Kisses From Italy Inc. 10-K

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS We are vulnerable to changes in economic conditions and consumer preferences that could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. The restaurant industry depends on consumer discretionary spending and is often affected by changes in consumer tastes, national, regional and local economic conditions and demographic trends, including changes in behavior caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, factors such as traffic patterns, weather, fuel prices, local demographics, local regulations and the type, number and locations of competing restaurants may adversely affect the performances of individual locations. In addition, economic downturns, inflation or increased food or energy costs could harm the restaurant industry in general and our restaurants in particular. Adverse changes in any of these factors could reduce consumer traffic or impose practical limits on pricing that could have a material adverse effect on our business financial condition and results of operations. There can also be no assurance that consumers will continue to regard our menu offerings favorably, that we will be able to develop new menu items that appeal to consumer preferences or that there will not be a drop in consumer demand. Restaurant traffic and our resulting sales depend in part on our ability to anticipate, identify and respond to changing consumer preferences and economic conditions. In addition, the restaurant industry is subject to scrutiny due to the perception that restaurant company practices have contributed to poor nutrition, high caloric intake, obesity or other health concerns of their customers. If we are unable to adapt to changes in consumer preferences and trends, we may lose customers, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Changes in customer preferences, general economic conditions, discretionary spending priorities, demographic trends, traffic patterns and the type, number and location of competing restaurants affect the restaurant industry. Our success depends to a significant extent on consumer confidence, which is influenced by general economic conditions, local and regional economic conditions in the markets in which we operate, and discretionary income levels. Our sales may decline during economic downturns, which can be caused by various economic factors such as high gasoline prices, or during periods of uncertainty, such as those during the Covid-19 pandemic. Any material decline in consumer confidence or a decline in spending could cause our sales, operating results, business or financial condition to decline. If we fail to adapt to changes in customer preferences and trends, we may lose customers, fail to gain customers, and our sales may deteriorate. 9 Customer preference on how and where they purchase food may change because of advances in technology or alternative service channels. If we are not able to respond to these changes, or our competitors respond to these changes more effectively, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected. Changes in the cost of food could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Our profitability depends in part on our ability to anticipate and react to changes in the cost of sales of food items. We are susceptible to increases in the cost of food due to factors beyond our control, such as freight and delivery charges, general economic conditions, seasonal economic fluctuations, weather conditions, global demand, food safety concerns, infectious diseases, fluctuations in the U.S. dollar, tariffs and import taxes, product recalls and government regulations. Dependence on frequent deliveries of food products subjects our business to the risk that shortages or interruptions in supply could adversely affect the availability, quality or cost of ingredients or require us to incur additional costs to obtain adequate supplies. Deliveries of supplies may be affected by adverse short-term weather conditions or long-term changes in weather patterns, including those related to climate change, natural disasters, labor shortages, or financial or solvency issues of our distributors or suppliers, product recalls or other issues. Further, increases in fuel prices could result in increased distribution costs. In addition, a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations could occur if any of our distributors, suppliers, vendors, or other contractors fail to meet our quality or safety standards or otherwise do not perform adequately, or if any one or more of them seeks to terminate its agreement or fails to perform as anticipated, or if there is any disruption in any of our distribution or supply relationships or operations for any reason. Changes in the price or availability of certain food products, including as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, could affect our profitability and reputation. Changes in the cost of ingredients can result from a number of factors, including seasonality, short-term weather conditions or long-term changes in weather patterns, natural disasters, currency exchange rates, increases in the cost of grain, consumer demand, disease and viruses and other factors that affect availability and greater international demand for domestic products. In the event of cost increases with respect to one or more of our raw ingredients, we may choose to temporarily suspend or permanently discontinue serving menu items rather than paying the increased cost for the ingredients. Any such changes to our available menu could negatively impact our restaurant traffic, business and results of operations during the shortage and thereafter. While future cost increases can be partially offset by increasing menu prices, there can be no assurance that we will be able to offset future cost increases by such menu price increases. If we implement menu price increases, there can be no assurance that increased menu prices will be fully absorbed by our guests without any resulting change to their visit frequencies or purchasing patterns. Competitive conditions may limit our menu pricing flexibility and if we implement menu price increases to protect our margins, restaurant traffic could be materially adversely affected. An important aspect of our growth strategy involves opening new restaurants in existing and new markets. We may be unsuccessful in opening new restaurants or establishing new markets and our new restaurants may not perform as well as anticipated, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. A key part of our growth strategy includes opening new restaurants in existing and new markets and operating those restaurants on a profitable basis. We must identify target markets where we can enter or expand, and we may not be able to open our planned new restaurants within budget or on a timely basis, and our new restaurants may not perform as well as anticipated. Our ability to successfully open new restaurants is affected by several factors, many of which are beyond our control, including our ability to: · identify available, appropriate and attractive restaurant sites · compete for restaurant sites; · reach acceptable agreements regarding the lease or purchase of restaurant sites; · obtain or have available the financing required to develop and operate new restaurants, including construction and opening costs, which includes access to leases and equipment leases at favorable interest and capitalization rates; 10 · respond to unforeseen engineering or environmental problems with our selected restaurant sites; · respond to landlord delays and the failure of landlords to timely deliver real estate to us; · mitigate the impact of inclement weather, natural disasters and other calamities on the development of restaurant sites; · hire, train and retain the skilled management and other team members necessary to meet staffing; · obtain, in a timely manner and for an acceptable cost, required licenses, permits and regulatory approvals and respond effectively to any changes in local, state or federal law and regulations that adversely affect our costs or ability to open new restaurants; and · respond to construction and equipment cost increases for new restaurants. There is no guarantee that a sufficient number of available, appropriate and attractive restaurant sites will be available in desirable areas or on terms that are acceptable to us in order to achieve our growth plan. If we are unable to open new restaurants, or if planned restaurant openings are significantly delayed, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. As part of our long-term growth strategy, we may open restaurants in geographic markets in which we have little or no prior operating experience. The challenges of entering new markets include: difficulties in hiring experienced personnel; unfamiliarity with local real estate markets and demographics; consumer unfamiliarity with our brand; and different competitive and economic conditions, consumer tastes and discretionary spending patterns that are more difficult to predict or satisfy than in our existing markets. Consumer recognition of our brand has been important in the success of our restaurants in our existing markets, and we may find that our concept has limited appeal in new markets. Restaurants we open in new markets may take longer to reach expected sales and profit levels on a consistent basis and may have higher construction, occupancy and operating costs than existing restaurants. Any failure on our part to recognize or respond to these challenges may adversely affect the success of any new restaurants and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. We intend to continue to make investments to support our business growth and may require additional funds to respond to business challenges or opportunities, including the need to open additional restaurants. Accordingly, we may need to engage in equity or debt financings to secure additional funds. In addition, we may not be able to obtain additional financing on terms favorable to us, if at all. If we are unable to obtain adequate financing or financing on terms satisfactory to us when we require it, our ability to continue to support our business growth and to respond to business challenges could be significantly limited, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. New restaurants may not be profitable or may close, and the performance of our restaurants that we have experienced in the past may not be indicative of future results. In new markets, the length of time before average sales for new restaurants stabilize is less predictable as a result of our limited knowledge of these markets and consumers’ limited awareness of our brand. Our ability to operate our restaurants profitably will depend on many factors, some of which are beyond our control, including: · consumer awareness and understanding of our brand; · general economic conditions, which can affect restaurant traffic, local labor costs and prices we pay for the food; · consumption patterns and food preferences that may differ from region to region; · changes in consumer preferences and discretionary spending; · difficulties obtaining or maintaining adequate relationships with distributors or suppliers in new markets; · increases in prices for commodities; · inefficiency in our labor costs as the staff gains experience; 11 · competition, either from our competitors in the restaurant industry or our own restaurants; · temporary and permanent site characteristics of new restaurants; · changes in government regulation; and · other unanticipated increases in costs, any of which could give rise to delays or cost overruns. If our new restaurants do not perform as planned or close, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Our growth strategy also includes continued development of our business through franchising. The opening and successful operation of our restaurants by franchisees depends on a number of factors, including those identified above, as well as the availability of suitable franchise candidates and the financial and other resources of our franchisees such as our franchisees’ ability to receive financing from banks and other financial institutions, which may become more challenging in the current economic environment. As noted above, identifying and securing an adequate supply of suitable new restaurant sites presents significant challenges because of the intense competition for those sites in our target markets, and increasing development and leasing costs. This may be especially true as we continue to expand. Further, any restrictions or limitations of credit markets may require developers to delay or be unable to finance new projects. Delays or failures in opening new restaurants due to any of the reasons set forth above could materially and adversely affect our growth strategy and our expected results. Our success in part depends on the success of our franchisees’ business. To achieve our expansion goals within our desired timeframe, we have adopted a franchising and area developer model into our business strategy. We hope to continue to open new company-owned restaurants, while also moving forward to developing our franchised operation where we will solicit others to become our franchisees. We have not used a franchising or area developer model in the past and may not be successful in attracting franchisees and developers to our business concept or identifying franchisees and developers that have the business abilities or access to financial resources necessary to open our restaurants or to develop or operate successfully our restaurants in a manner consistent with our standards. Incorporating a franchising and area developer model into our strategy will require us to devote significant management and financial resources to prepare for and support the eventual sale of franchises. If we are not successful in incorporating a franchising or area developer model into our strategy, we may experience delays in our growth or may not be able to expand and grow our business. We intend to continue to make investments to support our business growth and may require additional funds to respond to business challenges or opportunities, including the need to open additional restaurants. Accordingly, we may need to engage in equity or debt financings to secure additional funds. In addition, we may not be able to obtain additional financing on terms favorable to us, if at all. If we are unable to obtain adequate financing or financing on terms satisfactory to us when we require it, our ability to continue to support our business growth and to respond to business challenges could be significantly limited, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. New restaurants may not be profitable or may close, and the performance of our restaurants that we have experienced in the past may not be indicative of future results. In new markets, the length of time before average sales for new restaurants stabilize is less predictable as a result of our limited knowledge of these markets and consumers’ limited awareness of our brand. Our ability to operate our restaurants profitably will depend on many factors, some of which are beyond our control, including: · consumer awareness and understanding of our brand; · general economic conditions, which can affect restaurant traffic, local labor costs and prices we pay for the food; 12 · consumption patterns and food preferences that may differ from region to region; · changes in consumer preferences and discretionary spending; · difficulties obtaining or maintaining adequate relationships with distributors or suppliers in new markets; · increases in prices for commodities; · inefficiency in our labor costs as the staff gains experience; · competition, either from our competitors in the restaurant industry or our own restaurants; · temporary and permanent site characteristics of new restaurants; · changes in government regulation; and · other unanticipated increases in costs, any of which could give rise to delays or cost overruns. If our new restaurants do not perform as planned or close, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Our growth strategy also includes continued development of our business through franchising. The opening and successful operation of our restaurants by franchisees depends on a number of factors, including those identified above, as well as the availability of suitable franchise candidates and the financial and other resources of our franchisees such as our franchisees’ ability to receive financing from banks and other financial institutions, which may become more challenging in the current economic environment. As noted above, identifying and securing an adequate supply of suitable new restaurant sites presents significant challenges because of the intense competition for those sites in our target markets, and increasing development and leasing costs. This may be especially true as we continue to expand. Further, any restrictions or limitations of credit markets may require developers to delay or be unable to finance new projects. Delays or failures in opening new restaurants due to any of the reasons set forth above could materially and adversely affect our growth strategy and our expected results. Our success also depends in part on the operations of our franchisees. While we provide training and support to, and monitor the operations of, our franchisees, the product quality and service they deliver may be diminished by any number of factors beyond our control, including financial pressures and their own business operations, such as employment related matters. We strive to provide our customers with the same experience at company-owned restaurants and franchise-operated restaurants. Our customers may attribute to us problems which originate with one of our franchisees, particularly those affecting the quality of the service experience, food safety, litigation or compliance with laws and regulations, thus damaging our reputation and brand value and potentially adversely affecting our results of operations. Our growth expectations and revenues could be negatively impacted by a material downturn in sales at and to franchise-operated locations or if one or more key franchisees become insolvent. Our franchisees could take actions that could harm our business. Franchisees are independently owned and operated, and they are not our employees. Although we provide certain training and support to franchisees, our franchisees operate their shops as independent businesses. Consequently, the quality of franchised shop operations may be diminished by any number of factors beyond our control. Moreover, franchisees may not operate shops in a manner consistent with applicable laws and regulations or in accordance with our standards and requirements. Also, franchisees may not successfully hire and train qualified managers and other shop personnel. Although we believe we currently generally enjoy a positive relationship with our franchisees, there is no assurance that future developments, some of which may be outside our control, may significantly harm our future relationships with existing and new franchisees. In addition, our image and reputation, and the image and reputation of other franchisees, may suffer materially if our franchisees do not operate successfully, or in accordance with our standards and requirements, which could result in a significant decline in our sales, our revenues and our profitability. 13 Our failure to manage our growth effectively could harm our business and results of operations. Our growth plan includes opening new restaurants. Our existing restaurant management systems, financial and management controls and information systems may be inadequate to support our planned expansion. Managing our growth effectively will require us to continue to enhance these systems, procedures and controls and to hire, train and retain managers and team members. We may not respond quickly enough to the changing demands that our expansion will impose on our management, restaurant teams and existing infrastructure, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. These demands could cause us to operate our existing business less effectively, which in turn could cause a deterioration in the financial performance of our existing restaurants. If we experience a decline in financial performance, we may decrease the number of or discontinue restaurant openings, or we may decide to close restaurants that we are unable to operate in a profitable manner. Opening new restaurants in existing markets may negatively impact sales at our existing restaurants. The consumer target area of our restaurants varies by location, depending on a number of factors, including population density, other local retail and business attractions, area demographics and geography. As a result, if we open new restaurants in or near markets in which we already have restaurants, it could have a material adverse effect on sales at these existing restaurants. Existing restaurants could also make it more difficult to build our consumer base for a new restaurant in the same market. Our core business strategy does not entail opening new restaurants that we believe will materially affect sales at our existing restaurants in the long term. However, due to brand recognition and logistical synergies, as part of our growth strategy, we also intend to open new restaurants in areas where we have existing restaurants. This plan could have a material adverse effect on the results of operations and same-restaurant sales for our restaurants in such markets due to the close proximity with our other restaurants and market saturation. Unintentional sales cannibalization or sales cannibalization in excess of what was intended may become significant in the future as we continue to open new restaurants, and could affect our sales growth, which could, in turn, have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Our plans to open new restaurants and the ongoing need for capital expenditures at our existing restaurants require us to spend capital. Our growth strategy depends on opening new restaurants, which will require us to use cash flows from operations and proceeds from equity or debt offerings. We cannot assure you that cash flows from operations and the net proceeds of any offering will be sufficient to allow us to implement our growth strategy. If this cash is not allocated efficiently among our various projects, or if any of these initiatives prove to be unsuccessful, we may experience reduced financial results and we could be required to delay, significantly curtail or eliminate planned restaurant openings, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and the price of our stock. In addition, as our restaurants mature, our business will require capital expenditure for the maintenance, renovation and improvement of existing restaurants to remain competitive and maintain the value of our brand standard. This creates an ongoing need for cash, and, to the extent we cannot fund capital expenditures from cash flows from operations, funds will need to be borrowed or otherwise obtained. If the costs of funding new restaurants or renovations or enhancements at existing restaurants exceed budgeted amounts, and/or the time for building or renovation is longer than anticipated, our profits could be reduced. If we cannot access the capital we need, we may not be able to execute our growth strategy, take advantage of future opportunities or respond to competitive pressures. Incidents involving food-borne illness and food safety, including food tampering or contamination could adversely affect our brand perception, business, financial condition and results of operations. Food safety is a top priority, and we dedicate substantial resources to help ensure that our guests enjoy safe, quality food products. However, food-borne illnesses and other food safety issues have occurred in the food industry in the past and could occur in the future. Incidents or reports of food-borne or water-borne illness or other food safety issues, food contamination or tampering, team member hygiene and cleanliness failures or improper team member conduct, guests entering our restaurants while ill and contaminating food ingredients or surfaces at our restaurants could lead to product liability or other claims. Such incidents or reports could negatively affect our brand and reputation and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. 14 We cannot guarantee to consumers that our food safety controls, procedures and training will be fully effective in preventing all food safety and public health issues at our restaurants, including any occurrences of pathogens (i.e., Ebola, “mad cow disease,” “SARS,” “swine flu,” Zika virus, avian influenza, hepatitis A, porcine epidemic diarrhea virus, norovirus or other virus), bacteria (i.e., salmonella, listeria or E. coli), parasites or other toxins infecting our food supply. These public health issues, in addition to food tampering, could adversely affect food prices and availability of certain food products, could generate negative publicity and litigation, and could lead to closure of restaurants, resulting in a decline in our sales or profitability. In addition, there is no guarantee that our restaurant locations will maintain the high levels of internal controls and training we require at our restaurants. Furthermore, some food-borne illness incidents could be caused by third-party food suppliers and transporters outside of our control and may affect multiple restaurant locations as a result. We cannot assure you that all food items will be properly maintained during transport throughout the supply chain and that our team members will identify all products that may be spoiled and should not be used in our restaurants. The risk of food-borne illness may also increase whenever our menu items are served outside of our control, such as by third-party food delivery services, guest take out or at catered events. We do not have direct control over our third-party suppliers, transporters or delivery services, including in their adherence to additional sanitation protocols and guidelines as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic or other infectious diseases, and may not have visibility into their practices. New illnesses resistant to our current precautions may develop in the future, or diseases with long incubation periods could arise, that could give rise to claims or allegations on a retroactive basis. One or more instances of food-borne illness in one of our restaurants could negatively affect sales at all our restaurants if highly publicized, such as on national media outlets or through social media. This risk exists even if it were later determined that the illness was wrongly attributed to one of our restaurants. Food safety incidents, whether at our restaurants or involving our business partners, could lead to wide public exposure and negative publicity, which could materially harm our business. Additionally, even if food-borne illnesses were not identified at our restaurants, our restaurant sales could be adversely affected if instances of food-borne illnesses at other restaurants were highly publicized. Damage to our reputation and negative publicity could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Any incident that erodes consumer loyalty for our brand could significantly reduce its value and damage our business. We may be adversely affected by negative publicity relating to food quality, the safety, sanitation and welfare of our restaurant facilities, guest complaints or litigation alleging illness or injury, health inspection scores, integrity of our or our suppliers’ food processing and other policies, practices and procedures, team member relationships and welfare or other matters at one or more of our restaurants. Any publicity relating to health concerns, perceived or specific outbreaks of a food-borne illness attributed to one or more of our restaurants, or non-compliance with food handling and sanitation requirements imposed by federal, state and local governments could result in a significant decrease in guest traffic in all of our restaurants and could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations. Furthermore, similar negative publicity or occurrences with respect to other restaurants or other restaurant chains could also decrease our guest traffic and have a similar material adverse effect on our business. In addition, incidents of restaurant commentary have increased dramatically with the proliferation of social media platforms. Negative publicity may adversely affect us, regardless of whether the allegations are valid or whether we are held responsible. In addition, the negative impact of adverse publicity may extend far beyond the restaurant involved and affect some or all our other restaurants. The digital and delivery business, and expansion thereof, is uncertain and subject to risk. As the digital space around us continues to evolve, our technology needs to evolve concurrently to stay competitive with the industry. If we do not maintain and innovate our digital systems that are competitive with the industry, our digital business may be adversely affected and could damage our sales. We rely on third parties for our ordering and payment platforms. Such services performed by these third parties could be damaged or interrupted by technological issues, which could then result in a loss of sales for a period of time. Information processed by these third parties could also be impacted by cyber-attacks, which could not only negatively impact our sales, but also harm our brand image. Recognizing the rise in delivery services offered throughout the restaurant industry, we understand the importance of providing such services to meet our guests wherever and whenever they want. We rely on third parties to fulfill delivery orders timely and in a fashion that will satisfy our guests. Errors in providing adequate delivery services may result in guest dissatisfaction, which could also result in loss of guest retention, loss in sales and damage to our brand image. Additionally, as with any third-party handling food, such delivery services increase the risk of food tampering while in transit. We are also subject to risk if there is a shortage of delivery drivers, which could result in a failure to meet our guests’ expectations. 15 Third-party delivery services within the restaurant industry is a competitive environment and includes a number of players competing for market share. If our third-party delivery partners fail to effectively compete with other third-party delivery providers in the sector, our delivery business may suffer resulting in a loss of sales. If any third-party delivery provider we partner with experiences damage to their brand image, we may also see ramifications due to our partnership with them. Natural disasters, unusual weather conditions, pandemic outbreaks, political events, war and terrorism could disrupt our business and result in lower sales, increased operating costs and capital expenditures. Our vendors and customers are located in areas, south as southern Florida, that have been and could be subject to natural disasters such as floods, drought, hurricanes, tornadoes, fires or earthquakes. Adverse weather conditions or other extreme changes in short-term weather conditions or long-term changes in weather patterns related to climate change, including those that may result in electrical and technological failures, may disrupt our business and may adversely affect our ability to obtain food and supplies and sell menu items. Our business may be harmed if our ability to obtain food and supplies and sell menu items is impacted by any such events, any of which could influence customer trends and purchases and may negatively impact our revenues, properties or operations. Such events could result in physical damage to one or more of our properties, the temporary closure of some or all of our restaurants and our suppliers and distributors, the temporary lack of an adequate work force in a market, temporary or long-term disruption in the transport of goods, delay in the delivery of goods and supplies to our restaurants and our suppliers and distributors, disruption of our technology support or information systems, or fuel shortages or dramatic increases in fuel prices, all of which would increase the cost of doing business. These events also could have indirect consequences such as increases in the costs of insurance if they result in significant loss of property or other insurable damage. Any of these factors, or any combination thereof, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Our financial results may fluctuate from period to period as a result of several factors which could adversely affect our stock price. Our operating results may fluctuate significantly in the future as a result of a variety of factors, many of which are outside our control. Factors that will affect our financial results include: · acceptance of our restaurant concept and market penetration; · the amount and timing of capital expenditures and other costs relating to the implementation of our business plan; · the introduction of new products by our competitors; · seasonality applicable to our geographic location; and · general economic conditions and economic conditions specific to our industry. As a strategic response to changes in the competitive environment, we may from time to time make certain pricing, service, or marketing decisions or acquisitions that could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations. The fast-food segment of the restaurant industry is highly competitive. We operate in the fast-food segment of the restaurant industry, which is highly competitive with respect to, among other things, taste, consumer trends, price, food quality and presentation, service, location and the ambiance and condition of the restaurant. Our competition includes a variety of locally owned restaurants, as well as national and regional chains. Our competitors offer dine-in, carry-out, delivery and drive-through services. Most of our competitors have existed longer and often have a more established brand and market presence with substantially greater financial, marketing, personnel and other resources than us. Among our main competitors include Jimmy John’s, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Miami Subs Grill, Subway and Starbucks, most of whom have expanded nationally. As we expand, our existing restaurants may face competition from existing and new restaurants that operate in these markets. Several of our competitors compete by offering menu items that are specifically identified as low in fat, carbohydrates and calories, allegedly better for customers, or otherwise targeted at healthier consumer preferences. Many of our competitors in the fast-food segment of the restaurant industry also emphasize lower cost, “value meal” menu options, which is a strategy we also pursue. 16 Moreover, new companies will likely enter our markets and target our customers. For example, additional competitive pressures have come recently from the deli sections and in-store cafés of several major grocery chains, including those targeted at customers who want higher quality and healthier food, as well as from convenience stores and casual dining outlets. These competitors may have, among other things, lower operating costs, better locations, better brand awareness, better facilities, better management, more effective marketing and more efficient operations than we do. In the restaurant industry, labor is a primary operating cost component. Competition for qualified employees could also require us to pay higher wages to attract a sufficient number of employees. We also expect to compete for restaurant locations with other fast-food restaurants. Until our name is better recognized, landlords may prefer well-known fast-food restaurants over us and we may experience difficulties in securing desirable restaurant locations. All of these competitive factors may adversely affect us and reduce our sales and profits. Our expansion into new markets may present increased risks due to our unfamiliarity with those areas and our target customers’ unfamiliarity with our brand. Our initial restaurants are located, and future restaurants will be located, in markets where we have no operating experience and our restaurants may be less successful than restaurants where established restaurants are more familiar. Consumers in our new markets will not be familiar with our brand, and we will need to build brand awareness in those markets through investments in advertising and promotional activity. We may find it more difficult in our markets to secure desirable restaurant locations and to hire, motivate and keep qualified employees. We expect to incur losses in the near future, which may impact our ability to implement our business strategy and adversely affect our financial condition. We expect to significantly increase our operating expenses by expanding our marketing activities and increasing our level of capital expenditures in order to grow our business. Such increases in operating expense levels and capital expenditures may adversely affect our operating results if we are unable to immediately realize benefits from such expenditures. In addition, if we are unable to manage a significant increase in operating expenses, our liquidity will likely decrease and negatively impact our cash flow and ability to sustain operations. In turn, this would have a negative impact on our financial condition and share price. We also cannot assure you that we will be profitable or generate sufficient profits from operations in the future. If our revenues do not grow, we may experience a loss in one or more future periods. We may not be able to reduce or maintain our expenses in response to any decrease in our revenue, which may impact on our ability to implement our business strategy and adversely affect our financial condition. This would also have a negative impact on our share price. Failure to receive frequent deliveries of higher quality food ingredients and other supplies could harm our operations. Our ability to maintain our menu depends in part on our ability to acquire ingredients that meet our specifications from reliable suppliers. Interruptions or shortages in the supply of ingredients caused by unanticipated demand, problems in production or distribution, food contamination, inclement weather or other conditions could adversely affect the availability, quality and cost of our ingredients, which could harm our operations If any of our distributors or suppliers fails to perform adequately, or our distribution or supply relationships are disrupted for any reason, our business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows could be adversely affected. Our inability to replace or engage distributors or suppliers who meet our specifications in a short period of time could increase our expenses and cause shortages of food and other items at our restaurant, which could cause a restaurant to remove items from its menu. If that were to happen to our restaurants that affected our key ingredients such as beef, chicken, cheese and produce, it could adversely affect our operating results. We are susceptible to increases in food costs as a result of factors beyond our control, such as general economic conditions, seasonal fluctuations, weather conditions, demand, food safety concerns, product recalls, labor disputes and government regulations. In addition to food, we purchase electricity, oil and natural gas needed to operate our restaurants, and suppliers purchase gasoline needed to transport food and supplies to us. Any significant increase in energy costs could adversely affect our business through higher rates and the imposition of fuel surcharges by our suppliers. Because we provide moderately priced food, we may choose not to, or be unable to, pass along commodity price increases to our customers. Additionally, significant increases in gasoline prices could result in a decrease in customer traffic at our restaurants. We rely on third-party distribution companies to deliver food and supplies to our restaurant. Interruption of distribution services due to financial distress or other issues could impact on our operations. Our operating costs also include premiums that we pay for our insurance (including workers’ compensation, general liability, property and health). The cost of insurance has risen significantly in the past few years and we expect to experience significant reductions in sales during the shortage or thereafter, if our customers change their dining habits as a result. 17 In addition, we intend to use a substantial amount of naturally raised and organically grown ingredients and try to make our food as fresh as we can, in light of pricing considerations. As we increase our use of these ingredients, the ability of our suppliers to expand output or otherwise increase their supplies to meet our needs may be constrained. Our inability to obtain a sufficient and consistent supply of these ingredients on a cost-effective basis, or at all, could cause us difficulties in aligning our brand with the principle of “fresh and healthy,” which could in turn make us less popular among our customers and cause sales to decline. If we fail to retain our key personnel or if we fail to attract additional qualified personnel, we may not be able to achieve our anticipated level of growth and our business could suffer. Our future success and ability to implement our business strategy depends, in part, on our ability to attract and retain key personnel, and on the continued contributions of members of our senior management team and key technical personnel, each of whom would be difficult to replace. All of our employees are free to terminate their employment relationships with us at any time. Competition for highly skilled technical people is extremely intense, and we face challenges identifying, hiring and retaining qualified personnel in many areas of our business. If we fail to retain our senior management and other key personnel or if we fail to attract additional qualified personnel, we may not be able to achieve our strategic objectives and our business could suffer. Changes in accounting standards and subjective assumptions, estimates and judgments by management related to complex accounting matters could significantly affect our financial results. Generally accepted accounting principles and related pronouncements, implementation guidelines and interpretations with regard to a wide variety of matters that are relevant to our business, such as, but not limited to, revenue recognition, stock-based compensation, trade promotions, and income taxes are highly complex and involve many subjective assumptions, estimates and judgments by our management. Changes to these rules or their interpretation or changes in underlying assumptions, estimates or judgments by our management could significantly change our reported results. If we are unable to build and sustain proper information technology infrastructure, our business could suffer. We depend on information technology as an enabler to improve the effectiveness of our operations and to interface with our customers, as well as to maintain financial accuracy and efficiency. If we do not allocate and effectively manage the resources necessary to build and sustain the proper technology infrastructure, we could be subject to transaction errors, processing inefficiencies, the loss of customers, business disruptions, or the loss of or damage to intellectual property through security breach. Our information systems could also be penetrated by outside parties’ intent on extracting information, corrupting information or disrupting business processes. Such unauthorized access could disrupt our business and could result in the loss of assets. We are dependent upon third party suppliers of our raw materials. We are dependent on outside vendors for our supplies of raw materials. While we believe that there are numerous sources of supply available, if the third-party suppliers were to cease production or otherwise fail to supply us with quality raw materials in sufficient quantities on a timely basis and we were unable to contract on acceptable terms for these services with alternative suppliers, our ability to produce our products would be materially adversely affected. Our inability to protect our trademarks, patents and trade secrets may prevent us from successfully marketing our products and competing effectively. Failure to protect our intellectual property could harm our brand and our reputation, and adversely affect our ability to compete effectively. Further, enforcing or defending our intellectual property rights, including our trademarks, patents, copyrights and trade secrets, could result in the expenditure of significant financial and managerial resources. We regard our intellectual property, particularly our trademarks, patents and trade secrets to be of considerable value and importance to our business and our success. We rely on a combination of trademark, patent, and trade secrecy laws, confidentiality procedures and contractual provisions to protect our intellectual property rights. There can be no assurance that the steps taken by us to protect these proprietary rights will be adequate or that third parties will not infringe or misappropriate our trademarks, patented processes, trade secrets or similar proprietary rights. In addition, there can be no assurance that other parties will not assert infringement claims against us, and we may have to pursue litigation against other parties to assert our rights. Any such claim or litigation could be costly. In addition, any event that would jeopardize our proprietary rights or any claims of infringement by third parties could have a material adverse effect on our ability to market or sell our brands, profitably exploit our products or recoup our associated research and development costs. 18 We may be subject to legal claims against us or claims by us which could have a significant impact on our resulting financial performance. At any given time, we may be subject to litigation, the disposition of which may have an adverse effect upon our business, financial condition, or results of operation. Such claims include but are not limited to and may arise from product liability and related claims in the event that any of the products that we sell is faulty or contain defects in materials or design. We may be subject to infringement claims from our products. In addition, we may be subject to claims by our lenders, claims for rent, and claims from our vendors on our accounts payable; and although we have been able to obtain understandings with the foregoing and have informal forbearance agreements from those parties, one or more of them may elect to commence collection proceedings which could result in judgments against us and have a significant negative impact on our operations. The requirements of being a public company may strain our resources, divert management’s attention and affect our ability to attract and retain executive management and qualified board members. As a public company, we are subject to the reporting requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the Exchange Act, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the Dodd-Frank Act, and other applicable securities rules and regulations. Compliance with these rules and regulations increases our legal and financial compliance costs, make some activities more difficult, time-consuming or costly, and increase demand on our systems and resources, particularly after we are no longer an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the Jumpstart our Business Startups Act, or the JOBS Act. The Exchange Act requires, among other things, that we file annual, quarterly and current reports with respect to our business and operating results. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires, among other things, that we maintain effective disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting. In order to maintain and, if required, improve our disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting to meet this standard, significant resources and management oversight may be required. As a result, the management’s attention may be diverted from other business concerns which could adversely affect our business and operating results. We may need to hire more employees in the future or engage outside consultants who will increase our costs and expenses. In addition, changing laws, regulations and standards relating to corporate governance and public disclosure are creating uncertainty for public companies, increasing legal and financial compliance costs and making some activities more time consuming. These laws, regulations and standards are subject to varying interpretations, in many cases due to their lack of specificity, and, as a result, their application in practice may evolve over time as new guidance is provided by regulatory and governing bodies. This could result in continuing uncertainty regarding compliance matters and higher costs necessitated by ongoing revisions to disclosure and governance practices. We intend to invest resources to comply with evolving laws, regulations and standards, and this investment may result in increased general and administrative expenses and a diversion of management’s time and attention from revenue-generating activities to compliance activities. If our efforts to comply with new laws, regulations and standards differ from the activities intended by regulatory or governing bodies due to ambiguities related to their application and practice, regulatory authorities may initiate legal proceedings against us and our business may be adversely affected. We also expect that being a public company and these new rules and regulations will make it more expensive for us to obtain director and officer liability insurance, and we may be required to accept reduced coverage or incur substantially higher costs to obtain coverage. These factors could also make it more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified members of our board of directors, particularly to serve on our audit committee and compensation committee, and qualified executive officers. As a result of disclosure of information in this Annual Report and in future filings required of a public company, our business and financial condition will become more visible, which we believe may result in threatened or actual litigation, including by competitors and other third parties. If such claims are successful, our business and operating results could be adversely affected, and even if the claims do not result in litigation or are resolved in our favor, these claims, and the time and resources necessary to resolve them, could divert the resources of our management and adversely affect our business and operating results. 19 Our independent auditors have issued an audit opinion for our company, which includes a statement describing our going concern status. Our financial status creates doubt whether we will continue as a going concern. Our auditors have issued an opinion regarding the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern and our inability to obtain adequate financing. This means there is substantial doubt we can continue as an ongoing business for the next twelve months. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the uncertainty regarding our ability to continue in business. As such we may have to cease operations and investors could lose part or all of their investment in our company. Risks Relating to our Common Stock Our management and principal shareholders have the ability to significantly influence or control matters requiring a shareholder vote and other shareholders may not have the ability to influence corporate transactions. The sale of a large number of shares of Common Stock by our principal shareholders could depress the market price of our common stock. Currently, our management and principal shareholders beneficially own approximately 63% of our outstanding Common Stock. As a result, they have the ability to determine the outcome on all matters requiring approval of our shareholders, including the election of directors and approval of significant corporate transactions. FINRA sales practice requirements may limit a stockholder’s ability to buy and sell our stock. The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) has adopted rules that require that in recommending an investment to a customer, a broker-dealer must have reasonable grounds for believing that the investment is suitable for that customer. Prior to recommending speculative low-priced securities to their non-institutional customers, broker-dealers must make reasonable efforts to obtain information about the customer’s financial status, tax status, investment objectives and other information. Under interpretations of these rules, the FINRA believes that there is a high probability that speculative low priced securities will not be suitable for at least some customers. The FINRA requirements make it more difficult for broker-dealers to recommend that their customers buy our Common Stock, which may have the effect of reducing the level of trading activity in our Common Stock. As a result, fewer broker-dealers may be willing to make a market in our Common Stock, reducing a stockholder’s ability to resell shares of our Common Stock. Because our Common Stock is deemed a low-priced “penny stock,” it will be cumbersome for brokers and dealers to trade in our Common Stock, making the market for our Common Stock less liquid and negatively affect the price of our stock. We will be subject to certain provisions of the Exchange Act, commonly referred to as the “penny stock” rules as defined in Rule 3a51-1. A penny stock is generally defined to be any equity security that has a market price less than $5.00 per share, subject to certain exceptions. Since our stock is deemed to be a penny stock, trading is subject to additional sales practice requirements of broker-dealers. These require a broker-dealer to: · Deliver to the customer, and obtain a written receipt for, a disclosure document; · Disclose certain price information about the stock; · Disclose the amount of compensation received by the broker-dealer or any associated person of the broker-dealer; · Send monthly statements to customers with market and price information about the penny stock; and · In some circumstances, approve the purchaser’s account under certain standards and deliver written statements to the customer with information specified in the rules. Consequently, penny stock rules and FINRA rules may restrict the ability or willingness of broker-dealers to trade and/or maintain a market in our Common Stock. Also, prospective investors may not want to get involved with the additional administrative requirements, which may have a material adverse effect on the trading of our shares. 20 The market price of our Common Stock may fluctuate significantly in the future. We expect that the market price of our Common Stock may fluctuate in response to one or more of the following factors, many of which are beyond our control: · competitive pricing pressures; · our ability to market our services on a cost-effective and timely basis; · our inability to obtain working capital financing, if needed; · changing conditions in the market; · changes in market valuations of similar companies; · stock market price and volume fluctuations generally; · regulatory developments; · fluctuations in our quarterly or annual operating results; · additions or departures of key personnel; and · future sales of our Common Stock or other securities. Sales of substantial amounts of our Common Stock, or in anticipation that such sales could occur, may materially and adversely affect prevailing market prices for our Common Stock, if and when such a market develops in the future. The price at which you purchase shares of our Common Stock may not be indicative of the price that will prevail in the trading market. You may be unable to sell your shares of Common Stock at or above your purchase price, which may result in substantial losses to you and which may include the complete loss of your investment. In the past, securities class action litigation has often been brought against a company following periods of stock price volatility. We may be the target of similar litigation in the future. Securities litigation could result in substantial costs and divert management’s attention and our resources away from our business. Any of the risks described above could adversely affect our sales and profitability and also the price of our Common Stock. The provisions of our Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws may delay or prevent a take-over that may not be in the best interests of our stockholders. Provisions of our Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws may be deemed to have anti-takeover effects, which include when and by whom special meetings of our stockholders may be called, and may delay, defer or prevent a takeover attempt. The market price for our Common Stock may be particularly volatile given our status as a relatively unknown company, with a lack of profits, which could lead to wide fluctuations in our share price. You may be unable to sell your Common Stock at or above your purchase price, which may result in substantial losses to you. The price of our Common Stock in the future may be particularly volatile when compared to the shares of larger, more established companies that trade on a national securities exchange and have large public floats. The volatility in our share price will be attributable to a number of factors. First, our Common Stock will be, compared to the shares of such larger, more established companies, sporadically and thinly traded. As a consequence of this limited liquidity, the trading of relatively small quantities of shares by our shareholders may disproportionately influence the price of those shares in either direction. The price of our shares could decline precipitously in the event that a large number of our Common Stock are sold on the market without commensurate demand. Secondly, we are a speculative or “risky” investment due to our lack of profits to date, and uncertainty of future market acceptance for our products. As a consequence of this enhanced risk, more risk-adverse investors may, under the fear of losing all or most of their investment in the event of negative news or lack of progress, be more inclined to sell their shares on the market more quickly and at greater discounts than would be the case with the stock of a larger, more established company that trades on a national securities exchange and has a large public float. Many of these factors are beyond our control and may decrease the market price of our Common Stock, regardless of our operating performance. We cannot make any predictions or projections as to what the prevailing market price for our Common Stock will be at any time. 21 Our future results may vary significantly, which may adversely affect the price of our Common Stock. It is possible that our quarterly revenues and operating results may vary significantly in the future and that period-to-period comparisons of our revenues and operating results are not necessarily meaningful indicators of the future. You should not rely on the results of one quarter as an indication of our future performance. It is also possible that in some future quarters, our revenues and operating results will fall below our expectations or the expectations of market analysts and investors. If we do not meet these expectations, the price of our Common Stock may decline significantly. Our internal controls may be inadequate, which could cause our financial reporting to be unreliable and lead to misinformation being disseminated to the public. Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over our financial reporting. As defined in Exchange Act Rule 13a-15(f), internal control over financial reporting is a process designed by, or under the supervision of, the principal executive and principal financial officer and effected by the Board of Directors, management and other personnel, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and includes those policies and procedures that: · pertain to the maintenance of records that in reasonable detail accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the Company; · provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and that receipts and expenditures of the Company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and/or directors of the Company; and · provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of the Company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements. Our internal controls may be inadequate or ineffective, which could cause financial reporting to be unreliable and lead to misinformation being disseminated to the public. Investors relying upon this misinformation may make an uninformed investment decision. Failure to achieve and maintain an effective internal control environment could cause us to face regulatory action and also cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information, either of which could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, financial condition, results of operations and future prospects. However, our auditors will not be required to formally attest to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404 until we are no longer an “emerging growth company” as defined in the JOBS Act if we take advantage of the exemptions available to us through the JOBS Act. The costs of being a public company could result in us being unable to continue as a going concern. As a public company, we are required to comply with numerous financial reporting and legal requirements, including those pertaining to audits and internal control. The costs of maintaining a public company reporting requirements could be significant and may preclude us from seeking financing or equity investment on terms acceptable to us and our shareholders. We estimate these costs to be in excess of $100,000 per year and may be higher if our business volume or business activity increases significantly. Our current estimate of costs does not include the necessary expenses associated with compliance, documentation and specific reporting requirements of Section 404 as we will not be subject to the full reporting requirements of Section 404 until we exceed $700 million in market capitalization or we decide to opt-out of the “emerging growth company” as defined under the JOBS Act. This exemption is available to us under the JOBS Act or until we have been public for more than five years. 22 If our revenues are insufficient or non-existent, and/or we cannot satisfy many of these costs through the issuance of shares or debt, we may be unable to satisfy these costs in the normal course of business. This would certainly result in our being unable to continue as a going concern. We are an “emerging growth company” under the JOBS Act of 2012 and a “smaller reporting company” and, as a result of the reduced disclosure and governance requirements applicable to emerging growth companies and smaller reporting companies, our Common Stock may be less attractive to investors. We are an “emerging growth company”, as defined in the JOBS Act, and we may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies” including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. We cannot predict if investors will find our Common Stock less attractive because we may rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our Common Stock less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our Common Stock and our stock price may be more volatile. In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an “emerging growth company” can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an “emerging growth company” can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We are choosing to take advantage of the extended transition period for complying with new or revised accounting standards. We will remain an “emerging growth company” until the earlier of (i) the last day of the year following the fifth anniversary of the date of the completion of our initial public offering, (ii) the last day of the year in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.07 billion, (iii) the last day of the year in which we are deemed to be a “large accelerated filer” as defined in Rule 12b-2 under the Exchange Act, which would occur if the market value of our Common Stock held by non-affiliates exceeded $700.0 million as of the last business day of the second fiscal quarter of such year, or (iv) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the prior three-year period.. Even after we no longer qualify as an “emerging growth company,” we may still qualify as a “smaller reporting company,” which would allow us to continue to take advantage of many of the same exemptions from disclosure requirements, including, among other things, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, presenting only the two most recent fiscal years of audited financial statements in our Annual Report on and reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in this Annual Report, our quarterly reports and proxy statements. Our status as an “emerging growth company” under the JOBS Act may make it more difficult to raise capital as and when we need it. Because of the exemptions from various reporting requirements provided to us as an “emerging growth company” and because we will have an extended transition period for complying with new or revised financial accounting standards, we may be less attractive to investors, and it may be difficult for us to raise additional capital as and when we need it. Investors may be unable to compare our business with other companies in our industry if they believe that our financial accounting is not as transparent as other companies in our industry. If we are unable to raise additional capital as and when we need it, our financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected . Shareholders may be diluted significantly through our efforts to obtain financing and satisfy obligations through issuance of additional shares . Our Board of Directors has authority, without action or vote of the shareholders, to issue all or part of our authorized shares that are not issued. In addition, we may attempt to raise additional capital by selling shares, possibly at a deep discount to the market. These actions will result in dilution of the ownership interests of existing shareholders, further dilute Common Stock book value, and that dilution may be material. 23 There is a limited trading market for our shares of common stock on the OTCQB. You may not be able to sell your shares of common stock if you require funds. Our Common Stock is traded on the OTCQB, an inter-dealer automated quotation system for equity securities. There has been limited trading activity in our Common Stock. We consider our Common Stock to be “thinly traded” and any last reported sale prices might not be a true market-based valuation of the Common Stock. Stockholders may experience difficulty selling their shares if they choose to do so because of the illiquid market and limited public float for our Common Stock. Our stock price may be volatile, or may decline regardless of our operating performance, and you could lose all or part of your investment as a result. You should consider an investment in our Common Stock to be risky, and you should invest in our Common Stock only if you can withstand a significant loss and wide fluctuation in the market value of your investment. The market price of our Common Stock could be subject to significant fluctuations in response to the factors described in this section and other factors, many of which are beyond our control. Among the factors that could affect our stock price are: · Actual or anticipated variations in our quarterly and annual operating results or those of companies perceived to be similar to us; · Weather conditions; · Changes in expectations as to our future financial performance, including financial estimates by securities analysts and investors, or differences between our actual results and those expected by investors and securities analysts; · Fluctuations in the market valuations of companies perceived by investors to be comparable to us; · The public’s response to our or our competitors’ filings with the SEC or announcements regarding new products or services, enhancements, significant contracts, acquisitions, strategic investments, litigation, restructurings or other significant matters; · Speculation about our business in the press or the investment community; · Future sales of our shares; · Actions by our competitors; · Additions or departures of members of our senior management or other key personnel; and · The passage of legislation or other regulatory developments affecting us or our industry. In addition, the securities markets have experienced significant price and volume fluctuations that have affected and continue to affect the market price of equity securities of many companies. These fluctuations have often been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of particular companies. These broad market fluctuations, as well as general economic, systemic, political and market conditions, such as recessions, loss of investor confidence, interest rate changes, or international currency fluctuations, may negatively affect the market price of our shares. If any of the foregoing occurs, it could cause our stock price to fall and may expose us to securities class action litigation that, even if unsuccessful, could be costly to defend and a distraction to management. The trading market for our Common Stock will be influenced by the research and reports that equity research analysts publish about us and our business. The price of our Common Stock could decline if one or more securities analysts downgrade our Common Stock or if those analysts issue a sell recommendation or other unfavorable commentary or cease publishing reports about us or our business. If one or more of the analysts who elect to cover us downgrade our common shares, our share price could decline rapidly. If one or more of these analysts cease coverage of us, we could lose visibility in the market, which in turn could cause our share price and trading volume to decline. 24 If we fail to remain current on our SEC reporting requirements or fail to comply with the continuing eligibility of OTCQB, we could be removed from the OTCQB marketplace, which would limit the ability of broker-dealers to sell our securities in the secondary market. Companies trading on the OTCQB must be SEC reporting issuers under Section 12 of the Exchange Act and must be current in their reporting obligations and comply with other continuing eligibility requirements, in order to maintain price quotation privileges on the OTCQB marketplace. On February 9, 2024, we received the notification letter from OTC Markets, Inc. notifying the Company that its bid price has closed below $0.01 for more than 30 consecutive calendar days and is not in compliance with the minimum closing bid price of $0.01 per share (the “Minimum Closing Bid Price”), which is required for at least one of the prior 30 consecutive calendar days. The Company was granted a cure period of 90 calendar days, or until May 9, 2024, to regain compliance with the Minimum Closing Bid Price. To continue trading on the OTCQB marketplace, the closing bid price for the Company’s common stock must be $0.01 or greater for 10 consecutive trading days during this 90-day cure period. If the Company does not cure this deficiency by May 9, 2024, or if the Company’s closing bid price falls below $0.001 at any time for five consecutive trading days, the Company will be immediately removed from the OTCQB marketplace. If our common stock is removed from OTCQB marketplace, the market liquidity for our securities could be severely and adversely affected by limiting the ability of broker-dealers to sell our securities and the ability of shareholders to sell their securities in the secondary market if our Common Stock. This may have an adverse material effect on the Company’s business operations. We do not intend to pay dividends on our Common Stock. We intend to retain all of our earnings, if any, for the foreseeable future to finance the operation and expansion of our business and do not anticipate paying cash dividends. Any future determination to pay dividends will be at the discretion of our board of directors, subject to compliance with applicable law and any contractual provisions, and will depend on, among other factors, our results of operations, financial condition, capital requirements and other factors that our board of directors deems relevant. As a result, you should expect to receive a return on your investment in our Common Stock only if the market price of the Common Stock increases, which may never occur. Shares of our Common Stock issuable upon conversion of the outstanding convertible notes may represent overhang that may also adversely affect the market price of our Common Stock. Overhang occurs when there is a greater supply of a company’s stock in the market than there is demand for that stock. When this happens the price of the company’s stock will decrease, and any additional shares which shareholders attempt to sell in the market will only further decrease the share price. The convertible notes will be convertible into shares of our common stock at a discount to the market as described above, and such discount to market provides the holders with the ability to sell their common stock at or below market and still make a profit. In the event of such an overhang, the noteholders will have an incentive to sell their common stock as quickly as possible. If the share volume of our common stock cannot absorb the discounted shares, then the value of our common stock will likely decrease. Notwithstanding the above, we hope to repay the convertible notes in full before any conversions take place. We could face significant penalties for our failure to comply with the terms of our outstanding convertible notes. Our convertible notes contain positive and negative covenants and customary events of default including requiring us in many cases to timely file SEC reports. In the event we fail to timely file our SEC reports in the future, or any other events of defaults occur under the notes, we could face significant penalties and/or liquidated damages and/or the conversion price of such notes could be adjusted downward significantly, all of which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition, or cause any investment in the Company to decline in value or become worthless. 25 Certain of our outstanding convertible promissory notes include favored nation rights. Certain of our outstanding convertible promissory notes include provisions which provide that, so long as such notes are outstanding, the Company shall not enter into any public or private offering of its securities (including securities convertible into shares of our Common Stock) with any individual or entity that has the effect of establishing rights or otherwise benefiting such other investor in a manner more favorable in any material respect to such other investor than the rights and benefits established in favor of the holder of our convertible notes unless, in any such case, the holder has been provided with such rights and benefits pursuant to a definitive written agreement or agreements between the Company and the holder. Such favored nations provisions could be triggered in the future and could materially change the terms of the notes. In the event any favored nations provisions of the notes are triggered, it may cause the terms of such notes to be materially amended in favor of the holders thereof, cause significant dilution to existing shareholders, and otherwise have a material adverse effect on the Company.