Restaurant Brands International Inc. Reports First Quarter 2022 Results

First quarter system-wide sales grew 14% year-over-year, up nearly $1 billion year-over-year

Global comparable sales growth of 8% driven by over 10% at Tim Hortons Canada and over 20% at Burger King International

Home market digital sales reach their highest levels ever as a percentage of system-wide sales

Record number of first quarter restaurant openings, led by multi-brand international growth and Popeyes in the US 

Over $400 million of capital returned to shareholders in Q1 through dividends and share buybacks

TORONTO, May 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Restaurant Brands International Inc. (TSX: QSR) (NYSE: QSR) (TSX: QSP) today reported financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2022.

José Cil, Chief Executive Officer of Restaurant Brands International Inc. ("RBI") commented, "Our first quarter results reflect the hard work of our great franchisees, team members, and employees with important milestones including a strong resurgence in comparable sales, record first quarter new restaurant openings, and the highest level of digital engagement we have seen from guests across our home markets. This progress allowed us to continue investing behind our key priorities, while also returning over $400 million to shareholders between dividends and share repurchases." 

"Tim Hortons Canada and Burger King International had standout sales performances, both with double digit comparable sales growth during the first quarter, while Burger King U.S. continued to lay the foundation to return to long term, sustainable growth. In addition, our strong start to the year in new restaurant openings and the progress we've made in ramping our global development capabilities at Tim Hortons and Popeyes gives us confidence that we are on track to accelerate unit growth in 2022."

Cil continued, "With home market digital sales reaching their highest levels ever, we're pleased with the investments we've made to allow our guests to engage with our brands in more convenient and personal ways – whether it's at the front counter, in the drive-thru, or ahead of time through mobile ordering.  We believe we're well positioned to continue our momentum from the first quarter, with experienced leaders guiding our brands and collaborating with our amazing franchisee networks to grow all four of our brands over the long-term." concluded Cil. 

Commencing upon the acquisition of Firehouse Subs in December 2021, we have four operating segments: Tim Hortons (TH), Burger King (BK), Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen (PLK) and Firehouse Subs (FHS). Our financial results and operational highlights are disclosed based on these segments each quarter.

The year-over-year increase in Total Revenues on an as reported and on an organic basis was primarily driven by an increase in system-wide sales at Tim Hortons, Burger King and Popeyes. On an as reported basis the increase was also driven by the inclusion of Firehouse Subs. This increase in Total Revenues was partially offset by unfavorable FX movements on an as reported basis.

The decrease in Net Income for the first quarter was primarily driven by an unfavorable change from other operating expenses (income) net, an unfavorable change from the impact of equity method investments, an increase in income tax expense and an increase in interest expense, partially offset by increases in segment income in our TH and BK segments and the inclusion of FHS segment income.

The year-over-year increase in Adjusted EBITDA on an as reported and on an organic basis was primarily driven by increases in TH and BK Adjusted EBITDA. On an as reported basis the increase was also driven by the inclusion of FHS Adjusted EBITDA partially offset by unfavorable FX movements.

The year-over-year increase in Adjusted Net Income was primarily driven by increases in Adjusted EBITDA in our TH and BK brands and the inclusion of FHS Adjusted EBITDA, partially offset by an increase in adjusted income tax expense.

COVID-19

The global crisis resulting from the spread of coronavirus ("COVID-19") impacted our global restaurant operations for the three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021, though in 2022 the impact was more modest than in the prior year.

During the three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021, substantially all restaurants remained open, some with limited operations, such as drive-thru, takeout and delivery (where applicable), reduced, if any, dine-in capacity, and/or restrictions on hours of operation. Certain markets periodically required temporary closures while implementing government mandated lockdown orders. For example, while most regions have eased restrictions, increases in cases and new variants at the beginning of 2022 caused certain markets to re-impose temporary restrictions as a result of government mandates. We expect local conditions to continue to dictate limitations on restaurant operations, capacity, and hours of operation.

During the three months ended March 31, 2022, COVID-19 contributed to labor challenges, which in some regions resulted in reduced operating hours and service modes at select restaurants as well as supply chain pressures.

With the pandemic affecting consumer behavior, the importance of digital sales, including delivery, has grown. We expect to continue to support enhancements of our digital and marketing capabilities.

War in Ukraine

We entered into a master franchise joint venture arrangement in Russia ten years ago, similar to our approach in a number of other global markets. We own a minority stake (15%) in the joint venture and none of the other owners have a majority share. During the first quarter, we shared a number of actions that we have taken to date as a result of the tragic events related to Russia's military invasion of Ukraine. We suspended all corporate support for the Russian market, including operations, marketing, and supply chain support in addition to refusing approvals for new investment and expansion.

The impact on our consolidated results are measurable, but not material. Burger King is our only brand with restaurants in Russia, and in 2021, these restaurants represented 2.0% of total system-wide sales, 2.9% of total restaurant count excluding Firehouse Subs, 4.5% of total net restaurant growth, 0.6% of total revenue, and 1.7% of Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA. While we currently include Russia within reported KPIs, we do not expect to recognize any profits in 2022. During the first quarter, these Russian restaurants had an estimated 2.6% or $12 million negative impact on our year-over-year organic adjusted EBITDA growth.

Reclassification of Technology Revenues and Expenses

This quarter we made a change to the way we report revenues and expenses related to technology initiatives to provide clarity and consistency across our brands and with our industry peers. We had previously included revenue from technology fees in Franchise and property revenues, while the associated technology expenses were included in General and administrative expenses. During the first quarter and going forward, revenue from technology fees will be reported in Advertising revenues and other services, while the associated technology expenses will be reported in Advertising expenses and other services.

Additionally, prior year amounts in the condensed consolidated statement of operations and accompanying BK segment results have been reclassified in order to be comparable with the current year classifications. These reclassifications did not arise as a result of any changes to accounting policies and relate entirely to presentation with no effect on previously reported net income and segment income. Refer to page 23 for the RBI consolidated and BK segment quarterly results for 2021 adjusted for these reclassifications.

For the first quarter of 2022, the increase in system-wide sales was primarily driven by comparable sales of 8.4%, including Canada comparable sales of 10.1%, and net restaurant growth of 6.7%.

The year-over-year increase in Total Revenues on an as reported and on an organic basis was primarily driven by an increase in system-wide sales as well as increases in commodity prices and an increase in sales to retailers.

The year-over-year increase in Adjusted EBITDA on an as reported and on an organic basis was primarily driven by the increase in system-wide sales and by advertising expenses exceeding advertising revenues to a lesser extent than in the prior year period, partially offset by an increase in Segment G&A.  

For the first quarter of 2022, the increase in system-wide sales was driven by comparable sales of 10.3%, including rest of the world comparable sales of 20.1% and relatively flat US comparable sales, and net restaurant growth of 3.1%.

The year-over-year change in Total Revenues on an as reported and on an organic basis was primarily driven by the increase in system-wide sales. This increase in Total Revenues was partially offset by unfavorable FX movements on an as reported basis.

The year-over-year change in Adjusted EBITDA on an as reported and on an organic basis was primarily driven by the increase in system-wide sales and by advertising expenses exceeding advertising revenues to a lesser extent than in the prior year period, partially offset by bad debt expense in the current year, primarily related to Russia, compared to bad debt recoveries in the prior year and an increase in Segment G&A. This increase in Adjusted EBITDA was partially offset by unfavorable FX movements on an as reported basis.

For the first quarter of 2022, the increase in system-wide sales was driven by net restaurant growth of 7.9%, partially offset by a decrease in comparable sales of (3.0)%, including a decrease in US comparable sales of (4.6)%.

The year-over-year change in Total Revenues on an as reported and on an organic basis was primarily driven by the increase in system-wide sales.

Adjusted EBITDA on an as reported and on an organic basis was primarily driven by the increase in system-wide sales, offset by an increase in Segment G&A and a lower contribution from company restaurants.

For the first quarter of 2022, the increase in system-wide sales was driven by an increase in comparable sales of 4.2%, including US comparable sales of 4.5%, and net restaurant growth of 1.8%.

Cash and Liquidity

As of March 31, 2022, total debt was $13.5 billion, net debt (total debt less cash and cash equivalents of $0.9 billion) was $12.6 billion, and net leverage was 5.5x. During the first quarter we also repurchased 2.9 million RBI common shares for $161 million under our $1 billion share repurchase program and as of March 31, 2022 had $288 million remaining under the authorization.

The RBI Board of Directors has declared a dividend of $0.54 per common share and partnership exchangeable unit of Restaurant Brands International Limited Partnership for the second quarter of 2022. The dividend will be payable on July 6, 2022 to shareholders and unitholders of record at the close of business on June 22, 2022.

Investor Conference Call

We will host an investor conference call and webcast at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday, May 3, 2022, to review financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2022. The earnings call will be broadcast live via our investor relations website at http://rbi.com/investors and a replay will be available for 30 days following the release. The dial-in number is (844) 200-6205 for U.S. callers, (833) 950-0062 for Canadian callers, and (929) 526- 1599 for callers from other countries. For all dial-in numbers please use the following access code: 016518.

The Company will also host a Tim Hortons Canada Investor Day on Tuesday, May 3, 2022, starting at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time. The event will provide investors an opportunity to hear the Tim Hortons Canada leadership team discuss the brand's business strategy and growth in detail. A live webcast of the investor day will be available on the Company's investor relations website and will be available for 30 days following the event. The webcast can be accessed at THInvestorDay2022.can.chime.live.

For further information: Investors: [email protected]; Media: [email protected]

About Restaurant Brands International Inc.

Restaurant Brands International Inc. is one of the world's largest quick service restaurant companies with over $35 billion in annual system-wide sales and over 29,000 restaurants in more than 100 countries. RBI owns four of the world's most prominent and iconic quick service restaurant brands – TIM HORTONS®, BURGER KING®, POPEYES®, and FIREHOUSE SUBS®. These independently operated brands have been serving their respective guests, franchisees and communities for decades. Through its Restaurant Brands for Good framework, RBI is improving sustainable outcomes related to its food, the planet, and people and communities. To learn more about RBI, please visit the company's website at www.rbi.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements and information, which reflect management's current beliefs and expectations regarding future events and operating performance and speak only as of the date hereof. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements include statements about our expectations regarding the effects and continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our results of operations, business, liquidity, prospects and restaurant operations and those of our franchisees, including local conditions and government-imposed limitations and restrictions, our growth opportunities and ability to drive long-term, sustainable growth, our investments in digital and marketing initiatives and the impact of these initiatives on guest experience, and our discontinuation of operations in and financial results from Russia. The factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from RBI's expectations are detailed in filings of RBI with the Securities and Exchange Commission and applicable Canadian securities regulatory authorities, such as its annual and quarterly reports and current reports on Form 8-K, and include the following: risks related to unforeseen events such as pandemics; risks related to supply chain; risks related to ownership and leasing of properties; risks related to our franchisees financial stability and their ability to access and maintain the liquidity necessary to operate their business; risks related to RBI's ability to successfully implement its domestic and international growth strategy and risks related to its international operations; risks related to RBI's ability to compete domestically and internationally in an intensely competitive industry; risks related to technology; risks related to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and changes in applicable tax and other laws and regulations or interpretations thereof. Other than as required under U.S. federal securities laws or Canadian securities laws, we do not assume a duty to update these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, subsequent events or circumstances, change in expectations or otherwise.

RESTAURANT BRANDS INTERNATIONAL INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
Key Operating Metrics

We evaluate our restaurants and assess our business based on the following operating metrics.

System-wide sales growth refers to the percentage change in sales at all franchise restaurants and Company restaurants (referred to as system-wide sales) in one period from the same period in the prior year. Comparable sales refers to the percentage change in restaurant sales in one period from the same prior year period for restaurants that have been open for 13 months or longer for TH, BK and FHS and 17 months or longer for PLK. Additionally, if a restaurant is closed for a significant portion of a month, the restaurant is excluded from the monthly comparable sales calculation. System-wide sales growth and comparable sales are measured on a constant currency basis, which means that results exclude the effect of foreign currency translation ("FX Impact") and are calculated by translating prior year results at current year monthly average exchange rates. We analyze key operating metrics on a constant currency basis as this helps identify underlying business trends, without distortion from the effects of currency movements.

System-wide sales represent sales at all franchise restaurants and company-owned restaurants. We do not record franchise sales as revenues; however, our royalty revenues and advertising fund contributions are calculated based on a percentage of franchise sales.

Net restaurant growth refers to the net increase in restaurant count (openings, net of permanent closures) over a trailing twelve month period, divided by the restaurant count at the beginning of the trailing twelve month period.

These metrics are important indicators of the overall direction of our business, including trends in sales and the effectiveness of each brand's marketing, operations and growth initiatives.

RESTAURANT BRANDS INTERNATIONAL INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
Non-GAAP Financial Measures
(Unaudited)

Below, we define the non-GAAP financial measures, provide a reconciliation of each non-GAAP financial measure to the most directly comparable financial measure calculated in accordance with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles ("GAAP"), and discuss the reasons why we believe this information is useful to management and may be useful to investors. These measures do not have standardized meanings under GAAP and may differ from similarly captioned measures of other companies in our industry.

Non-GAAP Measures

To supplement our condensed consolidated financial statements presented on a GAAP basis, RBI reports the following non-GAAP financial measures: EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA, LTM Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted Net Income, Adjusted Diluted Earnings per Share ("Adjusted Diluted EPS"), Organic revenue growth, Organic Adjusted EBITDA growth, Free Cash Flow, LTM Free Cash Flow and Net Leverage. We believe that these non-GAAP measures are useful to investors in assessing our operating performance or liquidity, as it provides them with the same tools that management uses to evaluate our performance or liquidity and is responsive to questions we receive from both investors and analysts. By disclosing these non-GAAP measures, we intend to provide investors with a consistent comparison of our operating results and trends for the periods presented.

EBITDA is defined as earnings (net income or loss) before interest expense, net, (gain) loss on early extinguishment of debt, income tax (benefit) expense, and depreciation and amortization and is used by management to measure operating performance of the business. Adjusted EBITDA is defined as EBITDA excluding (i) the non-cash impact of share-based compensation and non-cash incentive compensation expense, (ii) (income) loss from equity method investments, net of cash distributions received from equity method investments, (iii) other operating expenses (income), net, and (iv) income or expense from non-recurring projects and non-operating activities. For the periods referenced, this included non-recurring fees and expenses incurred in connection with the Firehouse Subs acquisition consisting of professional fees, compensation related expenses and integration costs as well as costs from professional advisory and consulting services associated with certain transformational corporate restructuring initiatives that rationalize our structure and optimize cash movements, including services related to significant tax reform legislation, regulations and related restructuring initiatives. Management believes that these types of expenses are either not related to our underlying profitability drivers or not likely to re-occur in the foreseeable future and the varied timing, size and nature of these projects may cause volatility in our results unrelated to the performance of our core business that does not reflect trends of our core operations. Adjusted EBITDA is used by management to measure operating performance of the business, excluding these non-cash and other specifically identified items that management believes are not relevant to management's assessment of our operating performance. Adjusted EBITDA, as defined above, also represents our measure of segment income for each of our four operating segments.

LTM Adjusted EBITDA is defined as Adjusted EBITDA for the last twelve month period to the date reported. See reconciliation of LTM Adjusted EBITDA in the following pages.

Adjusted Net Income is defined as net income excluding (i) franchise agreement amortization as a result of acquisition accounting, (ii) amortization of deferred financing costs and debt issuance discount, (iii) loss on early extinguishment of debt and interest expense, which represents non-cash interest expense related to losses reclassified from accumulated comprehensive income (loss) into interest expense in connection with interest rate swaps de-designated in May 2015, November 2019 and September 2021, (iv) (income) loss from equity method investments, net of cash distributions received from equity method investments, (v) other operating expenses (income), net, and (vi) income or expense from non-recurring projects and non-operating activities (as described above). 

Adjusted Diluted EPS is calculated by dividing Adjusted Net Income by the weighted average diluted shares outstanding of RBI during the reporting period. Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted Diluted EPS are used by management to evaluate the operating performance of the business, excluding certain non-cash and other specifically identified items that management believes are not relevant to management's assessment of operating performance or the performance of an acquired business.

Net Leverage is defined as net debt (total debt less cash and cash equivalents) divided by Adjusted EBITDA. Net Leverage is a performance measure that we believe provides investors a more complete understanding of our leverage position and borrowing capacity after factoring in cash and cash equivalents that eventually could be used to repay outstanding debt.

Revenue growth and Adjusted EBITDA growth, on an organic basis, are non-GAAP measures that exclude the impact of FX movements and also exclude the results of Firehouse Subs for the first four full fiscal quarters following the acquisition. Management believes that organic growth is an important metric for measuring the operating performance of our business as it helps identify underlying business trends, without distortion from the effects of FX movements and the Firehouse Subs acquisition. We calculate the impact of FX movements by translating prior year results at current year monthly average exchange rates.

Free Cash Flow is the total of Net cash provided by operating activities minus Payments for property and equipment. Free Cash Flow is a liquidity measure used by management as one factor in determining the amount of cash that is available for working capital needs or other uses of cash, however, it does not represent residual cash flows available for discretionary expenditures. LTM Free Cash Flow is defined as Free Cash Flow for the last twelve month period to the date reported. 

Non-GAAP Financial Measures
Footnotes to Reconciliation Tables

Below are the RBI consolidated and BK segment quarterly results for 2021 adjusted for the reclassification of technology revenues from Franchise and property revenues to Advertising revenues and other services and technology expenses from General and administrative expenses to Advertising expenses and other services. 

   

SOURCE Restaurant Brands International Inc.