Indicate by checkmark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.     Yes      No  

Indicate by checkmark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act.     Yes      No  

Indicate by checkmark 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      No  

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

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a filer, 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 of the Exchange Act.

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 checkmark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule of the Exchange Act).     Yes      No  ☒

The aggregate market value of common stock held by based on the closing price of the last day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter as reported on the NASDAQ Global Select Market was $1.3 billion.

Portions of the definitive Proxy Statement for the registrant’s 2020 Annual Meeting of Shareholders have been incorporated by reference into Part III of this Annual Report on Form

ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM

During March 2020, a global pandemic was declared by the World Health Organization related to the rapidly growing outbreak of a novel strain of coronavirus The pandemic has significantly impacted the economic conditions in the United States, with accelerated effects in February and March, as federal, state and local governments react to the public health crisis, creating significant uncertainties in the United States economy. In the interest of public health and safety, jurisdictions (national, state and local) where our stores are located, required mandatory store closures or capacity limitations or other restrictions for those that continued to operate. As of the date of this report, all of our 137 operating stores were closed (including our one new store that opened on March 16, 2020). As a result of these developments, the Company expects a material adverse impact on its revenues, results of operations and cash flows. The situation is rapidly changing and additional impacts to the business may arise that we are not aware of currently. We cannot predict whether, when or the manner in which the conditions surrounding will change including the timing of lifting any restrictions or closure requirements, when our stores will reopen, staffing levels for reopened stores and customer with our brand. As a result, the Company is leveraging its balance sheet and has fully drawn its $500,000 revolving credit facility to increase its cash position and help preserve its financial flexibility.

Our fiscal year consists of 52 or 53 weeks ending on the Sunday after the Saturday closest to January 31. Each quarterly period has 13 weeks, except in a year when the fourth quarter has 14 weeks. Fiscal 2017 contained 53 weeks. Fiscal 2019, 2018, 2016, and 2015 each contained 52 weeks. We refer to our fiscal years as 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, and 2015 throughout this report. All dollar amounts are presented in thousands, unless otherwise noted, except share and per share amounts.

one-of-a-kind

higher-end

on-trend,

non-alcoholic

re-crafted

high-end

in-store

non-redemption

Sports-viewing is another key component of the entertainment experience at Dave & Buster’s. All of our stores have multiple large screen televisions and high-quality audio systems providing customers with a venue for watching live sports and other televised events. Our “D&B Sports” areas provide an immersive viewing environment that provides customers with large, high definition televisions, to watch community-focused programming and enjoy our full bar and extensive food menu. We believe that we have created an attractive and comfortable environment that includes a differentiated and interactive viewing experience that offers a reason for customers to visit Dave & Buster’s. Through continued development of the D&B Sports concept in new stores and additional renovations of existing stores, our goal is to build awareness of D&B Sports as “the best place to watch sports” and the “only place to watch the games and play the games.”

In fiscal 2019, we enhanced the Watch experience of our dining rooms in some of our existing stores through the installation of “Wow Walls”, LED television displays that create high-energy, contemporary, sports and entertainment-oriented dining areas. This cutting-edge visual technology, which has been deployed across 50 stores as of the end of fiscal 2019, is designed to differentiate Dave & Buster’s for delivering sport content relative to our competitors and to provide opportunities around our programming and marketing relative to the Wow Wall to build awareness and drive traffic.

out-of-home

out-of-home

The key elements that drive our total customer experience and help position us from a competitive standpoint, include the following:

one-half).

Operations—Non-GAAP

Non-GAAP

cash-on-cash

cash-on-cash

cash-on-cash

cash-on-cash

pre-opening

non-cash

non-cash

pre-opening

During fiscal 2019, we focused on refreshing our strategy and customer experience to set us up for the next phase of growth. As part of this initiative, we commissioned external consultants to provide insight and review opportunities to assist in refreshing our strategy built on the following key components:

We believe that the Dave & Buster’s brand has significant growth opportunities, as internal studies and third-party research suggests a total store potential in the United States and Canada in excess of 230 stores (including our 136 stores as of the end of fiscal 2019). We opened sixteen stores in fiscal 2019. While our near-term objective is to continue to pursue disciplined store growth in both new and existing markets, the actual number of openings for fiscal 2020 will depend on many factors, including our ability to locate appropriate sites, negotiate acceptable purchase or lease terms, generate sufficient operating cash flows or utilize available cash to finance construction of leasehold improvements and pre-opening costs, obtain necessary local governmental permits, and recruit and train management and hourly personnel.

We use advertising and marketing to build awareness and strengthen our brand relevance. We spent approximately $44,834 in marketing efforts in fiscal 2019, $40,767 in fiscal 2018, and $37,876 in fiscal 2017. To drive traffic and increase visit frequency and average check size, the bulk of our advertising budget is allocated to national cable television media. To enhance that effort, we also conduct digital initiatives including search engine marketing, mobile campaigns, programmatic marketing and social media, maintain and optimize the website for search, implement periodic promotions and create materials, and create local marketing plans to address specific objectives in individual stores or markets. We work with external advertising, digital, media and design agencies in the development and execution of these programs.

day-to-day

one-on-one

front-of-house

two-week

We seek to hire experienced managers and team members and offer competitive wage and benefit programs. Our store managers all participate in a performance-based incentive program that is based on sales and profit goals. In addition, our salaried and hourly employees are also eligible to participate in a 401(k) plan, medical/dental/vision insurance plans and receive vacation/paid time off based on tenure. Additionally, General Managers are eligible for long-term incentive awards depending upon operating performance.

We utilize a number of proprietary and third-party management information systems. These systems are designed to enable our games’ functionality, improve operating efficiencies, provide us with timely access to financial and marketing data and reduce store and corporate administrative time and expense. We believe our management information systems are sufficient to support our business plans. Information systems projects are prioritized based upon strategic, financial, regulatory and other business advantage criteria.

Our managers have daily routines focused on driving consistent execution in food, beverage and gaming. We utilize a customized food and beverage analysis program that determines the theoretical food and beverage costs for each store and provides additional tools and reports to help us identify opportunities, including waste management. In addition to our own routines, we leverage a third-party vendor to help ensure quality beverage operations, responsible alcohol service and loss prevention. A mobile salesmanship application with daily sales contests is used by our management team to evaluate sales performance by shift and to drive staff engagement. We have developed tools to forecast sales and schedule labor to assist our managers in optimizing hourly labor based on anticipated sales volumes. This program was enhanced during fiscal 2018 with the introduction of a new workforce management platform which offers real time data that allows management to quickly add or reduce labor based on business needs. Our amusement team uses a proprietary system that is supported by a mobile application that identifies gaming issues and needed repairs to help ensure our games are operational and meeting our ideal playing standard. Complementing this program is our routine preventative maintenance program, designed to prevent game failure and extend the functionality of our midway games. To maximize

the performance of our new store openings, we have a “New Store Gold Card” process that defines a clear path and timeline to bring each new store in line with our established store efficiencies. Consolidated reporting tools for the key drivers of our business are provided to our Regional Management to identify and troubleshoot any systemic issues.

in-store

off-premise

point-of-sale

We accept electronic payment cards from our customers for payment in our stores. We also receive and maintain certain personal information about our customers and employees. We have systems and processes in place that focus on the protection of our customers’ credit card information and other private information we are required to protect, such as our employees’ personal information. Our existing cyber security policy includes cyber security techniques, tactics and procedures, including continuous monitory and detection programs, network protections, employee training and awareness and incident response preparedness. In addition, we periodically scan our environment for any vulnerability, perform penetration testing and engage third parties to assess effectiveness of our data security practices.

We strive to maintain high food quality standards. To ensure our quality standards are met, we negotiate directly with independent producers of food products. We provide detailed quality and yield specifications to suppliers for our purchases. Our systems are designed to protect the safety and quality of our food supply throughout the procurement and preparation process. Within each store, the Kitchen Manager is primarily responsible for ensuring the timely and correct preparation of food products, per the recipes we specify. We provide each of our stores with various tools and training to facilitate these activities.

We own and operate two stores outside of the United States, in the Canadian province of Ontario. These stores generated revenues of approximately $18,649, $18,848 and $20,075 in fiscal 2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively, representing approximately 1.4%, 1.5%, and 1.8%, respectively, of our consolidated revenues. As of February 2, 2020, less than 2.0% of our long-lived assets were located outside of the United States.

The foreign activities of these stores are subject to various risks of doing business in a foreign country, including currency fluctuations, changes in laws and regulations and economic and political stability. We do not believe there is any material risk associated with the Canadian operations or any dependence by the domestic business upon the Canadian operations.

year-end

back-to-school

The principal goods used by us are redemption game prizes and food and beverage products, which are available from a number of suppliers. We currently purchase a significant amount of our amusement merchandise through a direct import program, a program in which we purchase WIN! merchandise and certain glassware, plateware and furniture directly from offshore manufacturers. We are a large buyer of traditional and amusement games and as a result believe we receive discounted pricing arrangements. Federal and state health care mandates and mandated increases in the minimum wage and other macro-economic pressures could have the repercussion of increasing expenses, as suppliers may be adversely impacted and seek to pass on higher costs to us.

We have registered the trademarks Dave & Buster’s, Power Card, Eat & Play Combo, Eat Drink Play, and Eat Drink Play Watch, and have registered or applied to register certain additional trademarks with the United States Patent and Trademark Office and in various foreign countries. We consider our tradename and our logo to be important features of our operations and seek to actively monitor and protect our interest in this property in the various jurisdictions where we operate. We also have certain trade secrets, such as our recipes, processes, proprietary information and certain software programs that we protect by requiring all of our employees to sign a code of ethics, which includes an agreement to keep trade secrets confidential.

As of February 2, 2020, we employed 15,908 persons, 269 of whom served at our corporate headquarters, 1,255 of whom served as management personnel and the remainder of whom were hourly personnel. However, due to the impacts of the pandemic, all but approximately 165 of our store and corporate employees are currently on furlough.

Our annual reports on Form quarterly reports on Form current reports on Form and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act are available free of charge through our internet website, at www.daveandbusters.com, as soon as reasonably practicable after they are electronically filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). Such reports may also be obtained on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Information on our corporate governance principles and practices can also be found on our website.

pre-opening

up-front

out-of-home

out-of-home

out-of-home

point-of-sale,

point-of-sale,

The regulatory environment surrounding information security and privacy is increasingly demanding, with the frequent imposition of new and constantly changing requirements. Compliance with these requirements can be costly and time-consuming and the costs could adversely impact our results of operations due to necessary system changes and the development of new administrative processes. The California Privacy Act of 2018, which became effective on January 1, 2020, provides a new private right of action for data breaches and requires companies that process information about California residents to make new disclosures to consumers about their data collection, use and sharing practices and allow consumers to opt out of certain data sharing with third parties. Security breaches could also result in a violation of applicable privacy and other laws, and subject us to private consumer, business partner or securities litigation and governmental investigations and proceedings, any of which could result in our exposure to material civil or criminal liability. We are required to maintain the highest level of Payment Card Industry (“PCI”) Data Security Standard compliance

at our corporate office and stores. If we do not maintain the required level of PCI compliance, we could be subject to costly fines or additional fees from the card brands that we accept or lose our ability to accept those payment cards. Additionally, an increasing number of government and industry groups have established laws and standards for the protection of personal and health information.

Our existing cyber security policy includes cyber security techniques, tactics and procedures, including continuous monitoring and detection programs, network protections, employee training and awareness and incident response preparedness. In addition, we periodically scan our environment for any vulnerabilities, perform penetration testing and engage third parties to assess effectiveness of our security measures. We began utilizing a voluntary tool to help manage privacy risk by independently benchmarking our cyber security program to a national framework, which provides privacy protection strategies to organizations, like us, looking to improve their approach to using and protecting personal data. Although we employ security technologies and practices and have taken other steps to try to prevent a breach, there are no assurances that such measures will prevent or detect cyber security breaches, and we may nevertheless not have the resources or technical sophistication to prevent rapidly evolving types of cyberattacks. We maintain a separate insurance policy covering cybersecurity risks and such insurance coverage may, subject to policy terms and conditions, cover certain aspects of cyber risks, but this policy is subject to a retention amount and may not be applicable to a particular incident or otherwise may be insufficient to cover all our losses beyond any retention. Further, considering recent court rulings, there is uncertainty as to whether traditional commercial general liability policies will be construed to cover the expenses related to cyberattacks and breaches if credit and debit card information is stolen.

We have been and likely will continue to be, the target of cyber and other security threats. In fiscal 2007, there was an external breach of our credit card processing systems, which led to fraudulent credit card activity and resulted in the payment of fines and reimbursements for the fraudulent credit card activity. As part of a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission, we have implemented a series of corrective measures in order to ensure that our computer systems are secure and that our customers’ personal information is protected. If in the future, we experience another security breach, we could become subject to claims, lawsuits or other proceedings for purportedly fraudulent transactions arising out of the theft of credit or debit card information, compromised security and information systems, failure of our employees to comply with applicable laws, the unauthorized acquisition or use of such information by third parties, or other similar claims. In addition, such breach could put us in violation of our settlement agreement with the Federal Trade Commission.

E-commerce

COVID-19

Advances in technologies or certain changes in consumer behavior driven by such technologies could have a negative effect on our business. Technology and consumer offerings continue to develop, and we expect new or enhanced technologies and consumer offerings will be available in the future. As part of our marketing efforts, we use a variety of digital platforms including search engines, mobile, online videos and social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to attract and retain customers. We also test new technology platforms to improve our level of digital engagement with our customers and employees to help strengthen our marketing and related consumer analytics capabilities. These initiatives may not prove to be successful and may result in expenses incurred without the benefit of higher revenues or increased engagement.

Our brand and our reputation are among our most important assets. Our ability to attract and retain customers depends, in part, upon the external perception of our Company, the quality of our food service and facilities and our integrity. Multi-store businesses, such as ours, can be adversely affected by unfavorable publicity resulting from poor food quality, food safety concerns, flu or other virus outbreaks and other public health concerns stemming from one or a limited number of our stores. Negative publicity may also

result from crime incidents, data privacy breaches, scandals involving our employees or operational problems at our stores. Regardless of whether the allegations or complaints are valid, unfavorable publicity related to one or more of our stores could affect public perception of the entire brand. Even incidents at similar businesses such as restaurants, at our competitors, or in the supply chain generally could result in negative publicity that would indirectly harm our brand. If one or more of our stores were the subject of unfavorable publicity and we are unable to quickly and effectively respond to such reports, our overall brand could be adversely affected, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

There has been a significant increase in the use of social media and similar platforms, including weblogs (blogs), social media websites and other forms of Internet-based communications which allow individuals’ access to a broad audience of consumers and other interested persons. Consumers value readily available information concerning goods and services that they have or plan to purchase and may act on such information without further investigation or authentication. Many social media platforms immediately publish the content their subscribers and participant’s post, often without filters or checks on accuracy of the content posted. The opportunity for dissemination of information, including inaccurate information, is seemingly limitless and readily available. Inaccurate or adverse information concerning our Company may be posted on such platforms at any time. The harm may be immediate without affording us an opportunity for redress or correction. Such platforms also may be used for dissemination of trade secret information, compromising valuable company assets. In summary, the dissemination of information via social media and similar platforms may harm our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations, regardless of the information’s accuracy. The inappropriate use of social media vehicles by our customers or employees could increase our costs, lead to litigation or result in negative publicity that could damage our reputation.

If we are not effective in addressing social and environmental responsibility matters or achieving relevant sustainability goals, consumer trust in our brand may suffer. Consumer demand for our products and our brand value could diminish significantly if any such incidents or other matters erode consumer confidence in us or our products, which would likely result in lower revenues.

Our profitability depends in part on our ability to anticipate and react to changes in commodity and other product costs. Various factors beyond our control, including adverse weather conditions, governmental regulation and monetary policy, product availability, recalls of food products, disruption of our supplier manufacturing and distribution processes due to health pandemics, and seasonality, may affect our commodity costs or cause a disruption in our supply chain. In an effort to mitigate some of this risk, we have multiple short-term supply contracts with a limited number of suppliers. If any of these suppliers do not perform adequately or otherwise fail to distribute products or supplies to our stores, we may be unable to replace the suppliers in a short period of time on acceptable terms, which could increase our costs, cause shortages of food and other items at our stores and cause us to remove certain items from our menu. Changes in the price or availability of commodities for which we do not have short-term supply contracts could have a material adverse effect on our profitability. Expiring contracts with our food suppliers could also result in unfavorable renewal terms and therefore increase costs associated with these suppliers or may necessitate negotiations with other suppliers. Other than short-term supply contracts for certain food items, we currently do not engage in futures contracts or other financial risk management strategies with respect to potential price fluctuations in the cost of food and other supplies. Also, the unplanned loss of a major distributor could adversely affect our business by disrupting our operations as we seek out and negotiate a new distribution contract. Further, a significant percentage of our WIN! merchandise inventory is directly or indirectly sourced outside the United States and changes in trade policy and tariffs could negatively impact our costs. If we have to pay higher prices for food or other product costs, our operating costs may increase, and, if we are unable to adjust our purchasing practices or pass any cost increases on to our customers, our operating results could be adversely affected.

Our ability to continue to procure new games, amusement offerings, and other entertainment-related equipment is important to our business strategy. The number of suppliers from which we can purchase games, amusement offerings and other entertainment-related equipment is limited. To the extent that the number of suppliers declines, we could be subject to the risk of distribution delays, pricing pressure, lack of innovation and other associated risks. We may not be able to anticipate and react to changing amusement offerings cost by adjusting purchasing practices or game prices, and a failure to do so could have a material adverse effect on our operating results. In addition, any decrease in availability of new amusement offerings that appeal to customers could lead to decreases in revenues as customers negatively react to lack of new game options.

We have successfully developed several proprietary amusement offerings that are not available to operations outside the Company. Our ability to develop future offerings is dependent on, among other things, obtaining rights to compelling game content and developing new amusement offerings that are accepted by our customers. There is no guarantee that additional licensing rights will be obtained by us or that our customers will accept the future offerings that we develop. The result could be increased expenses without increased revenues putting downward pressure on our results of operations and financial performance.

non-cancelable,

In addition, as each of our leases expires, we may choose not to renew, or may not be able to renew, such existing leases if the capital investment required to maintain the stores at the leased locations is not justified by the return required on the investment. If we are not able to renew the leases at rents that allow such stores to remain profitable as their terms expire, the number of such stores may decrease, resulting in lower revenue from operations, or we may relocate a store, which could subject us to construction and other costs and risks, and in either case, could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We must continue to attract, retain and motivate qualified management and operating personnel to maintain consistency in our service, hospitality, quality and atmosphere of our stores, in the United States and Canada and support future growth. Adequate staffing of qualified personnel is a critical factor impacting our customers’ experience in our stores. Qualified management and operating personnel are typically in high demand. The low level of unemployment in the United States is resulting in aggressive competition for talent, wage inflation and pressure to improve benefits and workplace conditions to remain competitive. If we are unable to attract and retain a satisfactory number of qualified management and operating personnel, labor shortages could delay the planned openings of new stores or adversely impact our existing stores. Any such delays, material increases in employee turnover rates in existing stores or widespread employee dissatisfaction could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations. Competition for qualified employees could require us to pay higher wages, which could result in higher labor costs and could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.

Our future success is substantially supported by the contributions and abilities of senior management, including key executives and other leadership team members. Changes in senior management could expose us to significant changes in strategic direction and initiatives. A failure to maintain appropriate organizational capacity and capability to support leadership excellence or a loss of key skill sets could jeopardize our ability to meet our business performance expectations and growth targets. Although we have employment agreements with all members of senior management, we cannot prevent members of senior management from terminating their employment with us. Losing the services of members of senior management could materially harm our business until a suitable replacement is found, and such replacement may not have equal experience and capabilities.

man-made

Any act of violence at or threatened against our stores or the centers in which they are located, including active shooter situations and terrorist activities, may result in restricted access to our stores and/or store closures in the short-term and, in the long term, may cause our customers and employees to avoid visiting our stores. Any such situation could adversely impact cash flows and make it more difficult to fully staff our stores, which could materially adversely affect our business.

Our operating results may fluctuate significantly due to seasonal factors. Typically, we have higher revenues associated with the spring and holidays. Our third quarter, which encompasses the fall season, has historically had lower revenues as compared to other quarters. As a result, factors affecting peak seasons could have a disproportionate effect on our results. For example, the number of days between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day and the days of the week on which Christmas and New Year’s Eve fall affect the volume of business we generate during the December holiday season and can affect our results for the full fiscal year. In addition, unfavorable weather conditions during the winter and spring seasons could have a significant impact on our results.

Our business could be materially and adversely affected by the risks, or the public perception of the risks, related to an epidemic, pandemic, outbreak, or other public health crisis, such as the recent outbreak of coronavirus To the extent that a virus or disease is food-borne, or perceived to be food-borne, future outbreaks may adversely affect the price and availability of certain food products and cause our customers to eat less of a product, or could reduce public confidence in food handling and/or public assembly. If a virus is transmitted by human contact, our employees or customers could become infected or could choose, or be advised, to avoid gathering in public places or avoid touching game or screen surfaces, any of which could adversely affect our store guest traffic and sales as well as our ability to adequately staff our stores, receive deliveries on a timely basis or perform functions at the corporate level. We could also be adversely affected if the World Health Organization and /or the Centers for Disease Control and/or other governmental agencies were to restrict travel to affected geographic areas where we source our products, thus possibly impacting the continuity of supply. Additionally, certain jurisdictions in which we operate may impose mandatory closures, seek voluntary closures or impose restrictions on operations. Even if our stores are not directly impacted, a health pandemic can result in a disruption of our supply chain if our suppliers’ ability to manufacture, transport or otherwise provide goods or services are adversely affected. Additionally, even if such measures are not implemented and a virus or other disease does not spread significantly, the perceived risk of infection or significant health risk may adversely affect our business.

Currently, all of our stores are unable to operate due to guidelines and restrictions put in place by federal, state and local governments in response to the pandemic.

Compliance with these laws and regulations and future new laws or changes in these laws or regulations that impose additional requirements, can be costly. Any failure or perceived failure to comply with these laws or regulations could result in, among other things, revocation of required license, administrative enforcement actions, fines, civil and criminal liability, and/or closure of stores. We could also be strictly liable, without regard to fault, for certain environmental conditions at properties we formerly owned or operated as well as at our current properties. Additionally, more stringent and varied requirements of local and state governmental bodies with respect to zoning, land use and environmental factors could delay or prevent development of new stores in certain locations.

If new immigration legislation is enacted, such laws may contain provisions that could increase our costs in recruiting, training and retaining employees. Also, although our hiring practices comply with the requirements of federal law in reviewing employees’ citizenship or authority to work in the United States, increased enforcement efforts with respect to existing immigration laws by governmental authorities may disrupt a portion of our workforce or our operations at one or more of our stores, thereby negatively impacting our business.

Further, we expect continued increases in labor costs due to federal, state and local mandated increases in the minimum wage, and we are uncertain of the repercussions, if any, of increased minimum wages on other expenses. For example, our suppliers may be more severely impacted by higher minimum wage standards, which could result in increased costs to us. We may not be able to partially or fully offset cost increases resulting from changes in minimum wage rates by increasing menu or game prices, improving productivity, or through other adjustments, and our business, results of operations and financial condition could be adversely affected. Moreover, although none of our employees have been or are now represented by any unions, labor organizations may seek to represent certain of our employees in the future, and if they are successful, our payroll expenses and other labor costs may be increased in the course of collective bargaining, and/or there may be strikes or other work disruptions that may adversely affect our business.

Our gift cards, which may be used to purchase food, beverages, merchandise and game play credits in our stores, may be considered stored value cards. Certain states include gift cards under their abandoned and unclaimed property laws and require companies to remit to the state cash in an amount equal to all or a designated portion of the unredeemed balance on the gift cards based on certain card attributes and the length of time that the cards are inactive. To date we have not remitted any amounts relating to unredeemed gift cards to states based upon our assessment of applicable laws.

The analysis of the potential application of the abandoned and unclaimed property laws to our gift cards is complex, involving an analysis of constitutional, statutory provisions and factual issues. In the event that one or more states change their existing abandoned and unclaimed property laws or successfully challenge our position on the application of its abandoned and unclaimed property laws to our gift cards, our liabilities with respect to unredeemed gift cards may be materially higher than the amounts shown in our financial statements. If we are required to materially increase the estimated liability recorded in our financial statements with respect to unredeemed gift cards, our net income could be materially and adversely affected.

Our Power Cards may raise similar concerns to gift cards in terms of the applicability of state abandoned and unclaimed property laws. However, based on our analysis of abandoned and unclaimed property laws, we believe that our Power Cards are not stored value cards and such laws do not apply, although there can be no assurance that states will not take a different position.

Our business may be adversely affected by the risk of legal proceedings brought by or on behalf of our customers, employees, suppliers, shareholders, government agencies or others through private actions, class actions, administrative proceedings, regulatory actions or other litigation. In recent years, a number of restaurant companies, including ours, have been subject to lawsuits, including class action lawsuits, alleging violations of federal and state law regarding workplace and employment matters, discrimination and similar matters, and a number of these lawsuits have resulted in the payment of substantial damages by the defendants. We have had from time to time and now have such lawsuits pending against us. In addition, from time to time, customers file complaints or lawsuits against us alleging that we are responsible for some illness or injury they suffered at or after a visit to a store. We are also subject to a variety of other claims in the ordinary course of business, including personal injury, lease and contract claims.

We are also subject to “dram shop” statutes in certain states in which our stores are located. These statutes generally provide a person injured by an intoxicated person the right to recover damages from an establishment that wrongfully served alcoholic beverages to the intoxicated individual. Recent litigation against restaurant chains has resulted in significant judgments and settlements under dram shop statutes. Because these cases often seek punitive damages, which may not be covered by insurance, such litigation could have an adverse impact on our business, results of operations or financial condition. Regardless of whether any claims against us are valid or whether we are liable, claims may be expensive to defend and may divert time and money away from operations and hurt our financial performance. A judgment significantly in excess of our insurance coverage or not covered by insurance could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations or financial condition. Also, adverse publicity resulting from these allegations may materially affect our stores and us.

We regard our intellectual property as having significant value and being important to our marketing efforts. We use a combination of intellectual property rights, such as trademarks and trade secrets, to protect our brand and certain other proprietary processes and information material to our business. The success of our business strategy depends, in part, on our continued ability to use our intellectual property rights to increase brand awareness and further develop our branded products in both existing and new markets. If we fail to protect our intellectual property rights adequately, we may lose an important advantage in the markets in which we compete. If third parties misappropriate or infringe our intellectual property, the value of our image, brand and the goodwill associated therewith may be diminished, our brand may fail to achieve and maintain market recognition, and our competitive position may be harmed, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, including our revenues. Policing unauthorized use of our intellectual property is difficult, and we cannot be certain that the steps we have taken will prevent the violation or misappropriation of such intellectual property rights by others. To protect our intellectual property, we may become involved in litigation, which could result in substantial expenses, divert the attention of management and adversely affect our revenue, financial condition and results of operations.

We cannot be certain that our products and services do not and will not infringe on the intellectual property rights of others. Any such claims, regardless of merit, could be time-consuming and expensive to litigate or settle, divert the attention of management, cause significant delays, materially disrupt the conduct of our business and have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. As a consequence of such claims, we could be required to pay a substantial damage award, take a royalty-bearing license, discontinue the use of third-party products used within our operations and/or rebrand our products and services.

Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting. Internal control over financial reporting is a process to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States. Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting is not intended to provide absolute assurance that we would prevent or detect a misstatement of our financial statements or fraud. Any failure to maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting, including such a failure by third party service providers on whose controls we rely, could limit our ability to report our financial results accurately and timely or to detect and prevent fraud. A significant financial reporting failure or material weakness in internal control over financial reporting could result in substantial cost to remediate and could cause a loss of investor confidence and decline in the market price of our stock.

We are subject to income, sales, use and other taxes in the United States and certain foreign jurisdictions. Changes in applicable U.S. or foreign tax laws and regulations, including the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (“Tax Act”), or their interpretation and application, including the possibility of retroactive effect and changes to state tax laws that may occur in response to the Tax Act, could affect our effective income tax rate. In addition, the final determination of any tax audits or related litigation could be materially different from our historical tax provisions and accruals. Changes in our tax expense or an increase in our tax liabilities, whether due to changes in applicable laws and regulation, the interpretation or application thereof, or a final determination of tax audits or litigation, could materially adversely affect our financial performance.

Generally accepted accounting principles in the U.S. are subject to interpretation by the Financial Accounting Standards Board, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the SEC and various bodies formed to promulgate and interpret appropriate accounting principles. A change in these principles or interpretations may have a significant effect on our reported financial results and may affect the reporting of transactions completed before the announcement of a change.

Additionally, our assumptions, estimates and judgments related to complex accounting matters may significantly affect our financial results. Generally accepted accounting principles and related accounting pronouncements, implementation guidelines and interpretations with regard to a wide range of matters that are relevant to our business, including but not limited to, revenue recognition, fair value of investments, impairment of long-lived assets, leases and related economic transactions, intangibles, self-insurance, income taxes, property and equipment, unclaimed property laws and litigation, and stock-based compensation contain estimates and judgments by us. Changes in these rules or their interpretation or changes in underlying assumptions, estimates or judgments by us may significantly change our reported or expected financial performance.

In the future, we may consider opportunistic acquisitions as part of our expansion effort. We may not be able to identify attractive acquisition opportunities or successfully acquire identified targets on terms favorable to us. Competition for acquisition opportunities may be substantial and may cause us to refrain from making acquisitions. In addition, we may not be successful in integrating future acquisitions into our existing operations, which may result in unforeseen operational difficulties, diminished financial performance or our inability to report financial results and may require a disproportionate amount of our management’s attention. If we fail to manage future acquisitions effectively, our results of operations could be adversely affected.

Any future acquisitions will be accompanied by the risks commonly encountered in acquisitions, including:

The market price of our common stock may be significantly affected by a number of factors, including, but not limited to, actual or anticipated variations in our operating results or those of our competitors as compared to analyst expectations, changes in financial estimates by research analysts with respect to us or others in the restaurant and other entertainment industries, and announcement of significant transactions (including mergers or acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures or other strategic initiatives) by us or others in the restaurant and other entertainment industries. In addition, the equity markets have experienced price and volume fluctuations that affect the stock price of companies in ways that have been unrelated to an individual company’s operating performance. The price for our common stock may continue to be volatile, based on factors specific to our company and industry, as well as factors related to the equity markets overall.

During March 2020, the coronavirus global pandemic and the significant uncertainties in the United States economy created as a result of the health crisis had a significant impact on the market price of our common stock.

Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws include certain provisions that could have the effect of discouraging, delaying or preventing a change of control of our Company or changes in our management, including, among other things:

These provisions in our certificate of incorporation and our bylaws may discourage, delay or prevent a transaction involving a change of control of our Company that is in the best interest of our minority stockholders. Even in the absence of a takeover attempt, the existence of these provisions may adversely affect the prevailing market price of our common stock if they are viewed as discouraging future takeover attempts.

364-day

one-ten

Public companies in the restaurant industry have been the target of unsolicited takeover proposals in the past. In the event that a third party, such as a competitor, private equity firm or activist investor makes an unsolicited takeover proposal, or proposes to change our governance policies or board of directors, or makes other proposals concerning the Company’s ownership structure or operations, our review and consideration of such proposals may be a significant distraction for our management and employees, and may require us to expend significant time and resources. Such proposals may create uncertainty for our employees’ additional risks and uncertainties with respect to the Company’s financial position, operations, strategies and management, and may adversely affect our ability to attract and retain key employees. Any perceived uncertainties as to our future direction also may affect the market price and volatility of our securities.

Not applicable.

We lease a 47,000 square foot office building and 30,000 square foot warehouse facility in Dallas, Texas for use as our corporate headquarters and distribution center. This lease expires in October 2021, with options to renew until October 2041. We also lease a 43,000 square foot warehouse facility in Dallas, Texas for use as additional warehouse space. This lease will expire in September 2022, with an option to renew until September 2027.

5-year

The table below shows the locations of our operating stores as of February 2, 2020:

 

 

 

 

COVID-19

We are subject to certain legal proceedings and claims that arise in the ordinary course of our business, including intellectual property disputes, miscellaneous premises liability, employment-related claims and dram shop claims. In the opinion of management, based upon consultation with legal counsel, the amount of ultimate liability with respect to, or an adverse outcome in any such legal proceedings or claims will not materially affect our business, the consolidated results of our operations or our financial condition. Refer to Note 10 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for a summary of legal proceedings.

None.

The Company’s common stock trades under the symbol PLAY and is listed on the NASDAQ Global Market (“NASDAQ”).

The number of shareholders of record of the Company’s common stock as of March 30, 2020 was estimated to be 278.

During the third and fourth quarters of fiscal 2019, our Board of Directors authorized and declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.16 per share of common stock. The fourth quarter dividend was paid subsequent to the end of fiscal 2019. During the first and second quarters of fiscal 2019 and the last two quarters of fiscal 2018, our Board of Directors authorized and declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.15 per share of common stock.

As a result of the impacts to our business arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, share purchases and dividend payments have been indefinitely suspended.

On July 12, 2019 the Company increased its share repurchase authorization to $800,000. The share repurchase authorization expires at the end of fiscal 2020. As of the end of fiscal 2019, there was approximately $172,820 of share repurchase authorization remaining. There were no repurchases of our common stock during the fourth quarter ended February 2, 2020.

The following performance graph depicts the total returns to shareholders for the period from October 10, 2014 (the date when our common stock first started trading) through February 2, 2020, relative to the performance of the NASDAQ Composite Index, Standard & Poor’s (“S&P”) 600 Small Cap Index and S&P’s 600 Consumer Discretionary Index. All indices shown in the graph have been set at a base of 100 as of October 10, 2014 and assume an investment of $100 on that date and the reinvestment of dividends paid since that date. The stock price performance shown in the graph is not necessarily indicative of future price performance.

The following selected financial data is qualified in its entirety by the consolidated financial statements (and the related Notes thereto) contained in Item 8 and should be read in conjunction with “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in Item 7. The statement of operations and cash flows data for each of the fiscal years ended February 2, 2020, February 3, 2019, and February 4, 2018 and the balance sheet data as of February 2, 2020 and February 3, 2019 were derived from our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this report. The statement of operations and cash flows data for the fiscal year ended January 29, 2017 and January 31, 2016 and the balance sheet data as of February 4, 2018, January 29, 2017, and January 31, 2016 were derived from our audited consolidated financial statements that are not included elsewhere in this report.

53-week

During March 2020, a global pandemic was declared by the World Health Organization related to the rapidly growing outbreak of a novel strain of coronavirus The pandemic has significantly impacted the economic conditions in the United States, with accelerated effects in February and March, as federal, state and local governments react to the public health crisis, creating significant uncertainties in the United States economy. In the interest of public health and safety, jurisdictions (national, state and local) where our stores are located, required mandatory store closures or capacity limitations or other restrictions for those that continued to operate. As of the date of this report, all of our 137 operating stores were closed (including our one new store that opened on March 16, 2020). As a result of these developments, the Company expects a material adverse impact on its revenues, results of operations and cash flows which raises substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. The situation is rapidly changing and additional impacts to the business may arise that we are not aware of currently. We cannot predict whether, when or the manner in which the conditions surrounding will change including the timing of lifting any restrictions or closure requirements, when our stores will reopen, staffing levels for reopened stores, and customer with our brand. As of March 31, 2020, we had approximiately $99,622 cash on hand and $752,500 funded debt on our credit facility.

We are a leading owner and operator of high-volume venues in North America that combine dining and entertainment for both adults and families under the name “Dave & Buster’s”. Founded in 1982, the core of our concept is to offer our customers the opportunity to “Eat Drink Play and Watch” all in one location. Eat and Drink are offered through a full menu of entrées and appetizers and a full selection of and alcoholic beverages. Our Play and Watch offerings provide an extensive assortment of entertainment attractions centered around playing games and watching live sports and other televised events. Our brand appeals to a relatively balanced mix of male and female adults, as well as families and teenagers. We believe we appeal to a diverse customer base by providing a highly customizable experience in a dynamic and fun setting.

Comparable store sales are a year-over-year comparison of sales at stores open at the end of the period that have been open for at least 18 months as of the beginning of each of the fiscal years. It is a key performance indicator used within the industry and is indicative of acceptance of our initiatives as well as local economic and consumer trends. Our comparable store base consisted of 99, 86, and 76 stores as of the end of fiscal 2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively.

Our ability to expand our business and reach new customers is influenced by the opening of additional stores in both new and existing markets. The success of our new stores is indicative of our brand appeal and the efficacy of our site selection and operating models. During fiscal 2019, we opened sixteen new stores, eight of which were in new markets.

Financial Measures

non-GAAP

non-GAAP

non-GAAP

pre-opening

pre-opening

Adjusted EBITDA is presented because we believe that it provides useful information to investors and analysts regarding our operating performance. By reporting Adjusted EBITDA, we provide a basis for comparison of our business operations between current, past and future periods by excluding items that we do not believe are indicative of our core operating performance.

pre-opening

non-recurring

pre-opening

53-week

We have historically operated stores varying in size and have experienced significant variability among stores in volumes, operating results and net investment costs.

run-rate

pre-opening

year-end

back-to-school

We expect that economic and environmental conditions and changes in regulatory legislation will continue to exert pressure on both consumer spending related to entertainment and dining alternatives and availability and cost of products and supplies. Although there is no assurance that our cost of products will remain stable or that federal, state or local minimum wage rates will not increase beyond amounts currently legislated, the effects of any supplier price increases or wage rate increases are expected to be partially offset by selected menu or game price increases where competitively appropriate.

The following table reconciles (in dollars and as a percent of total revenues) Net income to Adjusted EBITDA for the periods indicated:

The following table reconciles (in dollars and as a percent of total revenues) Operating income to Store Operating Income Before Depreciation and Amortization for the periods indicated:

The following table reflects accrual-based capital additions. Capital additions do not include any reductions for accrual-based tenant improvement allowances or proceeds from sale-leaseback transactions (collectively, “Payments from landlords”).

Total revenues increased $89,390 or 7.1%, to $1,354,691 in fiscal 2019 compared to total revenues of $1,265,301 in fiscal 2018. For the year ended February 2, 2020, we derived 28.3% of our total revenue from food sales, 13.3% from beverage sales, 57.5% from amusement sales and 0.9% from other sources. For the year ended February 3, 2019 we derived 28.9% of our total revenue from food sales, 13.5% from beverage sales, 56.8% from amusement sales and 0.8% from other sources.

The net increase in revenues for fiscal 2019 compared to fiscal 2018 were from the following sources:

walk-in

Food sales at comparable stores decreased by $13,303, or 4.3%, to $296,389 for fiscal 2019 from $309,692 in fiscal 2018. Beverage sales at comparable stores decreased by $5,356, or 3.7%, to $139,446 for fiscal 2019 from $144,802 in the 2018 comparison period. The decrease in food and beverage unit sales at comparable stores was partially offset by an overall increase in menu prices. Comparable store amusement and other revenues in fiscal 2019 decreased by $9,749, or 1.6%, to $608,243 from $617,992 in fiscal 2018. The decrease in amusement sales was due in part to lower customer volumes partially offset by various pricing initiatives in the current year, including an increase in new card fees with the launch of our RFID power card.

Interest expense, net increased by $7,824 to $20,937 in fiscal 2019 compared to $13,113 in fiscal 2018 due primarily to an increase in average outstanding debt partially offset by slightly lower interest rates.