FORM 10-Q

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

(Mark One)

OR

Commission File No. 001-35962

NATHAN'S FAMOUS, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

One Jericho Plaza, Second Floor – Wing A, Jericho, New York 11753

(Address of principal executive offices)

(Zip Code)

(516) 338-8500

(Registrant's telephone number, including area code)

(Former name, former address and former fiscal year, if changed since last report)

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes X   No __

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes X No __

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check One):

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ___

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes __ No X

At February 1, 2019, an aggregate of 4,177,179 shares of the registrant's common stock, par value of $.01, were outstanding.

NATHAN'S FAMOUS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

INDEX

NOTE A - BASIS OF PRESENTATION

The accompanying consolidated financial statements of Nathan's Famous, Inc. and subsidiaries (collectively “Nathan’s,” the “Company,” “we,” “us” or “our”) as of and for the thirteen and thirty-nine week periods ended December 23, 2018 and December 24, 2017 have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. The unaudited financial statements include all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring adjustments) which, in the opinion of management, are necessary for a fair presentation of financial condition, results of operations and cash flows for the periods presented. However, our results of operations are seasonal in nature, and the results of any interim period are not necessarily indicative of results for any other interim period or the full fiscal year.

Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America have been omitted pursuant to the requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission. We have reclassified certain prior period items in the Consolidated Balance Sheet as of March 25, 2018 and the Statement of Earnings for the thirteen and thirty-nine week periods ended December 24, 2017 to be comparable with the classifications as of and for the thirteen and thirty-nine week periods ended December 23, 2018. These reclassifications had no effect on previously reported total assets, total liabilities, stockholders’ deficit or net income (loss). Management believes that the disclosures included in the accompanying consolidated interim financial statements and footnotes are adequate to make the information not misleading, but should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in Nathan’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended March 25, 2018.

A summary of the Company’s significant accounting policies is identified in Note B of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended March 25, 2018.

Effective March 26, 2018, the Company adopted Accounting Standards Codification 606, “Revenue Recognition – Revenue from Contracts with Customers” (“ASC 606”). There have been no other significant changes to the Company’s significant accounting policies subsequent to March 25, 2018.

NOTE B – ADOPTION OF NEW ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS

Revenue recognition

In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued guidance codified in ASC 606 which amends the guidance in former ASC 605, “Revenue Recognition.” The core principle of the standard is to recognize revenue when control of the promised goods or services is transferred to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration expected to be received for those goods or services. The standard also requires additional disclosures around the nature, amount, timing, and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from contracts with customers.

This adoption of the new standard did not impact the Company’s recognition of sales from Company-operated restaurants as those sales are recognized on a cash basis at the time of the underlying sale and are presented net of sales tax. The standard also did not impact the recognition of sales from its Branded Product Program or its recognition of royalty income earned from its franchised restaurants or retail licenses, which are based on a percent of sales and recognized at the time the underlying sales occur.

The details of the significant changes in revenue recognition and quantitative impact of the changes are discussed below.

Franchise fees and international development fees

Under previous revenue recognition guidance, franchise fees were recognized as income when substantially all services to be performed by Nathan’s and conditions relating to the sale of the franchise had been performed or satisfied, which generally occurred when the franchised restaurant commenced operations.

Under previous revenue recognition guidance, international development fees were recognized as income, net of direct expenses, upon the opening of the first restaurant within the territory.

Under the new guidance, the standard requires that the transaction price received from customers be allocated to each separate and distinct performance obligation. The transaction price attributable to each separate and distinct performance obligation is then recognized as the performance obligations are satisfied. The services that we provide related to upfront fees we receive from franchisees do not contain separate and distinct performance obligations from the franchise right and as of March 26, 2018, initial restaurant franchise fees, renewal fees, transfer fees, and international development fees shall be recognized over the term of the respective agreement.

National advertising fund

The Company maintains a national advertising fund (the “Advertising Fund”) established to collect and administer funds contributed for use in advertising and promotional programs for Company-operated and franchised restaurants. Previously, the revenue, expenses and cash flows of the Advertising Fund were reported on the Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheets and not included in the Company’s Consolidated Statements of Earnings and Statements of Cash Flows because the contributions to the Advertising Fund were designated for specific purposes and the Company acted as an agent, in substance, with regard to these contributions as a result of industry-specific guidance.

Under the new guidance, which supersedes the previous industry-specific guidance, the revenue, expenses and cash flows of the Advertising Fund are fully consolidated into the Company’s Consolidated Statements of Earnings and Statements of Cash Flows.

While this treatment will impact the gross amount of reported advertising fund revenue and related expenses, the impact is expected to be an offsetting increase to both revenue and expense with no impact to income from operations or net income because the Company attempts to manage the Advertising Fund to breakeven over the course of the fiscal year. However, any surplus or deficit in the Advertising Fund will impact income from operations and net income.

The Company applied the new guidance using the modified retrospective method, whereby the cumulative effect of initially adopting the guidance was recognized as an adjustment to the opening balance of accumulated deficit at March 26, 2018 in the amount of $2,004,000, net of tax. Therefore, the results of operations from the comparative period have not been adjusted and continue to be reported under the previous revenue recognition guidance.

Impacts on Consolidated Financial Statements

The following tables summarize the impact of adopting ASC 606 on the Company’s condensed consolidated financial statements as of and for the thirteen and thirty-nine weeks ended December 23, 2018 (in thousands):

Contract balances

The following table provides information about receivables and contract liabilities (Deferred franchise fees) from contracts with customers (in thousands):                  

Significant changes in Deferred franchise fees are as follows (in thousands):     

Anticipated Future Recognition of Deferred Franchise Fees

The following table reflects the estimated franchise fees to be recognized in the future related to performance obligations that are unsatisfied at the end of the period (in thousands):          

We have applied the optional exemption, as provided for under ASC 606, which allows us not to disclose the transaction price allocated to unsatisfied performance obligations when the transaction price is a sales-based royalty.

NOTE C – NEW ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS NOT YET ADOPTED   

In June 2016, the FASB issued new guidance on the measurement of credit losses, which significantly changes the impairment model for most financial instruments. Current guidance requires the recognition of credit losses based on an incurred loss impairment methodology that reflects losses once the losses are probable. Under the new standard, the Company will be required to use a current expected credit loss model (“CECL”) that will immediately recognize an estimate of credit losses that are expected to occur over the life of the financial instruments that are in the scope of this update, including trade receivables. The CECL model uses a broader range of reasonable and supportable information in the development of credit loss estimates. This guidance is effective for public business entities for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2019. This standard is required to take effect in Nathan’s first quarter (June 2020) of our fiscal year ending March 28, 2021. The Company is currently evaluating the impact that the adoption of this guidance will have on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

In February 2016, the FASB issued new guidance on leases, which outlines principles for the recognition, measurement, presentation and disclosure of leases applicable to both lessors and lessees. The new standard is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim reporting periods within those annual reporting periods. The standard is required to take effect in Nathan’s first quarter (June 2019) of our fiscal year ending March 29, 2020. The new guidance requires lessees to recognize on the balance sheet the assets and liabilities for the rights and obligations created by finance and operating leases with lease terms of more than 12 months. The guidance requires either a modified retrospective transition approach with application in all comparative periods presented, or an alternative transition method, which permits a company to use its effective date as the date of initial application without restating comparative period financial statements and recognizing a cumulative effect adjustment to the opening balance sheet of accumulated deficit at April 1, 2019. The new guidance also provides several practical expedients and policies that companies may elect under either transition method. We currently expect to apply the alternative transition method and elect the package of practical expedients under which we will not reassess the classification of our existing leases, reevaluate whether any expired or existing contracts are or contain leases or reassess initial direct costs under the new guidance. We do not expect to elect the practical expedient that permits a reassessment of lease terms for existing leases and are continuing to evaluate other practical expedients and elections specified in the new guidance. Progress implementing the new standard to date includes completing an initial scoping analysis and data gathering process for our current lease portfolio. We are finalizing the review of information for completeness of the lease portfolio, analyzing the financial statement impact of adopting the standards, and evaluating the impact of adoption on our existing accounting policies and disclosures. As of December 23, 2018, there were $10,043,000 in future minimum rental payments for operating leases that are not currently recorded on our balance sheet; therefore, we expect this new guidance will have a material impact on our consolidated balance sheets and related disclosures. We do not expect the adoption of this guidance to have a material impact on our consolidated statements of earnings and statement of cash flows.

In January 2017, the FASB issued an update to the accounting guidance to simplify the testing for goodwill impairment. The update removes the requirement to determine the implied fair value of goodwill to measure the amount of impairment loss, if any, under the second step of the current goodwill impairment test. A company will perform its annual or interim goodwill impairment test by comparing the fair value of a reporting unit with its carrying amount. A goodwill impairment charge will be recognized for the amount by which the reporting unit’s carrying amount exceeds its fair value, not to exceed the carrying amount of the goodwill. The guidance is effective prospectively for public business entities for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2019. This standard is required to take effect in Nathan’s first quarter (June 2020) of our fiscal year ending March 28, 2021. Nathan’s does not expect the adoption of this new guidance to have a material impact on its results of operations or financial position.

The Company does not believe that any other recently issued, but not yet effective accounting standards, when adopted, will have a material effect on the accompanying consolidated financial statements.

NOTE D – INCOME PER SHARE

Basic income per common share is calculated by dividing income by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding and excludes any dilutive effect of stock options. Diluted income per common share gives effect to all potentially dilutive common shares that were outstanding during the period. Dilutive common shares used in the computation of diluted income per common share result from the assumed exercise of stock options and warrants, as determined using the treasury stock method.

The following chart provides a reconciliation of information used in calculating the per-share amounts for the thirteen and thirty-nine week periods ended December 23, 2018 and December 24, 2017, respectively.

Options to purchase 10,000 shares of common stock in the thirteen and thirty-nine week periods ended December 23, 2018 were not included in the computation of diluted EPS because the exercise price exceeded the average market price of common shares during the periods.

NOTE E – FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS

Nathan’s follows a three-level fair value hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs to measure fair value. This hierarchy requires entities to maximize the use of “observable inputs” and minimize the use of “unobservable inputs.” The valuation hierarchy is based upon the transparency of inputs to the valuation of an asset or liability on the measurement date. The three levels are defined as follows:

●     Level 1 - inputs to the valuation methodology are quoted prices (unadjusted) for an identical asset or liability in an active market

●     Level 2 - inputs to the valuation methodology include quoted prices for a similar asset or liability in an active market or model-derived valuations in which all significant inputs are observable for substantially the full term of the asset or liability

●     Level 3 - inputs to the valuation methodology are unobservable and significant to the fair value measurement of the asset or liability

The Company’s long-term debt had a face value of $150,000,000 as of December 23, 2018 and a fair value of $147,000,000 as of December 23, 2018. The Company estimates the fair value of its long-term debt based upon review of observable pricing in secondary markets as of the last trading day of the fiscal period, which we classify as Level 2.

The carrying amounts of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable and accounts payable approximate fair value due to the short-term maturity of the instruments.

Certain non-financial assets and liabilities are measured at fair value on a non-recurring basis; that is, the assets and liabilities are not measured at fair value on an ongoing basis, but are subject to fair value adjustments in certain circumstances, such as when evidence of impairment exists. At December 23, 2018, no fair value adjustment or material fair value measurements were required for non-financial assets or liabilities.

NOTE F – ACCOUNTS AND OTHER RECEIVABLES, NET          

Accounts and other receivables, net, consist of the following (in thousands):

Accounts receivable are due within 30 days and are stated at amounts due from franchisees, retail licensees and Branded Product Program customers, net of an allowance for doubtful accounts. Accounts that are outstanding longer than the contractual payment terms are generally considered past due. The Company does not recognize franchise and license royalties that are not deemed to be realizable.

The Company individually reviews each past due account and determines its allowance for doubtful accounts by considering a number of factors, including the length of time accounts receivable are past due, the Company’s previous loss history, the customer’s current and expected future ability to pay its obligation to the Company, the condition of the general economy and the industry as a whole. Based on management’s assessment, the Company provides for estimated uncollectible amounts through a charge to earnings. After the Company has used reasonable collection efforts, it writes off accounts receivable through a charge to the allowance for doubtful accounts.

Changes in the Company’s allowance for doubtful accounts for the thirty-nine week period ended December 23, 2018 and the fiscal year ended March 25, 2018 are as follows (in thousands): 

NOTE G – PREPAID EXPENSES AND OTHER CURRENT ASSETS

Prepaid expenses and other current assets consist of the following (in thousands):

NOTE H – SALE OF PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT

On October 23, 2018, the Company completed the sale of its Company-owned restaurant located in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, New York for proceeds of $11,445,000, net of direct expenses, and recorded a gain of $10,821,000, which represented the excess of the proceeds, less costs to sell of $33,000, over the carrying value on that date. The Company continued operating the restaurant under a Surrender Agreement with the purchaser until January 6, 2019 and surrendered the property to the purchaser on January 22, 2019.

On August 9, 2018, the Company completed the sale of its regional office building located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida for proceeds of $1,330,000, net of direct expenses, and recorded a gain of $306,000, which represented the excess of the proceeds, less costs to sell of $17,000, over the carrying value on that date.

NOTE I – ACCRUED EXPENSES, OTHER CURRENT LIABILITIES AND OTHER LIABILITIES

Accrued expenses and other current liabilities consist of the following (in thousands):

Other liabilities consist of the following (in thousands):

NOTE J – REVENUES

The Company’s disaggregated revenues for the thirteen and thirty-nine weeks ended December 23, 2018 and December 24, 2017 are as follows (in thousands):

(1) As disclosed in Note B, prior period amounts have not been adjusted under the modified retrospective method of adoption of ASC 606.

The following table disaggregates revenues by primary geographical market (in thousands):

NOTE K – INCOME TAXES

On December 22, 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, (the “Tax Act”) was enacted which among other provisions, reduced the top corporate tax rate from 35 percent to a flat 21 percent beginning January 1, 2018 and eliminated the corporate Alternative Minimum Tax. The Tax Act limits the deduction of business interest, net of interest income, to 30 percent of the adjusted taxable income of the taxpayer in any taxable year. Any amount disallowed under the limitation is treated as business interest paid or accrued in the following year. Disallowed interest will have an indefinite carryforward. The Tax Act also repeals the performance-based exception to the $1.0 million deduction limitation on executive compensation and modifies the definition of “covered employees”. Additionally, the Tax Act intended to allow businesses to immediately expense the full cost of Qualified Improvement Property. However, the law as written does not permit restaurant companies to take advantage of the laws’ intention. Nathan’s determined that its blended federal tax rate was 31% for its fiscal year ending March 25, 2018, as a result of the Tax Act.

The income tax provisions for the thirty-nine week periods ended December 23, 2018 and December 24, 2017 reflect effective tax rates of 27.8% and 21.5%, respectively. The Company’s tax rate reflects the reduction in our Federal income tax rate from 31% to 21% pursuant to the Tax Act. During the quarter ended December 24, 2017, pursuant to Staff Accounting Bulletin #118, Nathan’s determined reasonable estimates to its deferred assets and liabilities and pursuant to ASC 740, Income Taxes, the Company recognized the effect(s) of the Tax Act on current and deferred income taxes in its financial statements. Nathan’s recorded the following discrete adjustment to its deferred tax liability and unrecognized tax benefits which reduced the provision for income taxes by $436,000 or 1,510 BPS during the thirty-nine weeks ended December 24, 2017, lowering its effective tax rate from 36.6% to 21.5%.

Nathan’s effective tax rates for the thirty-nine week periods ended December 23, 2018 and December 24, 2017 were also reduced by 20 BPS and 670 BPS, respectively, as a result of the tax benefits associated with stock compensation. For the thirty-nine week periods ended December 23, 2018 and December 24, 2017, excess tax benefits of $47,000 and $194,000, respectively, were reflected in the Consolidated Statements of Earnings as a reduction in determining the provision for income taxes.

The amount of unrecognized tax benefits at December 23, 2018 was $249,000 all of which would impact Nathan’s effective tax rate, if recognized. As of December 23, 2018, Nathan’s had $242,000 of accrued interest and penalties in connection with unrecognized tax benefits.

In January 2018, Nathan’s received notification from the State of Virginia that it was seeking to review Nathan’s tax returns for the period April 2014 through March 2017. The review has been completed; Nathan’s has accepted the findings and settled the matter in the second quarter fiscal 2019. The effects of the review, which were not significant, have been factored into the Company’s effective tax rate for fiscal 2019.

Nathan’s estimates that its annual tax rate for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2019 will be in the range of approximately 27.0% to 29.0% excluding the impact of any discrete items recorded and excess tax benefit associated with stock compensation. The final annual tax rate is subject to many variables, including the ultimate determination of revenue and income tax by state, among other factors, and cannot be determined until the end of the fiscal year; therefore, the actual tax rate could differ from our current estimates. In addition, the ultimate benefit of the Tax Act on Nathan’s is unclear as the lower annual tax rate could be outweighed by deduction limitations and other provisions included in further guidance and regulations.           

NOTE L – SEGMENT INFORMATION

Nathan’s considers itself to be a brand marketer of the Nathan’s Famous signature products to the foodservice industry pursuant to its various business structures. Nathan’s sells its products directly to consumers through its restaurant operations segment consisting of Company-operated and franchised restaurants, to distributors that resell our products to the foodservice industry through the Branded Product Program (“BPP”) and by third party manufacturers pursuant to license agreements that sell our products to club stores and grocery stores nationwide. The Company’s Chief Executive Officer has been identified as the Chief Operating Decision Maker (“CODM”) who evaluates performance and allocates resources for the Branded Product Program, Product Licensing and Restaurant Operations segments based upon a number of factors, the primary profit measure being income from operations. Certain administrative expenses are not allocated to the segments and are reported within Corporate.

Branded Product Program – This segment derives revenue principally from the sale of hot dog products either directly to foodservice operators or to various foodservice distributors who resell the products to foodservice operators.

Product licensing – This segment derives revenue, primarily in the form of royalties, from licensing a broad variety of Nathan’s Famous branded products, including our hot dogs, sausage and corned beef products, frozen French fries and additional products through retail grocery channels and club stores throughout the United States.

Restaurant operations – This segment derives revenue from sale of our products at Company-owned restaurants and earns fees and royalties from its franchised restaurants.

Revenues from operating segments are from transactions with unaffiliated third parties and do not include any intersegment revenues.

Income from operations attributable to Corporate consists principally of administrative expenses not allocated to the operating segments such as executive management, finance, information technology, legal, insurance, corporate office costs, corporate incentive compensation and compliance costs.

Interest expense, interest income and other income, net are managed centrally at the corporate level, and, accordingly, such items are not presented by segment since they are excluded from the measure of profitability reviewed by the CODM.

Operating segment information is as follows (in thousands):

NOTE M– SHARE-BASED COMPENSATION

Total share-based compensation during the thirteen-week periods ended December 23, 2018 and December 24, 2017 was $29,000 and $99,000, respectively. Total share-based compensation during the thirty-nine week periods ended December 23, 2018 and December 24, 2017 was $133,000 and $298,000, respectively. Total share-based compensation is included in general and administrative expenses in our accompanying Consolidated Statements of Earnings. As of December 23, 2018, there was $314,000 of unamortized compensation expense related to share-based incentive awards. We expect to recognize this expense over approximately thirty-three months, which represents the weighted average remaining requisite service periods for such awards.

The Company recognizes compensation cost for unvested stock-based incentive awards on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period. Compensation cost charged to expense under all stock-based incentive awards is as follows (in thousands):

Stock options outstanding: 

During the fiscal year ended March 29, 2015, the Company granted options to purchase 50,000 shares at an exercise price of $53.89 per share, all of which expire five years from the date of grant. All such stock options vest ratably over a four-year period which commenced August 6, 2015 and contained anti-dilution rights that were structured to equalize the award’s fair value before and after the modification.

In connection with the Company’s special cash dividend, paid on January 4, 2018, to stockholders of record as of December 22, 2017, the Company performed an analysis, pursuant to the anti-dilution provisions of the 2010 Stock Incentive Plan, as amended (the “2010 Plan”), and issued replacement options to purchase 68,498 shares at an exercise price of $33.438 for the unvested stock options outstanding as of the record date of December 22, 2017, canceling 64,384 shares at an exercise price of $35.58 per share. Nathan’s performed its evaluation based on the closing price of its common stock on December 20, 2017, the day before the stock went ex-dividend, of $83.20 per share, or $78.20 per share excluding the dividend of $5.00 per share. No other terms or conditions of the outstanding options were modified.

In connection with the Company’s special cash dividend, paid on March 27, 2015, to stockholders of record as of March 20, 2015, the Company performed an analysis, pursuant to the anti-dilution provisions of the 2010 Plan, and issued replacement options to purchase 75,745 shares at an exercise price of $35.58 for the unvested stock options outstanding as of March 29, 2015, canceling 50,000 shares at an exercise price of $53.89. Nathan’s performed its evaluation based on the closing price of its common stock on March 27, 2015 of $73.56 per share, or $48.56 per share excluding the dividend of $25.00 per share. No other terms or conditions of the outstanding options were modified.

During the thirty-nine week period ended December 23, 2018, the Company granted options to purchase 10,000 shares at an exercise price of $89.90 per share, all of which expire five years from the date of grant. All such stock options vest ratably over a three year period commencing September 12, 2019.

The weighted-average option fair values, as determined using the Black-Scholes option valuation model, and the assumptions used to estimate these values for stock options granted during the thirty-nine weeks ended December 23, 2018, are as follows:

The expected dividend yield is based on historical and projected dividend yields. The Company expects volatility based primarily on historical monthly price changes of the Company’s stock equal to the expected life of the option. The risk free interest rate is based on the U.S. Treasury yield in effect at the time of the grant. The expected option term is the number of years the Company estimates the options will be outstanding prior to exercise based on expected employment termination behavior.

Transactions with respect to stock options for the thirty-nine weeks ended December 23, 2018 are as follows:

Restricted stock: 

Transactions with respect to restricted stock for the thirty-nine weeks ended December 23, 2018 are as follows:

During the thirty-nine week period ended December 23, 2018, the Company granted 1,000 shares of restricted stock at a fair value of $89.90 per share representing the closing price on the date of the grant, which will be fully vested three years from the date of grant. The restrictions on the shares lapse ratably over a three-year period on the annual anniversary of the date of grant. The compensation expense related to this restricted stock award is expected to be $89,900 and will be recognized, commencing on the grant date, over three years.

NOTE N– STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

1. Dividends

On May 31, 2018, Nathan’s Board of Directors authorized the commencement of a regular dividend of $1.00 per share per annum, payable at the rate of $0.25 per quarter. Through December 23, 2018, the Company declared and paid three regular quarterly dividends of $0.25 per common share aggregating $3,139,000.

Effective February 1, 2019, the Board declared its fourth quarterly cash dividend of $0.25 per share which is payable on March 22, 2019 to stockholders of record as of the close of business on March 11, 2019.

On November 1, 2017, the Company’s Board of Directors declared a special cash dividend of $5.00 per share payable to stockholders of record as of December 22, 2017 of which approximately $20,923,000 was paid on January 4, 2018 to the stockholders. The Company also accrued $25,000 for the expected dividends payable on unvested restricted shares pursuant to the terms of the restricted stock agreement. As unvested restricted stock vests, the declared dividend is paid. The Company paid this $25,000 during the thirteen weeks ended June 24, 2018.

On March 10, 2015, the Company’s Board of Directors declared a special cash dividend of $25.00 per share payable to stockholders of record as of March 20, 2015 of which approximately $115,100,000 was paid on March 27, 2015 to the stockholders. The Company accrued $1,000,000 for the expected dividends payable on unvested shares pursuant to the terms of the restricted stock agreements. As unvested restricted stock vests, the declared dividend is paid. As of March 25, 2018 we had paid $875,000 of the accrued dividend and the remaining $125,000 was paid during the thirteen weeks ended June 24, 2018.

Our ability to pay future dividends is limited by the terms of the Indenture, dated November 1, 2017, between the Company, certain of its wholly-owned subsidiaries, as guarantors and U.S. Bank National Association, as trustee and collateral trustee (the “Indenture”). In addition, the declaration and payment of any cash dividends in the future are subject to final determination of the Board and will be dependent upon our earnings and financial requirements.

2. Common Stock Purchase Rights

On June 5, 2013, Nathan’s adopted a stockholder rights plan (the “2013 Rights Plan”) under which all stockholders of record as of June 17, 2013 received rights to purchase shares of common stock.