— 

—  
—  

Sale of common stock from follow-on 

public offering, net of fees and 
expenses ................................................  

6,900,000 

690 

31,906,990  

Stock options exercised ............................  

104,638 

Employee stock purchase plan .................  

4,773 

Share-based compensation .......................  

Other comprehensive income ...................  

Net income ................................................  

— 

— 
— 

2 

— 

— 

— 
— 

74,997  

23,452  

278,290  

—  

—  

— 
— 

— 

— 

— 
— 

38,930 

— 

— 
— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

134,308 

— 
— 

31,907,680 

74,999 

23,452 

278,290 

38,930 

134,308 

Balances - December 29, 2013 ...............  

26,049,578 

   $ 

2,580 

   $  35,275,255  

   $ 

(245,364)     $ 

(1,070,908)     $  33,961,563 

Issuance of restricted shares .....................  

Forfeitures of restricted shares .................  

Employee stock purchase plan .................  

Share-based compensation .......................  

Other comprehensive income ...................  

Net loss ......................................................  

91,966 

(2,735)    

11,015 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

2 

— 

— 

— 

—  

—  

53,936  

338,810  

—  

—  

— 

— 

— 

— 

70,208 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

53,938 

338,810 

70,208 

— 

(1,268,497)    

(1,268,497) 

Balances - December 28, 2014 ...............  

26,149,824 

   $ 

2,582 

   $  35,668,001  

   $ 

(175,156)     $ 

(2,339,405)     $  33,156,022 

Issuance of restricted shares .....................  

131,752 

Forfeitures of restricted shares .................  

(8,587)    

Shares effectively repurchased for 

required employee withholding taxes ...  

Employee stock purchase plan .................  

Share-based compensation .......................  

(1,387)    

21,623 

— 

— 

— 

— 

1 

— 

—  

—  

(4,443 )    

71,614  

424,414  

Stock repurchase .......................................  

(24,500)    

(2)    

(98,250 )    

Stock options exercised ............................  

30,000 

Other comprehensive loss .........................  

Net loss ......................................................  

— 

— 

3 

— 

— 

74,996  

—  

—  

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

(831,511)    

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

(4,443) 

71,615 

424,414 

(98,252) 

74,999 

(831,511) 

— 

(16,192,492)    

(16,192,492) 

Balances - December 27, 2015 ...............  

26,298,725 

   $ 

2,584 

   $  36,136,332  

   $ 

(1,006,667)     $  (18,531,897)     $  16,600,352 

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements. 

48 

 
  
  
     
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
DIVERSIFIED RESTAURANT HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES 
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS 

   December 27, 2015     December 28, 2014     December 29, 2013 

Fiscal Years Ended 

Cash flows from operating activities 

Net income (loss) ........................................................................................................      $ 

(16,192,492 )     $ 

(1,268,497)     $ 

134,308 

Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash provided by operating 

activities 

Depreciation and amortization ................................................................................     

16,582,236  

10,956,951 

Amortization and write-off of debt discount and loan fees ....................................     

Realized gain on sale leaseback ..............................................................................     

Realized loss on investments ..................................................................................     

240,036  

(157,208 )    

—  

Impairment and loss on asset disposals ..................................................................     

14,242,705  

Share-based compensation ......................................................................................     

424,414  

331,650 

— 

33,406 

1,023,144 

338,810 

Deferred income taxes ............................................................................................     

(9,986,007 )    

(1,834,048)    

Changes in operating assets and liabilities that provided (used) cash 

Accounts receivable .............................................................................................     

Inventory ..............................................................................................................     

796,568  

(207,329 )    

Prepaid assets .......................................................................................................     

(1,220,714 )    

Intangible assets ...................................................................................................     

Other long-term assets .........................................................................................     

Accounts payable .................................................................................................     

Accrued liabilities ................................................................................................     

(86,907 )    

(846,573 )    

3,291,684  

2,775,105  

(168,570)    

(264,148)    

157,429 

(123,345)    

(184,136)    

1,470,923 

1,123,372 

Deferred rent ........................................................................................................     

(206,934 )    

(297,688)    

Net cash provided by operating activities ..............................................................     

9,448,584  

11,295,253 

7,974,481 

76,407 

— 

— 

98,162 

278,290 

(336,223) 

(1,000,537) 

(208,542) 

(107,715) 

(660,966) 

(3,523) 

(497,999) 

208,742 

1,226,086 

7,180,971 

Cash flows from investing activities 

Purchases of investments ........................................................................................     

—  

(7,469,555)    

(13,883,671) 

Proceeds from sale of investments .........................................................................     

2,952,302  

13,111,935 

5,278,048 

Purchases of property and equipment .....................................................................     

(32,502,997 )    

(38,988,376)    

(25,345,370) 

Acquisition of business, net of cash acquired.........................................................     

(54,041,489 )    

(3,202,750)    

Proceeds from sale leaseback transaction ...............................................................     

5,565,808  

19,079,401 

— 

— 

Net cash used in investing activities ........................................................................     

(78,026,376 )    

(17,469,345)    

(33,950,993) 

Cash flows from financing activities 

Proceeds from issuance of long-term debt .............................................................     

72,963,858  

84,008,979 

61,743,866 

Repayments of long-term debt ................................................................................     

(8,166,667 )    

(68,513,901)    

(60,117,830) 

Payment of loan fees ...............................................................................................     

(751,071 )    

(249,116)    

Proceeds from employee stock purchase plan ........................................................     

Repurchase of stock ................................................................................................     

Stock options exercised...........................................................................................     

Tax withholding for restricted stock units ..............................................................     

Proceeds from sale of common stock, net of underwriter fees ..............................     

71,615  

(98,252 )    

74,999  

(4,443 )    

—  

53,938 

— 

— 

— 

— 

Net cash provided by financing activities ...............................................................     

64,090,039  

15,299,900 

— 

23,452 

— 

— 

— 

31,982,679 

33,632,167 

Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents ...........................................     

(4,487,753 )    

9,125,808 

6,862,145 

Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period ........................................................     

18,688,281  

9,562,473 

2,700,328 

Cash and cash equivalents, end of period ..............................................................      $ 

14,200,528  

   $ 

18,688,281 

   $ 

9,562,473 

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements. 

49 

  
  
  
  
     
     
     
     
     
     
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
     
     
     
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
     
     
     
     
     
     
  
  
  
  
  
  
     
     
     
     
     
     
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
     
     
     
  
  
     
     
     
  
  
  
     
     
     
 
 
 
DIVERSIFIED RESTAURANT HOLDINGS AND SUBSIDIARIES, INC. 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 

1. NATURE OF BUSINESS AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES 

Nature of Business 

Diversified  Restaurant  Holdings,  Inc.  (“DRH”)  is  a  fast-growing  restaurant  company  operating  two  complementary 
concepts:  Buffalo Wild Wings  ® Grill & Bar (“BWW”) and Bagger Dave’s Burger Tavern  ®  (“Bagger Dave’s”).  As the 
largest  franchisee  of  BWW  and  as  the  creator,  developer,  and  operator  of  Bagger  Dave’s,  we  provide  a  unique  guest 
experience  in  a  casual  and  inviting  environment.        We  were  incorporated  in  2006  and  are  headquartered  in  the  Detroit 
metropolitan area.  As of December 27, 2015 we had 80 restaurants in Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri and 
Ohio. 

In 2008, DRH became publicly-owned completing a self-underwritten initial public offering for $735,000 and 140,000 shares. 
We subsequently completed an underwritten, follow-on offering on April 23, 2013 of 6.9 million shares with net proceeds of 
$31.9 million. 

DRH  and  its  wholly-owned  subsidiaries  (collectively,  the  “Company”),  AMC  Group,  Inc.  (“AMC”),  AMC  Wings,  Inc. 
(“WINGS”), AMC Burgers, Inc. (“BURGERS”), and AMC Real Estate, Inc. (“REAL ESTATE”) own and operate Bagger 
Dave's and DRH-owned BWW restaurants located throughout Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Missouri. 

DRH is the largest BWW franchisee and currently operates 62 DRH-owned BWW restaurants (20 in Michigan, 15 in both 
Florida and Missouri, seven in Illinois and five in Indiana), including the nation’s largest BWW, based on square footage, in 
downtown Detroit, Michigan. We remain on track to fulfill our area development agreement (“ADA”) with Buffalo Wild 
Wings International, Inc. ("BWLD") and expect to operate 77 DRH-owned BWW restaurants by the end of 2020, exclusive 
of potential additional BWW restaurant acquisitions. In 2014, DRH was awarded the Franchisee of the Year and our COO 
received the Founder’s Award by BWLD. 

DRH  originated  the  Bagger  Dave’s  concept  with  our  first  restaurant  opening  in  January  2008  in  Berkley, 
Michigan.  Currently, there are 18 Bagger Dave’s restaurants, 16 in Michigan and one in both Indiana and Ohio.  

50 

 
 
  
  
  
  
 
  
 
 
 
DIVERSIFIED RESTAURANT HOLDINGS AND SUBSIDIARIES, INC. 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 

The following organizational chart outlines the current corporate structure of DRH.  A brief textual description of the entities 
follows the organizational chart. DRH is incorporated in Nevada. 

AMC was formed on March 28, 2007 and serves as our operational and administrative center. AMC renders management, 
operational  support,  and  advertising  services  to  WINGS,  BURGERS,  REAL  ESTATE  and  their  subsidiaries.  Services 
rendered  by  AMC  include  marketing,  restaurant  operations,  restaurant  management  consultation,  hiring  and  training  of 
management and staff, and other management services reasonably required in the ordinary course of restaurant operations. 

BURGERS was formed on March 12, 2007 and serves as a holding company for our Bagger Dave’s restaurants.  Bagger 
Dave’s  Franchising  Corporation,  a  subsidiary  of  BURGERS,  was  formed  to  act  as  the  franchisor  for  the  Bagger  Dave’s 
concept and has rights to franchise in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin.  We do not 
intend to pursue franchise development at this time.   

WINGS was formed on March 12, 2007 and serves as a holding company for our DRH-owned BWW restaurants.  We are 
economically dependent on retaining our franchise rights with BWLD.  The franchise agreements have specific initial term 
expiration dates ranging from December 2020 through December 2035, depending on the date each was executed and the 
duration of its initial term.  The franchise agreements are renewable at the option of the franchisor and are generally renewable 
if  the  franchisee  has  complied  with  the  franchise  agreement.    When  factoring  in  any  applicable  renewals,  the  franchise 
agreements  have  specific  expiration  dates ranging from  December  2025  through December  2050.   We believe  we  are in 
compliance with the terms of these agreements.    

REAL ESTATE was formed on March 18, 2013, and serves as the holding company for the real estate properties owned by 
DRH. Currently, DRH owns one property. Due to the closure of the restaurant in 2015, DRH will be selling this property in 
fiscal  2016.  Refer  to  Note  4  for  additional  information  on  restaurant  closures.  DRH  also  owned  two  Bagger  Dave’s 
restaurants, which were sold as part of the sale leaseback transaction that occurred in Second Quarter and Third Quarter of 
2015. Refer to Note 2 for additional information on the sale leaseback transactions.  

51 

 
 
 
 
  
  
  
 
 
DIVERSIFIED RESTAURANT HOLDINGS AND SUBSIDIARIES, INC. 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 

We  follow  accounting  standards  set  by  the  Financial  Accounting  Standards  Board  ("FASB").  The  FASB  sets  generally 
accepted accounting principles in the United States of America ("GAAP") that we follow to ensure we consistently report 
our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows. References to GAAP issued by the FASB in these footnotes are 
to the FASB Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC"). 

Principles of Consolidation 

The consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the 
United States of America and include the accounts of the Company and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. All inter-company 
accounts and transactions have been eliminated. 

Fiscal Year 

The Company utilizes a 52- or 53-week accounting period that ends on the last Sunday in December. Fiscal year 2015 ended 
on December 27, 2015, fiscal year 2014 ended on December 28, 2014, and fiscal year 2013 ended December 29, 2013. Each 
fiscal year was comprised of 52 weeks. 

Segment Reporting 

The Company has two operating segments, BWW and Bagger Dave’s. The brands operate within the ultra-casual, full-service 
dining industry, providing similar products to similar customers. The brands also possess similar economic characteristics, 
resulting in similar long-term expected financial performance. Sales from external customers are derived principally from 
food and beverage sales. We do not rely on any major customers as a source of sales. We believe we meet the criteria for 
aggregating our operating segments into a single reporting segment. 

Cash and Cash Equivalents 

Cash and cash equivalents consist of cash on hand and demand deposits in banks. The Company considers all highly-liquid 
investments purchased with original maturities of three months or less to be cash and cash equivalents. The Company, at 
times throughout the year, may, in the ordinary course of business, maintain cash balances in excess of federally-insured 
limits. Management does not believe the Company is exposed to any unusual risks on such deposits. 

Investments 

The  Company’s  investment  securities  are  classified  as  available-for-sale.  Investments  classified  as  available-for-sale  are 
available to be sold in the future in response to the Company’s liquidity needs, changes in market interest rates, tax strategies, 
and asset-liability management strategies, among other reasons. Available-for-sale securities are reported at fair value, with 
unrealized  gains  and  losses,  net  of  taxes,  reported  in  the  accumulated  other  comprehensive  income  (loss)  component  of 
stockholders’ equity,  and  accordingly, have  no  effect on net  income.  Realized  gains or  losses  on sale  of  investments  are 
determined  on  the  basis  of  specific  costs  of  the  investments.  Dividend  income  is  recognized  when  declared  and  interest 
income is recognized when earned. Discount or premium on debt securities purchased at other than par value are amortized 
using the effective yield method. See Note 5 for details.  

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DIVERSIFIED RESTAURANT HOLDINGS AND SUBSIDIARIES, INC. 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 

Accounts Receivable  

Accounts receivable primarily consist of contractually determined receivables for leasehold improvements and are stated at 
the amount management expects to collect. Balances that are outstanding after management has used reasonable collection 
efforts are written off with a corresponding charge to bad debt expense or deferred rent as applicable.  There was no allowance 
for doubtful accounts necessary at December 27, 2015 and December 28, 2014. 

Gift Cards 

Buffalo Wild Wings 

The  Company  records  gift  cards  under  a  BWLD  system-wide  program.    Gift  cards  sold  are  recorded  as  a  gift  card 
liability.  When redeemed, the gift card liability account is offset by recording the transaction as revenue.  At times, gift card 
redemptions can exceed amounts due to BWLD for gift card purchases resulting in an asset balance.  Under this centralized 
system, any breakage would be recorded by Blazin Wings, Inc., a subsidiary of BWLD, and is subject to the breakage laws 
in the state of Minnesota, where Blazin Wings, Inc. is located. 

Bagger Dave’s 

The Company records Bagger Dave's gift card sales as a gift card liability when sold.  When redeemed, the gift card liability 
account is offset by recording the transaction as revenue.  Michigan law states that gift cards cannot expire and any post-sale 
fees cannot be assessed until 5 years after the date of gift card purchase by the consumer. There is no breakage attributable 
to Bagger Dave's restaurants for the Company to record as of December 27, 2015 and December 28, 2014. 

The Company's net gift card asset/liability was a liability of $136,874 and $10,706 as of December 27, 2015 and December 28, 
2014, respectively. 

Inventory 

Inventory consists mainly of food and beverage products and is accounted for at the lower of cost or market using the first 
in, first out method of inventory valuation. Cash flows related to inventory sales are classified in net cash used by operating 
activities in the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows. 

Prepaids and Other Long-Term Assets 

Prepaid assets consist principally of prepaid rent, insurance and contracts and are recognized ratably as operating expense 
over the period of future benefit. Other assets consist primarily of security deposits for operating leases and utilities. 

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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 

Property and Equipment 

Property and equipment are recorded at cost. Buildings are depreciated using the straight-line method over the estimated 
useful life, which is typically 39 years. Equipment and furniture and fixtures are depreciated using the straight-line method 
over the estimated useful lives of the assets, which range from three to seven years. Leasehold improvements, which include 
the cost of improvements funded by landlord incentives or allowances, are amortized using the straight-line method over the 
lesser of the term of the lease, with consideration of renewal options if renewals are reasonably assured because failure to 
renew would result in an economic penalty, or the estimated useful lives of the assets, which is typically five - 15 years. 
Maintenance  and  repairs  are  expensed  as  incurred.  Upon  retirement  or  disposal  of  assets,  the  cost  and  accumulated 
depreciation are eliminated from the respective accounts and the related gains or losses are credited or charged to earnings. 

The Company capitalizes items associated with construction but not yet placed into service, known as construction in progress 
(“CIP”).  Items  capitalized  include  fees  associated  with  the  design,  build  out,  furnishing  of  the  restaurants,  leasehold 
improvements, construction period interest (when applicable), equipment, and furniture and fixtures. Restaurant CIP is not 
amortized or depreciated until the related assets are placed into service. Items are placed into service according to their asset 
category when the restaurant is open for service. 

Intangible Assets 

Amortizable  intangible  assets  consist  of  franchise  fees,  trademarks,  non-compete  agreements,  favorable  and  unfavorable 
operating leases, and loan fees and are stated at cost, less accumulated amortization. Intangible assets are amortized on a 
straight-line  basis  over  the  estimated  useful  life,  as  follows:  Franchise  fees-  10  –  20  years,  Trademarks-  15  years,  Non-
compete- 3 years, Favorable and unfavorable leases- over the term of the respective leases and Loan fees- over the term of 
the respective loan. 

Impairment or Disposal of Long-Lived Assets  

We review long-lived assets quarterly to determine if triggering events have occurred which would require a test to determine 
if the carrying amount of these assets may not be recoverable based on estimated future cash flows. Assets are reviewed at 
the  lowest  level  for  which  cash  flows  can  be  identified,  which  is  at  the  individual  restaurant  level.  In  the  absence  of 
extraordinary circumstances, restaurants are included in the impairment analysis after they have been open for two years. We 
evaluate  the  recoverability  of  a  restaurant’s  long-lived  assets,  including  buildings,  intangibles,  leasehold  improvements, 
furniture, fixtures, and equipment over the remaining life of the primary asset in the asset group, after considering the potential 
impact of planned operational improvements, marketing programs, and anticipated changes in the trade area. In determining 
future cash flows, significant estimates are made by management with respect to future operating results for each restaurant 
over the remaining life of the primary asset in the asset group. If assets are determined to be impaired, the impairment charge 
is measured by calculating the amount by which the asset carrying amount exceeds its fair value based on our estimate of 
discounted future cash flows. The determination of asset fair value is also subject to significant judgment. Refer to Note 4 for 
additional information.  

We account for exit or disposal activities, including restaurant closures, in accordance with ASC Topic 420, Exit or Disposal 
Cost  Obligations.  Such  costs  include  the  cost  of  disposing  of  the  assets  as  well  as  other  facility-related  expenses  from 
previously  closed  restaurants.  These  costs  are  generally  expensed  as  incurred. Additionally,  at  the  date  we  cease using  a 
property under an operating lease, we record a liability for the net present value of any remaining lease obligations, net of 
estimated sublease income. Any subsequent adjustments to that liability as a result of lease termination or changes in estimates 
of sublease income are recorded in the period incurred. Refer to Note 4 for additional information.  

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DIVERSIFIED RESTAURANT HOLDINGS AND SUBSIDIARIES, INC. 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 

Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets 

Liquor  licenses  also  a  component  of  intangible  assets,  are  deemed  to  have  an  indefinite  life  and,  accordingly,  are  not 
amortized. Management reviews liquor license assets on an annual basis (at year-end) to determine whether carrying values 
have  been  impaired.  We  identify  potential  impairments  for  liquor  licenses  by  comparing  the  fair  value  with  its  carrying 
amount. If the fair value exceeds the carrying amount, the liquor licenses are not impaired. If the carrying amount exceeds 
the fair value, an impairment loss is recorded for the difference.  If the fair value of the asset is less than the carrying amount, 
an impairment is recorded. No impairments were recognized in fiscal 2015, 2014 or 2013. 

Goodwill 

Goodwill is not amortized and represents the excess of cost over the fair value of identified net assets of businesses acquired. 
Goodwill is subject to an annual impairment analysis or more frequently if indicators of impairment exist. At December 27, 
2015 and December 28, 2014, we had goodwill of $50.1 million and $11.0 million that was assigned to our Buffalo Wild 
Wings reporting unit. 

The impairment analysis, if necessary, consists of a two-step process. The first step is to compare the fair value of the reporting 
unit  to  its  carrying  value,  including  goodwill.  We  estimate  fair  value  using  market  information  (market  approach)  and 
discounted cash flow projections (income approach). The income approach uses the reporting unit’s projection of estimated 
operating results and cash flows that is discounted using a weighted-average cost of capital that reflects market conditions. 
The projection uses management’s best estimates of projected revenue, costs and cash expenditures, including an estimate of 
new restaurant openings and related capital expenditures. Other significant estimates also include terminal growth rates and 
working  capital  requirements.  We  supplement  our  estimate  of  fair  value  under  the  income  approach  by  using  a  market 
approach  which  estimates  fair  value  by  applying  multiples  to  the  reporting  unit’s  projected  operating  performance.  The 
multiples are derived from comparable publicly traded companies with similar characteristics to the reporting unit. If the fair 
value of the reporting unit is less than its carrying value, the second step of the impairment analysis must be performed in 
order to determine the amount of impairment loss, if any.  

The second step compares the implied fair value of goodwill with the carrying amount of that goodwill. If the carrying amount 
of the goodwill exceeds its implied fair value, an impairment charge is recognized in an amount equal to that excess. All 
goodwill was considered recoverable as of December 27, 2015 and December 28, 2014 based on our quantitative analysis.   

Deferred Rent 

Certain  operating  leases  provide  for  minimum  annual  payments  that  increase  over  the  life  of  the  lease.  Typically,  our 
operating leases contain renewal options under which we may extend the initial lease terms for periods of five to 10 years. 
The aggregate minimum annual payments are expensed on a straight-line basis commencing at the start of our construction 
period and extending over the term of the related lease, including option renewals as deemed reasonably assured. The amount 
by which straight-line rent exceeds actual lease payment requirements in the early years of the lease is accrued as deferred 
rent liability and reduced in later years when the actual cash payment requirements exceed the straight-line expense. The 
Company  also  accounts,  in  its  straight-line  computation,  for  the  effect  of  any  "rental  holidays",  "free  rent  periods",  and 
"landlord incentives or allowances". 

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DIVERSIFIED RESTAURANT HOLDINGS AND SUBSIDIARIES, INC. 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 

Deferred Gains 

Deferred gains on the sale leaseback transaction described in Note 2, are recognized into income over the life of the related 
operating lease agreements. 

Revenue Recognition 

Revenues  from  food  and  beverage  sales  are  recognized  and  generally  collected  at  the  point  of  sale.  All  sales  taxes  are 
presented on a net basis and are excluded from revenue. 

Advertising 

Advertising  expenses  associated  with  contributions  to  the  BWLD  advertising  fund  (3.0%  of  net  sales  globally  plus  an 
additional 0.25% or 0.5% of net sales for certain metropolitan cities) are expensed as contributed and all other advertising 
expenses are expensed as incurred. Advertising expenses of $3.4 million, $2.3 million and $0.5 million are included in general 
and  administrative  expenses  in  the  Consolidated  Statements  of  Operations  and  advertising  expense  of  $4.6  million,  $3.5 
million and $2.8 million are included in other operating costs in the Consolidated Statements of Operations for the years 
ended December 27, 2015, December 28, 2014 and December 29, 2013, respectively. 

Pre-opening Costs 

Pre-opening costs are those costs associated with opening new restaurants and will vary based on the number of new locations 
opening and under construction. The Company also reclassifies labor costs that exceed the historical average for the first 
three months of restaurant operations that are attributable to training. These costs are expensed as incurred. Pre-opening costs 
were  $3.2  million,  $3.5  million,  and  $3.2  million  for  the  years  ended  December  27,  2015,  December  28,  2014  and 
December 29, 2013, respectively. Excess labor cost incurred after restaurant opening and included in pre-opening cost were 
approximately  $903,000,  $516,000  and  $1.1  million  for  the  years  ended  December  27,  2015,  December  28,  2014  and 
December 29, 2013, respectively. 

Income Taxes 

Deferred income tax assets and liabilities are computed for differences between the financial statement and tax bases of assets 
and liabilities that will result in taxable or deductible amounts in the future, based on enacted tax laws and rates applicable to 
the  periods  in  which  the  differences  are  expected  to  affect  taxable  income.  Valuation  allowances  are  established  when 
necessary  to  reduce  deferred  tax  assets  to  the  amount  expected  to  be  realized.  Income  tax  expense  is  the  tax  payable  or 
refundable for the period plus or minus the change during the period in deferred tax assets and liabilities. 

The Company applies the provisions of FASB ASC 740, Income Taxes, (“ASC 740”) regarding the accounting for uncertainty 
in  income  taxes.  The  Company  classifies  all  interest  and  penalties  as  income  tax  expense.  There  are  no  accrued  interest 
amounts or penalties related to uncertain tax positions as of December 27, 2015 and December 28, 2014. 

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DIVERSIFIED RESTAURANT HOLDINGS AND SUBSIDIARIES, INC. 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 

Earnings Per Common Share 

Earnings  per  share  are  calculated  under  the  provisions  of  FASB  ASC  260,  Earnings  per  Share,  which  requires  a  dual 
presentation of  "basic"  and  "diluted" earnings per  share  on  the  face of  the  Consolidated  Statements  of Operations. Basic 
earnings per common share excludes dilution and is computed by dividing the net earnings available to common stockholders 
by  the  weighted-average  number  of  common  shares  outstanding  during  the  period.  Diluted  earnings  per  common  share 
include dilutive common stock equivalents consisting of stock options determined by the treasury stock method. Restricted 
stock awards contain nonforfeitable rights to dividends, making such awards participating securities.  The calculation of basic 
and diluted earnings per share uses an earnings allocation method to consider the impact of restricted stock.   

Stock Based Compensation 

The Company estimates the fair value of stock option awards utilizing the Black-Scholes pricing model.  The fair value of 
the awards is amortized as compensation expense on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period of the award, which 
is generally the vesting period.  The fair value of restricted shares is equal to the number of restricted shares issued times the 
Company’s stock price on the date of grant and is amortized as compensation expense on a straight-line basis over the service 
period of the award. 

Concentration Risks 

Approximately 79.9%, 79.1%, and 80.9% of the Company's revenues for the years ended December 27, 2015, December 28, 
2014 and December 29, 2013, respectively, were generated from food and beverage sales from restaurants located in the 
Midwest region.  

Use of Estimates 

The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP 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 
date of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of income and expenses during the reporting period. 
Actual results could differ from those estimates. 

Interest Rate Swap Agreements 

The Company utilizes interest rate swap agreements with Citizens Bank, N.A. (“Citizens”) to fix interest rates on a portion 
of the Company’s portfolio of variable rate debt, which reduces exposure to interest rate fluctuations.  Our derivative financial 
instruments are recorded at fair value on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. The effective portion of changes in the fair value 
of  derivatives  which  qualify  for  hedge  accounting  is  recorded  in  other  comprehensive  income  and  is  recognized  in  the 
Consolidated Statements of Operations when the hedged item affects earnings. Ineffective portion of the change in fair value 
of a hedge would be recognized in income immediately. The Company does not use any other types of derivative financial 
instruments to hedge such exposures, nor does it use derivatives for speculative purposes.   

The interest rate swap agreements associated with the Company’s current debt agreements qualify for hedge accounting. As 
such,  the  Company  records  the  change  in  the  fair  value  of  its  swap  agreements  as  a  component  of  accumulated  other 
comprehensive income (loss), net of tax. The Company records the fair value of its interest swaps on the Consolidated Balance 
Sheets in other long-term assets or other liabilities depending on the fair value of the swaps. See Note 10 and Note 17 for 
additional information on the interest rate swap agreements. 

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DIVERSIFIED RESTAURANT HOLDINGS AND SUBSIDIARIES, INC. 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 

Recent Accounting Pronouncements 

In February 2016, FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases. ASU 2016-02 requires that lease arrangements longer than 12 months 
result  in  a  lessee  recognizing  a  lease  asset  and  liability.  Leases  will  be  classified  as  either  finance  or  operating,  with 
classification affecting the pattern of expense recognition in the income statement. The updated guidance is effective for 
interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2018, and early adoption is permitted. We are currently evaluating 
the impact of the updated guidance on our consolidated financial statements.  

In November 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-17, Topic 740: Balance Sheet Classification of Deferred Taxes (“ASU No. 
2015-17”), which simplifies the presentation of deferred income taxes. ASU No. 2015-17 provides presentation requirements 
to classify deferred tax assets and liabilities as noncurrent in a classified statement of financial position. The Company adopted 
this standard as of December 27, 2015, with prospective application. The adoption of ASU No. 2015-17 had no impact on 
the Company’s Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income.  

In  April  2015,  the  FASB  issued  ASU  No.  2015-03,  Interest-Imputation  of  Interest,  which  updates  guidance  on  the 
presentation of debt issuance costs. The guidance requires debt issuance costs to be presented as a direct deduction of debt 
balances on the statement of financial position, similar to the presentation of debt discounts. The guidance is effective for 
fiscal  years,  and  for  interim  periods  within  those  fiscal  years,  beginning  after  December  15,  2015,  with  early  adoption 
permitted. We will comply with this guidance in fiscal year 2016. We do not expect the standard will have a significant 
impact on our consolidated financial statements.   

In  May  2014,  the  FASB  issued  ASU  No.  2014-09,  Revenue  from  Contracts  with  Customers  ("ASU  2014-09"),  which 
supersedes nearly all existing revenue recognition guidance under GAAP. The core principle of ASU 2014-09 is to recognize 
revenues when promised goods or services are transferred to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which 
an entity expects to be entitled for those goods or services. ASU 2014-09 defines a five step process to achieve this core 
principle and, in doing so, more judgment and estimates may be required within the revenue recognition process than are 
required under existing GAAP.  The standard is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017, and interim 
periods therein.  We are currently evaluating the impact of our pending adoption of ASU 2014-09, although based on the 
nature of our business we do not expect the standard will have a significant impact on our consolidated financial statements.   

We reviewed all other significant newly-issued accounting pronouncements and concluded that they either are not applicable 
to our operations or that no material effect is expected on our consolidated financial statements as a result of future adoption. 

2. SIGNIFICANT BUSINESS TRANSACTIONS 

2013 follow-on offering 

On April 23, 2013, the Company completed an underwritten, follow-on equity offering of 6.9 million shares of common stock 
at a price of $5.00 per share to the public. After deducting underwriting discounts, commissions, and other offering expenses, 
the net proceeds to DRH from the offering were $31.9 million. Refer to our Form S-1/A filed on April 15, 2013 for additional 
information. 

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DIVERSIFIED RESTAURANT HOLDINGS AND SUBSIDIARIES, INC. 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 

Sale leaseback transactions 

On October 6, 2014, the Company entered into a sale leaseback agreement for $24.6 million with a third-party Real Estate 
Investment Trust (“REIT”). The arrangement includes the sale of 12 properties, six Bagger Dave’s locations and six BWW 
locations. In Q4 2014, we closed on ten of the 12 properties, with total proceeds of $19.1 million.  In connection with the 
closing of the sale-leaseback transactions in Q4 2014, the Company recorded losses of approximately $0.5 million, which is 
included in loss on disposal of property and equipment on the Consolidated Statements of Operations. The Company also 
recorded deferred gains of $2.3 million for the properties sold at a gain as of December 28, 2014. We closed on the two 
remaining properties in June 2015 and August 2015. We received total proceeds of $5.6 million and recorded losses of $0.4 
million,  which  is  recorded  in  impairment  and  loss  on  asset  disposals  on  the  Consolidated  Statements  of  Operations.  In 
pursuant  to  the  terms  of  each  sale-leaseback  transaction,  we  transferred  title  of  the  real  property  to  the  purchaser  after 
final inspection and, in turn, entered into separate leases with the purchaser having a 15-year basic operating lease term plus 
four separate 5-year renewal options. At December 27, 2015, $0.2 million of the deferred gain was recorded in other accrued 
liabilities and $2.0 million of the deferred gain was recorded in other liabilities on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. The 
gains will be recognized into income as an offset to rent expense over the life of the related lease agreements. See Notes 6 
and 13 for additional information. 

3. ACQUISITIONS 

Florida – June 30, 2014 

On June 30, 2014, the Company completed the acquisition of substantially all of the assets of Screamin’ Hot Florida, LLC 
and Screamin’ Hot Trinity, LLC, each a Florida limited liability company. The assets consist of three BWW restaurants in 
Clearwater, Port Richey and Oldsmar, Florida (collectively, the “Florida 2014 Acquisition”). The purchase price was $3.2 
million in cash, subject to working capital adjustment, and one-half of the transfer fees imposed by BWLD under its franchise 
agreements  for  Florida  2014  Acquisition.  After  the  acquisition,  the  Company  owns  the  entire  Tampa,  FL  BWW  market, 
giving DRH control of the local Advertising Co-Op. This ownership provides DRH a unique opportunity to gain local market 
scale, in addition to providing greater geographic diversity to the Company’s restaurant portfolio. 

The following table summarizes the estimated fair values of net assets acquired and liabilities assumed: 

Working capital .............................................................................................................................................  $
Property and equipment .................................................................................................................................  
Franchise fees ................................................................................................................................................  
Goodwill ........................................................................................................................................................  
Net Cash paid for acquisition .....................................................................................................................  $

57,600 
656,146 
72,750 
2,419,854 
3,206,350 

The  excess of the  purchase price  over  the  aggregate  fair value  of  assets acquired is allocated  to goodwill,  which will  be 
deductible  for  tax  purposes.  The  results  of  operations  of  these  locations  are  included  in  our  Consolidated  Statements  of 
Operations  from  the  date  of  acquisition.  The  Company  found  it  impracticable  to  report  the  supplemental  pro  forma 
information for the Florida 2014 Acquisition due to the lack of available information. 

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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 

The results of operations from the acquisition are included in the Company's results beginning June 30, 2014. The actual 
amounts of revenue and operating loss included in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Operations for the year 
ended December 28, 2014 are $3.1 million and $135,796, respectively. 

St. Louis - June 29, 2015 

On June 29, 2015, the Company, completed the acquisition of substantially all of the assets of A Sure Wing, LLC, a Missouri 
limited liability company (“ASW”). The assets acquired consist primarily of 18 existing BWW restaurants, 15 in Missouri 
and three in Illinois. As consideration for the acquisition of the assets, the Company paid $54.0 million in cash at closing, 
subject to adjustment for cash on hand, inventory and certain prorated items. Seller reimbursed the Company for one-half of 
all  fees  imposed by  BWLD under  its  franchise  agreements  for the  transfer  of  these  restaurants.  The  acquisition  provides 
greater geographic diversity to the Company’s restaurant portfolio. 

The following table summarizes the estimated fair values of net assets acquired and liabilities assumed: 

Working capital .............................................................................................................................................  $ 
Fixed assets ....................................................................................................................................................  
Intangible assets .............................................................................................................................................  
Favorable lease ..............................................................................................................................................  
Unfavorable lease ..........................................................................................................................................  
Goodwill ........................................................................................................................................................  

413,232 
13,993,000 
505,000 
112,344 
(58,797) 
39,098,451 

Net Cash paid for acquisition .....................................................................................................................  $ 

54,063,230 

The  excess of the  purchase price  over  the  aggregate  fair value  of  assets acquired is allocated  to goodwill,  which will  be 
deductible  for  tax  purposes.  The  results  of  operations  of  these  locations  are  included  in  our  Consolidated  Statements  of 
Operations from the date of acquisition. 

The  following  table  summarizes  the  unaudited  pro  forma  financial  information  as  if  the  acquisition  had  occurred  at  the 
beginning of the periods presented: 

Fiscal Years Ended  

December 27, 
2015 

December 28, 
2014 

Revenue .............................................................................................................................    $  193,481,326    $ 168,221,665 
684,575 
Net income (loss)  ..............................................................................................................    
0.03 
Basic earnings (loss) per share ...........................................................................................    
0.03 
Diluted earnings (loss) per share .......................................................................................    

(15,250,523)   
(0.58)   
(0.58)   

The results of operations from the acquisition are included in the Company's results beginning June 29, 2015. The actual 
amounts of revenue and net income that are included in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Operations for the 
period  of  June  29,  2015  to  December  27,  2015  is  $20.9  million  and  $25,095,  respectively.  For  additional  information 
pertaining to the ASW acquisition refer to the 8-K/a filed on September 3, 2015. 

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DIVERSIFIED RESTAURANT HOLDINGS AND SUBSIDIARIES, INC. 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 

4. IMPAIRMENTS, DISPOSALS AND EXIT COSTS 

During 2015, the Company decided to close 12 underperforming locations, eight in Indiana, three in Michigan and one in 
Florida (the “ 2015 Restaurant Closures”). The Company closed these restaurants during the third and fourth quarters of 2015. 
In connection with the 2015 Restaurant Closures, the Company recorded expenses of $10.9 million, including property and 
equipment impairment charges, exit costs associated with lease obligations, employee terminations and other closure related 
obligations. The Company expects to incur minimal charges in fiscal 2016 related to these closures. 

The following table summarizes the Company’s accrual activity related to facility closure and other costs, primarily associated 
with the 2015 Restaurant Closures during the fiscal year ended December 27, 2015: 

Fiscal 
2015 

Beginning of the year .......................................................................................................................................     $ 
Charges ............................................................................................................................................................    
Cash payments .................................................................................................................................................    

— 
1,414,308 
(75,122) 

End of the year .................................................................................................................................................     $  1,339,186 

At December 27, 2015, $0.9 million of fixed and intangible assets for the closed locations are held for sale, which is recorded 
in Property and equipment on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. We anticipate auctioning the assets held for sale in First 
Quarter 2016.  

Based on impairment indicators that existed at December 27, 2015, the Company performed an impairment analysis on its 
long-lived  assets  subject  to  amortization  and  recorded  a  fixed  asset  impairment  of  $2.8  million  related  to  four 
underperforming Bagger Dave's locations. The impairment charge was recorded to the extent that the carrying amount of the 
assets were not considered recoverable based on the estimated discounted cash flows and the underlying fair value of the 
assets, which was recorded in impairment and loss on asset disposals on the Consolidated Statements of Operations for 2015. 
For fiscal years ended December 28, 2014 and December 29, 2013, no impairment losses were recognized.  

The following is a summary of the expenses recognized in the Consolidated Statement of Operations during the year ended 
December 27, 2015 related to the restaurant closures and impairment of property and equipment:  

Description 
Property and equipment impairments .........................................     Impairment and loss on asset disposals 
Facility closure and other expenses ............................................     Occupancy costs 
Severance expense ......................................................................     Compensation costs 

Location in the Consolidated 
statement of Operations 

   $

Fiscal 
2015 
12,778,155 
733,834 
154,764 

   $

13,666,753 

During 2015, 2014 and 2013, the Company recorded other asset disposal losses of $1.5 million, $1.0 million and $.1 million, 
respectively.  

61 

 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
     
 
 
 
DIVERSIFIED RESTAURANT HOLDINGS AND SUBSIDIARIES, INC. 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 

We are currently monitoring several restaurants in regards to the valuation of long-lived assets and have developed plans to 
continue improvement of operating results. As we periodically refine our estimated future operating results, changes in our 
estimates and assumptions may cause us to realize impairment charges in the future that could be material. 

5. INVESTMENTS 

Investments consist of available-for-sale securities that are carried at fair value. Available-for-sale securities are classified as 
current assets based upon our intent and ability to use any and all of the securities as necessary to satisfy the operational 
requirements of our business. Based on the call date of the investments, all securities have maturities of one year or less. 
Unrealized losses are charged against net earnings when a decline in fair value is determined to be other than temporary. In 
the First Quarter 2015, DRH opted to discontinue investing in debt securities and determined investing in a highly liquid 
money  market  account  was  a  better  fit  for  the  Company's  liquidity  needs.  As  of  December  27,  2015,  the  outstanding 
investments held at December 28, 2014 had fully matured and have been redeemed. 

The  amortized  cost,  gross  unrealized  holding  gains,  gross  unrealized  holding  loss,  and  fair  value  of  available-for-sale 
securities by type are as follows:  

December 28, 2014 

Amortized 
Cost 

Unrealized 
Gains 

Unrealized 
Loss 

Estimated 
Fair Value 

Debt securities: 
Obligations of states/municipals .................................................    $  1,190,261    $ 
Corporate securities ....................................................................     1,732,734    
Total debt securities ..................................................................    $  2,922,995    $ 

—    $ 
—    
—    $ 

(4,278)   $ 1,185,983 
(1,485 )    1,731,249 
(5,763)   $ 2,917,232 

Gross unrealized gains and losses on available-for-sale securities, recorded in accumulated other comprehensive loss were as 
follows: 

Unrealized gain ..............................................................................................................    $ 
Unrealized loss ..............................................................................................................    
Net unrealized loss .........................................................................................................    
Deferred federal income tax benefit ..............................................................................    
Net unrealized loss on investments, net of deferred income tax ....................................    $ 

—    $ 

(5,763)   
(5,763)   
1,959    
(3,804)   $ 

236 
(44,442) 
(44,206) 
15,030 
(29,176) 

December 28, 
2014 

December 29, 
2013 

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DIVERSIFIED RESTAURANT HOLDINGS AND SUBSIDIARIES, INC. 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 

6. PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT, NET 

Property and equipment are comprised of the following: 

December 27, 
2015 

Land ...............................................................................................................................    $
Building .........................................................................................................................    
Equipment ......................................................................................................................    
Furniture and fixtures ....................................................................................................    
Leasehold improvements ...............................................................................................    
Restaurant construction in progress ...............................................................................    
Total ...............................................................................................................................    
Less accumulated depreciation ......................................................................................    
Property and equipment, net ......................................................................................    $

37,500    $

2,339,219    
32,912,992    
8,194,060    
72,148,545    
1,768,027    
117,400,343    
(38,210,682)   
79,189,661    $

December 28, 
2014 
3,087,514 
2,339,219 
29,251,119 
7,458,292 
56,971,815 
4,731,045 
103,839,004 
(32,330,054) 
71,508,950 

Depreciation  expense  was  $16.6  million,  $10.9  million,  and  $7.9  million  during  the  years  ended  December  27,  2015, 
December 28, 2014 and December 29, 2013, respectively. 

At December 28, 2014, approximately $2.2 million of our restaurant construction in progress was subject to the sale leaseback 
transaction described in Note 2. 

7. INTANGIBLE ASSETS 

Intangible assets are comprised of the following: 

December 27, 
2015 

December 28, 
2014 

Amortized intangible assets 
Franchise fees ................................................................................................................    $
Trademark ......................................................................................................................    
Non-compete .................................................................................................................    
Favorable operating leases .............................................................................................    
Loan fees ........................................................................................................................    
Total ...............................................................................................................................    

1,278,142    $
66,826    
76,560    
351,344    
751,070    
2,523,942    

647,363 
64,934 
76,560 
239,000 
130,377 
1,158,234 

Less accumulated amortization ......................................................................................    
Amortized intangible assets, net .................................................................................    

(557,527)   
1,966,415    

(377,839) 
780,395 

Unamortized intangible assets 
Liquor licenses ...............................................................................................................    
Total intangible assets, net ..........................................................................................    $

2,017,618    
3,984,033    $

2,136,103 
2,916,498 

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DIVERSIFIED RESTAURANT HOLDINGS AND SUBSIDIARIES, INC. 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 

Amortization expense for the years ended December 27, 2015, December 28, 2014 and December 29, 2013 was $102,736, 
$62,008  and  $55,469,  respectively.  Amortization  of  favorable/unfavorable  leases  and  loan  fees  are  reflected  as  part  of 
occupancy and interest expense, respectively. Loan fees written off to interest expense during the years ended December 27, 
2015, December 28, 2014 and December 29, 2013 were $117,339, $308,497 and $76,407, respectively.  

Based on the current intangible assets and their estimated useful lives, future intangible-related expense for the next five years 
and thereafter is projected as follows: 

Year 

2016 ...............................................................................................................................................................  $
2017 ...............................................................................................................................................................  
2018 ...............................................................................................................................................................  
2019 ...............................................................................................................................................................  
2020 ...............................................................................................................................................................  
Thereafter .......................................................................................................................................................  

Amount 

262,945 
261,409 
259,734 
259,176 
182,973 
740,178 

Total ..............................................................................................................................................................  $

1,966,415 

The aggregate weighted-average amortization period for intangible assets is 11.3 years.   

8. OTHER ACCRUED LIABILITES 

Sales tax payable............................................................................................................    $ 
Accrued interest .............................................................................................................    
Closure liability - current  ..............................................................................................    
Other ..............................................................................................................................    

987,795    $ 
495,365     
1,008,707     
1,171,344     

770,938 
138,538  
—  
448,034  

Total accrued other liabilities ..................................................................................    

3,663,211     

1,357,510  

December 27, 
2015 

December 28, 
2014 

9. RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS 

Fees for monthly accounting and financial statement services are paid to an entity owned by a member of the DRH Board of 
Directors and a stockholder of the Company. Fees paid during the years ended December 27, 2015, December 28, 2014 and 
December 29, 2013 were $596,856, $515,948 and $405,187, respectively. As of December 27, 2015 and December 28, 2014, 
we had unpaid fees of $14,631 and $900, respectively.  

See Note 13 for related party operating lease transactions. 

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DIVERSIFIED RESTAURANT HOLDINGS AND SUBSIDIARIES, INC. 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 

10. LONG-TERM DEBT 

Long-term debt consists of the following obligations:   

Note payable - $120.0 million term loan; payable to Citizens with a senior lien on all the 
Company’s personal property and fixtures. Scheduled monthly principal payments are 
approximately $833,333 plus accrued interest through maturity in June 2020. Interest is 
charged based on one-month LIBOR plus an applicable margin, which ranges from 2.25% to 
3.5%, depending on the lease adjusted leverage ratio defined in the terms of the agreement. 
The rate at December 27, 2015 was approximately 3.86%.  .........................................................    $

115,833,333    $

— 

December 27, 
2015 

December 28, 
2014 

Note payable - $30.0 million development line of credit; payable to Citizens with a senior lien 
on all the Company’s personal property and fixtures. Payments are due monthly once fully 
drawn and matures in June 2020. Interest is charged based on one-month LIBOR plus an 
applicable margin, which ranges from 2.25% to 3.5%, depending on the lease adjusted 
leverage ratio defined in the terms of the agreement. Once fully drawn, payments will be due 
monthly; the note matures June 2020. The rate at December 27, 2015 was approximately 
3.86%.  .........................................................................................................................................    

11,090,323    

Note payable - $56.0 million term loan; payable to Citizens with a senior lien on all the 
Company’s personal property and fixtures. Scheduled monthly principal payments are 
approximately $666,667 plus accrued interest through maturity in December 2019. Interest was 
charged based on one-month LIBOR plus an applicable margin, which ranges from 2.25% to 
3.15%, depending on the lease adjusted leverage ratio defined in the terms of the agreement. 
The rate at December 28, 2014 was approximately 2.7%. ............................................................    

Note payable - $20.0 million development line of credit; payable to Citizens with a senior lien 
on all the Company’s personal property and fixtures. Payments are due monthly once fully 
drawn and matures in December 2019. Interest was charged based on one-month LIBOR plus 
an applicable margin, which ranges from 2.25% to 3.15%, depending on the lease adjusted 
leverage ratio defined in the terms of the agreement. The rate at December 28, 2014 was 
approximately 2.7%. .....................................................................................................................    

—    

56,000,000 

—    

5,768,399 

Unamortized discount ...................................................................................................................    

(322,349)   

— 

Total debt .....................................................................................................................................    

126,601,307    

61,768,399 

Less current portion ......................................................................................................................    

(9,918,827)   

(8,155,903) 

Long-term debt, net of current portion ....................................................................................    $

116,682,480    $

53,612,496 

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DIVERSIFIED RESTAURANT HOLDINGS AND SUBSIDIARIES, INC. 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 

On December 16, 2014, the Company entered into a $77.0 million senior secured credit facility with Citizens (the “December 
2014 Senior Secured Credit Facility”).  The December 2014 Senior Secured Credit Facility consist of a $56.0 million term 
loan (the “December 2014 Term Loan”), a $20.0 million development line of credit (the “December 2014 DLOC”), and a 
$1.0 million revolving line of credit (the “December 2014 RLOC”). The Company used approximately $35.5 million of the 
December 2014 Term Loan to refinance existing outstanding debt with Citizens and used approximately $20.0 million of the 
December 2014 Term Loan to refinance and term out the outstanding balance of the existing development line of credit loan 
between the Company and Citizens.   The remaining balance of the December 2014 Term Loan, approximately $0.5 million, 
was  used  to  pay  the  fees,  costs,  and  expenses  associated  with  the  closing  of  the  December  2014  Senior  Secured  Credit 
Facility.  The December 2014 Term Loan was for a period of five years.  Payments of principal were based upon an 84 
months straight-line amortization schedule, with monthly principal payments of $666,667 plus accrued interest.  The interest 
rate for the December 2014 Term Loan was LIBOR plus an applicable margin, which ranged from 2.25% to 3.15%, depending 
on the lease adjusted leverage ratio defined in the terms of the agreement.  The entire remaining outstanding principal and 
accrued interest on the December 2014 Term Loan was due and payable on the maturity date of December 16, 2019.  The 
December 2014 DLOC was for a term of two years and was convertible upon maturity into a term note based on the terms of 
the  agreement  at  which  time  monthly  principal  payments  would  be  due  based  on  a  84  months  straight-line  amortization 
schedule, plus interest, through maturity on December 16, 2014. The December 2014 RLOC was for a term of two years and 
no amount was outstanding as of December 28, 2014. 

In conjunction with the June 29, 2015 acquisition described in Note 3, the Company, entered into a $155.0 million Senior 
Secured Credit Facility (the “June 2015 Senior Secured Credit Facility”) with Citizens as administrative agent for the Lenders 
party thereto. The June 2015 Senior Secured Credit Facility consists of a $120.0 million term loan ("June 2015 Term Loan"), 
a $30.0 million development line of credit ("June 2015 DLOC"), and a $5.0 million revolving line of credit ("June 2015 
RLOC"). The Company immediately used approximately $65.5 million of the June 2015 Term Loan to refinance existing 
outstanding debt and $54.0 million of the June 2015 Term Loan to finance the acquisition. The remaining balance of the June 
2015 Term Loan, approximately $0.5 million, was used to pay the fees, costs and expenses arising in connection with the 
closing of the loans constituting the June 2015 Senior Secured Credit Facility.  

The  June  2015  Term  Loan  is  for  a  term  of  five  years.  Payments  of  principal  shall  be  based  upon  a  12-year  straight-line 
amortization schedule, with monthly principal payments of $833,333 plus accrued interest. The interest rate for the June 2015 
Term Loan is LIBOR plus an applicable margin which ranges from 2.25% to 3.5%. The entire remaining outstanding principal 
and accrued interest on the June 2015 Term Loan is due and payable on June 29, 2020. The June 2015 DLOC is for a term 
of two years and is convertible upon maturity into a term note based on the terms of the agreement at which time monthly 
principal  payments  will  be  due  based  on  a  12-year  straight-line  amortization  schedule,  plus  interest  at  LIBOR  plus  an 
applicable margin, through maturity on June 29, 2020. The June 2015 RLOC is for a term of five years and bears interest at 
LIBOR plus an applicable margin. As of December 27, 2015 no amounts were outstanding. Fees related to the term debt and 
paid directly to lenders were recorded as debt discount. Debt discount totaled $322,349, net of accumulated amortization at 
December  27,  2015.  Debt  issuance  costs  represents  legal,  consulting,  and  financial  costs  associated  with  debt  financing, 
which totaled approximately $674,955 at December 27, 2015. Debt discount and debt issuance cost are amortized over the 
life of the debt and are recorded in interest expense using the effective interest method. The Company’s evaluation of the 
June 2015 debt refinancing concluded that the terms of the debt were not substantially modified. 

66 

 
 
 
 
 
DIVERSIFIED RESTAURANT HOLDINGS AND SUBSIDIARIES, INC. 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 

Based on the long-term debt terms that existed at December 27, 2015, the scheduled principal maturities, net of unamortized 
discount, for the next five years and thereafter are summarized as follows: 

2016 ...............................................................................................................................................................  $
2017 ...............................................................................................................................................................  
2018 ...............................................................................................................................................................  
2019 ...............................................................................................................................................................  
2020 ...............................................................................................................................................................  
Thereafter .......................................................................................................................................................  

Amount 

9,918,827 
10,480,330 
11,042,033 
11,047,760 
84,112,357 
— 

Total ..............................................................................................................................................................  $ 126,601,307 

Interest expense was $4.2 million, $2.3 million and $1.7 million for the years ended December 27, 2015, December 28, 2014 
and December 29, 2013, respectively. 

The current debt agreement contains various customary financial covenants generally based on the performance of the specific 
borrowing entity and other related entities. The more significant covenants consist of a minimum debt service coverage ratio 
and a maximum lease adjusted leverage ratio. In connection with the August 2015 closure of three locations discussed in 
Note  4, during  the Third  Quarter  the  Company  violated one of  its  non-financial  loan covenants related  to  the number  of 
allowable restaurant closures. In the Third Quarter our primary lender modified our covenants within our debt agreement to 
allow for the closure of specified locations and one time transaction fees associated with the St. Louis acquisition and the 
wage-claim  settlement,  discussed  in  Note  14.  As  of  December  27,  2015  the  Company  was  in  compliance  with  the  loan 
covenants. 

At December 27, 2015, the Company has six interest rate swap agreements to fix a portion of the interest rates on its variable 
rate debt. The swap agreements all qualify for hedge accounting. Under the swap agreements, the Company receives interest 
at the one-month LIBOR and pays a fixed rate. Since these swap agreements qualify for hedge accounting, the changes in 
fair value are recorded in other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax. See Note 1 and Note 17 for additional information 
pertaining to interest rate swaps. 

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DIVERSIFIED RESTAURANT HOLDINGS AND SUBSIDIARIES, INC. 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 

The following summarizes the fair values of derivative instruments designated as cash flow hedges which were outstanding: 

Notional amounts     Derivative assets 

   Derivative liabilities 

December 27, 2015 

Interest rate swaps 

Expires 
April 2019 

Rate 
April 2012 ..................   1.4% 
October 2012 ..............   0.9%  October 2017 
July 2013 ....................   1.4% 
May 2014....................   1.5% 
January 2015 ..............   1.8%  December 2019 
August 2015 ...............   2.3% 

April 2018 
April 2018 

June 2020 

$

7,619,048     $ 
3,214,286    
8,190,476    
11,428,571    
20,547,619    
49,696,875    

Total ................................    

$

100,696,875     $ 

—      $ 
—    
—    
—    
—    
—    

—      $ 

56,280 
3,027 
60,164 
122,716 
415,459 
867,609 

1,525,255 

Interest rate swaps 

Rate 
April 2012 ..................   1.4% 
October 2012 ..............   0.9%  October 2017 
July 2013 ....................   1.4% 
May 2014....................   1.5% 

April 2018 
April 2018 

Expires 
April 2019 

Total ................................    

11. STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION 

Notional amounts     Derivative assets 

   Derivative liabilities 

December 28, 2014 

$

$

9,904,762     $ 
4,071,429    
11,619,048    
12,857,143    

38,452,382     $ 

—      $ 

3,119    
—    
—    

3,119      $ 

73,492 
— 
106,061 
83,192 

262,745 

The Company established a Stock Incentive Plan in 2011 (“Stock Incentive Plan”) to attract and retain directors, consultants, 
and team members and to align their interests with the interests of the Company’s shareholders through the opportunity for 
increased stock ownership.  The plan permits the grant and award of 750,000 shares of common stock by way of stock options 
and/or restricted stock.  Stock options must be awarded at exercise prices at least equal to or greater than 100.0% of the fair 
market value of the shares on the date of grant. The options will expire no later than 10 years from the date of grant, with 
vesting terms to be defined at grant date, ranging from a vesting schedule based on performance to a vesting schedule that 
extends over a period of time as selected by the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors (the “Committee”) or 
another committee as determined by the Board of Directors. The Committee also determines the grant, issuance, retention, 
and vesting timing and conditions of awards of restricted stock. The Committee may place limitations, such as continued 
employment, passage of time, and/or performance measures, on restricted stock. Awards of restricted stock may not provide 
for vesting or settlement in full of restricted stock over a period of less than one year from the date the award is made. 

68 

 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
     
     
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
     
     
  
 
 
  
 
 
DIVERSIFIED RESTAURANT HOLDINGS AND SUBSIDIARIES, INC. 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 

Restricted stock awards 

During fiscal 2015, 2014, and 2013, restricted shares were issued to certain team members at a weighted-average grant date 
fair value of $3.56, $4.82, and $5.85, respectively.  Restricted shares are generally granted with a per share purchase price at 
100.0% of the fair market value on the date of grant. Based on the Stock Award Agreement, shares vest ratably over a three 
or  one  year  period  or  upon  the  three  years  anniversary  of  the  granted  shares,  the  vesting  terms  are  determined  by  the 
Committee.   Unrecognized stock-based compensation expense of $559,509 at December 27, 2015 will be recognized over 
the  remaining  weighted-average  vesting  period  of  1.9  years.  The  total  fair  value  of  shares  vested  during  years  ended 
December  27,  2015,  December  28,  2014,  and  December  29,  2013  was  $197,045,  $193,996,  and  $169,593, 
respectively.  Under the Stock Incentive Plan, there are 365,051 shares available for future awards at December 27, 2015. 

The following table presents the restricted stock transactions for fiscal 2015: 

Unvested, December 28, 2014 .....................................................................................................................  
Granted ..........................................................................................................................................................  
Vested ............................................................................................................................................................  
Vested shares tax portion ...............................................................................................................................  
Forfeited.........................................................................................................................................................  
Unvested, December 27, 2015 .....................................................................................................................  

The following table presents the restricted stock transactions for fiscal 2014: 

Unvested, December 29, 2013 .....................................................................................................................  
Granted ..........................................................................................................................................................  
Vested ............................................................................................................................................................  
Forfeited.........................................................................................................................................................  
Unvested, December 28, 2014 .....................................................................................................................  

The following table presents the restricted stock transactions for fiscal 2013: 

Number of 
Restricted 
Stock Shares 
164,867 
131,752 
(45,521) 
(1,387) 
(8,587) 
241,124 

Number of 
Restricted 
Stock Shares 
116,667 
91,966 
(41,031) 
(2,735) 
164,867 

Number of 
Restricted 
Stock Shares 

Unvested, December 30, 2012 .....................................................................................................................  
Granted ..........................................................................................................................................................  
Vested ............................................................................................................................................................  
Forfeited.........................................................................................................................................................  
Unvested, December 29, 2013 .....................................................................................................................  

54,900 
145,575 
(26,700) 
(57,108) 
116,667 

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DIVERSIFIED RESTAURANT HOLDINGS AND SUBSIDIARIES, INC. 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 

On July 30, 2007, DRH granted options for the purchase of 150,000 shares of common stock to the directors of the Company 
at an exercise price of $2.50 per share. These options vested ratably over a three year period and were set to expire six years 
from issuance, July 30, 2013. At December 29, 2013, all 150,000 options were fully vested and were exercised either through 
cash or cashless exercise at a price of $2.50 per share. The intrinsic value of options exercised in 2013 was $679,680.  

On July 30, 2010, prior to the Stock Incentive Plan, DRH granted options for the purchase of 210,000 shares of common 
stock to the directors of the Company.  These options are fully vested and expire six years from issuance, July 30, 2016.  Once 
vested, the options can be exercised at a price of $2.50 per share. On August 13, 2015, 30,000 shares were exercised at a 
price of $2.50 per share. The intrinsic value of options exercised were $6,300. At December 27, 2015, 180,000 shares of 
authorized  common  stock  are  reserved  for  issuance  to  provide  for  the  exercise  of  these  options.  The  intrinsic  value  of 
outstanding options was $19,800, $522,900, and $514,500 as of December 27, 2015, December 28, 2014 and December 29, 
2013, respectively. 

Employee stock purchase plan 

The Company also reserved 250,000 shares of common stock for issuance under the Employee Stock Purchase Plan (“ESPP”). 
The ESPP is available to team members subject to employment eligibility requirements. Participants may purchase common 
stock at 85.0% of the lesser of the start or end price for the offering period. The plan has four offering periods, each start/end 
dates  coincide  with  the  fiscal  quarter  and  are  awarded  on  the  last  day  of  the  offering  period.  During  the  December  27, 
2015, December 28, 2014 and December 29, 2013 we issued 21,623, 11,015 and 4,624 shares, respectively. Under the ESPP, 
there are 212,589 shares available for future purchase at December 27, 2015. 

Share repurchase program 

In March 2015, the Board of Directors authorized a program to repurchase up to $1.0 million of the Company's common 
stock in open market transactions at market prices or otherwise. In April 2015, we repurchased $98,252 in outstanding shares, 
representing 24,500 shares. The weighted average purchase price per share was $4.01. Upon receipt, the repurchased shares 
were retired and restored to authorized but unissued shares of common stock. 

Stock-based compensation 

Stock-based compensation of $424,414, $338,810 and $278,290 was recognized during the years ended December 27, 2015, 
December  28,  2014  and  December  29,  2013,  respectively,  as  compensation  costs  in  the  Consolidated  Statements  of 
Operations and as additional paid-in capital on the Consolidated Statements of Stockholders' Equity to reflect the fair value 
of shares vested. 

Preferred stock 

The Company has authorized 10,000,000 shares of preferred stock at a par value of $0.0001.  No preferred shares are issued 
or  outstanding  as  of  December  27,  2015.    Any  preferences,  rights,  voting  powers,  restrictions,  dividend  limitations, 
qualifications, and terms and conditions of redemption shall be set forth and adopted by a Board of Directors' resolution prior 
to issuance of any series of preferred stock. 

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DIVERSIFIED RESTAURANT HOLDINGS AND SUBSIDIARIES, INC. 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 

12. INCOME TAXES 

The  benefit  for  income  taxes  consists  of  the  following  components  for  the  fiscal  years  ended  December  27,  2015, 
December 28, 2014 and December 29, 2013: 

Fiscal Years Ended 

December 27, 
2015 

December 28, 
2014 

December 29, 
2013 

Federal 
Current ..............................................................................................   $ 
Deferred ............................................................................................   
State 
Current ..............................................................................................   
Deferred ............................................................................................   
Income tax benefit ...........................................................................   $ 

—    $

—    $ 

(9,073,787)   

(1,628,568)   

— 
(306,951) 

—    
(912,220)   
(9,986,007)   $

127,312    
(205,480)   
(1,706,736)   $ 

74,773 
(29,272) 
(261,450) 

The benefit for income taxes is different from that which would be obtained by applying the statutory federal income tax rate 
to loss before income loss. The items causing this difference are as follows: 

Fiscal Years Ended 

December 27, 
2015 

December 28, 
2014 

December 29, 
2013 

Income tax benefit at federal statutory rate .......................................   $ 
State income tax, net of federal benefit ............................................   
Permanent differences ......................................................................   
Tax credits ........................................................................................   
Income tax benefit ...........................................................................   $ 

(8,900,690)   $
(912,221)   
1,219,947    
(1,393,043)   
(9,986,007)   $

(1,011,580)   $ 
(51,689)   
346,388    
(989,855)   
(1,706,736)   $ 

(43,228) 
30,032 
271,151 
(519,405) 
(261,450) 

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DIVERSIFIED RESTAURANT HOLDINGS AND SUBSIDIARIES, INC. 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 

Deferred  income  taxes  reflect  the  net  tax  effects  of  temporary  differences  between  the  carrying  amounts  of  assets  and 
liabilities for financial reporting purposes and the amounts used for income tax purposes. The Company expects the deferred 
tax assets to be fully realizable prior to expiration. Significant components of the Company's deferred income tax assets and 
liabilities are summarized as follows: 

December 27, 
2015 

December 28, 
2014 

Deferred tax assets: 

Net operating loss carry-forwards ...............................................................................    $
Deferred rent expense .................................................................................................    
Start-up costs ..............................................................................................................    
Tax credit carry-forwards ...........................................................................................    
Interest rate swaps .......................................................................................................    
Investments .................................................................................................................    
Sale leaseback deferred gain .......................................................................................    
Stock-based compensation ..........................................................................................    
Accrued closure liabilities ..........................................................................................    
Other ...........................................................................................................................    
Total deferred tax assets ................................................................................................    

7,368,309    $ 
505,995    
138,832    
4,810,760    
518,589    
—    
734,744    
457,680    
455,324    
835,018    
15,825,251    

915,900 
481,543  
99,261  
3,417,716  
88,121  
1,959  
788,195  
310,790  
—  
397,117  
6,500,602  

Deferred tax liabilities: 

Tax depreciation in excess of book .............................................................................    
Goodwill amortization in excess of book ...................................................................    
Total deferred tax liability .............................................................................................    

1,296,243    
1,208,831    
2,505,074    

3,069,315  
470,647  
3,539,962  

Net deferred income tax assets....................................................................................    $

13,320,177    $ 

2,960,640 

In accordance with the provisions of ASC 740 a valuation allowance is established when it is more likely than not that some 
portion of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. Realization is dependent upon the generation of future taxable income 
or the reversal of deferred tax liabilities during the periods in which those temporary differences become deductible. We 
consider the reversal of deferred tax liabilities, projected future taxable income and tax planning strategies. Since we believe 
sufficient future taxable income will be generated to utilize the benefits of the deferred tax assets, a valuation allowance has 
not  been  recognized.  In  fiscal  2015,  we  had  undergone  significant  changes  to  our  company  structure.  This  includes  the 
disposition  and  acquisition  of  assets,  namely  the  closure  of  12  underperforming  restaurants,  impairment  of  four  Bagger 
Dave’s restaurants and acquisition of 18 profitable BWW restaurants. As such, we believe the changes to our company in 
fiscal 2015 combined with the planned opening of additional BWW restaurants will provide future taxable income prior to 
the expirations of carryfowards, which begin in 2028. Management continually reviews the likelihood that deferred tax assets 
will be realized and the Company recognizes these benefits only as reassessment indicates that it is more likely than not that 
such tax benefits will be realized.  

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DIVERSIFIED RESTAURANT HOLDINGS AND SUBSIDIARIES, INC. 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 

The Company expects to use net operating loss and general business tax credit carryforwards before their 20-year expiration. 
A significant amount of net operating loss carry forwards were created in the past two years with expiration between 2034 
and  2035.  As  of  December  27,  2015,  the  Company  has  available  federal  and  state  net  operating  loss  carryforwards  of 
approximately $21.4 million and $17.6 million, respectively. Of that amount, approximately $600,000 relates to stock-based 
compensation tax deductions in excess of book compensation expense that will be credited to additional paid in capital in 
future  periods  when  such  deductions  reduce  taxes  payable  as  determined  based  on  a  "with-and-without"  approach.    Net 
operating losses relating to such benefits are not included in the table above. General business tax credits of $4.8 million will 
expire between 2028 and 2035.  

The Company applies the provisions of ASC 740 regarding the accounting for uncertainty in income taxes.  There are no 
amounts recorded on the Company's consolidated financial statements for uncertain positions.  The Company classifies all 
interest and penalties as income tax expense.  There are no accrued interest amounts or penalties related to uncertain tax 
positions as of December 27, 2015. 

The Company files income tax returns in the United States federal jurisdiction and various state jurisdictions, and is subject 
to U.S. Federal, state, and local income tax examinations for tax years 2011 through 2014. 

13. OPERATING LEASES (INCLUDING RELATED PARTIES) 

The Company's lease terms generally include renewal options, and frequently require us to pay a proportionate share of real 
estate taxes, insurance, common area maintenance, and other operating costs. Some restaurant leases provide for contingent 
rental payments based on sales thresholds. 

Total  rent  expense  was  $10.0  million,  $5.5  million  and  $5.0  million  for  the  fiscal  years  ended  December  27,  2015, 
December 28, 2014 and December 29, 2013, respectively (of which $0, $112,955 and $80,216 for the fiscal years ended 
December 27, 2015, December 28, 2014 and December 29, 2013, respectively, were paid to a related parties). On October 
30, 2014, Detroit Burgers, Inc., one of our wholly-owned subsidiaries, acquired 100.0% of the membership interests of DMM 
Group, LLC from a trust controlled by the spouse of our President, CEO and Chairman, T. Michael Ansley for $250,000. 
DMM Group’s sole asset is the land and improvements used for our Detroit Bagger Dave’s restaurant. Also, on October 30, 
2014 Berkley Burgers, Inc., owned by a related party, sold 100.0% of their membership interests to a third-party REIT, which 
was also the group that purchased a number of locations from the Company as part of our sales leaseback transaction, as 
described in Note 2. 

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DIVERSIFIED RESTAURANT HOLDINGS AND SUBSIDIARIES, INC. 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 

Scheduled future minimum lease payments for each of the five years and thereafter for non-cancelable operating leases for 
existing restaurants with initial or remaining lease terms in excess of one year at December 27, 2015 are summarized as 
follows: 

Year 

2016 ...............................................................................................................................................................  $
2017 ...............................................................................................................................................................  
2018 ...............................................................................................................................................................  
2019 ...............................................................................................................................................................  
2020 ...............................................................................................................................................................  
Thereafter .......................................................................................................................................................  

Amount 

10,997,865 
10,954,711 
10,444,798 
9,599,795 
9,156,279 
45,131,930 

Total ..............................................................................................................................................................  $

96,285,378 

Scheduled future minimum lease payments for each of the five years and thereafter for non-cancelable operating leases for 
restaurants  under  development,  with  initial  or  remaining  lease  terms  in  excess  of  one  year  at  December  27,  2015  are 
summarized as follows: 

Year 

2016 ...............................................................................................................................................................  $
2017 ...............................................................................................................................................................  
2018 ...............................................................................................................................................................  
2019 ...............................................................................................................................................................  
2020 ...............................................................................................................................................................  
Thereafter .......................................................................................................................................................  

Total ..............................................................................................................................................................  $

Amount 

224,167 
340,000 
340,000 
340,000 
340,000 
3,820,297 
5,404,464 

14. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES 

The Company’s ADA requires DRH to open 42 restaurants by April 1, 2021.  As of December 27, 2015, we have opened 27 
of the 42 restaurants required by the ADA.  With the remaining 15 restaurants, we expect the Company will operate 77 BWW 
restaurants by 2020, exclusive of potential additional BWW restaurant acquisitions.   

The Company is required to pay BWLD royalties (5.0% of net sales) and advertising fund contributions (3.0% of net sales 
globally plus an additional 0.25% or 0.5% of net sales for certain metropolitan cities) for the term of the individual franchise 
agreements. The Company incurred $7.2 million, $5.3 million, and $4.7 million in royalty expense for the fiscal years ended 
December 27, 2015, December 28, 2014 and December 29, 2013, respectively. Advertising fund contribution expenses were 
$4.6  million,  $3.5  million,  and  $2.8  million  for  the  fiscal  years  ended  December  27,  2015,  December  28,  2014  and 
December 29, 2013, respectively.  Amounts are recorded in Other operating cost on the Consolidated Statement of Operations. 

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DIVERSIFIED RESTAURANT HOLDINGS AND SUBSIDIARIES, INC. 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 

The Company is required by its various BWLD franchise agreements to modernize the restaurants during the term of the 
agreements.  The individual agreements generally require improvements between the fifth and tenth year to meet the most 
current design model that BWLD has approved.  The modernization costs for a restaurant can range from approximately 
$50,000 to approximately $1.3 million depending on an individual restaurant's needs. 

In  2013  we  had  a  defined  contribution  401(k)  plan  whereby  eligible  team  members  could  contribute  pre-tax  wages  in 
accordance with the provisions of the plan. We matched 100.0% of the first 3.0% and 50.0% of the next 2.0% of contributions 
made by eligible team members. Matching contributions of approximately $250,001 were made by us during the year ended 
December 29, 2013. Effective January 1, 2014, the Company ceased the matching program in favor of an annual discretionary 
contribution to the 401(k) plan. For fiscal 2015 and 2014, the discretionary match was 100.0% of 2.0% contributed, which 
equated to $156,472 and $168,446, respectively. 

In October 2015, the Company settled two collective actions alleging violations of fair labor standards acts and minimum 
wage laws. The first action, Tammy Wolverton et al v. Diversified Restaurant Holdings, Inc. et al, was filed on March 31, 
2014, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan and made allegations regarding employees in 
Michigan. The second action, Lisa Murphy & Andre D. Jordan, Jr. v. Diversified Restaurants Holdings, Inc., et al, was filed 
on  May  19,  2014,  in  United  States  District  Court  for  the  Northern  District  of  Illinois,  and  made  allegations  involving 
employees in Illinois, Indiana and Florida. 

The  actions,  in  which  the  plaintiffs  were  represented  by  the same  legal  counsel,  contained  mirror  allegations  that  tipped 
servers and bartenders in the Company’s restaurants were required to perform general preparation and maintenance duties, 
or “non-tipped work,” for which they should be compensated at the minimum wage. 

We believe that the Company’s wage and hour policies comply with the law and that we had meritorious defenses to the 
substantive  claims  in  these  matters.  However,  in  light  of  the  potential  cost  and uncertainty  involved, we  settled  with  the 
plaintiffs for $1.9 million plus payroll taxes.  

Prior to June 2015, the Company had not received a specific demand from the plaintiff’s for any calculable amount of damages 
and  an  actuarial  expert  retained  by  the  Company  estimated  potential  damages  of  an  immaterial  amount.  As  a  result,  the 
Company could not have reasonably concluded whether any significant damages were likely or reasonably possible to result 
prior to June 2015. During mediation conducted in June and July of 2015, the Company first received settlement demands 
from the plaintiffs and a reassessment of the matter that provided the Company with information needed to reassess its overall 
risk exposure. Following this mediation process, the Company determined based on the damages sought, cost of defense, and 
cost of human capital, the Company’s best course of action was to move forward with settlement negotiations. 

On December 18, 2015, a collective action was filed against AMC Wings, Inc., and the Company in the U.S. District Court 
for  the  Southern  District  of  Illinois  by  plaintiffs,  David,  et.  al.  A  Sure  Wing,  LLC,  the  seller  of  the  18  St.  Louis  BWW 
restaurants acquired by the Company on June 29, 2015, was also named as a defendant. Plaintiffs primarily allege that former 
and current tipped workers at the above-mentioned companies were assigned to perform tasks outside the scope of their tipped 
positions, in violation of Illinois and federal law. The defendant companies filed their answers to the complaint on February 
22, 2016, and the next status hearing is scheduled for March 18, 2016. At this stage in the process, plaintiffs have not specified 
the amount of their damages claim. The Company has filed an indemnity claim against A Sure Wing, LLC and has received 
a  reciprocal  indemnity  claim  from  A  Sure  Wing,  LLC.  A  Sure  Wing,  LLC  and  the  Company  have  agreed  to  toll  their 
respective  indemnity  claims  pending  resolution  of  the  matter.  This  case  is  in  the  early  stages  and  the  plaintiffs  have  not 
specified the amount of damages, the Company is unable to reasonably estimate a possible loss or range of loss. 

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DIVERSIFIED RESTAURANT HOLDINGS AND SUBSIDIARIES, INC. 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 

Additionally, the Company is subject to ordinary and routine legal proceedings, as well as demands, claims and threatened 
litigation, which arise in the ordinary course of its business.  The ultimate outcome of any litigation is uncertain.  We have 
insured and continue to insure against most of these types of claims. A judgment on any claim not covered by or in excess of 
our insurance coverage could materially adversely affect our financial condition or results of operations. 

15. EARNINGS PER COMMON SHARE 

The following is a reconciliation of basic and fully diluted earnings per common share for the years ended December 27, 
2015, December 28, 2014 and December 29, 2013: 

Fiscal Years Ended 

December 27, 
2015 

December 28, 
2014 

December 29, 
2013 

Income (loss) available to common stockholders .............................    $ 

(16,192,492)   $

(1,268,497 )   $ 

134,308 

Weighted-average shares outstanding ...............................................    
Effect of dilutive securities ...............................................................    

26,211,669     
—     

26,092,919    
—    

23,937,188 
120,884 

Weighted-average shares outstanding - assuming dilution ...............    

26,211,669     

26,092,919    

24,058,072 

Earnings per common share ..............................................................    $ 
Earnings per common share - assuming dilution ..............................    $ 

(0.62)   $
(0.62)   $

(0.05 )   $ 
(0.05 )   $ 

0.01 
0.01 

16. SUPPLEMENTAL CASH FLOWS INFORMATION 

Other Cash Flows Information 

Cash  paid  for  interest  was  $3.1  million,  $1.9  million,  and  $1.7  million  during  the  years  ended  December  27,  2015, 
December 28, 2014 and December 29, 2013, respectively. 

Cash paid for income taxes was $94,290, $22,000 and $65,500 during the years ended December 27, 2015, December 28, 
2014 and December 29, 2013, respectively. 

Supplemental Schedule of Non-Cash Operating, Investing, and Financing Activities 

Noncash investing transactions for property and equipment not yet paid for December 27, 2015, December 28, 2014 and 
December 29, 2013 was $0.5 million, $3.1 million, and $1.9 million. 

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DIVERSIFIED RESTAURANT HOLDINGS AND SUBSIDIARIES, INC. 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 

17. FAIR VALUE OF FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS 

The  guidance  for  fair  value  measurements,  FASB  ASC  820,  Fair  Value  Measurements  and  Disclosures,  establishes  the 
authoritative definition of fair value, sets out a framework for measuring fair value, and outlines the required disclosures 
regarding fair value measurements. Fair value is the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability 
(an exit price) in the principal or most advantageous market for the asset or liability in an orderly transaction between market 
participants at the measurement date. We use a three-tier fair value hierarchy based upon observable and non-observable 
inputs as follows: 

(cid:404)   

(cid:404)   

(cid:404)   

Level 1  Quoted market prices in active markets for identical assets and liabilities; 

Level 2 

Inputs, other than level 1 inputs, either directly or indirectly observable; and 

Level 3  Unobservable  inputs developed using  internal  estimates  and  assumptions  (there  is  little  or  no  market 

data) which reflect those that market participants would use. 

As  of  December  27,  2015  and  December  28,  2014,  respectively,  our  financial  instruments  consisted  of  cash  and  cash 
equivalents; including money market funds, accounts receivable, available-for-sale investments, accounts payable, and debt. 
The fair value of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, and accounts payable approximate carrying value, due to 
their short-term nature. 

The fair value of our interest rate swaps is determined based on valuation models, which utilize quoted interest rate curves to 
calculate the forward value and then discount the forward values to the present period. The Company measures the fair value 
using broker quotes which are generally based on market observable inputs including yield curves and the value associated 
with  counterparty  credit  risk.  Our  interest  rate  swaps  are  classified  as  a  Level  2  measurement  as  these  securities  are  not 
actively traded in the market, but are observable based on transactions associated with bank loans with similar terms and 
maturities. See Note 1 and Note 10 for additional information pertaining to interest rates swaps. 

The estimated fair values of the Company’s investment portfolio are based on prices provided by a third party pricing service 
and  a  third  party  investment  manager.  The  prices  provided  by  these  services  are  based  on  quoted  market  prices,  when 
available, non-binding broker quotes, or matrix pricing. The third party pricing service and the third party investment manager 
provide a single price or quote per security and the Company has not historically adjusted security prices. The Company 
obtains  an  understanding  of  the  methods,  models  and  inputs  used  by  the  third  party  pricing  service  and  the  third  party 
investment manager, and has controls in place to validate that amounts provided represent fair values. Our investments are 
classified as a Level 2 measurement as these securities are not actively traded in the market, but are observable based on the 
quoted prices provided by our Portfolio managers 

As of  December 27, 2015  and December  28, 2014,  our  total  debt  was approximately  $126.6  million  and $61.8  million  , 
respectively, which approximated fair value because the applicable interest rates are adjusted frequently based on short-term 
market rates (Level 2). 

There were no transfers between levels of the fair value hierarchy during the fiscal years ended December 27, 2015 and 
December 28, 2014, respectively. 

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DIVERSIFIED RESTAURANT HOLDINGS AND SUBSIDIARIES, INC. 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 

The following table presents the fair values for those assets and liabilities measured on a recurring basis as of December 27, 
2015: 

FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS 

Description 

   Level 1 

   Level 2 

   Level 3 

Asset/(Liability) 
Total 
2,000,000 
(1,525,255) 

—   $ 
—   

Cash equivalents .....................................................................     $2,000,000    $
Interest rate swaps ..................................................................     

—    (1,525,255)   

—    $ 

Total  ........................................................................................     $2,000,000    $(1,525,255)   $ 

—   $ 

474,745 

The following table presents the fair values for those assets and liabilities measured on a recurring basis as of December 28, 
2014: 

FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS 

Description 

Interest rate swaps ...................................................................    $ 
Debt securities ..........................................................................      
Obligations of states/municipals ................................................    
Corporate securities ...................................................................    
Total debt securities .................................................................    
Total  .........................................................................................    $ 

18. ACCUMULATED OTHER COMPREHENSIVE LOSS 

   Level 1 

   Level 2 
—   $ (259,626)   $ 

   Level 3 

Asset/(Liability) 
Total 

—   $ 

(259,626) 

—    1,185,983    
—    1,731,249    
—    2,917,232    
—   $2,657,606    $ 

—   
—   
—   
—   $ 

1,185,983 
1,731,249 
2,917,232 
2,657,606 

The following table summarizes each component of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss ("OCL"): 

Year Ended December 27, 2015 

Interest Rate 
Swaps 

Investments 

Total 

Beginning balance ............................................................................   $
Gain (loss) recorded to other comprehensive income .......................   
Tax benefit (expense) .......................................................................   
Other comprehensive income (loss) ..................................................   

(171,352)   $ 

(1,265,783)   
430,468    
(835,315)   

(3,804)   $ 
5,763    
(1,959)   
3,804    

(175,156) 
(1,260,020) 
428,509 
(831,511) 

Accumulated OCL ..........................................................................   $

(1,006,667)   $ 

—    $ 

(1,006,667) 

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DIVERSIFIED RESTAURANT HOLDINGS AND SUBSIDIARIES, INC. 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 

Year Ended December 28, 2014 

Interest Rate 
Swaps 

Investments 

Total 

Beginning balance ............................................................................   $
Gain (loss) recorded to other comprehensive income .......................   
Tax benefit (expense) .......................................................................   
Other comprehensive income ...........................................................   

(216,188)   $ 
67,933    
(23,097)   
44,836    

(29,176)   $ 
38,443    
(13,071)   
25,372    

(245,364) 
106,376 
(36,168) 
70,208 

Accumulated OCL ..........................................................................   $

(171,352)   $ 

(3,804)   $ 

(175,156) 

Year Ended December 29, 2013 

Interest Rate 
Swaps 

Investments 

Total 

Beginning balance ............................................................................   $
Gain (loss) recorded to other comprehensive income .......................   
Tax benefit (expense) .......................................................................   
Other comprehensive income (loss) ..................................................   

(284,294)   $ 
103,190    
(35,084)   
68,106    

—    $ 

(44,206)   
15,030    
(29,176)   

(284,294) 
58,984 
(20,054) 
38,930 

Accumulated OCL ..........................................................................   $

(216,188)   $ 

(29,176)   $ 

(245,364) 

19. SUMMARY QUARTERLY FINANCIAL DATA (unaudited) 

Fiscal Quarters 

March 29, 
2015 

June 28, 
2015 

September 27, 
2015 

December 27, 
2015 

Revenue......................................................................    $ 39,440,332    $ 36,871,838    $ 47,077,816    $ 49,095,392 

Operating profit (loss) ..............................................    

608,504    

(5,509,546)   

(3,140,137)   

(14,748,104) 

Income (loss) before income taxes ...........................    

193,284    

(5,341,323)   

(4,948,302)   

(16,082,158) 

Net income (loss) .......................................................    $

262,642    $

(3,318,343)   $ (3,581,535)   $ (9,555,256) 

Basic earnings per share .............................................    $

Fully diluted earnings per share ..................................    $

0.01    $

0.01    $

(0.13)   $

(0.13)   $

(0.14)   $

(0.14)   $

(0.36) 

(0.36) 

Weighted average number of common 
shares outstanding 
Basic ...........................................................................    
Diluted ........................................................................    

26,149,184    
26,248,424    

26,151,853    
26,151,853    

26,251,621    
26,251,261    

26,294,530 
26,294,530 

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DIVERSIFIED RESTAURANT HOLDINGS AND SUBSIDIARIES, INC. 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 

Fiscal Quarters 

March 30, 
2014 

June 29, 
2014 

September 28, 
2014 

December 28, 
2014 

Revenue......................................................................    $ 30,473,014    $ 30,009,621    $ 32,782,092    $ 35,148,721 

Operating profit (loss) ..............................................    

778,170    

291,659    

185,059    

(1,897,168) 

Income (loss) before income taxes ...........................    

314,799    

(179,368)   

(230,209)   

(2,880,455) 

Net income (loss) .......................................................    $

367,857    $

(100,496)   $

(182,109)   $ (1,353,749) 

Basic earnings per share .............................................    $

Fully diluted earnings per share ..................................    $

0.01    $

0.01    $

—    $

—    $

(0.01)   $

(0.01)   $

(0.05) 

(0.05) 

Weighted average number of common 
shares outstanding 
Basic ...........................................................................    
Diluted ........................................................................    

26,048,805    
26,153,595    

26,067,958    
26,067,958    

26,107,627    
26,107,627    

26,147,287 
26,147,287 

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ITEM 9.        CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND 
FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE 

None. 

ITEM 9A.     CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES 

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures 

As  of  December  27,  2015,  an  evaluation  was  performed  under  the  supervision  of  and  with  the  participation  of  our 
management,  including  our  principal  executive  and  principal  financial  officers,  of  the  effectiveness  of  the  design  and 
operation  of  our  disclosure  controls  and  procedures.  Based  on  that  evaluation,  our  management,  including  our  principal 
executive  and  principal  financial  and  accounting  officers,  concluded  that  our  disclosure  controls  and  procedures  were 
effective as of December 27, 2015. 

Evaluation of Internal Control and Procedures 

Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, as such 
term is defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f). There are inherent limitations in the effectiveness of any system of internal 
control.  Accordingly,  even  an  effective  system  of  internal  control  can  provide  only  reasonable  assurance  with  respect  to 
financial statement preparation. 

Under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our principal executive and principal financial 
and accounting officers, we conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of 
December 27, 2015. This evaluation was based on criteria for effective internal control over financial reporting described in 
Internal  Control  —  Integrated  Framework  issued  by  the  Committee  of  Sponsoring  Organizations  of  the  Treadway 
Commission (2013 Framework). Based on our evaluation under the framework in Internal Control — Integrated Framework, 
our management concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was effective as of December 27, 2015. Refer to 
the management's report in Item 8 "Consolidated Financial Statements" of this Annual Report. 

Our independent registered public accounting firm has issued an audit report on our internal control over financial reporting 
which is included in this Annual Report on the following page. 

Remediation of Prior Material Weakness in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting  

As reported in our Form 10-K for the year ended December 28, 2014, we did not maintain effective internal control over 
financial  reporting  as of December  28, 2014.     Our  management  determined  that  our  internal  control  related  to financial 
reporting was not effective to ensure the effective design of internal control and that an effective evaluation and review of 
complex  accounting  matters  had  occurred  prior  to  presentation  to  our  external  auditors.    As  of  December  27,  2015, 
management  has  remediated  the  underlying  causes  of  the  material  weakness  by  engaging  third  party  public  accounting 
advisers  to  assist  with  non-recurring  and  complex  accounting  matters  and  by  accelerating  our  internal  schedule  for  the 
preparation of year-end financial information. 

We will continue to develop and implement policies and procedures to improve the overall effectiveness of internal control 
over financial reporting.  

81 

  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting 

Other than the steps taken to remediate the material weakness described above, there have been no changes in the Company’s 
internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the year ended December 27, 2015 that have materially affected, 
or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. 

ITEM 9B.     OTHER INFORMATION 

Not applicable. 

82 

  
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm 

Board of Directors and Stockholders 
Diversified Restaurant Holdings, Inc. and Subsidiaries 
Southfield, Michigan 

We  have  audited  Diversified  Restaurant  Holdings,  Inc.  and  Subsidiaries’  internal  control  over  financial  reporting  as  of 
December 27, 2015, based on criteria established in Internal Control – Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee 
of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (the COSO criteria). Diversified Restaurant Holdings, Inc. and 
Subsidiaries’  management  is  responsible  for  maintaining  effective  internal  control  over  financial  reporting  and  for  its 
assessment  of  the  effectiveness  of  internal  control  over  financial  reporting,  included  in  the  accompanying  “Report  By 
Diversified Restaurant Holding, Inc.’s Management on Internal Controls Over Financial Reporting”. Our responsibility is to 
express an opinion on the company’s internal control over financial reporting based on our audit. 

We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). 
Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether effective internal 
control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects. Our audit included obtaining an understanding of 
internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, and testing and evaluating the 
design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk. Our audit also included performing such 
other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for 
our opinion. 

A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the 
reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally 
accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures 
that  (1)  pertain  to  the  maintenance  of  records  that,  in  reasonable  detail,  accurately  and  fairly  reflect  the  transactions  and 
dispositions of the assets of the company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to 
permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and 
expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the 
company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or 
disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements. 

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, 
projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate 
because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate. 

In our opinion, Diversified Restaurant Holdings, Inc. and Subsidiaries maintained, in all material respects, effective internal 
control over financial reporting as of December 27, 2015, based on the COSO criteria. 

We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), 
the  consolidated  balance  sheets  of  Diversified  Restaurant  Holdings,  Inc.  and  Subsidiaries  as  of  December  27,  2015  and 
December 28, 2014 and the related consolidated statements of operations, comprehensive income (loss), stockholders’ equity, 
and cash flows for each of the three fiscal years in the period ended December 27, 2015 and our report dated March 11, 2016 
expressed an unqualified opinion on those consolidated financial statements. 

/s/ BDO USA, LLP 

Troy, Michigan 
March 11, 2016  

83 

  
  
  
  
   
    
  
  
  
PART III 

Certain information required by this Part III is omitted from this report and is incorporated by reference to our Definitive 
Proxy  Statement  to  be  filed  with  the  Securities  and  Exchange  Commission  in  connection  with  the  Annual  Meeting  of 
Stockholders to be held in 2016 (the “Proxy Statement”). 

ITEM 10.     DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE 

The information required by this item is incorporated by reference to the Proxy Statement.  

ITEM 11.     EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION 

The information required by this item is incorporated by reference to the Proxy Statement.  

ITEM 12.     SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND 
RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS 

The information required by this item is incorporated by reference to the Proxy Statement.  

ITEM 13.     CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR 
INDEPENDENCE 

The information required by this item is incorporated by reference to the Proxy Statement.  

ITEM 14.     PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES 

The information required by this item is incorporated by reference to the Proxy Statement.  

84 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
ITEM 15.     EXHIBITS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES 

PART IV 

(a) (1) Financial Statements. The following financial statements and reports of independent registered public accounting firms 
of Diversified Restaurant Holdings and its subsidiaries are filed as part of this report: 

• 
• 
• 
• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Reports of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm — BDO USA, LLP 
Report by Diversified Restaurant Holdings, Inc.’s Management on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting 
Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 27, 2015 and December 28, 2014 
Consolidated Statements  of Operations  for  the  Fiscal  Years  Ended  December  27, 2015, December  28, 2014,  and 
December 29, 2013 
Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income for the Fiscal Years Ended December 27, 2015, December 28, 
2014, and December 29, 2013 
Consolidated Statement of Stockholders' Equity for the Fiscal Years Ended December 27, 2015, December 28, 2014, 
and December 29, 2013 
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the Fiscal Years Ended December 27, 2015, December 28, 2014, and 
December 29, 2013 
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements 

The  consolidated  financial  statements,  the  notes  to  the  consolidated  financial  statements,  and  the  reports  of  independent 
registered public accounting firm listed above are contained in Item 8 of this report. 

(2) Financial Statement Schedules 

Not applicable 

(b) Index to Exhibits required by Item 601 of Regulation S-K: 

EXHIBIT 
NO. 

EXHIBIT DESCRIPTION 

2.1 

2.2 

2.3 

2.4 

2.5 

2.6 

Asset  Purchase  Agreement  between  the  Company  and  Screamin’  Hot  Florida,  LLC  and  Screamin’  Hot 
Trinity, LLC, dated April 1, 2014 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 of our Form 10-Q filed May 9, 
2014). 

First Amendment to Asset Purchase Agreement, dated May 27, 2014 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 
2.2 of our Form 8-K filed July 2, 2014). 

Purchase and Sale Agreement dated as of October 6, 2014 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.1 of our 
Form 8-K filed November 6, 2014) 

Amendment  to  Purchase  and Sale  Agreement  dated  as of October 30, 2014 (incorporated  by reference  to 
Exhibit 2.2 of our Form 8-K filed November 6, 2014) 

Form of Lease (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.3 of our Form 8-K filed November 6, 2014) 

Form of Lease Amendment (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.4 of our Form 8-K filed November 6, 
2014) 

85 

  
  
  
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
   
2.7 

3.1 

3.2 

3.3 

4.1 

10.1 

10.3 

10.5 

10.6 

10.7 

10.8 

10.9 

10.10 

10.13 

10.14 

10.15 

Asset Purchase Agreement dated May 13, 2015 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.1 of our Form 8-K 
filed August 19, 2015) 

Certificate of Incorporation (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 of our registration statement on Form 
SB-2 (SEC File Number 333-145316) filed on August 10, 2007) 

Amended and Restated Bylaws (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 of our Form 8-K filed August 29, 
2012) 

First Amendment to Amended and Restated Bylaws (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 of our Form 8-
K filed October 31, 2012) 

Specimen Stock Certificate (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 of our registration statement on Form 
SB-2 (SEC File Number 333-145316) filed on August 10, 2007) 

Buffalo Wild Wings Area Development Agreement dated July 18, 2003, by and between Buffalo Wild Wings 
International, Inc. and MCA Enterprises, Inc. (subsequently assigned to AMC Wings, Inc., a wholly-owned 
subsidiary of the Company) (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 of our Form 10-Q filed November 12, 
2010) 

Amendment to Buffalo Wild Wings Area Development Agreement dated December 27, 2003 (incorporated 
by reference to Exhibit 10.12 of our Form 10-Q filed November 12, 2010) 

Amendment to Buffalo Wild Wings Area Development Agreement dated March 20, 2007 (incorporated by 
reference to Exhibit 10.5 of our Form 10-Q filed November 12, 2010) 

Amendment to Buffalo Wild Wings Area Development Agreement dated November 5, 2007 (incorporated 
by reference to Exhibit 10.5 of our Form 10-Q filed November 12, 2010) 

Form of Stock Option Agreement (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 of our Form 8-K filed August 5, 
2010)* 

Form  of  Stock  Option  Agreement,  dated  July  30,  2007,  entered  into  by  and  between  the  Company  and 
Directors  Gregory  Stevens,  T.  Michael  Ansley,  Jay  Alan  Dusenberry,  Jason  T.  Curtis  and  David  Ligotti 
(incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.24 of our Form 10-K filed March 26, 2010)* 

Diversified Restaurant Holdings, Inc. Performance Bonus Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 of 
our Form 8-K filed March 11, 2013)* 

2013  Diversified  Restaurant  Holdings,  Inc.  Short-Term  Incentive  Program  (incorporated  by  reference  to 
Exhibit 10.2 of our Form 8-K filed March 11, 2013)* 

$77.0M Senior Secured Credit Facility with RBS Citizens, N.A., as administrative agent, dated December 16, 
2014 

Amendment to Area Development Agreement, dated August 13, 2015 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 
10.1 of our Form 8-K filed August 19, 2015) 

Credit Agreement dated June 29, 2015 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 of our Form 8-K filed July 
1, 2015) 

86 

  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
21 

23 

Subsidiaries of Diversified Restaurant Holdings, Inc. 

Consent of BDO USA, LLP 

31.1 

Certification of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) 

31.2 

32.1 

Certification of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) 

Certification of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350 

32.2 

Certification of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350 

101.INS 

XBRL Instance Document 

101.SCH  XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document 

101.CAL  XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Document 

101.DEF  XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Document 

101.LAB  XBRL Taxonomy Extension Labels Document 

101.PRE  XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Document 

* 

Management contract or compensatory plan 

87 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
Signatures 

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused 
this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized. 

Dated: March 11, 2016  

DIVERSIFIED RESTAURANT HOLDINGS, INC. 

By:   /s/ T. Michael Ansley   
T. Michael Ansley  
President, Chief Executive Officer, Director 
Chairman of the Board and Principal Executive Officer 

In accordance with the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf 
of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated. 

/s/ T. Michael Ansley 
T. Michael Ansley 
President, Chief Executive Officer, Director, 
Chairman of the Board and Principal Executive Officer 

/s/ David G. Burke 
David Gregory Burke 
Treasurer, Chief Financial Officer, Director, Principal Financial Officer 
and Principal Accounting Officer 

/s/ Jay Alan Dusenberry 
Jay Alan Dusenberry 
Secretary, Director 

/s/ David Ligotti 
David Ligotti 
Director 

/s/ Gregory J. Stevens 
Gregory J. Stevens 
Director 

/s/ Joseph M. Nowicki 
Joseph M. Nowicki 
Director 

/s/ Philip Friedman 
Philip Friedman 
Director 

88 

Dated: March 11, 2016 

Dated: March 11, 2016 

Dated: March 11, 2016 

Dated: March 11, 2016 

Dated: March 11, 2016 

Dated: March 11, 2016 

Dated: March 11, 2016 

  
  
  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  
   
   
  
    
   
   
   
      
   
   
   
      
   
   
   
      
   
   
   
      
   
   
   
      
   
   
 
LEADERSHIP

LEADERSHIP

T. Michael Ansley
President, Chief Executive Officer, 
and Chairman of the Board of Directors

David G. Burke
Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer, and Director

Jason Curtis
Chief Operating Officer

Brad Haber
President of Bagger Dave’s

Toni Werner
Controller

Misty Sirch
Director of Real Estate

Lupita Distaso
Vice President of Purchasing

2015

ANNUAL REPORT

(cid:39)(cid:76)(cid:89)(cid:72)(cid:85)(cid:86)(cid:76)(cid:192)(cid:72)(cid:71)(cid:3)(cid:53)(cid:72)(cid:86)(cid:87)(cid:68)(cid:88)(cid:85)(cid:68)(cid:81)(cid:87)(cid:3)(cid:43)(cid:82)(cid:79)(cid:71)(cid:76)(cid:81)(cid:74)(cid:86)

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

T. Michael Ansley*
Chairman of the Board of Directors, 
President and Chief Executive Officer –
Diversified Restaurant Holdings, Inc.

David G. Burke
Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer –
Diversified Restaurant Holdings, Inc.

Jay Alan Dusenberry 1,2,*
Vice President – Marisa Manufacturing

Philip Friedman 1,2
Chief Executive Officer – Salsarita’s Fresh Cantina

David Ligotti
Owner – Oakwood Business Services, LLC

Joseph M. Nowicki 1,*
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer – 
Beacon Roofing Supply

Gregory J. Stevens 2
Strategic Engineer and Partner – Cold Heading Company

1 Audit Committee 
2 Compensation Committee 
* Committee Chairman

SHAREHOLDER’S INFORMATION

CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS
Diversified Restaurant Holdings, Inc.
27680 Franklin Road
Southfield, Michigan  48034
248.223.9160 
www.diversifiedrestaurantholdings.com

ANNUAL MEETING
Diversified Restaurant Holdings’ Annual Meeting of 
Shareholders will be held on Thursday, June 2, 2016 
at 10:00 am at:

1218 Randolph St.,
Detroit, Michigan  48226

INVESTOR RELATIONS
Investors, stockbrokers, security 
analysts and others seeking information about 
Diversified Restaurant Holdings  should contact:

Deborah K. Pawlowski
Kei Advisors LLC
716-843-3908
dpawlowski@keiadvisors.com

ATTORNEYS
Dickinson Wright PLLC
Troy, Michigan

TRANSFER AGENT
For services such as change of address, replacement of 
lost certificates and changes in registered ownership, 
or for inquiries as to your account, contact:

INDEPENDENT AUDITORS
BDO USA, LLP
Troy, Michigan

Computershare
250 Royall St.
Canton, Massachusetts 02021
(800) 368-5948
www.computershare.com

STOCK INFORMATION
Diversified Restaurant Holdings’stock is quoted on the 
NASDAQ Capital Market under the symbol SAUC.

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27680 Franklin Road   •   Southfield, MI  48034   •   248.223.9160 

www.diversifiedrestaurantholdings.com

NASDAQ:  SAUC