Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

NATURE OF BUSINESS

v3.22.1
NATURE OF BUSINESS
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2022
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]  
NATURE OF BUSINESS

1. NATURE OF BUSINESS

 

BASIS OF PRESENTATION

 

Amergent Hospitality Group Inc. (“Amergent”) was incorporated on February 18, 2020 as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Chanticleer Holdings, Inc. (“Chanticleer”) for the purpose of conducting the business of Chanticleer and its subsidiaries after completion of the spin-off of Amergent to the shareholders of Chanticleer (Spin-Off”). The Spin-Off transaction was completed on April 1, 2020 in connection with Chanticleer’s completion of its merger transaction (the “Merger”) with Sonnet BioTherapeutics, Inc. (“Sonnet”). Amergent is in the business of owning, operating and franchising fast casual dining concepts.

 

The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Amergent and its subsidiaries (collectively “we,” “us,” “our,” or the “Company”). All intercompany and inter-entity balances have been eliminated in consolidation.

 

GENERAL

 

The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements included in this Report have been prepared by the Company pursuant to the rules and regulations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) for interim reporting and include all adjustments (consisting only of normal recurring adjustments) that are, in the opinion of management, necessary for a fair presentation. These condensed consolidated financial statements have not been audited. The condensed consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2021 has been derived from the audited consolidated financial statements as of December 31, 2021 and for the year then ended included in Amergent’s annual report filed with the SEC on April 15, 2022. The results of operations for the three-month period ended March 31, 2022 are not necessarily indicative of the operating results for the full year ending December 31, 2022.

 

Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles of the United States (“U.S. GAAP”) have been condensed or omitted pursuant to such rules and regulations for interim reporting. The Company believes that the disclosures contained herein are adequate to make the information presented not misleading. However, these financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in Amergent’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021 previously filed with the SEC.

 

LIQUIDITY, CAPITAL RESOURCES AND GOING CONCERN

 

As of March 31, 2022, the Company’s cash balance was $3.1 million, of which $0.6 million was restricted cash, its working capital deficiency was $12.0 million and it had significant near-term commitments and contractual obligations. The level of additional cash needed to fund operations and our ability to conduct business for the next 12 months will be influenced primarily by the following factors:

 

  our ability to access the capital and debt markets to satisfy current obligations and operate the business;

  our ability to qualify for and access financial stimulus programs available through federal and state government programs;

  our ability to refinance or otherwise extend maturities of current debt obligations;

  our ability to manage our operating expenses and maintain gross margins;

  popularity of and demand for our fast-casual dining concepts; and

  general economic conditions and changes in consumer discretionary income.

 

We have typically funded our operating costs, acquisition activities, working capital requirements and capital expenditures with proceeds from the issuances of our common stock and other financing arrangements, including convertible debt, lines of credit, notes payable, capital leases, government stimulus funds and other forms of external financing.

 

 

The Company expects to have to seek additional debt or equity funding to support operations and there can be no assurances that such funding would be available at commercially reasonable terms, if at all.

 

As Amergent executes its business plan over the next 12 months, it intends to carefully monitor its working capital needs and cash balances relative to the availability of cost-effective debt and equity financing. In the event that capital is not available, Amergent may then have to scale back or freeze its growth plans, sell assets on less than favorable terms, reduce expenses, and/or curtail future acquisition plans to manage its liquidity and capital resources.

 

In early March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic was declared to be a National Public Health Emergency, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as state and local legislative bodies and health departments, began issuing orders related to social distancing requirements, reduced restaurant seating capacity and other restrictions which resulted in a significant reduction in traffic at the Company’s restaurants. As of mid-March 2020, the ordinances tightened, and dine-in capacity was eliminated or severely restricted. By April 2020, at the request of most state and local legislative bodies, the Company closed all of its dining rooms and began to operate in a take-out and delivery only capacity. In early May 2020, states began allowing the re-opening of dining rooms in a limited capacity and by the end of June 2020, the Company had re-opened dining rooms in approximately 95% of its restaurants while adhering to social distancing restrictions, which limited the number of guests it could serve in its restaurants at one time. During November 2020, rising case rates resulted in certain jurisdictions implementing restrictions that again reduced dining room capacity or mandated the closure of dining rooms. As a result, the Company began fiscal 2021 with significant limitations on its operations which, over the course of the fiscal year, varied widely from time to time, state to state and city to city; however, nonetheless negatively impacted its sales. Once COVID-19 vaccines were approved and moved into wider distribution in the United States in early to mid-2021, public health conditions improved and almost all of the COVID-19 restrictions on businesses eased.

 

While cases continue to decline and staffing continues to improve, overall consumer and business activity remains muted in certain markets as consumer behaviors have changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and some businesses have yet to bring employees back into their offices. The Company’s restaurant operations have been, and could again in the future, be disrupted by team member staffing issues because of illness, exclusion, fear of contracting COVID-19 or caring for family members due to COVID-19, legal requirements for employee vaccinations or COVID testing, lack of labor supply, competitive labor pressures, or for other reasons. Furthermore, inflation has been and is elevated across the Company’s business, including food costs, due in part to the supply chain impacts of the pandemic. The Company remains in regular contact with its major suppliers and while, to date, it has not experienced significant disruptions in its supply chain due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Company could see significant future disruptions should the impacts of the pandemic continue. Currently, national, state and local jurisdictions have removed their capacity restrictions on businesses and, therefore, the Company’s restaurants are serving customers in its dining rooms without social distancing requirements. However, it is possible additional outbreaks could lead to restrictive measures that could impact the Company’s guest demand and dining room capacity.

 

The Company’s current operating losses, combined with its working capital deficit and uncertainties regarding the impact of COVID-19, raise substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern. The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments relating to the recoverability and classification of recorded asset amounts and classification of liabilities that might be necessary should the Company be unable to continue as a going concern.