Fiesta Restaurant Group, Inc. Reports Third Quarter 2020 Results

Sequential Improvement in Comparable Restaurant Sales Trend Compared to Second Quarter

Pollo Tropical Q3 Adjusted EBITDA as % of Restaurant Sales Increased from 12.4% in 2019 to 13.6% in 2020

Taco Cabana Q3 Adjusted EBITDA as % of Restaurant Sales Increased from 1.6% in 2019 to 7.0% in 2020

Company Generated Net Cash Provided by Operations of $18 Million during Quarter

Fiesta Restaurant Group, Inc. ("Fiesta" or the "Company") FRGI, parent company of the Pollo Tropical® and Taco Cabana® restaurant brands, today reported results for the 13-week third quarter 2020, which ended on September 27, 2020 and provided a business update related to current operations.

Fiesta President and Chief Executive Officer Richard Stockinger said, "While prioritizing the well-being of our team members and guests during these challenging times, we are very encouraged that our business trajectory continues to strengthen. Pollo Tropical's comparable sales trend improved from -31.6% in the second quarter of 2020 to -11.1% in the third quarter. Taco Cabana's comparable sales trend accelerated by 500 basis points compared to the second quarter of 2020. Notably, our progress was achieved despite reclosing our dining rooms in mid July in response to COVID outbreaks in Florida and Texas, the two states where we operate. Our evolving operating model is making it easier and safer for consumers to order the freshly prepared food that they love through an improved drive-thru experience, expanded delivery options, new curbside and pickup capabilities, and a much-enhanced online and mobile ordering experience at both brands. These off-premise initiatives and investments are addressing real consumer needs for convenience and we believe will be key revenue growth drivers going forward."

Stockinger added, "Our operating model optimization and cost management efforts have significantly increased profit margins at both brands at a sustainable level. Third quarter Pollo Tropical Adjusted EBITDA margin improved 120 basis points and Taco Cabana Adjusted EBITDA margin expanded by 540 basis points. Net income was $4.6 million, which includes benefits from deferred tax valuation allowance adjustments and benefits from the CARES Act, and pre-tax income was $0.4 million for the quarter. Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA, a non-GAAP measure⁽¹⁾, increased 22% vs. last year to $14.8 million, driven by significant improvement in Restaurant-level Adjusted EBITDA margins at both brands. Restaurant-level Adjusted EBITDA margins, a non-GAAP measure⁽¹⁾, improved in the third quarter of 2020 to 21.2% for Pollo Tropical and 14.9% for Taco Cabana. In this evolving environment, our primary focus remains on driving profitable sales growth. We will continue focusing on increasing ease of use and capacity for the most desired channels by consumers including online, drive-thru, pickup and delivery, and selectively opening dining rooms in situations in which we can achieve profitable sales."

Stockinger concluded, "We have bolstered our liquidity through better working capital management, generation of cash flow from operations, and by significantly reducing our revolving credit facility⁽²⁾ and net revolver debt balances⁽³⁾. As of November 2, total debt was $21.4 million and net revolver debt was $9.0 million⁽³⁾. At the beginning of the COVID crisis, on March 18, our total debt was $148.4 million and our net revolver debt was $74.4 million⁽³⁾. We continue to improve our financial position and believe we will exit this challenging period with a stronger financial position that will support continued growth."

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Third Quarter 2020 Financial Summary

• Total revenues decreased 16.4% to $137.3 million in the third quarter of 2020 from $164.2 million in the third quarter of 2019;
• Comparable restaurant sales at Pollo Tropical decreased 11.1%;
• Comparable restaurant sales at Taco Cabana decreased 14.2%;
• Net income of $4.6 million, or $0.18 per diluted share, in the third quarter of 2020, which included a benefit from income taxes of $4.2 million, compared to net loss of $22.2 million, or ($0.84) per diluted share, in the third quarter of 2019, which included the unfavorable net impact of $19.3 million, or $0.73 per diluted share, related to a non-cash impairment of goodwill;
• Adjusted net income (a non-GAAP financial measure) of $2.1 million, or $0.08 per diluted share, in the third quarter of 2020, compared to adjusted net income of $0.2 million, or $0.01 per diluted share, in the third quarter of 2019 (see non-GAAP reconciliation table below);
• Adjusted EBITDA for Pollo Tropical of $10.6 million in the third quarter of 2020 compared to $11.0 million in the third quarter of 2019;
• Restaurant-level Adjusted EBITDA (a non-GAAP financial measure) for Pollo Tropical of $16.4 million, or 21.2% of Pollo Tropical restaurant sales, in the third quarter of 2020 compared to $17.8 million, or 20.1% of Pollo Tropical restaurant sales, in the third quarter of 2019 (see non-GAAP reconciliation table below);
• Adjusted EBITDA for Taco Cabana of $4.2 million in the third quarter of 2020 compared to $1.2 million in the third quarter of 2019;
• Restaurant-level Adjusted EBITDA (a non-GAAP financial measure) for Taco Cabana of $8.8 million, or 14.9% of Taco Cabana restaurant sales, in the third quarter of 2020 compared to $6.9 million, or 9.2% of Taco Cabana restaurant sales, in the third quarter of 2019 (see non-GAAP reconciliation table below); and
• Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA (a non-GAAP financial measure) of $14.8 million in the third quarter of 2020 compared to Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA of $12.2 million in the third quarter of 2019 (see non-GAAP reconciliation table below).

Third Quarter 2020 Comparable Restaurant Sales Summary

• Due to ongoing uncertainty and volatility surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic and guidelines, effective July 12, 2020, we closed all of our dining rooms and began re-opening certain dining rooms and patios with limited capacity and hours at both brands in late September at locations in which we believe we can generate profitable dining room sales while maintaining health safety. We continue to operate our restaurants for drive-thru, delivery and pickup, and we have accelerated efforts to better enable our customers to enjoy our brands safely and conveniently across all channels—wherever and whenever they choose.
• Third quarter comparable restaurant sales at Pollo Tropical benefited from the negative impact of Hurricane Dorian in 2019. After adjusting for the impact of that named storm, 2020 third quarter comparable sales would have been approximately 140 basis points lower.

Cash and Liquidity

• At the end of the third quarter of 2020, we had $18.0 million in cash and $41.8 million in debt, which includes $39.9 million outstanding under our amended senior credit facility and $1.9 million in finance lease obligations.
• The reduction in our net revolver debt to $9.0 million⁽³⁾ as of November 2, 2020 was funded by cash flow from operations and the sale or sale-leaseback of nine Company-owned properties. We currently have offers or contracts in place for the sale or sale-leaseback of our seven remaining Company-owned properties being marketed, with additional transactions expected to close in the fourth quarter to enable further debt pay down. However, there can be no assurance that such transactions will be completed during the fourth quarter or at all. We are also exploring the potential refinancing of our current credit agreement, although we cannot make any assurance of the timing or certainty of completing any refinancing transactions at this time.
• 2020 full year capital expenditures will not exceed $22.0 million.

Third Quarter 2020 Brand Results

Total Pollo Tropical restaurant sales decreased 12.1% to $77.6 million in the third quarter of 2020 compared to $88.3 million in the third quarter of 2019 primarily due to a comparable restaurant sales decrease of 11.1%. Comparable restaurant sales for Pollo Tropical improved through the third quarter, from a decrease of 13.8% in fiscal July to a decrease of 8.7% in fiscal September. Off-premise sales consisting of online, catering, and delivery orders comprised 12.1% of total restaurant sales in the third quarter of 2020 compared to 4.4% of total restaurant sales in the third quarter of 2019.

The decrease in comparable restaurant sales resulted from a 22.1% decrease in comparable restaurant transactions and an 11.0% increase in the net impact of product/channel mix and pricing. The increase in product/channel mix and pricing was driven primarily by increases in delivery and drive-thru average check and sales channel penetration, and menu price increases of 0.2%. Sales cannibalization from new restaurants on existing restaurants negatively impacted comparable restaurant sales by approximately 10 basis points. As noted above, comparable restaurant sales for Pollo Tropical in the third quarter of 2020 benefited from the negative impact of Hurricane Dorian in 2019. After adjusting for the impact of that named storm, 2020 third quarter comparable restaurant sales would have been approximately 140 basis points lower.

Adjusted EBITDA for Pollo Tropical decreased to $10.6 million in the third quarter of 2020 from $11.0 million in the third quarter of 2019. The decrease was primarily due to the impact of lower comparable restaurant sales. Rent expense and other restaurant operating expenses increased as a percentage of restaurant sales—driven in large part by the impact of lower comparable restaurant sales as well as higher delivery fee expense in operating expenses. This was partially offset by lower cost of sales, restaurant wages, and advertising expense. Pollo Tropical incurred incremental costs related to COVID-19 of $0.2 million for the quarter including quarantine pay, and costs related to COVID testing, masks and sanitizer. Restaurant wages and related expenses decreased as a percentage of restaurant sales, primarily driven by efficiency initiatives. Driven by operating model optimization and cost management efforts, third quarter Adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of revenues increased from 12.4% in 2019 to 13.6% in 2020 and Restaurant-level Adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of restaurant sales increased from 20.1% in 2019 to 21.2% in 2020.

Taco Cabana restaurant sales decreased 21.3% to $59.2 million in the third quarter of 2020 from $75.3 million in the third quarter of 2019 due primarily to a comparable restaurant sales decrease of 14.2% along with a decrease in sales related to closed restaurants. Off-premise sales consisting of online, catering, and delivery orders comprised 7.9% of total restaurant sales in the third quarter of 2020 compared to 3.6% of total restaurant sales in the third quarter of 2019. The decrease in comparable restaurant sales resulted from a 23.8% decrease in comparable restaurant transactions and a 9.6% increase in the net impact of product/channel mix and pricing. The increase in product/channel mix and pricing was driven primarily by increases in drive-thru and delivery sales channel penetration, growth in average check for drive-thru versus last year due in part to an increase in transactions that include alcohol, and menu price increases of 1.6%.

Adjusted EBITDA for Taco Cabana increased to $4.2 million from $1.2 million in the third quarter of 2019. The increase was primarily due to lower cost of sales, restaurant wages, and advertising expense as a percentage of Taco Cabana restaurant sales. This was partially offset by higher rent expense as a percentage of restaurant sales and the impact of lower comparable restaurant sales. Higher delivery fee expense was offset by lower operating supplies, repair and maintenance and other costs within other operating expenses as a percentage of restaurant sales. Taco Cabana incurred incremental costs related to COVID-19 of $0.2 million for the quarter including quarantine pay, and costs related to COVID testing, masks and sanitizer. Restaurant wages and related expenses decreased as a percentage of restaurant sales, primarily driven by efficiency initiatives. Driven by operating model optimization and cost management efforts, third quarter Adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of revenues increased from 1.6% in 2019 to 7.0% in 2020 and Restaurant-level Adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of restaurant sales increased from 9.2% in 2019 to 14.9% in 2020.

Restaurant Portfolio

As of September 27, 2020, there were 138 Company-owned Pollo Tropical restaurants, 145 Company-owned Taco Cabana restaurants, 33 franchised Pollo Tropical restaurants in the U.S., Puerto Rico, Panama, Guyana, Ecuador and the Bahamas, and seven franchised Taco Cabana restaurants in the U.S.

Investor Conference Call Today

We will host a conference call at 4:30 p.m. ET today. The conference call can be accessed live over the phone by dialing 1-631-891-4304. A replay will be available after the call until Wednesday, November 11, 2020 and can be accessed by dialing 1-412-317-6671. The passcode is 10011317. The conference call will also be webcast live from the corporate website at www.frgi.com, under the Investor Relations section. A replay of the webcast will be available through the corporate website shortly after the call has concluded.

About Fiesta Restaurant Group, Inc.

Fiesta Restaurant Group, Inc., owns, operates and franchises the Pollo Tropical® and Taco Cabana® restaurant brands. The brands specialize in the operation of fast casual/quick service restaurants that offer distinct and unique flavors with broad appeal at a compelling value. The brands feature fresh-made cooking, drive-thru service and catering. For more information about Fiesta Restaurant Group, Inc., visit the corporate website at www.frgi.com.

Forward Looking Statements

Certain statements contained in this news release and in our public disclosures, whether written, oral or otherwise made, relating to future events or future performance, including any discussion, express or implied regarding our anticipated growth, plans, objectives and the impact of our initiatives designed to strengthen our liquidity and cash position, including those related to working capital efficiency initiatives and sales of real property, our investments in strategic and sales building initiatives, including those relating to advertising and marketing, operations improvements, menu development and simplification, digital ordering and online sales, catering and third-party delivery and the impact of the recent COVID-19 outbreak and our initiatives designed to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak on future sales, margins, earnings and liquidity, contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These statements are often identified by the words "may," "might," "believes," "thinks," "anticipates," "plans," "positioned," "target," "continue," "expects," "look to," "intends" and other similar expressions, whether in the negative or the affirmative, that are not statements of historical fact. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve certain risks, uncertainties, and assumptions that are difficult to predict, and you should not place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements. Our actual results and timing of certain events could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors, including, but not limited to, those discussed from time to time in our reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 29, 2019 and our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. All forward-looking statements and the internal projections and beliefs upon which we base our expectations included in this release are made only as of the date of this release and may change. While we may elect to update forward-looking statements at some point in the future, we expressly disclaim any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

FIESTA RESTAURANT GROUP, INC.
Supplemental Non-GAAP Information
The following table sets forth certain unaudited supplemental financial data for the periods indicated
(In thousands):

Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA and Restaurant-level Adjusted EBITDA are non-GAAP financial measures. Adjusted EBITDA is defined as earnings (loss) attributable to the applicable operating segments before interest expense, income taxes, depreciation and amortization, impairment and other lease charges, goodwill impairment, closed restaurant rent expense, net of sublease income, stock-based compensation expense, other expense (income), net, and certain significant items for each segment that are related to strategic changes and/or are not related to the ongoing operation of our restaurants as set forth in the reconciliation table below. Adjusted EBITDA for each of our segments includes an allocation of general and administrative expenses associated with administrative support for executive management, information systems and certain finance, legal, supply chain, human resources, construction and other administrative functions. Restaurant-level Adjusted EBITDA is defined as Adjusted EBITDA excluding franchise royalty revenues and fees, pre-opening costs and general and administrative expenses (including corporate-level general and administrative expenses).

Adjusted EBITDA for each of our segments is the primary measure of segment profit or loss used by our chief operating decision maker for purposes of allocating resources to our segments and assessing their performance. In addition, management believes that Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA and Restaurant-level Adjusted EBITDA, when viewed with our results of operations calculated in accordance with GAAP and our reconciliation of net income (loss) to Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA and Restaurant-level Adjusted EBITDA (i) provide useful information about our operating performance and period-over-period changes, (ii) provide additional information that is useful for evaluating the operating performance of our business, and (iii) permit investors to gain an understanding of the factors and trends affecting our ongoing earnings, from which capital investments are made and debt is serviced. However, such measures are not measures of financial performance or liquidity under GAAP and, accordingly, should not be considered as alternatives to net income or cash flow from operating activities as indicators of operating performance or liquidity. Also, these measures may not be comparable to similarly titled captions of other companies.

FIESTA RESTAURANT GROUP, INC.
Supplemental Non-GAAP Information
The following table sets forth certain unaudited supplemental financial data for the periods indicated
(In thousands of dollars, except per share amounts):

Adjusted net income and related adjusted diluted earnings per share are non-GAAP financial measures. Adjusted net income is defined as net income (loss) before impairment and other lease charges, goodwill impairment, closed restaurant rent expense, net of sublease income, other expense (income), net, board and shareholder matter costs, restructuring costs and retention bonuses, certain legal settlements and related costs and other significant items that are related to strategic changes and/or are not related to the ongoing operation of our restaurants. Management believes that adjusted net income and related adjusted earnings per diluted share, when viewed with our results of operations calculated in accordance with GAAP (i) provide useful information about our operating performance and period-over-period growth, (ii) provide additional information that is useful for evaluating the operating performance of our business, and (iii) permit investors to gain an understanding of the factors and trends affecting our ongoing earnings, from which capital investments are made and debt is serviced. However, such measures are not measures of financial performance or liquidity under GAAP and, accordingly should not be considered as alternatives to net income or net income per share as indicators of operating performance or liquidity. Also, these measures may not be comparable to similarly titled captions of other companies.