Investor Relations

The Cheesecake Factory Reports Record Financial Results for the Fiscal Quarter and Year Ended January 1, 2002

January 31, 2002
CALABASAS HILLS, Calif., Jan 31, 2002 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated (Nasdaq:CAKE) today reported record financial results for the fiscal fourth quarter and year ended January 1, 2002.

Highlights for the 13-week fiscal fourth quarter ended January 1, 2002 compared to the 14-week fiscal fourth quarter ended January 2, 2001:

  • Total revenues increased 18% to $148.8 million (total revenues would have increased 28% after adjusting for the extra week in the same quarter last year)
  • Net income increased 16% to $10.9 million
  • Diluted net income per share increased 22% to $0.22
  • Average weekly sales per restaurant increased 4% to $205,800

Highlights for the 52-week fiscal year ended January 1, 2002 compared to the 53-week fiscal year ended January 2, 2001:

  • Total revenues increased 23% to $539.1 million (total revenues would have increased 26% after adjusting for the extra week in the prior fiscal year)
  • Net income increased 22% to $39.3 million
  • Diluted net income per share increased 23% to $0.79
  • Average weekly sales per restaurant increased 3% to $206,200

The Company estimates that the extra week in fiscal 2000 benefited diluted net income per share for both the fourth quarter and year by approximately $0.02 per share. Accordingly, diluted net income per share would have increased by 38% and 27% for the fiscal quarter and year ended January 1, 2002, respectively, after adjusting for the extra week.

"We were very pleased with our strong fourth quarter results," said David Overton, Chairman and CEO. "The events of September 11 created a difficult operating environment for most consumer businesses going into the December quarter. We were able to successfully overcome this challenging environment and once again achieve record levels of sales and earnings, thanks to the hard work and dedication of our entire team. The results for the quarter were particularly impressive when considering that our restaurant business model does not rely on media advertising to drive sales volumes. Instead, our success continues to be driven by the unique brand identity and competitive positioning of our concepts, coupled with excellent operational execution to build and maintain our reputation with consumers for consistent creativity and value in upscale casual dining."

"Our industry-leading sales productivity metrics also set new record highs during fiscal 2001," commented Overton. "Compared to the comparable 52-week period of fiscal 2000, average sales per full-service restaurant open the entire year increased 4% to $11,018,000. Average sales per productive square foot for those restaurants increased 3% to $1,000 and average sales per productive seat rose 6% to $34,353. Our consistent gains in these key productivity measures continue to give us confidence as we move forward to execute our restaurant growth plan in both new and existing markets."

The Company currently plans to open as many as 12 new full-service restaurants during 2002. In addition to Bellevue, Washington that opened on January 29, 2002, the Company has signed leases and development work is underway for the following potential restaurant locations for 2002: San Antonio, TX; Boston, MA; Chicago, IL (Grand Lux Cafe); Edina, MN; Ft. Lauderdale, FL; Las Vegas, NV; Orlando, FL; San Jose, CA; St. Louis, MO and Austin, TX. Signed letters of intent are also in hand with final lease negotiations underway for potential locations in Charlotte, NC and Edison, NJ.

The Company's quarterly investor conference call will be available to the public live through the Internet at 2:00 PM Pacific Time on Thursday, January 31. To access, select the "Audio Webcasts" option under the "Investor" section of the Company's website located at www.thecheesecakefactory.com at least 15 minutes prior to the start of the call to register and download any necessary audio software. An archived webcast of the call will be available through February 15, 2002.

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned that forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and that undue reliance should not be placed on such statements. In particular, forward-looking statements regarding the Company's sales and earnings trends are subject to risks and uncertainties due to national and regional economic and public safety conditions that impact consumer confidence and spending. Additionally, forward-looking statements regarding the number and timing of the Company's anticipated new restaurant openings are subject to factors both within and outside of its control, including factors that are under the influence and control of government agencies and the Company's landlords. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the dates on which they were made. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements or to make any other forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise unless required to do so by the securities laws. Investors are referred to the full discussion of risks and uncertainties associated with forward-looking statements contained in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated operates 49 upscale, casual dining restaurants under The Cheesecake Factory(R) name that offer an extensive menu of more than 200 items with an average check of approximately $15.70. The Company also operates a bakery production facility that produces over 50 varieties of quality cheesecakes and other baked products for the Company's restaurants and for other leading foodservice operators, retailers and distributors. Additionally, the Company operates two upscale casual dining restaurants under the Grand Lux Cafe(R) name in Los Angeles, California and Las Vegas, Nevada; one self-service, limited menu "express" foodservice operation under The Cheesecake Factory Express(R) mark inside the DisneyQuest(R) family entertainment center in Orlando, Florida; and licenses three bakery cafe outlets to another foodservice operator under The Cheesecake Factory Bakery Cafe(R) name.

         The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated and Subsidiaries
                   Consolidated Financial Statements
   (unaudited; in thousands, except per share and statistical data)
Consolidated Statements of Operations
                                 13 Weeks Ended     14 Weeks Ended
                                   January 1,          January 2,
                                     2002                2001
Revenues:                     Amounts  Percents   Amounts  Percents
  Restaurant sales            $134,377    90.3%   $114,519     91.2%
  Bakery sales to other
   foodservice operators,
   retailers and distributors   14,377     9.7%     11,114      8.8%
        Total revenues         148,754   100.0%    125,633     100.0%
Costs and expenses:
  Restaurant cost of
   sales (1)                    33,756    22.7%     29,429     23.4%
  Third-party bakery cost
   of sales (2)                  6,770     4.5%      5,119      4.0%
  Labor                         44,418    29.9%     37,801     30.1%
  Other operating expenses      33,379    22.4%     27,126     21.6%
  General and administrative     7,723     5.2%      6,775      5.4%
  Depreciation and
   amortization                  4,932     3.3%      3,981      3.2%
  Preopening costs               2,208     1.5%      2,394      1.9%
        Total costs and
         expenses              133,186    89.5%    112,625     89.6%
Income from operations          15,568    10.5%     13,008     10.4%
Interest income, net               878     0.6%      1,409      1.1%
Other income (expense), net        656     0.4%      (490)     -0.4%
Income before income taxes      17,102    11.5%     13,927     11.1%
Income tax provision             6,157     4.1%      4,503      3.6%
Net income                     $10,945     7.4%    $ 9,424      7.5%
Basic net income per share (3) $  0.23             $  0.20
Basic weighted average shares
 outstanding (3)                47,698              46,975
Diluted net income per
 share (3)                     $  0.22             $  0.18
Diluted weighted average
 shares outstanding (3)         50,212              51,209
                               52 Weeks Ended      53 Weeks Ended
                                  January 1,          January 2,
                                    2002                2001
Revenues:                     Amounts  Percents   Amounts  Percents
  Restaurant sales           $499,519     92.7%   $406,947     92.9%
  Bakery sales to other
   foodservice operators,
   retailers and distributors  39,611      7.3%     31,334      7.1%
        Total revenues        539,130    100.0%    438,281    100.0%
Costs and expenses:
  Restaurant cost of
   sales (1)                  127,005     23.5%    102,994     23.5%
  Third-party bakery cost
   of sales (2)                19,153      3.6%     14,466      3.3%
  Labor                       164,372     30.5%    133,287     30.4%
  Other operating expenses    120,706     22.4%     95,941     21.9%
  General and administrative   27,929      5.2%     25,831      5.9%
  Depreciation and
   amortization                17,457      3.2%     13,682      3.1%
  Preopening costs              7,069      1.3%      5,943      1.4%
        Total costs and
         expenses             483,691     89.7%    392,144     89.5%
Income from operations         55,439     10.3%     46,137     10.5%
Interest income, net            4,328      0.8%      4,660      1.1%
Other income (expense), net     1,654      0.3%      (439)     -0.1%
Income before income taxes     61,421     11.4%     50,538     11.5%
Income tax provision           22,112      4.1%     18,257      4.2%
Net income                    $39,309      7.3%    $32,101      7.3%
Basic net income per share (3)$  0.83              $  0.69
Basic weighted average shares
 outstanding (3)               47,466               46,247
Diluted net income per
 share (3)                    $  0.79              $  0.64
Diluted weighted average
 shares outstanding (3)        49,897               50,192
Selected Consolidated Balance Sheet Information
                                  January 1, 2002      January 2, 2001
Cash and marketable securities         $92,284              $85,314
Total assets                           356,927              288,392
Total liabilities                       67,456               47,556
Stockholders' equity                   289,471              240,836
Supplemental Information
                                  13 Weeks Ended       14 Weeks Ended
                                  January 1, 2002      January 2, 2001
Comparable sales % change               1.5%                 3.0%
Restaurant cost of sales % of
 restaurant sales                      25.1%                25.7%
Bakery cost of sales % of
 bakery sales                          47.1%                46.1%
Restaurants opened during period          3                    3
Restaurants open at period-end           51                   43
Restaurant operating weeks (4)          653                  580
Operating income before preopening
 costs                              $17,776              $15,402
Operating income margin before
 preopening costs                      12.0%                12.3%
                                  52 Weeks Ended       53 Weeks Ended
                                  January 1, 2002      January 2, 2001
Comparable sales % change               1.4%                 4.5%
Restaurant cost of sales % of
 restaurant sales                      25.4%                25.3%
Bakery cost of sales % of
 bakery sales                          48.4%                46.2%
Restaurants opened during period          9                    7
Restaurants open at period-end           51                   43
Restaurant operating weeks (4)        2,422                2,039
Operating income before preopening
 costs                              $62,508              $52,080
Operating income margin before
 preopening costs                      11.6%                11.9%
Notes:
(1) Consists of restaurant food, beverage and dessert costs.
(2) Consists of bakery ingredient, packaging and supply costs.
(3) Reflects a 3-for-2 stock split effective June 18, 2001.
(4) After omitting the extra week, restaurant operating weeks for
    the fiscal quarter and year ended 1/2/01 were 537 and 1,996,
    respectively.
CONTACT:          The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated, Calabasas Hills
                  Jane Vallaire, 818/871-3000

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