Updates to Significant Accounting Policies (Policies) |
3 Months Ended |
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Mar. 31, 2019 | |
| Updates to Significant Accounting Policies [Abstract] | |
| Lessee, Leases |
Leases
On December 31, 2018, the first day of fiscal year 2019, the Company adopted the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") 2016-02, "Leases (Topic 842)." As a result, the Company updated its significant accounting policy for leases. For the impact of the adoption on the Company's consolidated financial statements see Note 3, Recent Accounting Pronouncements and for additional information about our lease arrangements see Note 10, Leases in the notes to our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.
The Company determines if a contract contains a lease at inception. The Company's material long-term operating lease agreements are for the land and buildings for our restaurants as well as our corporate offices. The lease term begins on the date that the Company takes possession under the lease, including the pre-opening period during construction, when in many cases the Company is not making rent payments (“Rent Holiday”).
Operating lease assets and liabilities are recognized at the lease commencement date for material leases with a term of greater than 12 months. Operating lease liabilities represent the present value of future minimum lease payments. Since our leases do not provide an implicit rate, our operating lease liabilities are calculated using the Company's secured incremental borrowing rate at lease commencement. We have no outstanding debt, and as a result, we estimate this rate based on prevailing financial market conditions, comparable companies, credit analysis and management judgment. Minimum lease payments include only fixed lease components of the agreement, as well as variable rate payments that depend on an index, initially measured using the index at the lease commencement date.
Operating lease assets represent our right to use an underlying asset and are based upon the operating lease liabilities adjusted for prepaid or accrued lease payments, initial direct costs and lease incentives. Lease incentives are recognized when earned and reduce our operating lease asset related to the lease. They are amortized through the operating lease assets as reductions of rent expense over the lease term.
Operating lease expense is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term. Certain of the Company’s operating leases contain clauses that provide for contingent rent based on a percentage of sales greater than certain specified target amounts. Variable lease payments that do not depend on a rate or index, escalation in the index subsequent to the initial measurement, payments associated with non-lease components such as common area maintenance, real estate taxes and insurance, and short-term lease payments (leases with a term with 12 months or less) are expensed as incurred or when the achievement of the specified target that triggers the contingent rent is considered probable.
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