Yum! Brands (YUM) Risk Factors

Our Concepts' restaurants compete with international, national and regional restaurant chains as well as locally-owned restaurants, and the industry in which we operate is highly competitive with respect to price and quality of food products, new product development, digital engagement, advertising levels and promotional initiatives, customer service reputation, restaurant location and attractiveness and maintenance of properties, management and hourly personnel and qualified franchisees. Moreover, if we are unable to successfully respond to changing consumer or dietary preferences, if our marketing efforts and/or launch of new products are unsuccessful, or if our Concepts' restaurants are unable to compete successfully with other retail food outlets, our and our Concepts' franchisees' businesses and/or our growth prospects could be adversely affected. We also face ongoing competition due to convergence in grocery, convenience, deli and restaurant services, including the offering by the grocery industry of convenient meals, including pizzas and entrees with side dishes. Competition from delivery aggregators and other food delivery services has also increased and is expected to continue to increase, particularly in urbanized areas. Finally, not all of our competitors may seek to establish environmental or sustainability goals comparable to ours, which could result in lower supply chain or operating costs for our competitors. Increased competition and other competitive factors could have an adverse effect on our business or development plans.

As a company dependent upon consumer discretionary spending, we (and our Concepts' franchisees) are sensitive to macroeconomic conditions and consumer discretionary spending levels in markets where we and our Concepts' franchisees operate. Some of the factors that may impact discretionary consumer spending and macroeconomic conditions include unemployment and underemployment rates, fluctuations in disposable income, the price of gasoline, other inflationary pressures, higher taxes, reduced access to credit, elevated interest rate levels, stock market performance and changes in consumer confidence. In this regard, we and our Concepts' franchisees have been adversely impacted by, and may continue to be adversely impacted by, negative macroeconomic conditions in certain markets where we and our Concepts' franchisees operate, including impacts from increased commodity prices and other inflationary pressures, elevated interest rates, challenging labor market conditions, ongoing geopolitical instability, supply chain disruption, and increases in real estate costs in certain domestic and international markets. Any significant deterioration in current negative macroeconomic conditions in markets where we operate, or any recovery therefrom that is significantly slower than anticipated, could have an adverse effect on our business, growth prospects, financial conditions, or results of operations. In addition, negative macroeconomic conditions or other adverse business developments may result in future asset impairment charges. Moreover, if negative macroeconomic conditions result in significant disruptions to capital and financial markets, or negatively impact our credit ratings, our cost of borrowing, our ability to access capital on favorable terms and our overall liquidity and capital structure could be adversely impacted.

There has been a marked increase in the use of social media platforms, including blogs, chat platforms, social media websites, and other forms of Internet-based communications which allow individuals access to a broad audience of consumers and other interested persons. The rising popularity of social media and other consumer-oriented technologies has increased the speed and accessibility of information dissemination and given users the ability to more effectively organize collective actions such as boycotts and other brand-damaging behaviors. Many social media platforms immediately publish content, often without filters or checks on accuracy. Information posted on such platforms may be adverse to our interests and/or may be inaccurate. The dissemination of information online could harm our reputation, business and/or growth prospects, regardless of the information's accuracy. The damage may be immediate without an opportunity for redress or correction. In addition, social media is frequently used by our Concepts or Concepts' franchisees to communicate with customers and the public. Failure by our Concepts or Concepts' franchisees to use social media effectively or appropriately, particularly as compared to our Concepts' competitors, could lead to a decline in brand reputation, brand value, customer visits and revenue. Social media is also increasingly used to compel companies to express public positions on issues and topics not directly related to their core business, which could prove controversial or divisive to consumers and result in lost sales or a misallocation of resources. In addition, laws and regulations, including FTC enforcement, are rapidly evolving to govern social media platforms and communications. A failure of us, our employees, our Concepts' franchisees or third parties acting at our direction or on our behalf, or others perceived to be associated with us or our Concepts' franchisees, to abide by applicable laws and regulations regarding the use of social media, or to appropriately use social media, could adversely impact our Concepts' brands, our reputation, our business and our growth prospects, result in negative publicity, or subject us or our Concepts' franchisees to fines, other penalties or litigation. Other risks associated with the use of social media include improper disclosure of proprietary information, negative comments about our Concepts' brands, exposure of personally identifiable information, fraud, hoaxes or malicious dissemination of false information.

As of December 31, 2023, our total outstanding short-term borrowings and long-term debt was approximately $11.2 billion. Subject to the limits contained in the agreements governing our outstanding indebtedness, we may incur additional debt from time to time, which would increase the risks related to our level of indebtedness. Our level of indebtedness could have important potential consequences, including, but not limited to: - increasing our vulnerability to, and reducing our flexibility to plan for and respond to, adverse economic and industry conditions and changes in our business and the competitive environment;- requiring the dedication of a substantial portion of our cash flow from operations to the payment of principal of, and interest on, indebtedness, thereby reducing or eliminating the availability of such cash flow to fund working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions, dividends, share repurchases or other corporate purposes;- increasing our vulnerability to a downgrade of our credit rating, which could adversely affect our cost of funds, liquidity and access to capital markets;- restricting us from making strategic acquisitions or causing us to make non-strategic divestitures;- placing us at a disadvantage compared to other less leveraged competitors or competitors with comparable debt at more favorable interest rates;- increasing our exposure to the risk of increased interest rates insofar as current and future borrowings are subject to variable rates of interest or we are forced to refinance indebtedness at higher interest rates, which risks are heightened by the current elevated interest rate environment;- increasing our exposure to the risk of discontinuance, replacement or modification of certain reference rates;- making it more difficult for us to repay, refinance or satisfy our obligations with respect to our debt;- limiting our ability to borrow additional funds in the future and increasing the cost of any such borrowing;- imposing restrictive covenants on our operations due to the terms of our indebtedness, which, if not complied with, could result in an event of default, which if not cured or waived, could result in the acceleration of the applicable debt, and may result in the acceleration of any other debt to which a cross-acceleration or cross-default provision applies; and - increasing our exposure to risks related to fluctuations in foreign currency as we earn profits in a variety of currencies around the world and our debt is primarily denominated in U.S. dollars. If our business does not generate sufficient cash flow from operations or if future debt or equity financings are not available to us on acceptable terms in amounts sufficient to pay our indebtedness or to fund other liquidity needs, our financial condition may be adversely affected. As a result, we may need to refinance all or a portion of our indebtedness on or before maturity. There is no assurance that we will be able to refinance any of our indebtedness on favorable terms, or at all. Any inability to generate sufficient cash flow or refinance our indebtedness on favorable terms could have an adverse effect on our business, growth prospects and financial condition.

Food or beverage-borne illnesses (that can be caused by food-borne pathogens such as E. coli, Listeria, Salmonella, Cyclospora and Trichinosis) and food safety issues (such as food tampering, contamination including with respect to allergens or adulteration) have occurred and may occur within our system from time to time. In addition, the health and environmental risks of certain ubiquitous substances (including per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)) commonly found in packaging have been the subject of increased regulatory scrutiny and lawsuits against other restaurant companies. Any report linking our or our Concepts' franchisees' restaurants, our suppliers or distributors or otherwise involving the types of products used at our restaurants, or linking our competitors, suppliers, distributors or the retail food industry generally, to instances of food- or beverage-borne illness or food safety issues or substances having perceived health or environmental risks could result in adverse publicity and otherwise adversely affect us and possibly lead to consumer complaints, litigation and/or governmental investigations. There is also a risk that we or our Concepts' franchisees' restaurants, suppliers or distributors under report food safety incidents or system failures, which could hinder response and tracking of such risks. Moreover, our Concepts' restaurants' reliance on third-party food suppliers and distributors and increasing reliance on food delivery aggregators may increase the risk that food- or beverage-borne illness incidents and food safety issues could be caused by factors outside of our control. If a customer is believed to have become ill from food or beverage-borne illnesses or as a result of food safety issues, remediation efforts could include temporary closure of restaurants, which could disrupt our operations and adversely affect our reputation, business and/or our growth prospects. The occurrence of food-borne pathogens in restaurant products or food safety issues could also adversely affect the price and availability of affected ingredients, which could result in disruptions in our supply chain and/or lower margins for us and our Concepts' franchisees.

Much of our future success depends on the continued availability and service of senior management personnel. The loss or failure to engage in adequate succession planning of any of our executive officers or other key senior management personnel could harm our business and/or our growth prospects. In addition, our restaurant operations are highly service-oriented and our success depends in part on our and our Concepts' franchisees' ability to attract, retain and motivate a sufficient number of qualified employees, including franchisee management, restaurant managers and other crew members. Our Concepts and their franchisees have experienced and may continue to experience increased labor shortages and employee turnover at many of our restaurants and increased competition for qualified employees, taking into account ongoing challenging labor market conditions. These labor market conditions and the ongoing inflationary environment in markets where we operate have increased in recent years, and may continue to increase, the labor costs for our Concepts and their franchisees, including due to the payment of higher wages to attract or retain qualified employees (including franchisee management, restaurant managers and other crew members) and due to increased overtime costs to meet demand. Such increases in labor costs have also been driven by, and may continue to be driven by, higher minimum wages at the federal, state or local level, including in connection with the increases in minimum wages that have recently been enacted by various states and any potential increase in the federal minimum wage in the U.S. Moreover, there may be a long-term trend toward higher wages in emerging markets as well as various other markets. For example, California's Assembly Bill No. 1228 ("AB 1228") raises the minimum wage to $20 an hour beginning April 2024 (with annual increases through 2030) for workers at quick service restaurants in the state that are part of brands that have more than 60 establishments nationwide. AB 1228 also creates an advisory-only council with powers to recommend that state agencies enact additional health, safety and employment standards for quick service restaurants. Because AB 1228 will increase the operating costs for our Concepts' restaurants in California, it may have an adverse impact on and disrupt the operations of our Concepts' restaurants located there. The inability to recruit and retain a sufficient number of qualified individuals at the store level may result in reduced operating hours, have a negative impact on service or customer experience, delay our planned use, development or deployment of technology, impact planned openings of new restaurants, or result in closures of existing restaurants by us and our Concepts' franchisees, any of which could adversely affect our business. In addition, our Concepts and their franchisees may be subject to increasing union activity in the restaurant space. In the event of a strike, work slowdown or other labor unrest, the ability to adequately staff at the store level could be impaired, which could adversely impact our operations, growth prospects and distract management from focusing on our business and strategic priorities.

The products sold or used by our Concepts and their franchisees are sourced from a wide variety of suppliers although certain products and equipment have limited suppliers, which increases our reliance on those suppliers. We, along with our Concepts' franchisees, are also dependent upon third parties to make frequent deliveries of food products, equipment and supplies that meet our specifications at competitive prices. Shortages or interruptions in the supply or distribution of food items, equipment and other supplies to our Concepts' restaurants have happened from time to time and could reduce sales, harm our Concepts' reputations and delay the planned openings of new restaurants by us and our Concepts' franchisees. We have experienced and may continue to experience certain supply chain disruptions resulting from the current macroeconomic environment, which have adversely affected and may continue to adversely affect our business, growth prospects and results of operations. Future shortages or disruptions could also be caused by factors such as natural disasters, health epidemics and pandemics, social unrest, the impacts of climate change, inaccurate forecasting of customer demand, problems in production or distribution, restrictions on imports or exports including due to trade disputes or restrictions, the inability of vendors to obtain credit, political instability in the countries in which the suppliers and distributors are located, the financial instability of suppliers and distributors, suppliers' or distributors' failure to meet our standards or requirements, transitioning to new suppliers or distributors, product quality issues or recalls, inflation, food safety warnings or advisories, the cancellation of supply or distribution agreements or an inability to renew such arrangements or to find replacements on commercially reasonable terms. In addition, in the U.S., the Company and the Company's KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut franchisee groups are members of Restaurant Supply Chain Solutions, LLC ("RSCS"), which is a third party responsible for purchasing certain restaurant products and equipment. The Habit Burger Grill entered into a purchasing agreement with RSCS in 2020. RSCS manages our relationship with McLane Foodservice, Inc. ("McLane") which serves as the largest distributor for the Company's KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut Concepts in the U.S. RSCS and McLane both have certain contractual rights to terminate the relevant distribution contract upon a specified notice period. Any failure or inability of our significant suppliers or distributors to meet their respective service requirements or any termination of relevant agreements without a notice period sufficient to enable an appropriate transition, could result in shortages or interruptions in the availability of food and other supplies.

Our and our Concepts' franchisees' businesses depend on reliable sources of large quantities of raw materials such as proteins (including poultry, pork, beef and seafood), cheese, oil, flour and vegetables (including potatoes and lettuce). Raw materials purchased for use in our Concepts' restaurants are subject to price volatility caused by any fluctuation in aggregate supply and demand, or other external conditions, such as weather and climate conditions, (which may be exacerbated by climate change), energy costs or natural events or disasters that affect expected harvests of such raw materials, taxes and tariffs (including as a result of trade disputes), industry demand, inflationary conditions, labor shortages, transportation issues, fuel costs, food safety concerns, product recalls, governmental regulation and other factors, all of which are beyond our control and in many instances are unpredictable. Taking into account ongoing inflationary conditions, we have recently experienced and expect to continue to experience, an increase in the price of various raw materials and other operating costs (such as rent and energy costs) as well as increased volatility in such prices and costs, which has adversely affected, and may continue to adversely affect our results of operations and/or our growth prospects. In addition, a significant increase in gasoline prices could result in the imposition of fuel surcharges by our distributors. We and/or our Concepts' franchisees have taken, and may continue to take, certain actions as a result of recent inflationary increases in food and other operating costs noted above, including by increasing food prices beyond typical pricing patterns at certain of our Concepts' restaurants, attempting to negotiate favorable pricing terms with our suppliers and/or shifting to suppliers with more favorable pricing where feasible, and utilizing forward contracts and commodity futures and options contracts where possible to hedge commodity prices. However, because we and our Concepts' franchisees provide competitively priced food, we have not always been able to pass through to our customers the full amount of our cost increases or otherwise fully mitigate the cost increases experienced by us or our Concepts' franchisees. If we and our Concepts' franchisees are unable to manage the cost of raw materials or to increase the prices of products proportionately, our and our Concepts' franchisees' profit margins and return on invested capital may be adversely impacted. Moreover, to the extent that we raise menu prices to offset these costs, this could result in decreased consumer demand and adversely affect our business and/or our growth prospects.

A significant portion of our Concepts' restaurants are operated outside of the U.S., and we intend to continue expansion of our global operations. As a result, our and our Concepts' franchisees' business and/or growth prospects are increasingly exposed to risks inherent in global operations. These risks, which can vary substantially by country, include political, financial or social instability or conditions, corruption, increasing anti-American sentiment and perception of our Concepts as American brands, social and ethnic unrest, natural disasters, military conflicts and terrorism, as well as exposure to the macroeconomic environment in such markets, the regulatory environment (including the risks of operating in markets in which there are uncertainties regarding the interpretation and enforceability of legal requirements and the enforceability of contract rights and intellectual property rights), and income and non-income based tax rates and laws. Additional risks include the impact of import restrictions or controls, sanctions, foreign exchange control regimes (including restrictions on currency conversion), health guidelines and safety protocols, labor costs and conditions, compliance with the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the UK Bribery Act and other similar applicable laws prohibiting bribery of government officials and other corrupt practices, and the laws and policies that govern foreign investment in countries where our Concepts' restaurants are operated. For example, we have been subject to a regulatory enforcement action in India alleging violation of foreign exchange laws for failure to satisfy conditions of certain operating approvals, such as minimum investment and store build requirements as well as limitations on the remittance of fees outside of the country (see Note 20). As a result of our global operations, we also have increased exposure to geopolitical events and instability. We have been adversely affected, and may continue to be adversely affected, by ongoing geopolitical instability arising from current events such as the military conflict between Russian and Ukraine, and the conflict in the Middle East. Such conflicts may affect our business and operations as result of, among other things, the economic consequences and disruptions from such conflicts, increased energy and supply prices, consumer boycotts of Western brands, consumer reaction to perceived acts or failures to act by us or our Concepts including maintaining operations in countries or regions that are linked to such conflicts, and economic sanctions restricting cross-border commerce. These risks may be further heightened if either conflict expands in scope, or other conflicts arise in other areas of the globe. As a result of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, we no longer have any corporate presence in Russia following our disposal of our Pizza Hut and KFC businesses in Russia during the second quarters of 2022 and of 2023, respectively. In addition, we and our Concepts' franchisees do business in jurisdictions that may be subject to trade or economic sanction regimes, which sanctions could be expanded. Any failure to comply with such sanctions or other similar legal requirements could result in the imposition of damages or penalties, the suspension of business licenses, or a cessation of operations at our Concepts' restaurants, as well as damage to our and our Concepts' brand images and reputations.

Our results of operations, growth prospects and the value of our assets are affected by fluctuations in currency exchange rates, which have had, and may continue to have adverse effects on our reported earnings. More specifically, an increase in the value of the U.S. dollar, relative to other currencies, such as the Chinese Renminbi ("RMB"), Australian Dollar, the British Pound and the Euro, as well as currencies in certain other markets have had and could continue to have an adverse effect on our reported earnings. Any significant fluctuation in the value of currencies of countries in which we or our Concepts' franchisees operate, and in particular RMB in China, could materially impact the U.S. dollar value of royalty payments made to us, which could result in lower revenues. In addition, fluctuations in the value of currencies in which we or our Concepts' franchisees operate could lead to increased costs and lower profitability to us or our Concepts' franchisees and/or cause us or our Concepts' franchisees to increase prices to customers, which could negatively impact sales in these markets and harm our financial results. In addition, the governments in certain countries where our Concepts operate, including China and certain others, restrict the conversion of local currency into foreign currencies and, in certain cases, the remittance of currency out of the country. Currency control restrictions on the conversion of other currencies to U.S. dollars or restrictions imposed by countries on cash remittances could cause royalty payments to us to be delayed, remitted only partially or not remitted at all, which could cause us to incur bad debt expense and impact our liquidity.

We regard our registered trademarks (e.g., Yum, KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and The Habit), unregistered trademarks, copyrightable works, inventions, and trade secrets related to our restaurant businesses as having significant value and being important to our marketing efforts. Our trademarks, many of which are registered in various jurisdictions, create brand awareness and help build goodwill among our customers. We rely on a combination of legal protections provided by trademark registrations, contracts, copyrights, patents and common law rights, such as unfair competition, passing off and trade secret laws to protect our intellectual property from potential infringement. However, from time to time, we become aware of other persons or companies using names and marks that are identical or confusingly similar to our brands' names and marks, or using other proprietary intellectual property we own. Although our policy is to challenge infringements and other unauthorized uses of our intellectual property, certain or unknown unauthorized uses or other misappropriation of our trademarks and other intellectual property could diminish the value of our Concepts' brands and adversely affect our business, growth prospects and goodwill. In addition, effective intellectual property protection may not be available in every country in which our Concepts have, or may in the future open or franchise, a restaurant and the laws of some countries do not protect intellectual property rights to the same extent as the laws of the U.S. There can be no assurance that the steps we have taken to protect our intellectual property or the legal protections that may be available will be adequate or that our Concepts' franchisees will maintain the quality of the goods and services offered under our brands' trademarks or always act in accordance with guidelines we set for maintaining our brands' intellectual property rights and defending or enforcing our trademarks and other intellectual property could result in significant expenditures. Our brands may also be targets of infringement claims that could interfere with the use of certain names, trademarks, works of authorship and/or the proprietary know-how, inventions, recipes, or trade secrets used in our business. Defending against such claims can be costly, and as a result of defending such claims, we may be prohibited from using such intellectual property or proprietary information in the future or forced to pay damages, royalties, or other fees for using such proprietary information, any of which could negatively affect our business, growth prospects, reputation and financial results.

Our business relies heavily on computer systems, hardware, software, technology infrastructure and online websites, platforms and networks (collectively, "IT Systems") to support both internal and external, including franchisee-related, operations. We own and manage some of these IT Systems but also rely on third parties for a range of IT Systems and related products and services. In addition, we and other parties (such as vendors and franchisees), collect, transmit and/or maintain certain personal, financial and other information about our customers, employees, vendors and franchisees, as well as proprietary information pertaining to our business (collectively, "Confidential Information"). The security and availability of our IT Systems and Confidential Information is critical to our business and regulated by evolving and increasingly demanding laws and regulations in various jurisdictions, certain third-party contracts and industry standards. The current cyber threat environment presents increased risk for all companies, including companies in our industry. The cybersecurity risks we face include cyber-attacks involving ransomware and malicious software, phishing, and other attempts by third parties and others to access, acquire, use, disclose, misappropriate or manipulate our information, systems, databases, processes and people. We are regularly the target of cyber-attacks and other attempts to breach, or gain unauthorized access to, our systems and databases. Moreover, given the current cyber threat environment, we expect the volume and intensity of cyber-attacks and attempted intrusions to continue to increase. Further, the information systems of third parties upon which we rely in connection with our business, such as vendors, suppliers, franchisees and third-party delivery providers, could be compromised in a manner that adversely affects us and our information systems and business continuity and could result in indemnification claims or other disputes with such third parties. Despite our security measures, we have experienced security incidents from time to time and we may continue to experience such attacks and incidents in the future. In particular, on January 18, 2023, we announced a ransomware attack that impacted certain IT Systems which resulted in the closure of fewer than 300 restaurants in one market for one day, temporarily disrupted certain of our affected systems and resulted in data being taken from our network. We have incurred, and will continue to incur, certain expenses related to this attack, including expenses to respond to, remediate and investigate this matter. We remain subject to risks and uncertainties as a result of the incident, including as a result of the data that was taken from the Company's network. There is no assurance that the security measures we take to reduce the risk of such incidents and protect our systems will be sufficient. There can be no assurance that our cybersecurity risk management program and processes, including our policies, controls or procedures, will be fully implemented, complied with or effective in protecting our systems and information. Additionally, the cybersecurity risks we face are exacerbated by an increase in the use of and reliance on our digital commerce platforms. Moreover, advanced new attacks against information systems and devices by potential malicious attackers, including nation-state actors, state-sanctioned groups, advanced persistent threats, and known and unknown ransomware groups, increase the risk of cybersecurity incidents, including ransomware, malware and phishing attacks. The rapid evolution and increased adoption of artificial intelligence technologies may also heighten our cybersecurity risks by making cyber-attacks more difficult to detect, contain, and mitigate. Other adversarial cyber actions that may occur, such as credential stuffing or distributed denial-of-service attacks, may affect consumer confidence, our ability to provide digital commerce platforms, or lead to regulatory actions or litigation. Furthermore, the significant increase in remote working and personal device use, increases the risks of cyber incidents and the improper dissemination of personal or Confidential Information. If our IT Systems or the information systems of any of our franchisees are disrupted or compromised, or the information systems of businesses with which we interact, such as suppliers or distributors or third-party delivery providers, are disrupted or compromised, in a manner which impacts us or our IT Systems, as a result of a cyber-attack, data or security breach, or other security incident, or if our employees, franchisees or vendors fail to comply with applicable laws and regulations or fail to meet contractual and industry standards in connection therewith, any such developments could result in liabilities and penalties, have an adverse impact on our financial results and growth prospects, damage our brands and reputation, cause interruption of normal business operations, cause us to incur substantial costs, result in a loss of consumer confidence and sales and disrupt our supply chain, business and plans. Additionally, such events could result in the loss, misappropriation, corruption or unauthorized access, acquisition, use or disclosure of data or inability to access data, the release of Confidential Information about our operations and subject us to litigation and government enforcement actions. Moreover, any significant cybersecurity event could require us to devote significant management time and resources to address such events, interfere with the pursuit of other important business strategies and initiatives, and cause us to incur additional expenditures, which could be material, including to investigate such events, remedy cybersecurity problems, recover lost data, prevent future compromises and adapt systems and practices in response to such events. There is no assurance that any remedial actions will meaningfully limit the success of future attempts to breach our IT Systems, particularly because malicious actors are increasingly sophisticated and utilize tools and techniques specifically designed to circumvent security measures, avoid detection and obfuscate forensic evidence, which means we may be unable to identify, investigate or remediate effectively or in a timely manner. ?Additionally, while we maintain insurance coverage designed to address certain aspects of cybersecurity risks, such insurance coverage may be insufficient to cover all losses or all types of claims that may arise. Further, our franchisees may not have insurance coverage (or may have insufficient insurance coverage) designed to cover business interruption losses and/or all types of claims that may arise from cybersecurity risks. Further, the standards and the technology currently used for transmission and approval of electronic payment transactions can put such data at risk, and are determined and controlled by the payment card industry, not by us. If we or our Concepts' franchisees fail to adequately control fraudulent credit card and debit card transactions or to comply with the global Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards, we or our Concepts' franchisees may face civil liability, diminished public perception of our security measures, fines and assessments from the card brands, and significantly higher credit card and debit card related costs, any of which could adversely affect us.

We and our Concepts' franchisees rely heavily on IT Systems to efficiently operate our restaurants and drive the customer experience, sales growth and margin improvement. Our growth may be impacted by our initiatives to implement proprietary technology, as well as third-party technology solutions (including point-of-sale processing in our restaurants, management of our supply chain, and various other processes and procedures) and gather and leverage data to enhance restaurant operations and improve the customer experience. These IT Systems are subject to damage, interruption or failure due to theft, fire, power outages, telecommunications failure, computer viruses, employee misuse, security breaches, malicious cyber-attacks including the introduction of malware or ransomware or other disruptive behavior by hackers, or other catastrophic events. If our or our Concepts' franchisees' IT Systems are damaged or fail to function properly, we may incur substantial costs to repair or replace them, and may experience loss of critical data and interruptions or delays in our ability to manage inventories or process transactions, which could result in lost sales, customer or employee dissatisfaction, or negative publicity that could adversely impact our reputation, growth prospects, results of operations and financial condition. Moreover, our failure to adequately invest in new technology or adapt to technological advancements and industry trends, particularly with respect to digital commerce capabilities, could result in a loss of customers and related market share. If our Concepts' digital commerce platforms do not meet customers' expectations in terms of security, speed, privacy, attractiveness or ease of use, customers may be less inclined to return to such digital commerce platforms, which could negatively impact us and our Concepts' franchisees. Developing and implementing consumers' evolving technology demands may place a significant financial burden on us and our Concepts' franchisees, and our Concepts' franchisees may have differing views on investment priorities. Our strategic digital and technology initiatives may not be timely implemented or may not achieve the desired results. Failure to adequately manage implementations, updates or enhancements of new technology or interfaces between platforms could place us at a competitive disadvantage, and disrupt and otherwise adversely impact our operations and/or growth prospects. It may be difficult to recruit and retain qualified individuals for these efforts due to intense competition for qualified technology systems' developers necessary to innovate, develop and implement new technologies for our growth initiatives, including increasing our digital relationship with customers. Even if we effectively implement and manage these technology initiatives, there is no guarantee that this will result in sales growth or margin improvement. Certain IT Systems which are managed, hosted, provided and/or used by third parties may also be unreliable or inefficient, and technology vendors may limit or terminate product support and maintenance, which could impact the reliability of critical systems' operations. However, if there are issues with the proprietary technology, we may be subject to liability or financial penalties to our Concepts' franchisees. We cannot predict the impact that alternative methods of delivery, including autonomous vehicle delivery and third-party delivery technology solutions, or changes in consumer behavior facilitated by these alternative methods of delivery, will have on our business. Advances in alternative methods of delivery, including advances in digital ordering technology, or certain changes in consumer behavior driven by these or other technologies and methods of delivery, could have a negative effect on our business, growth prospects and market position. Moreover, technology and consumer offerings continue to develop and evolve and we cannot predict consumer or team member acceptance of these existing and new technologies (e.g. automation, artificial intelligence, new delivery channels) or their impact on our business, and/or our growth prospects, nor can we be certain of our ability to implement or execute such technologies, which could result in loss of sales; dissatisfaction from our customers, employees, or employees of our Concepts' franchisees; or negative publicity that could adversely impact our reputation or financial results.