Buffalo Wild Wings, Inc. Announces Second Quarter Earnings per Share of $0.55 and Adjusted Earnings per Share of $0.66

Buffalo Wild Wings, Inc. (NASDAQ: BWLD) announced today financial results for the second quarter ended June 25, 2017.

Key metrics for the second quarter, versus the same period a year ago, were:

• Total revenue increased 2.0% to $500.0 million.
• Company-owned restaurant sales increased 1.9% to $475.7 million.
• Same-store sales decreased 1.2% at company-owned restaurants.
• Net earnings decreased 62.9% to $8.8 million from $23.7 million, and earnings per diluted share decreased 57.0% to $0.55 from $1.27.
• Adjusted net earnings decreased 57.6% to $10.6 million from $25.0 million, and adjusted earnings per diluted share decreased 50.7% to $0.66 from $1.34.

Sally Smith, President and Chief Executive Officer, commented, "During the second quarter, we continued to work on stabilizing the business in the challenging restaurant environment. Our profitability was pressured this quarter driven by historically high wing costs, a mix shift to our promotional days, lower than expected same-store sales, and higher operating expenses."

Ms. Smith concluded, "As traditional chicken wing costs remain at historically high levels, we're adapting our value day on Tuesday to feature our boneless wings at company-owned restaurants. In addition, we continue to implement our cost savings plan to improve margins and profitability in areas we can control. Due to our disappointing second quarter earnings and an outlook for slowing traffic as we manage through the Tuesday promotional change, we are lowering our 2017 earnings outlook. We are optimistic about the transition to boneless wings which provides a more stable promotional platform for the future."

Revenue

• Total revenue increased $9.8 million to $500.0 million in the second quarter, compared to $490.2 million in the second quarter of 2016. There was a $4.1 million revenue deferral for the Blazin' Rewards loyalty program in the second quarter.
• Company-owned restaurant sales for the second quarter increased 1.9% over the same period in 2016 to $475.7 million, driven by 26 additional company-owned restaurants.
• Franchise royalties and fees increased 3.1% to $24.3 million for the quarter, versus $23.6 million in the second quarter of 2016, driven by 28 additional franchised restaurants.

Restaurant-level costs and expenses

• Cost of sales for the second quarter was 32.1% of restaurant sales, compared to 29.7% in the quarter last year, driven by higher traditional chicken wing prices compounded by a change in sales mix from promotional activity compared to the second quarter of 2016.
  • Traditional wings were $2.05 per pound in the second quarter, representing an $0.11 increase, or 5.7%, higher than last year's second quarter average of $1.94. Traditional wings as a percent of cost of sales was 30.7% in the second quarter.
• Cost of labor for the second quarter was 32.4% of restaurant sales, 40 basis points higher than second quarter last year, resulting from increased healthcare costs and management salaries, partially offset by lower hourly labor.
• Restaurant operating expenses as a percentage of restaurant sales were 15.7%, an increase of 110 basis points from the second quarter of 2016, driven by an increase in general liability expenses, higher repair and maintenance expenses, and third-party delivery commissions.
• Occupancy costs were 5.9% as a percentage of restaurant sales, 10 basis points higher compared to the same quarter last year.
• Restaurant-level profit was $65.9 million, or 13.8%, of restaurant sales, compared to $83.3 million, or 17.9%, in the second quarter last year.

Other Expenses

• Depreciation and amortization expense for the second quarter was $38.1 million, increasing 0.4%, due to new unit openings over the last 12 months.
• General and administrative expenses were $39.2 million in the second quarter, increasing 31.3% from the same period last year, due to increased advisory fees and consulting services as well as stock-based compensation.
  • Stock-based compensation was $3.4 million in the second quarter, compared to $0.7 million of expense in the prior year, which included a reversal of previously recognized expense.
• Preopening expenses for the quarter totaled $0.9 million, versus $1.8 million in the second quarter last year, due to fewer openings.
• Loss on asset disposal for the second quarter totaled $2.6 million, compared to last year of $1.9 million. The 2017 expense represented impairment of two restaurants totaling $1.7 million and the write-off of miscellaneous equipment. The expense in 2016 represented disposals due to remodels, and the write-off of miscellaneous equipment.
• Interest expense was $3.3 million in the second quarter, compared to $0.8 million in the prior year period.
• Other income was $5.9 million for the quarter, which is primarily from a gain on the sale of our minority investment in PizzaRev, compared to an expense of $1.0 million in 2016.
• The effective tax rate during the quarter was 27.9%, compared to 29.9% in the prior year.

Earnings

• Operating income was $9.4 million in the second quarter, or 1.9% of total revenue, compared to $35.5 million and 7.2% in the prior year. For the year to date period, operating income was $43.2 million, or 4.2% of total revenue, compared to $82.1 million and 8.2%.
• Net earnings decreased 62.9% to $8.8 million in the second quarter, versus $23.7 million in the second quarter of 2016. For the year to date period, net earnings decreased 46.3% to $30.3 million, versus $56.5 million in 2016.
• Earnings per diluted share were $0.55, compared to second quarter 2016 earnings per diluted share of $1.27. Earnings per diluted share decreased 39.3% to $1.83 for the year to date period, compared to $3.00 in the same period last year.
• Adjusted earnings per diluted share were $0.66, compared to first quarter 2016 adjusted earnings per diluted share of $1.34. Adjusted earnings per diluted share for the year to date period decreased 31.7% to $2.13, compared to $3.12 in the same period last year.

Balance Sheet

• Cash totaled $19.9 million at the end of the second quarter.
• The credit facility had an outstanding balance of $390 million as of the end of the quarter.

Cash Flow

• Cash flow from operations was $49.9 million for the quarter, a 31.0% decrease over the second quarter last year. For the year to date period, cash flow from operations was $98.8 million, a 33.9% decrease over 2016.
• Free cash flow in the second quarter was $32.5 million, compared to $35.8 million in the prior year. Free cash flow in the year to date period was $64.2 million, compared to $78.8 million in the same period of the prior year.
• 659,598 shares were repurchased for a total of $100.0 million during the second quarter of 2017. For the year to date period, 2,022,488 shares were repurchased for a total of $312.2 million.

2017 Outlook

The company expects approximately the following new unit development in 2017:

• 15 company-owned Buffalo Wild Wings restaurants in the United States, with 2 in the third quarter
• 15 franchised Buffalo Wild Wings locations in the United States, with 6 in the third quarter
• 20 franchised Buffalo Wild Wing locations internationally, with 5 in the third quarter
• 2 company-owned and 10 to 13 franchised R Taco restaurants

The company expects the following in 2017:

• Same-store sales growth of approximately -1% to -2%
• Traditional chicken wing inflation of 8% to 10%
• Depreciation and amortization expense of $153 to $155 million
• General and administrative expense of $138 to $142 million, including stock-based compensation of $8 to $9 million
• Interest expense of approximately $13 million
• Earnings per diluted share of $4.00 to $4.50
• Adjusted earnings per diluted share of $4.50 to $5.00
• Capital expenditures of approximately $100 million

Buffalo Wild Wings will be hosting a conference call today, July 26, 2017 at 4:00 p.m. Central Daylight Time to discuss these results. There will be a simultaneous webcast conducted at our investor website IR.BuffaloWildWings.com.

A replay of the call will be available until August 2, 2017. To access this replay, please dial 1-412-317-6671 password 5733019.

About the Company

Buffalo Wild Wings, Inc., founded in 1982 and headquartered in Minneapolis, is a growing owner, operator and franchisor of Buffalo Wild Wings® restaurants featuring a variety of boldly-flavored, made-to-order menu items including its namesake Buffalo, New York-style chicken wings. The Buffalo Wild Wings menu specializes in 21 mouth-watering signature sauces and seasonings with flavor sensations ranging from Sweet BBQ™ to Blazin’®. Guests enjoy a welcoming neighborhood atmosphere that includes an extensive multi-media system for watching their favorite sporting events. Buffalo Wild Wings is the recipient of hundreds of "Best Wings" and "Best Sports Bar" awards from across the country. There are currently more than 1,240 Buffalo Wild Wings locations around the world.

To stay up-to-date on all the latest events and offers for sports fans and wing lovers, like Buffalo Wild Wings on Facebook, follow @BWWings on Twitter and visit www.BuffaloWildWings.com.

Forward-looking Statements

Various remarks we make about future expectations, plans, and prospects for the company constitute forward-looking statements for purposes of the Safe Harbor provisions under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements relate to our future financial and restaurant performance measures and growth goals, including but not limited to those relating to our third quarter trends, projected unit and net earnings growth rates, and projected share repurchase activity and capital expenditures. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements and are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of our management. We have attempted to identify forward-looking statements by terminology, including “anticipates,” “believes,” “can,” “continue,” “could,” “estimates,” “expects,” “goal,” “intends,” “may,” “plans,” “potential,” “predicts,” “should,” “scheduled,” or “will” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. Actual results may vary materially from those contained in forward-looking statements based on a number of factors, including, but not limited to, our ability to achieve and manage our planned expansion, the ability of our franchisees to open and manage new restaurants, market acceptance in the new geographic regions we enter (particularly international locations), success of acquired restaurants, success of investments in new or emerging concepts, unforeseen obstacles in developing nontraditional sites or non-U.S. locations, our ability to obtain and maintain licenses and permits necessary to operate our existing and new restaurants, our franchisees’ adherence to our system standards, the cost of commodities such as traditional chicken wings, supply chain consistency, the success of our key initiatives and our advertising and marketing campaigns, our ability to control restaurant labor and other restaurant operating costs, the continued service of key management personnel, our ability to protect our name and logo and other proprietary information, economic conditions (including changes in consumer preferences or consumer discretionary spending), the impact of federal, state or local government regulations relating to our employees, the sale of food and alcoholic beverages, the effect of competition in the restaurant industry, and other factors disclosed from time to time in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including the factors described under “Risk Factors” in Part I, Item 1A of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 25, 2016, as updated in subsequent reports filed with the SEC. Investors should take such risks into account when making investment decisions. Shareholders and other readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date on which they are made. We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements.

The following table expresses results of operations as a percentage of total revenue for the periods presented, except for restaurant operating costs which are expressed as a percentage of restaurant sales:

Restaurant-Level Profit and Restaurant-Level Margin

Restaurant-level profit and restaurant-level margin are neither required by, nor presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP and are non-GAAP financial measures. Restaurant-level profit is defined restaurant sales less restaurant operating costs (cost of sales, labor, operating, and occupancy expense). Restaurant-level margin is defined as restaurant-level profit as a percentage of restaurant sales. Restaurant-level profit and restaurant-level margin have limitations as analytical tools, and should not be evaluated in isolation or as substitutes for analysis of results as reported under U.S. GAAP. Management believes the restaurant-level profit and restaurant-level margin are important tools for investors because they are widely-used metrics within the restaurant industry to evaluate restaurant-level productivity, efficiency and performance. Management uses restaurant-level profit and restaurant-level margin as key performance indicators to evaluate the profitability of company-owned restaurants.

A reconciliation of restaurant sales to restaurant-level margin is provided below:

EBITDA

Earnings before interest, taxes, and depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) is not required by, nor presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP and is a non-GAAP financial measure. The Company defines EBITDA as net earnings including non-controlling interests plus interest expense, income tax expense, and depreciation and amortization. EBITDA has limitations as an analytical tool, and should not be evaluated in isolation or as a substitute for analysis of results as reported under U.S. GAAP. Management utilizes this metric as a basis for evaluating our ongoing operations, and believes investors' understanding of our performance is enhanced by including this non-GAAP financial measure as a reasonable basis for evaluating our ongoing results of operations, without the effects of interest, taxes, and depreciation and amortization.

A reconciliation of net earnings including noncontrolling interests to EBITDA is provided below:

Adjusted Net Earnings and Adjusted Earnings per Diluted Share

Adjusted net earnings and adjusted earnings per diluted share are not required by, nor presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP and are non-GAAP financial measures. The Company defines adjusted earnings diluted per share as adjusted net earnings attributable to Buffalo Wild Wings divided by our weighted diluted average shares outstanding. Adjusted net earnings attributable to Buffalo Wild Wings is calculated as earnings before income taxes plus loss on asset disposals and impairment (excluding store closing reserve costs), proxy costs for contested election, advisory and consulting fees, restructuring costs, acquisition costs, and divestiture costs less gain on sale of investment in affiliate. This amount is then adjusted for an estimated income tax expense and net earnings (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests. Adjusted net earnings and adjusted earnings per diluted share have limitations as analytical tools, and should not be evaluated in isolation or as a substitute for analysis of results as reported under U.S. GAAP. Management utilizes these metrics as a basis for evaluating our ongoing operations, and believes investors' understanding of our performance is enhanced by including these non-GAAP financial measures as a reasonable basis for evaluating our ongoing results of operations, without the effects of certain non-recurring or non-cash items.

Adjusted Earnings per Diluted Share Forecast

Adjusted earnings per diluted share is not required by, nor presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP and is a non-GAAP financial measure. The Company defines adjusted earnings per diluted share as diluted earnings per share on a U.S. GAAP basis, plus diluted earnings per share impacts of loss on tangible and intangible asset disposals and impairment, costs related to the advisory fees and preparation of proxy materials in a contested election for the board of directors, and costs related to consulting services pertaining to the identification of best practices and improving efficiencies. Adjusted earnings per diluted share has limitations as an analytical tool, and should not be evaluated in isolation or as a substitute for analysis of results as reported under U.S. GAAP. Management utilizes this metric to forecast and evaluate our ongoing operations, and believes investors' understanding of our performance is enhanced by including this non-GAAP financial measure as a reasonable basis for forecasting and evaluating our ongoing results of operations, without the effects of certain non-recurring or non-cash items.

Free Cash Flow

Free cash flow is not required by, nor presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP and is a non-GAAP financial measure. The Company defines free cash flow as net cash provided operating activities minus acquisition of property and equipment. Free cash flow has limitations as an analytical tool, and should not be evaluated in isolation or as a substitute for analysis of results as reported under U.S. GAAP. Management utilizes this metric, and also believes investors' understanding of our performance is enhanced by including this non-GAAP financial measure, as a basis for evaluating our cash flow available after capital expenditures.

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