Fiesta Restaurant Group, Inc. Reports Second Quarter 2021 Results

Taco Cabana Divestiture Expected to Close During Third Quarter of 2021

Sequential Improvement in Pollo Tropical Second Quarter 2021 Comparable Restaurant Sales from First Quarter 2021

Income from Continuing Operations was $2.7 Million for the Second Quarter of 2021 Compared to a Loss in the Prior Year

Fiesta Restaurant Group, Inc. ("Fiesta" or the "Company") (NASDAQ: FRGI), parent company of the Pollo Tropical® and Taco Cabana® restaurant brands, today reported results for the 13-week second quarter, which ended on July 4, 2021, and provided a business update related to current operations.

On July 1, 2021 the Company announced the entry into an agreement to sell the Taco Cabana business to an affiliate of Yadav Enterprises, Inc. Additional details regarding the transaction are referenced in the Company's Form 8-K filed on July 7, 2021. The divestiture transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2021, subject to the satisfactory completion of customary closing conditions.

Fiesta President and Chief Executive Officer Richard Stockinger said, "We were pleased with Pollo Tropical’s performance in the second quarter, characterized by comparable restaurant sales improving to near 2019 levels and strong margins, despite hourly staffing challenges over the quarter. We believe that workforce availability challenges had an increasingly negative impact on sales through the quarter. We took a number of steps to improve recruiting and retention of our hourly workforce, which resulted in improved staffing levels in July compared to the second quarter of 2021."

Stockinger added, "We delivered strong margin performance in the second quarter, which resulted in second quarter 2021 income from continuing operations of $2.7 million and income from continuing operations before income taxes of $1.8 million, compared to a loss for both measures in the second quarter of 2020. Continuing Operations Adjusted EBITDA, a non-GAAP measure⁽¹⁾, was $9.1 million or 10.0% of total revenues compared to $2.6 million and 4.2% of revenue in the second quarter of 2020. Pollo Tropical increased restaurant-level Adjusted EBITDA margin, a non-GAAP measure⁽¹⁾, from 16.3% in the second quarter of 2020 to 20.4% in the second quarter of 2021. In addition, our total cash balance continued to grow, reaching $69.9 million at the end of the second quarter."

Stockinger continued, "We made strong progress on Pollo Tropical’s strategic growth initiatives during the second quarter, including our ongoing brand positioning research that will inform our digital, brand expansion and existing unit remodel efforts. The design phase of our digital drive thru customer experience is advancing, and we intend to begin the pilot of this greatly enhanced drive thru platform in select units later this year. We are also testing key restaurant design elements and operating platform improvements in remodels during the balance of 2021, and initial consumer feedback on our first remodel completed in the second quarter has been very positive."

Stockinger concluded, "We expect that the Taco Cabana divestiture will allow us to create a more effective, efficient and focused organization, applying appropriate resources to accelerate the exciting growth potential we believe we have in our Pollo Tropical brand. This will include our ongoing efforts to drive an upgraded customer experience across all service channels, continuing to invest in expanding our growing digital platform and finalizing our new unit expansion plans targeted for 2022."

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Second Quarter 2021 Financial Summary

• Total revenues from continuing operations increased 43.7% to $91.2 million in the second quarter of 2021 from $63.4 million in the second quarter of 2020;
• Comparable restaurant sales at Pollo Tropical increased 43.5%. Compared to the same fiscal period in 2019, comparable restaurant sales for Pollo Tropical decreased 1.8%;
• Comparable restaurant sales at Taco Cabana increased 15.6%. Compared to the same fiscal period in 2019, comparable restaurant sales for Taco Cabana decreased 6.7%;
• A net loss of $(0.1) million, or $0.00 per diluted share, in the second quarter of 2021, compared to a net loss of $(8.3) million, or $(0.33) per diluted share, in the second quarter of 2020;
• Net income from continuing operations of $2.7 million, or $0.11 per diluted share, in the second quarter of 2021, compared to a net loss of $(6.6) million, or $(0.26) per diluted share, in the second quarter of 2020;
• Adjusted net income (a non-GAAP financial measure) of $3.4 million, or $0.13 per diluted share, in the second quarter of 2021, compared to adjusted net loss of $(3.1) million, or $(0.12) per diluted share, in the second quarter of 2020 (see non-GAAP reconciliation table below);
• Continuing Operations Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA (a non-GAAP financial measure) of $9.1 million in the second quarter of 2021 compared to $2.6 million in the second quarter of 2020 (see non-GAAP reconciliation table below);
• Adjusted EBITDA for Pollo Tropical of $11.9 million in the second quarter of 2021 compared to $5.0 million in the second quarter of 2020;
• Restaurant-level Adjusted EBITDA (a non-GAAP financial measure) for Pollo Tropical of $18.5 million, or 20.4% of Pollo Tropical restaurant sales, in the second quarter of 2021 compared to $10.3 million, or 16.3% of Pollo Tropical restaurant sales, in the second quarter of 2020 (see non-GAAP reconciliation table below);
• Adjusted EBITDA for Taco Cabana of $3.0 million in the second quarter of 2021 compared to $2.7 million in the second quarter of 2020;
• Restaurant-level Adjusted EBITDA (a non-GAAP financial measure) for Taco Cabana of $8.4 million, or 12.8% of Taco Cabana restaurant sales, in the second quarter of 2021 compared to $7.3 million, or 12.6% of Taco Cabana restaurant sales, in the second quarter of 2020 (see non-GAAP reconciliation table below); and

 Second Quarter 2021 Comparable Restaurant Sales

• As a result of the 53^rd week in fiscal 2020, our 2021 fiscal year began one week later than our 2020 fiscal year. Changes in comparable restaurant sales are impacted by the shift in weeks as the thirteen weeks ended July 4, 2021 are not directly comparable on a calendar basis to the thirteen weeks ended June 28, 2020.
• For Pollo Tropical comparable restaurant sales comparisons in 2021 vs. 2019, the Fourth of July holiday timing had an impact on fiscal June. After adjusting for the holiday timing difference, June 2021 comparable restaurant sales vs. 2019 would have been 40 to 50 basis points higher.

Cash and Liquidity

• At the end of the second quarter of 2021, we had $65.8 million in cash, $3.8 million in restricted cash and $72.4 million in outstanding debt, which includes $71.5 million of term loan borrowings under our new senior credit facility and $0.9 million in finance lease obligations. In addition, we had $0.3 million in cash and $0.8 million in finance lease obligations within discontinued operations. Our outstanding term loan borrowings under our senior credit facility are net of unamortized debt issuance costs and original issue discount totaling $3.2 million.
• Our cash balance grew from the first quarter balance of $58.8 million at April 4, 2021 to a second quarter balance of $65.8 million at July 4, 2021. Net debt, a non-GAAP financial measure⁽²⁾, decreased from $13.5 million at the end of the first quarter on April 4, 2021 to $6.6 million at the end of the second quarter on July 4, 2021.
• Proceeds from the sale of Taco Cabana will be used to fully repay our outstanding term loan borrowings under our senior credit facility, and to pay a loan prepayment premium of 3.0% of the principal repaid ($2.2 million).

Second Quarter 2021 Brand Results

Total Pollo Tropical restaurant sales increased 43.4% to $90.8 million in the second quarter of 2021 compared to $63.3 million in the second quarter of 2020 primarily due to a comparable restaurant sales increase of 43.5%. Pollo Tropical dine-in and counter take-out comparable restaurant sales increased 117% from the second quarter of 2020 to the second quarter of 2021 due primarily to the negative impact of the pandemic on dine-in traffic and closures of our dining rooms during a portion of the second quarter of 2020. The increase in dine in channel sales was supplemented by off-premise channel growth. Second quarter 2021 drive-thru comparable restaurant sales increased 18% compared to the second quarter of 2020, while second quarter 2021 delivery comparable restaurant sales nearly doubled compared to the second quarter of 2020. The increase in comparable restaurant sales resulted from a net impact of product/channel mix and pricing of 14.3% and an increase in comparable restaurant transactions of 29.2%. 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 4.0%. Beginning in April, Pollo Tropical began to experience increased hourly staffing challenges due to workforce availability which we believe had an increasingly negative impact on sales through the remainder of the quarter, driven in part by reduced operating hours.

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Adjusted EBITDA for Pollo Tropical increased to $11.9 million in the second quarter of 2021 from $5.0 million in the second quarter of 2020, an increase of 139.3%. The increase was primarily due to the impact of higher restaurant sales, and improved cost of sales margins, partially offset by higher advertising expenses and repair and maintenance costs. Restaurant-level Adjusted EBITDA for Pollo Tropical as a percentage of restaurant sales continues to be strong, with second quarter Restaurant-level Adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of restaurant sales of 20.4% in 2021 compared to 16.3% in 2020 and 23.1% in 2019. Continuing Operations Adjusted EBITDA increased to $9.1 million compared to $2.6 million in 2020.

Pollo Tropical average weekly sales trends from April/May to June/July have historically declined due to reductions in visitors to Florida during summer months and the negative traffic impact of school closures.

Taco Cabana restaurant sales increased 13.5% to $66.1 million in the second quarter of 2021 from $58.3 million in the second quarter of 2020 due primarily to a comparable restaurant sales increase of 15.6%. Taco Cabana comparable restaurant sales increased across all sales channels from the second quarter of 2020 to the second quarter of 2021 due to the negative impact of the pandemic on dine-in traffic and closures of our dining rooms during a portion of the second quarter of 2020. The increase in comparable restaurant sales resulted from an increase in comparable restaurant transactions of 13.0% and an increase in the net impact of product/channel mix and pricing of 2.6%. The increase in product/channel mix and pricing was driven primarily by menu price increases of 4.3%.

Adjusted EBITDA for Taco Cabana increased to $3.0 million in the second quarter of 2021 from $2.7 million in the second quarter of 2020. The increase was primarily due to higher restaurant sales, partially offset by higher repair and maintenance costs including winter storm costs such as repairs and landscaping debris removal costs, increased advertising and higher delivery fee expense. Second quarter Adjusted EBITDA for Taco Cabana as a percentage of total revenues was 4.6% in 2020 and in 2021, and Restaurant-level Adjusted EBITDA for Taco Cabana as a percentage of restaurant sales increased from 12.6% in 2020 to 12.8% in 2021. Second quarter Adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of total revenues decreased compared to 5.3% in 2019 and Restaurant-level Adjusted EBITDA for Taco Cabana as a percentage of restaurant sales increased compared to 12.1% in 2019.

Restaurant Portfolio

As of July 4, 2021, there were 138 Company-owned Pollo Tropical restaurants, 142 Company-owned Taco Cabana restaurants, 29 franchised Pollo Tropical restaurants in the U.S., Puerto Rico, Panama, Guyana, Ecuador and the Bahamas, and six 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- 412-317-6026. A replay will be available after the call until Thursday, August 19, 2021 and can be accessed by dialing 1-412-317-6671. The passcode is 10158958. The conference call will also be webcast live and archived on 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 the anticipated closing of the Taco Cabana divestiture transaction and its impact on our future business, our anticipated growth, plans, objectives and the impact of our initiatives, our investments in strategic and sales building initiatives, including those relating to operations improvements, digital infrastructure supporting ordering and online sales, catering and third-party delivery and drive thru improvements and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and our initiatives designed to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic 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 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 (including Continuing Operations Adjusted EBITDA and Discontinued Operations 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). The "Other" column includes corporate costs that were allocated to Taco Cabana and are not included in discontinued operations.

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.