Driven Brands Holdings Inc. (DRVN) FY 2021 MD&A

Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The following discussion and analysis for Driven Brands Holdings Inc. and Subsidiaries (“Driven Brands”, “the Company”, “we”, “us” or “our”) should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and the related notes to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this annual report. In this Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, no comparable information is discussed with respect to ICWG for periods prior to the ICWG Acquisition Date. We operate on a 52/53-week fiscal year, which ends on the last Saturday in December. Fiscal year 2021, 2020 and 2019 which ended on December 25, 2021, December 26, 2020 and December 28, 2019, respectively, consisted of 52 weeks.

Overview of Operations

Driven Brands is the largest automotive services company in North America with a growing and highly franchised

base of more than 4,400 locations across 49 U.S. states and 14 other countries. Our scaled, diversified platform fulfills an extensive range of core consumer and commercial automotive needs, including paint, collision, glass, repair, car wash, oil change and maintenance. Driven Brands provides a breadth of high-quality and high-frequency services to a wide range of customers, who rely on their cars in all economic environments to get to work and in many other aspects of their daily lives. Our asset-light business model has generated consistent recurring revenue and strong operating margins with limited maintenance capital expenditures, which has resulted in significant cash flow generation and capital-efficient growth.

We have a portfolio of highly recognized brands, including ABRA, CARSTAR, Maaco, Meineke, and Take 5 that compete in the large, growing, recession-resistant and highly-fragmented automotive care industry, which is estimated to be a $300 billion market in the U.S and has exhibited favorable long-term growth trends. Our U.S. industry is underpinned by a large, growing population of more than 275 million vehicles in operation, and is expected to continue its long-term growth trajectory given (i) long-term increases in annual miles traveled; (ii) consumers more frequently outsourcing automotive services due to vehicle complexity; (iii) increases in average repair costs and (iv) average age of the car on the road getting older. During the year ended December 25, 2021, our network generated $1.5 billion in revenue from $4.5 billion in system-wide sales. We serve a diverse mix of customers, with sales coming from retail customers and commercial customers such as fleet operators and insurance carriers. Our success is driven in large part by our mutually beneficial relationships with individual franchisees and independent operators.

Our organic growth is complemented by a consistent and repeatable M&A strategy, having completed over 100 acquisitions since 2015. Notably, in August 2020 we acquired ICWG, the world’s largest conveyor car wash company by location count which had 940 locations across 14 countries, demonstrating our continued ability to pursue and execute upon scalable and highly strategic acquisitions.

Significant Factors Impacting Financial Results

In August 2020, we completed the acquisition of ICWG, which at the time had 940 car wash sites, that launched our entry into the car wash market and created a new operating and reportable segment. We also completed the acquisition of 17 company-operated car wash sites in 2020 and 110 company-operated car wash sites during the year ended December 25, 2021. For additional information on our acquisitions, see Note 3 to the consolidated financial statements.

While COVID-19 did not have a material adverse effect on our business operations for the year ended December 25, 2021, or year ended December 26, 2020, it led to an increased level of volatility and uncertainty, and we are continuing to monitor any potential impact to our business.

Our first priority remains the health and safety of our employees, franchisees, independent operators and customers. We have taken steps to limit exposure and enhance the safety of all of our locations and communicated best practices to deter the spread of COVID-19 and safely serve our customers.

As a result of various state and local government stay-at-home orders, we started experiencing a reduction in sales in mid-March 2020. Even during the stay-at-home orders, approximately 97% of our system-wide locations remained open because of the essential service status of automotive repair businesses. In response to the decline in sales, we took actions to

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help mitigate the effects of the revenue decline and improve liquidity, including (i) adjusting operating hours across all of our company-operated stores, (ii) adjusting headcount at company-operated stores based on changes in demand, (iii) reducing discretionary spending including certain planned capital expenditures, (iv) eliminating promotional discounting, (v) implementing employee furloughs and reductions in workforce, (vi) reducing advertising spending and (vii) negotiating rent abatement and deferrals.

While the Company faced declines in revenue and customer count during the first half of 2020, the Company experienced improvement in sales and customer traffic during the second half of 2020. These improved conditions enabled us to re-hire store employees, launch a new marketing campaign in our Maintenance segment, and roll out new products in our Platform Services segment. We also continued to pursue the growth of our brands and service offerings, including the acquisition of ICWG during the third quarter of 2020.

Given the unpredictable nature of this situation, we cannot estimate with certainty the long-term impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows. Although the future economic environment is uncertain, we are confident in our ability to continue to provide essential products and services to our customers, and we remain committed to serving our customers as we continue to navigate the public health challenge of COVID-19.

In addition, the financial results for the years ended December 26, 2020 and December 28, 2019 provided herein reflect the fact that we were a private company, and as such had not incurred certain costs typically found in publicly traded companies. As a result of the initial public offering in January 2021, our selling, general and administrative expenses costs have increased, similar to other companies that have completed an initial public offering.

Key Performance Indicators

Key measures that we use in assessing our business and evaluating our segments include the following:

System-wide sales. System-wide sales represent the total of net sales for our franchised, independently-operated and company-operated stores. This measure allows management to better assess the total size and health of each segment, our overall store performance and the strength of our market position relative to competitors. Sales at franchised stores are not included as revenue in our results from operations, but rather, we include franchise royalties and fees that are derived from sales at franchised stores. Franchise royalties and fees revenue represented 10%, 13% and 19%, of our total revenue for the year ended December 25, 2021, December 26, 2020 and December 28, 2019, respectively. For the year ended December 25, 2021, December 26, 2020 and December 28, 2019 approximately 94%, 96%, and 93% respectively, of franchise royalties and fees revenue is attributable to royalties, with the remaining balance attributable to license and development fees. Revenue from company-operated stores represented 57% , 54% and 55% of our total revenue for the year ended December 25, 2021, December 26, 2020 and December 28, 2019 respectively. Revenue from independently-operated stores related to the Car Wash segment represented 14% and 7% of our total revenue for the year ended December 25, 2021 and December 26, 2020, respectively.

Store count. Store count reflects the number of franchised, independently-operated and company-operated stores open at the end of the reporting period. Management reviews the number of new, closed, acquired and divested stores to assess net unit growth and drivers of trends in system-wide sales, franchise royalties and fees revenue, company-operated store sales and independently operated store sales.

Same store sales. Same store sales reflect the change in sales year-over-year for the same store base. We define the same store base to include all franchised, independently-operated and company-operated stores open for comparable weeks during the given fiscal period in both the current and prior year. This measure highlights the performance of existing stores, while excluding the impact of new store openings and closures, and acquisitions and divestitures.

Segment Adjusted EBITDA. We define Segment Adjusted EBITDA as earnings before interest expense, net, income tax expense, and depreciation and amortization, with further adjustments for acquisition-related costs, straight-line rent, equity compensation, loss on debt extinguishment, foreign currency transaction related gains or losses, store opening costs, and certain non-recurring and non-core, infrequent or unusual charges. Segment Adjusted EBITDA is a supplemental measure of operating performance of our segments and may not be comparable to similar measures reported by other companies. Segment Adjusted EBITDA is a performance metric utilized by our Chief Operating Decision Maker to allocate resources to and assess performance of our segments. Refer to Note 9 in our consolidated financial statements for a reconciliation of Segment Adjusted EBITDA to income before taxes for the years ended December 25, 2021, December 26, 2020, and December 28, 2019, respectively.

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The following table sets forth our key performance indicators for fiscal years ended December 25, 2021, December 26, 2020 and December 28, 2019:

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Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Information

The following table provides a reconciliation of Adjusted Net Income to net income (loss) as defined by GAAP:

To supplement our consolidated financial statements prepared and presented in accordance with GAAP, we use certain non-GAAP financial measures throughout this Annual Report, as described further below, to provide investors with additional useful information about our financial performance, to enhance the overall understanding of our past performance and future prospects and to allow for greater transparency with respect to important metrics used by our management for financial and operational decision-making.

Non-GAAP financial measures have limitations in their usefulness to investors because they have no standardized meaning prescribed by GAAP and are not prepared under any comprehensive set of accounting rules or principles. In addition, non-GAAP financial measures may be calculated differently from, and therefore may not be directly comparable to, similarly titled measures used by other companies. As a result, non-GAAP financial measures should be viewed as supplementing, and not as an alternative or substitute for, our consolidated financial statements prepared and presented in accordance with GAAP.

Adjusted Net Income/Adjusted Earnings per Share. We define adjusted net income as net income calculated in accordance with GAAP, adjusted for acquisition-related costs, straight-line rent, equity compensation, loss on debt extinguishment and certain non-recurring, non-core, infrequent or unusual charges, amortization related to acquired intangible assets and the tax effect of the adjustments. Adjusted earnings per share is calculated by dividing Adjusted Net Income by the weighted average shares outstanding. Management believes this non-GAAP financial measure is useful because it is a key measure used by our management team to evaluate our operating performance, generate future operating plans and make strategic decisions.

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Adjusted Net Income/Adjusted Earnings per Share

Adjusted EBITDA. We define Adjusted EBITDA as earnings before interest expense, net, income tax expense, and depreciation and amortization, with further adjustments for acquisition-related costs, straight-line rent, equity compensation, loss on debt extinguishment and certain non-recurring, non-core, infrequent or unusual charges. Adjusted EBITDA may not be comparable to similarly titled metrics of other companies due to differences in methods of calculation. Management believes this non-GAAP financial measure is useful because it is a key measure used by our management team to evaluate our operating performance, generate future operating plans and make strategic decisions.

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The following table provides a reconciliation of Net income (loss) to Adjusted EBITDA:

a.Consists of acquisition costs as reflected within the consolidated statement of operations, including legal, consulting and other fees and expenses incurred in connection with acquisitions completed during the applicable period, as well as inventory rationalization expenses incurred in connection with acquisitions. We expect to incur similar costs in connection with other acquisitions in the future and, under GAAP, such costs relating to acquisitions are expensed as incurred and not capitalized.

b.Consists of discrete items and project costs, including (i) third-party consulting and professional fees associated with strategic transformation initiatives, (ii) wage subsidies received directly attributable to the COVID-19 pandemic and (iii) other miscellaneous expenses, including non-capitalizable expenses relating to the Company’s initial public offering and other strategic transactions.

c.Includes management fees paid to Roark Capital Management, LLC.

d.Consists of the non-cash portion of rent expense, which reflects the extent to which our straight-line rent expense recognized under GAAP exceeds or is less than our cash rent payments.

e.Represents non-cash equity-based compensation expense.

f.Represents foreign currency transaction loss (gains), net primarily related to the remeasurement of our intercompany loans, which are partially offset loss (gains) on remeasurement of cross currency swaps and currency forward contracts.

g.Represents bad debt expense (recovery) related to uncollectible receivables outside of normal operations.

h.Relates to (gain) loss on sale leasebacks, impairment from the discontinuation in the use of a trade name as well as impairment of certain fixed assets and operating lease right-of-use assets related to closed locations. Also represents lease exit costs and other costs associated with stores that were closed prior to their respective lease termination dates.

i.Represents the write-off of debt issuance costs and prepayment penalties associated with early termination of debt.

j.Consists of amortization related to acquired intangible assets as reflected within depreciation and amortization in the consolidated statement of operations.

k.Represents uncertain tax positions recorded for prior year Canadian tax positions, inclusive of interest and penalties.

l.Represents a valuation allowances on income tax carryforwards in certain foreign jurisdictions that are not more likely than not to be realized.

m.Represents the tax impact of adjustments associated with the reconciling items between net income and Adjusted Net Income, excluding the provision for uncertain tax positions. To determine the tax effect of the reconciling items, we utilized statutory income tax rates ranging from 9% to 36%, depending upon the tax attributes of each adjustment and the applicable jurisdiction.

n.Share and per share amounts have been adjusted to reflect an implied 88,990-for-one stock split that became effective on January 14, 2021. See Note 16 in the accompanying consolidated financial statements for additional information.

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Results of Operations for the year ended December 25, 2021 compared to the year ended December 26, 2020

To facilitate review of our results of operations, the following tables set forth our financial results for the periods indicated. All information is derived from the consolidated statements of operations. Independently-operated store sales and expenses are derived from our acquisition of ICWG and only reflect results of operations from the August 3, 2020 acquisition date. To provide further clarity as to the changes in operating results, we have estimated the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our results of operations for the year ended December 26, 2020. Given the inherent judgment in quantifying these amounts, the estimated financial impact of COVID-19 disclosed herein was calculated for stores that have been open for more than one year and is based on the Company's analysis of observable inputs, such as same store sales data and royalty rates, as well assumptions of expected growth rates, to calculate the total estimated impact on revenue.

For the year ended December 25, 2021, we recognized net income of $10 million, or $0.06 per diluted share, compared to a net loss of $(4) million, or $(0.04) per diluted share, for the year ended December 26, 2020. This increase in net income was primarily due to an increase in operating profit from a 62% increase in revenue, a $20 million decrease in interest expense related to a lower average balance outstanding and a lower weighted average interest rate (due to the refinancing of Securitization Notes in December 2020 and the repayment of the debt assumed as part of the acquisition of ICWG) and a $5 million decrease in asset impairment charges primarily related to store closures. These were offset by a $74 million increase in Selling, general and administrative expenses partially related to initial public offering costs, higher professional fees, infrastructure and other operating costs, a $47 million increase in acquisition costs, a $40 million increase in debt extinguishment costs associated with the settlement of the Car Wash Senior Credit Facilities, a $34 million increase in loss on foreign currency transactions, net and a $14 million increase in income tax expense related to higher pre-tax income and an increase in nondeductible transaction costs.

Adjusted Net Income increased $104 million, or 239%, for the year ended December 25, 2021 to $147 million, compared to $43 million for the year ended December 26, 2020. The increase in Adjusted Net Income was primarily due an increase in operating income from higher system-wide sales and revenue from same store sales growth and store count growth, driven by a combination of acquisitions and organic growth. See Note 3 to our consolidated financial statements for additional information about acquisitions. The benefit of higher sales was partially offset by higher operating costs some of which are associated with being a public company.

Adjusted EBITDA was $362 million for the year ended December 25, 2021, an increase of $156 million, or 76%, compared to Adjusted EBITDA of $205 million for the year ended December 26, 2020. Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted EBITDA are non-GAAP financial measures of performance. For a discussion of our use of these non-GAAP measures and a reconciliation from net income (loss) to Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted EBITDA, see Key Performance Indicators.

Revenue

Franchise Royalties and Fees

Franchise royalties and fees increased $27 million, or 23%, for the year ended December 25, 2021 as compared to the year ended December 26, 2020. Maintenance, Paint, Collision & Glass and Platform Services franchise royalties and fees increased by $7 million, $13 million and $6 million, respectively. This increase was primarily due to a $694 million, or 25%, increase in franchised system-wide sales aided by an increase in same store sales, a full year of operations for the Fix Auto acquisition within the PC&G segment and the net increase of 17 franchised stores during 2021.

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Company-Operated Store Sales

Company-operated store sales increased $354 million, or 72%, for the year ended December 25, 2021 as compared to the year ended December 26, 2020. Car Wash, Maintenance and Paint, Collision & Glass company-operated store sales increased by $197 million, $138 million and $21 million, respectively, while Platform Services decreased by $1 million. This increase in Car Wash company-operated store sales was due to a full year of revenue related to the ICWG acquisition in fiscal 2021 compared to only 5 months for fiscal 2020. The increase was also due same store sales growth and the addition of 176 company-operated stores year-over-year, including 114 Car Wash company-operated stores (including 110 from 2021 acquisitions), 52 additional company-operated stores in the Maintenance segment and 10 additional company-operated stores in the Paint, Collision & Glass segment. Car Wash acquisitions in 2021 contributed an incremental $49 million of company-operated store sales during the year ended December 25, 2021.

Independently-Operated Store Sales

Independently-operated store sales (comprised entirely of the international car wash locations) increased $137 million, or 204% due to a full year of revenue in fiscal year 2021 compared to only 5 months for fiscal year 2020, and an increase in same store sales growth, partially offset by a decrease in revenue from a net decrease of 8 stores.

Advertising Contributions

Advertising contributions increased by $16 million, or 27%, for the year ended December 25, 2021, as compared to the year ended December 26, 2020, due to an increase in franchised system-wide sales of approximately $694 million, or 25%. Also, advertising contribution concessions were made to franchisees during the first half of 2020 related to COVID-19. Our franchise agreements typically require the franchisee to pay continuing advertising fees based on a percentage of franchisee gross sales.

Supply and Other Revenue

Supply and other revenue increased $28 million, or 17%, for the year ended December 25, 2021 as compared to the year ended December 26, 2020. Supply and other revenue in the Maintenance, Car Wash, Paint, Collision & Glass and Platform Services all increased. The Supply and other revenue increase was primarily due to a full year of operations the related to the 2020 acquisitions of ICWG and Fix Auto. Supply and other revenue also increased due to higher oil purchase volumes from franchisees and an overall increase in franchise stores in the Maintenance segment, higher paint sales in the Paint, Collision & Glass segment and higher franchise system-wide sales in the Platform Services segment.

Operating Expenses

Company-Operated Store Expenses

Company-operated store expenses increased $210 million, or 69%, for the year ended December 25, 2021 as compared to the year ended December 26, 2020. This increase in expenses is commensurate with the increase in revenue from the addition of 176 company-operated stores during fiscal year 2021 as well as same store sales growth. Company-operated store expenses increased at a slightly slower rate than company-operated store sales due to due to effective cost management and operational leverage.

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Independently-Operated Store Expenses

Independently-operated store expenses (comprised entirely of the international car wash locations) increased $73 million, or 178% which is commensurate with the increase in Independently-operated store sales resulting from a full year of operations from the acquisition of ICWG in August 2020 compared to only 5 months for fiscal year ended 2020 as well as same store sales growth. Independently-operated store expenses continue to increase at a slower rate than Independently-operated store sales due to effective cost management and operational leverage.

Advertising Expenses

Advertising expense increased $13 million, or 21% for the year ended December 25, 2021, as compared to the year ended December 26, 2020. This increase represents a slightly less than commensurate increase to advertising fund revenue during the year-over-year. Advertising fund expenses generally trend consistent with advertising fund contributions.

Supply and Other Expenses

Supply and other expenses increased $19 million, or 20%, for the year ended December 25, 2021 as compared to the year ended December 26, 2020. This increase was primarily due an increase in oil and paint purchase volumes from franchisees due to an increase in franchise sales and an increase in franchise store count in the Maintenance segment.

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses

Selling, general and administrative expenses increased $74 million for the year ended December 25, 2021 as compared to the year ended December 26, 2020. This increase was primarily due to increased employee compensation and other employee related expenses due to an overall increase in headcount from 2021 acquisitions and an increase in staffing required for operating as a public company, an increase in legal, professional and audit fees, which included initial public offering costs, an increase in infrastructure and other operating costs and an increase in travel and convention costs, partially offset by a decrease in bad debt expense largely attributable to a favorable recovery from a customer related to bankruptcy in 2020. The remaining increase is a result of incremental costs to support organic growth and growth from acquisitions.

Acquisition Costs

Acquisition costs increased $47 million for the year ended December 25, 2021, compared to the year ended December 26, 2020. Acquisition costs for the year ended December 25, 2021 were primarily associated with $56 million in transaction costs related to the acquisition of Auto Glass Now® on December 30, 2021 (See Note 17) and a number of Car Wash acquisitions, which were offset by a $4 million favorable contingent consideration adjustment related to the Fix Auto acquisition. The fiscal year ended December 26, 2020 had costs primarily associated with the acquisitions of ICWG and Fix Auto.

Store Opening Costs

Store opening costs decreased by less than one million for the year ended December 25, 2021, as compared to the year ended December 26, 2020, due to a decrease in company operated new store openings and conversions of acquired stores to the Take 5 Oil Change brand. There were 9 Take 5 company-operated store conversions and 37 new company-operated store openings in the year ended December 25, 2021, compared to 13 Take 5 company-operated store conversions and 38 company-operated store openings during the year ended December 26, 2020.

Depreciation and Amortization

Depreciation and amortization expense increased $51 million for the year ended December 25, 2021, as compared to the year ended December 26, 2020, due to additional property and equipment and definite-lived intangible assets recognized as a result of recent acquisitions and additional capitalized expenditures incurred related to the growth in company-operated locations for our Car Wash and Maintenance segments.

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Asset Impairment Charges

We incurred $3 million in asset impairment charges during the year ended December 25, 2021 compared to $8 million for the year ended December 26, 2020. The asset impairment charges during year ended December 25, 2021 related to the impairment of certain fixed assets and operating lease right-of-use assets primarily at closed store locations. The asset impairment charges during the year ended December 26, 2020 consisted of $3 million related to the discontinued use of a trade name and $5 million related to the impairment of certain fixed assets and operating lease right-of-use assets at closed locations.

Interest Expense, Net

Interest expense, net decreased $(20) million for the year ended December 25, 2021, as compared to the year ended December 26, 2020, as a result of lower average debt outstanding and lower average interest rate in current period. The repayment of $722 million in higher interest rate Car Wash Senior Credit Facilities in the first quarter of 2021 more than offset the $950 million in borrowings under the Series 2021-1 Securitization Senior Notes and Term Loan Facility issued in the fourth quarter of 2021. Also, the higher interest rate 2015-1 and Series 2016-1 Senior Securitization Notes were repaid in December 2020, substantially replaced by the issuance of lower interest rate Series 2020-2 Securitization Senior Notes.

Loss (Gain) on Foreign Currency Transactions, Net

The loss on foreign currency transactions for the year ended December 25, 2021 was comprised of a $25 million loss primarily associated with the remeasurement of our 2020-1 Senior Notes and foreign inter-company notes, partially offset by gains incurred on cross currency swaps and forward contracts associated with these instruments that are not designated as hedging instruments.

The gain on foreign currency transactions for the year ended December 26, 2020 was comprised of a $23 million gain primarily associated with the remeasurement of our 2020-1 Senior Notes and foreign intercompany notes, partially offset by unrealized losses incurred on cross currency swaps associated with these instruments that are not designated as hedging instruments.

Loss on Debt Extinguishment

The loss on debt extinguishment of $46 million for the year ended December 25, 2021 was due to the write-off of remaining unamortized debt discount associated with settlement of the Car Wash Senior Credit Facilities. The loss on debt extinguishment for the year ended December 26, 2020 is due to the derecognition of unamortized debt issuance costs and prepayment penalties associated with settlement of the 2015-1 and 2016-1 Senior Securitization Notes, and the bridge loan used to finance the Fix Auto acquisition.

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Income Tax Expense

Income tax expense increased by $14 million for the year ended December 25, 2021 as compared to the year ended December 26, 2020. The effective income tax rate for the year ended December 25, 2021 was 72.5% compared to 159.0% for the year ended December 26, 2020. The increase in the income tax expense from fiscal 2020 to 2021 was primarily driven by an increase in pre-tax income, partially offset by an increase in nondeductible transaction costs related to the acquisition of Auto Glass Now.

Segment Results of Operations for the year ended December 25, 2021 compared to the year ended December 26, 2020

We assess the performance of our segments based on Segment Adjusted EBITDA, which is defined as earnings before interest expense, net, income tax expense, and depreciation and amortization, with further adjustments for acquisition-related costs, store opening and closure costs, straight-line rent, equity compensation, loss on debt extinguishment and certain non-recurring, non-core, infrequent or unusual charges. Also, shared services costs are not allocated to these segments, as further described in Note 9 to the consolidated financial statements. Segment Adjusted EBITDA may not be comparable to similarly titled metrics of other companies due to differences in methods of calculation.

Maintenance

Maintenance revenue increased $160 million for the year ended December 25, 2021, as compared to the year ended December 26, 2020. Franchise royalties and fees increased by $7 million primarily due to the $163 million increase in system-wide sales driven by same store sales growth and an increase of 59 franchised stores. Company-operated store sales increased $138 million due to an increase in same store sales growth and an increase of 52 company-operated stores at Take 5. Supply and other revenue increased by $15 million primarily due to an increase in franchise store system wide sales related to Take 5 driven by same store sales growth, an increase in franchise store count and an increase in oil prices.

Maintenance Segment Adjusted EBITDA increased $64 million for the year ended December 25, 2021, as compared to the year ended December 26, 2020, primarily due to revenue growth as well as cost management and operational leverage. We have continued to utilize a more efficient labor model at company-operated locations.

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Car Wash

(1) Includes activity from August 3, 2020 acquisition date of ICWG through the end of fiscal year 2020.

The Car Wash segment is comprised of our car wash sites throughout the United States, Europe and Australia. The operating segment was established in August 2020 as a result of our acquisition of ICWG, which served as our entry point into the car wash market. The Company subsequently acquired 110 and 17 additional car wash sites in the United States in 2021 and 2020, respectively. See Note 3 to the consolidated financial statements for additional information on Car Wash acquisitions in 2021 and 2020.

Car Wash segment revenue increased $338 million for the year ended December 25, 2021, as compared to the year ended December 26, 2020. Company-operated store sales increased $197 million, Independently-operated store sales increased $137 million and supply and other revenue increased $4 million primarily due to twelve months of ICWG acquisition revenue for the year ended December 25, 2021 compared to only five post-acquisition months for year ended December 26, 2020 and an increase in same store sales. Company-operated store sales and supply and other revenue also increased due to $49 million in post-acquisition revenue from 38 acquisitions representing 110 sites during the year ended December 25, 2021.

Car Wash segment Adjusted EBITDA increased by $110 million for the year ended December 25, 2021, as compared to the year ended December 26, 2020, primarily driven by a full year of ICWG operations in 2021, the benefit of other acquisitions in 2021 and an increase in same store sales. Also, Adjusted EBITDA increased due to cost management and operational leverage.

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Paint, Collision & Glass

Paint, Collision & Glass revenue increased $39 million for the year ended December 25, 2021, as compared to the year ended December 26, 2020. Franchised royalties and fees increased $13 million due to higher franchise system-wide sales from same store sales growth, and a full year Fix Auto operating results (Fix Auto was acquired in the second quarter of 2020). Company operated store revenue increased $21 million primarily due to a full year Fix Auto operating results and $7 million from the acquisition of 10 CARSTAR franchise locations in the fourth quarter of 2021 and same stores sales growth. Both franchise and company operated same store sales benefited from company initiatives and an increase in vehicle miles traveled in 2021. Supply and other revenue increased $5 million primarily due to higher paint sales.

Paint, Collision & Glass Segment Adjusted EBITDA increased $16 million for the year ended December 25, 2021, as compared to the year ended December 26, 2020, mainly due to revenue growth as well as cost management and operational leverage for existing stores.

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Platform Services

Platform Services revenue increased $22 million for the year ended December 25, 2021, as compared to the year ended December 26, 2020. Franchise royalties and fees increased $6 million as a result of an $84 million increase in system wide sales at 1-800-Radiator franchised stores driven by same store sales growth. Supply and other revenue increased $17 million resulting primarily from a $14 million increase in distribution sales to the Maintenance segment driven by same store sales growth and increased store count at Take 5, as well as an increase in revenue from higher franchise sales at 1-800-Radiator.

Platform Services Segment Adjusted EBITDA increased $8 million for the year ended December 25, 2021, as compared to the year ended December 26, 2020, driven primarily by revenue growth.

Results of Operations for the Year Ended December 26, 2020 Compared to December 28, 2019

To facilitate review of our results of operations, the following tables set forth our financial results for the periods indicated. All information is derived from the consolidated statements of operations. Independently-operated store

sales and expenses are derived from our acquisition of ICWG and only reflect results of operations from the August 3, 2020 acquisition date through the end of the fiscal year and, as such, it is not meaningful to compare to prior period

results. To provide further clarity as to the changes in operating results, we have estimated the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our results of operations for the year ended December 26, 2020. Given the inherent judgment in

quantifying these amounts, the estimated financial impact of COVID-19 disclosed herein was calculated for stores that have been open for more than one year and is based on the Company's analysis of observable inputs, such as same store sales data and royalty rates, as well assumptions of expected growth rates, to calculate the total estimated impact on revenue.

For the year ended December 26, 2020, we recognized a net loss of $(4) million, or $(0.04) per diluted share, compared to net income of $8 million, or $0.09 per diluted share, for the year ended December 28, 2019. This decrease was primarily due to a $39 million increase in interest expense related to additional borrowings assumed from the acquisition of ICWG and additional Senior Note issuances during the current year, $26 million increase in depreciation and amortization expense related to acquisitions, $15 million of charges related to asset impairment, store closure, and debt extinguishment expenses, and a $7 million increase in income tax expense related to certain discrete items. Adjusted Net Income increased $7 million for the year ended December 26, 2020 to $43 million, compared to $37 million for the year ended December 28, 2019. The increase in Adjusted Net Income was primarily due to increased store count and associated system-wide sales, driven by a combination of organic growth and acquisitions, particularly the acquisition of ICWG. See Note 3 to our consolidated financial statements for additional information about acquisitions. Adjusted EBITDA was $205 million for the year ended December 26, 2020, an increase of $86 million compared to Adjusted EBITDA of $119 million for the year ended December 28, 2019. Adjusted Net

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Income and Adjusted EBITDA are non-GAAP financial measures of performance. For a discussion of our use of these non-GAAP measures and a reconciliation from net income (loss) to Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted EBITDA, see Selected

Financial Data - Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures.

Revenue

Franchise Royalties and Fees

Franchise royalties and fees increased $6 million for the year ended December 26, 2020, as compared to the year ended December 28, 2019. This increase was primarily due to the addition of 143 franchised stores and a corresponding $248 million increase in franchised system-wide sales during 2020. The increase in royalties and fees derived from the increased store count was partially offset by a decline in same store sales driven by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. During fiscal year 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted franchise royalties and fees by approximately $7 million.

Company-Operated Store Sales

Company-operated store sales increased $160 million for the year ended December 26, 2020 as compared to the year ended December 28, 2019. This increase was due to the addition of 242 company-operated stores year-over-year, including 216 car wash company-operated stores from the acquisition of ICWG, and nine additional company-operated stores in the Paint, Collision & Glass segment due to the acquisition of Fix Auto during second quarter of 2020. Additionally, we generated incremental revenue associated with 20 Uniban company-operated stores, which were acquired during the fourth quarter of 2019. Acquisitions contributed an incremental $135 million of company-operated store sales during the year ended December 26, 2020, and the remaining $25 million was due to the impact of organic growth in our Maintenance segment. The COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted Company-operated store sales by approximately $29 million during the first half of 2020.

Advertising Contributions

Advertising contributions decreased by $7 million for the year ended December 26, 2020 as compared to the year ended December 28, 2019, primarily due to COVID-19 related advertising contribution concessions offered to franchisees during the first half of 2020, partially offset by an increase in franchised system-wide sales of approximately $248 million. Our franchise agreements typically require the franchisee to pay continuing advertising fees based on a percentage of franchisee gross sales.

Supply and Other Revenue

Supply and other revenue increased by $77 million for the year ended December 26, 2020 as compared to the year ended December 28, 2019. This increase was primarily due to the 2020 acquisitions of ICWG and Fix Auto and the full year impact of the ABRA, PH Vitres D’Autos, Uniban and ATI acquisitions, which were made during the fourth quarter of 2019. These acquisitions generated approximately $76 million of incremental revenue for the year ended December 26, 2020. Increased oil purchase volumes from franchisees and an overall increase in store count in the Maintenance segment contributed an additional $9 million in revenue in 2020. The overall increase was partially offset by a 9% decline in same store sales within the Paint, Collision & Glass segment.

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Operating Expenses

Company-Operated Store Expenses

Company-operated store expenses increased by $82 million for the year ended December 26, 2020 as compared to the year ended December 28, 2019. This increase in expenses is commensurate with the addition of 242 company-operated stores during fiscal year 2020. Company-operated store expenses increased at a slower rate than company-operated store sales due to our leaner and more efficient staffing model to compensate for the reduction in vehicles serviced during the first half of 2020 associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. As sales increased during the second half of 2020, we continued to utilize a more efficient labor model in our company-operated stores.

Advertising Expenses

The $8 million decrease in advertising expenses for the year ended December 26, 2020 as compared to the year ended December 28, 2019, represents a commensurate decrease to advertising fund expenses during the period. Advertising fund expenses generally trend consistent with advertising fund contributions.

Supply and Other Expenses

Supply and other expenses increased $40 million for the year ended December 26, 2020 as compared to the year ended December 28, 2019. This increase was primarily due to the full year impact of the PH Vitres D’Autos and Uniban acquisitions, which were made during the fourth quarter of 2019. These acquisitions generated approximately $35 million of incremental expenses for the year ended December 26, 2020. Increased oil purchase volumes from franchisees and an overall increase in store count in the Maintenance segment contributed an additional $8 million in expenses in 2020.

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses

Selling, general and administrative expenses increased $76 million for the year ended December 26, 2020 as compared to the year ended December 28, 2019. This increase is primarily due to increased corporate compensation and other employee related expenses of $42 million due to an overall increase in headcount from 2020 acquisitions and an increase in staffing requirements in preparation for our initial public offering, $9 million of non-capitalizable initial public offering costs and non-core project costs, and a $5 million increase in bad debt expense largely attributable to a customer’s bankruptcy resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. The remaining increase is a result of incremental costs to support organic growth and growth from acquisitions.

Acquisition Costs

Acquisition costs increased $4 million for the year ended December 26, 2020, compared to the year ended December 28, 2019, primarily as a result of the acquisition of ICWG and Fix Auto during the year ended December 26, 2020 .

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Store Opening Costs

Store opening costs decreased $3 million for the year ended December 26, 2020, as compared to the year ended December 28, 2019, due to a decrease in conversions of acquired stores to the Take 5 brand, partially offset by an increase in new company-operated store openings. There were 13 Take 5 company-operated store conversions and 38 new company-operated store openings in the year ended December 26, 2020, compared to 140 Take 5 store conversions and 18 company-operated store openings during the year ended December 28, 2019.

Depreciation and Amortization

Depreciation and amortization expense increased $38 million for the year ended December 26, 2020, as compared to the year ended December 28, 2019, due to additional fixed assets and definite-lived intangible assets recognized in recent acquisitions, and additional capitalized expenditures incurred related to the growth in company-operated locations for our Maintenance segment.

Asset Impairment Charges

$8 million in asset impairment charges were incurred during the year ended December 26, 2020, which consisted of $3 million related to the discontinued use of a trade name and $5 million related to the impairment of certain fixed assets and operating lease right-of-use assets at closed locations.

Interest Expense, Net

Interest expense, net increased $39 million for the year ended December 26, 2020 as compared to the year ended December 28, 2019, as a result of incremental Senior Notes issued in 2019 and 2020, the principal outstanding on the 2019-3 Variable Funding Note during a portion of the year ended December 26, 2020, and incremental debt assumed in conjunction with the ICWG acquisition.

Gain on Foreign Currency Transactions, Net

The gain on foreign currency transactions is comprised of a $23 million gain primarily associated with the remeasurement of our 2020-1 Senior Notes and foreign intercompany notes, partially offset by unrealized losses incurred on cross currency swaps associated with these instruments that are not designated as hedging instruments.

Loss on Debt Extinguishment

The loss on debt extinguishment of $5 million for the year ended December 26, 2020 is due to the derecognition of unamortized debt issuance costs and prepayment penalties associated with 2015-1 and 2016-1 Senior Securitization Notes, and the bridge loan used to finance the Fix Auto acquisition.

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Income Tax Expense

Income tax expense increased by $7 million for the year ended December 26, 2020 as compared to the year ended December 28, 2019. The effective income tax rate for the year ended December 26, 2020 was 159% compared to 38.4% for the year ended December 28, 2019. The increase in rate from 2019 to 2020 is primarily driven by uncertain tax positions, the post-acquisition income tax effects over foreign earnings, valuation allowances, state tax rate changes, and non-deductible transaction costs incurred related to the acquisition of ICWG.

Segment Results of Operations for the Year Ended December 26, 2020 Compared to December 28, 2019

We assess the performance of our segments based on Segment Adjusted EBITDA, which is defined as earnings before interest expense, net, income tax expense, and depreciation and amortization, with further adjustments for acquisition-related costs, store opening and closure costs, straight-line rent, equity compensation, loss on debt extinguishment and certain non-recurring, non-core, infrequent or unusual charges. Additionally, shared services costs are not allocated to these segments, as further described in Note 9 to the consolidated financial statements. Segment Adjusted EBITDA may not be comparable to similarly titled metrics of other companies due to differences in methods of calculation.

Maintenance

Maintenance revenue increased $61 million for the year ended December 26, 2020 as compared to the year ended December 28, 2019, driven by an increase in company-operated store sales from a combination of tuck-in acquisitions and new store development. Tuck-in acquisitions increased company-operated store sales by approximately $32 million year-over-year, while organic new store development contributed $20 million of company-operated store sales. Supply and other revenue increased by $9 million primarily due to increased oil purchase volume for franchisees and an overall increase in store count. Franchise royalties and fees declined by $3 million primarily due to the $16 million decline in system-wide sales year-over-year. The revenue growth in the Maintenance segment was negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic by $29 million.

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Maintenance Segment Adjusted EBITDA increased $33 million for the year ended December 26, 2020 as compared to the year ended December 28, 2019, primarily due to the year-over-year impact of tuck-in acquisitions completed in 2019 as well as the addition of 33 new company-operated stores in 2020. Although company-operated store expenses increased $13 million due to increased store count, our effective expense management resulted in increased profitability, as we reduced headcount and hours worked during the COVID-19 pandemic. We have continued to utilize a more efficient labor model at company-operated locations as sales increased during the second half of 2020.

Car Wash

(1) Includes activity from August 3, 2020 acquisition date of ICWG through the end of fiscal year 2020.

The Car Wash segment is comprised of our car wash sites throughout the United States, Europe and Australia. We established this operating segment in August 2020 from our acquisition of ICWG, which served as our entry point into the car wash market. Car Wash revenue and Segment Adjusted EBITDA were $150 million and $43 million, respectively, for the period from August 3, 2020 through the end of fiscal year 2020. See Note 3 to the consolidated financial statements for additional information on these acquisitions.

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Paint, Collision & Glass

Paint, Collision & Glass revenue increased $33 million for the year ended December 26, 2020, as compared to the year ended December 28, 2019. This increase was driven by the addition of 141 franchised stores and $245 million increase in franchised system-wide sales, which was primarily due to full year operating results for the acquisitions of Uniban and ABRA, which occurred during the fourth quarter of 2019, and the acquisition of Fix Auto during the second quarter of 2020. The 24 million increase in company-operated store sales was due to the Uniban and Fix Auto acquisitions. The COVID-19 pandemic most severely impacted car count volumes in the first half of 2020, with partial recovery in the second half of the year. The company estimates a $5 million overall reduction in revenue as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Paint, Collision & Glass Segment Adjusted EBITDA increased $6 million for the year ended December 26, 2020, as compared to the year ended December 28, 2019, as a result of an additional $10 million of Segment Adjusted EBITDA relating to the Uniban, Fix Auto and ABRA acquisitions, respectively, partially offset by the decline in same store sales due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Platform Services

Platform Services revenue increased $78 million for the year ended December 26, 2020 as compared to the year ended December 28, 2019, due to our acquisitions of ATI and PH Vitres D’Autos during the fourth quarter of 2019. These acquisitions increased supply and other revenue by approximately $70 million on a year-over-year basis. Additionally, supply and other revenue increased by $6 million due to increased distribution volume from Spire Supply driven by continued Maintenance store count growth.

Platform Services Segment Adjusted EBITDA increased $23 million for the year ended December 26, 2020, as compared to the year ended December 28, 2019, driven primarily by our acquisitions of ATI and PH Vitres D’Autos during the fourth quarter of 2019. These acquisitions provided $16 million of additional Segment Adjusted EBITDA, while the remainder of the increase was due to improved same store sales at 1-800 Radiator primarily due to the continued success of our new product launches.

Financial Condition, Liquidity and Capital Resources

Sources of Liquidity and Capital Resources

Cash flow from operations, supplemented with our long-term borrowings, have been sufficient to fund our operations while allowing us to make strategic investments to grow our business. We believe that our current sources of liquidity and capital resources will be adequate to fund our operations, acquisitions, company-operated store development, other general corporate needs and the additional expenses we expect to incur for at least the next twelve months. We expect to continue to have access to the capital markets at acceptable terms. However, this could be adversely affected by many factors including macroeconomic factors, a downgrade of our credit rating or a deterioration of certain financial ratios.

At December 25, 2021, the Company had total liquidity of $921 million, which included $523 million in cash and cash equivalents and $398 million in undrawn capacity on its variable funding securitization senior notes and Revolving Credit Facility.

We will continue to assess our liquidity needs. A disruption in our business for an extended period of time could materially affect our future access to sources of liquidity.

Driven Brands Funding, LLC (the “Issuer”), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, is subject to certain quantitative covenants related to debt service coverage and leverage ratios in connection with the Securitization Senior Notes. The Term Loan Facility and Revolving Credit Facility also have certain qualitative covenants. As of December 25, 2021 and December 26, 2020, the Company and its issuing subsidiaries were in compliance with all covenants under its agreements.

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The following table illustrates the main components of our cash flows:

Operating Activities

Net cash provided by operating activities was $284 million for the year ended December 25, 2021 compared to net cash provided by operating activities of $84 million for the year ended December 26, 2020, primarily resulting from an increase in operating results of $140 million and a favorable change in net working capital utilized of $59 million.

Net cash provided by operating activities was $84 million for the year ended December 26, 2020 compared to net cash provided by operating activities of $41 million for the year ended December 28, 2019, primarily resulting from an increase in operating results of $88 million, which was partially offset by an unfavorable change in net working capital utilized of $45 million.

Investing Activities

Net cash used in investing activities was $815 million for the year ended December 25, 2021 compared to $57 million for the year ended December 26, 2020, primarily resulting from a $696 million increase in cash paid for acquisitions and $108 million increase in capital expenditures were offset by an increase in proceeds from sale-leaseback transactions of $44 million. For the year ended December 25, 2021, we invested $801 million in acquisitions, net of cash acquired compared to $105 million for the year ended December 26, 2020. For the year ended December 25, 2021, we invested $161 million in capital expenditures compared to $52 million for the year ended December 26, 2020. This increase is primarily due to an increased level of company-operated store openings as well as increased maintenance capital expenditures related to our growing base of company operated stores and technology initiatives.

Net cash used in investing activities was $57 million for the year ended December 26, 2020 compared to $482 million for the year ended December 28, 2019, primarily resulting from a $349 million decrease in cash paid for acquisitions and an $100 million increase in proceeds from sale-leaseback transactions, partially offset by a $24 million increase in capital expenditures. We invested $52 million in capital expenditures for the year ended December 26, 2020 compared to $28 million in the year ended December 28, 2019. Capital expenditures were primarily related to building new company-operated stores, remodeling existing and acquired company-operated stores, maintaining our existing store base, and executing on technology initiatives.

Financing Activities

Net cash provided by financing activities was $886 million for the year ended December 25, 2021 compared to $119 million for the year ended December 26, 2020, primarily resulting from $761 million in proceeds from our initial public offering, net of underwriting discounts in 2021 and a $75 million increase in net proceeds from long-term debt and revolving credit facilities, which were partially offset by $43 million in repurchases of common stock and $22 million in payments for termination of ICWG interest rate swaps in 2021.

Net cash provided by financing activities was $119 million for year ended December 26, 2020 compared to net cash provided by financing activities of $447 million for year ended December 28, 2019, primarily resulting from a $488 million increase in the Company’s net repayment of long-term debt and revolving credit facility which was partially offset by a $163 million distribution to shareholders in 2019.

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Income Tax Receivable Agreement

We expect to be able to utilize certain tax benefits which are related to periods prior to the effective date of the Company’s initial public offering, which we therefore attribute to our existing stockholders. We expect that these tax benefits (i.e., the Pre-IPO and IPO-Related Tax Benefits) will reduce the amount of tax that we and our subsidiaries would otherwise be required to pay in the future. We have entered into an Income Tax Receivable Agreement which provides our Pre-IPO stockholders with the right to receive payment by us of 85% of the amount of cash savings, if any, in U.S. and Canadian federal, state, local and provincial income tax that we and our subsidiaries actually realize as a result of the utilization of the Pre-IPO and IPO-Related Tax Benefits. The Company has recorded a total liability of $156 million as of December 25, 2021, of which $24 million and $132 million are recorded under current and non-current liabilities, respectively. See “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions—Income Tax Receivable Agreement.”

For purposes of the Income Tax Receivable Agreement, cash savings in income tax will be computed by reference to the reduction in the liability for income taxes resulting from the utilization of the Pre-IPO and IPO-Related Tax Benefits. The term of the Income Tax Receivable Agreement commenced upon the effective date of the Company’s initial public offering and will continue until the Pre-IPO and IPO-Related Tax Benefits have been utilized, accelerated or expired.

Because we are a holding company with no operations of our own, our ability to make payments under the Income Tax Receivable Agreement is dependent on the ability of our subsidiaries to make distributions to us. The securitized debt facility may restrict the ability of our subsidiaries to make distributions to us, which could affect our ability to make payments under the Income Tax Receivable Agreement. To the extent that we are unable to make payments under the Income Tax Receivable Agreement because of restrictions under our outstanding indebtedness, such payments will be deferred and will generally accrue interest at a rate of LIBOR plus 1.00% per annum until paid. To the extent that we are unable to make payments under the Income Tax Receivable Agreement for any other reason, such payments will generally accrue interest at a rate of LIBOR plus 5.00% per annum until paid.

Contractual Obligations and Commercial Commitments

A summary of our commitments and contingencies as of December 25, 2021 is as follows:

(1) Represents expected debt principal repayments for the next five fiscal years and thereafter assuming

repayment at maturity.

(2) The Company and its subsidiaries have non-cancelable operating lease agreements for the rental of office space,

company-operated shops and office equipment.

(3) The Company’s subsidiaries enter into certain lease agreements with owners of real property in order to sublet the

leased premises to its franchisees.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

We are not a party to any off-balance sheet arrangements that have, or are reasonably likely to have, a current or future material effect on our financial condition, results of operations, or liquidity and capital resources.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

Our significant accounting policies are more fully described in Note 2 to the consolidated financial statements. However, we believe the accounting policies described below are particularly important to the portrayal and understanding of our financial position and results of operations and require application of significant judgment by our management. In applying these policies, management uses its judgment in making certain assumptions and estimates.

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These judgments involve estimations of the effect of matters that are inherently uncertain and may have a significant impact on our quarterly and annual results of operations or financial condition. Changes in estimates and judgments could significantly affect our result of operations, financial condition, and cash flow in future years. The following is a description of what we consider to be our most critical accounting policies.

Impairment of goodwill and other indefinite-lived intangible assets

Goodwill and intangible assets considered to have an indefinite life (primarily our trade names) are evaluated throughout the year to determine if indicators of impairment exist. Such indicators include, but are not limited to, events or circumstances such as a significant adverse change in our business, in the business overall climate, unanticipated competition, a loss of key personnel, adverse legal or regulatory developments or a significant decline in the market price of our common stock.

If no indicators of impairment have been noted during these preliminary assessments, we perform an assessment of goodwill and intangible assets annually as of the first day of our fourth fiscal quarter. We first assess qualitatively whether it is more-likely-than-not that an impairment does not exist. Significant factors considered in this assessment include, but are not limited to, macro-economic conditions, market and industry conditions, cost considerations, the competitive environment, overall financial performance and results of past impairment tests. If we do not qualitatively determine that it is more-likely-than-not that an impairment does not exist, we perform a quantitative impairment test.

In performing a quantitative test for impairment of goodwill, we primarily use the income approach method of valuation that includes the discounted cash flow method and the market approach that includes the guideline public company method to determine the fair value of goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets. Significant assumptions made by management in estimating fair value under the discounted cash flow model include future trends in sales, operating expenses, overhead expenses, tax depreciation, capital expenditures and changes in working capital, along with an appropriate discount rate based on our estimated cost of equity capital and after-tax cost of debt. Significant assumptions used to determine fair value under the guideline public company method include the selection of guideline companies and the valuation multiples applied.

In the process of a quantitative test of our trade name intangible assets, we primarily use the relief of royalty method under the income approach method of valuation. Significant assumptions used to determine fair value under the relief of royalty method include future trends in sales, a royalty rate and a discount rate to be applied to the forecast revenue stream.

There is an inherent degree of uncertainty in preparing any forecast of future results. Future trends in system-wide sales are dependent to a significant extent on national, regional and local economic conditions. Any decreases in customer traffic or average repair order due to these or other reasons could reduce gross sales at franchise locations, resulting in lower royalty and other payments from franchisees, as well as lower sales at company-operated locations. This could reduce the profitability of franchise locations, potentially impacting the ability of franchisees to make royalty payments owed to us when due (which could adversely impact our current cash flow from franchise operations), and company-operated sites

Business combinations

We use the acquisition method in accounting for acquired businesses. Under the acquisition method, our financial statements reflect the operations of an acquired business starting from the completion of the acquisition. The assets acquired and liabilities assumed are recorded at their respective estimated fair values at the date of the acquisition. Any excess of the purchase price over the estimated fair values of the identifiable net assets acquired is recorded as goodwill. Significant judgment is often required in estimating the fair value of assets acquired, particularly intangible assets, including trade names franchise agreements, and license agreements, real property and market adjustments for in-place lease agreements. The Company will record a right-of-use (“ROU”) asset for acquired leases at the present value of remaining lease payments adjusted to reflect favorable or unfavorable market terms of the lease. As a result, in the case of significant acquisitions, we normally obtain the assistance of a third-party valuation specialist in estimating the value of real property and intangible assets. The fair value measurements are based on available historical information and on expectations and assumptions about the future, considering the perspective of marketplace participants. Favorable or unfavorable market terms used to value the ROU assets are estimated based on comparable market data. Fair values of acquired trade names are estimated using an income approach, specifically the relief-from-royalty method. Assumptions utilized in the determination of fair value include forecasted sales, discount rates, and royalty rates. While we believe the expectations and assumptions about the future are reasonable, they are inherently uncertain. Unanticipated market or macroeconomic events and circumstances, like the COVID-19 pandemic, may occur, which could affect the accuracy or validity of the estimates and assumptions.

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Long-lived assets

On a regular basis, we assess whether events or changes in circumstances have occurred that potentially indicate the carrying value of long-lived assets (primarily real property and equipment) may not be recoverable. We test impairment using historical cash flows and other relevant facts and circumstances as the primary basis for our estimates of future cash flows. Significant factors considered include, but are not limited to, current and forecast sales, current and forecast cash flows, the number of years the site has been in operation, remaining lease life (if applicable), and other factors which apply on a case-by-case basis. The analysis is performed at the individual site level for indicators of permanent impairment. Recoverability of the Company's assets is measured by comparing the assets' carrying value to the undiscounted cash flows expected to be generated over the assets' remaining useful life or remaining lease term, whichever is less. This process requires the use of estimates and assumptions, which are subject to a high degree of judgment. If these assumptions change in the future, we may be required to record impairment charges for these assets.

On a regular basis, we assess whether events or changes in circumstances have occurred that potentially indicate the carrying value of intangible assets with finite lives, primarily assets related to franchise and license agreements, may not be recoverable. Recoverability of the asset is measured by comparing the assets' carrying value to the undiscounted future cash flows expected to be generated over the asset's remaining useful life. Significant factors considered include, but are not limited to, current and forecast sales, current and forecast cash flows and a discount rate to be applied to the forecast revenue stream.

Income taxes

We estimate certain components of our provision for income taxes. Our estimates and judgments include, among other items, the calculations used to determine the deferred tax asset and liability balances, effective tax rates for state and local income taxes, uncertain tax positions, amounts deductible for tax purposes, and related reserves. We adjust our annual effective income tax rate as additional information on outcomes or events becomes available. Further, our assessment of uncertain tax positions requires judgments relating to the amounts, timing and likelihood of resolution.

We account for income taxes under the liability method whereby deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax laws and rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which the assets and liabilities are expected to be recovered or settled. The effects on deferred tax assets and liabilities of subsequent changes in the tax laws and rates are recognized in income during the year the changes are enacted.

In assessing the realizability of deferred tax assets, we consider whether it is more-likely-than-not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. The ultimate realization of deferred tax assets is dependent upon the generation of future taxable income during the periods in which those temporary differences become deductible. Management considers the scheduled reversal of deferred tax liabilities, projected future taxable income and tax planning strategies in making this assessment.

We follow the applicable authoritative guidance with respect to the accounting for uncertainty in income taxes recognized in our consolidated financial statements. It prescribes a recognition threshold and measurement attribute for the financial statement recognition and measurement of a tax position taken, or expected to be taken, in a tax return. We record any interest and penalties associated as additional income tax expense in the consolidated statements of operations.

Leases

The Company is the lessee in a significant real estate portfolio, primarily through ground leases (the Company leases the land and generally owns the building) and through leases of land and buildings. The Company records a ROU asset and lease liability based on the present value of the Company’s estimated future minimum lease payments over the lease term.

In determining the initial lease term, the Company generally does not include periods covered by renewal options, as the Company does not believe these renewal options are reasonably assured of being exercised. These judgments may produce materially different amounts of depreciation, amortization and rent expense than would be reported if different assumed lease terms were used.

As the Company’s leases do not provide enough information to determine the implicit interest rate in the agreements, the Company uses its incremental borrowing rate in calculating the lease liability. The Company determines its incremental borrowing rate for each lease by reference to yield rates on collateralized debt issuances by companies of a similar credit rating as the Company, with adjustments for differences in years to maturity and implied company-specific credit spreads.

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Revenue recognition

We recognize revenue from our franchise, independently-operated, and company-operated sites in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (“ASC 606”). Under ASC 606, revenue is recognized upon transfer of control of promised services or goods to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration we expect to receive for those services or goods.

In determining the amount and timing of revenue from contracts with customers, we make judgments as to whether uncertainty as to collectibility of the consideration that we are owed precludes recognition of the revenue on an accrual basis. These judgments are based on the facts specific to each circumstance. Primary factors considered include past payment history and our subjective assessment of the likelihood of receiving payment in the future. The timing of recognition does not require significant judgment as it is based on either the term of the franchise agreement, the month of reported sales by the franchisee or the date of product sales, none of which require a significant amount of estimation.

Equity-based Compensation

On April 17, 2015, Driven Investor LLC (“Parent”) entered into a limited liability company agreement (the “Equity Plan”). The Equity Plan, among other things, established the ownership of certain membership units in the Parent and defined the distribution rights and allocations of profits and losses associated with those membership units. On January 6, 2021, the Company’s Board of Directors approved the 2021 Omnibus Incentive Plan (the “Plan”) and effective January 14, 2021, the Company’s shareholders adopted and approved the Plan. The Plan provides for the granting of stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock awards, restricted stock units, other stock-based awards, other cash-based awards or any combination of the foregoing to current and prospective employees and directors of, and consultants and advisors to, the Company and its affiliates.

We recognize expense related to the fair value of equity-based compensation over the service period (generally the vesting period) in the consolidated financial statements based on the estimated fair value of the award on the grant date.

The grant date fair value of all incentive units is estimated using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. The pricing model requires assumptions, which include the expected life of the profits interests, the risk-free interest rate, the expected dividend yield and expected volatility of our units over the expected life, which significantly impacts the assumed fair value. We account for forfeitures as they occur.

The expected term of the incentive units is based on evaluations of historical and expected future employee behavior. The risk-free interest rate is based on the U.S. Treasury rates at the date of grant with maturity dates approximately equal to the expected life at the grant date. Volatility is based on the historical volatility of several public entities that are similar to the Company, as the Company does not have sufficient historical transactions of its own units on which to base expected volatility.

We engage third-party valuation experts to assist in the valuation of our incentive units. These third-party valuations were performed in accordance with the guidance outlined in the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants’ Accounting and Valuation Guide, Valuation of Privately-Held-Company Equity Securities Issued as Compensation.

The assumptions underlying our valuations represent management’s best estimates, which involve inherent uncertainties and the application of management judgment. As a result, if factors or expected outcomes change and we use significantly different assumptions or estimates, our equity-based compensation expense could be materially different. Following the closing of the initial public offering, the fair value of our common stock was determined based on the quoted market price of our common stock.

Application of New Accounting Standards

See Note 2 of the consolidated financial statements for a discussion of recently issued accounting standards.