Item 1. Business
ITEM 1. BUSINESS
Our
Business Overview
Muscle
Maker, Inc. (referred to herein as “MMI” or “Company”), was incorporated under the laws of the state of Nevada
on October 25, 2019. The principal corporate office of MMI is located at 1751 River Run, Suite 200, Fort Worth, Texas, 76107, and the
telephone number at that location is (832) 604-9568. Our website address is https://www.ir.musclemakergrill.com .
MMI
together with its subsidiaries, is referred to in this Form 10-K annual report (“Form 10-K”) as the Company. The terms “we”,
“us” and “our” are also used in the Form 10-K to refer to the Company. Throughout the Form 10-K, the terms “restaurants”,
“stores”, “eatery” and “locations” are used inter changeably. While MMI, as the parent Company, does
not directly own or operate any restaurants throughout this document we may refer to restaurants that are owned or operated by our subsidiaries
as being Company-owned.
MMI
is our parent company. Through our subsidiaries, we operate within the global food-supply chain, in an effort to integrate
capabilities and create a sustainable and innovative company, that enhances the social, environmental and financial value to our
Company. We own and operate three unique “healthier for you” restaurant concepts within our portfolio of companies:
Muscle Maker Grill restaurants, SuperFit Foods meal prep and Pokemoto Hawaiian Poke restaurants (“Restaurant Division”).
Our Company was founded on the belief of taking every-day menu options and converting them into “healthier for you” menu
choices. Consumers are demanding healthier choices, customization, flavor and convenience. We believe our portfolio of companies
directly satisfy these consumer needs. We focus on lean proteins, fresh fruits and vegetables, proprietary sauces, whole grains and
various other items like protein shakes, meal plans, specialty drinks and super foods. Each of our three concepts offers different
menus that are tailored to specific consumer segments. We operate in the fast-casual and meal prep segments of the restaurant
industry. We believe our “healthier for you” inspired concepts deliver a highly differentiated customer
experience.
We
also own and operate Sadot LLC (“Sadot”), a wholesaling food business, which engages in the purchase and sale of physical
food commodities. The goal of Sadot is to launch Muscle Maker into a new era by creating a comprehensive, global food company that stretches
from sustainable farming, agricultural commodity shipping and trading, distribution, productions and ultimately reaches consumers through
the restaurant, franchise and meal prep companies.
Muscle
Maker Grill Restaurants (“Muscle Maker Grill”): our Muscle Maker Grill restaurants are fast-casual style restaurants
specializing in “healthier for you” high quality, made to order, lean protein-based meals. These meals feature all-natural
chicken breast, grass fed beef, lean turkey, shrimp and plant-based items. We pair these lean proteins with super foods such as avocado,
quinoa, spinach, kale and broccoli, while also offering cauliflower rice, whole wheat pasta, sweet potato fries and proprietary specialty
sauces like zero carb, fat free or gluten free options. Our products are made to order. The menu features bowls, wraps, salads and burgers.
We also offer protein shakes and fruit smoothies along with meal plans and catering. Customers can dine in or take out or have their
meals delivered to their door via Company delivery personnel or third-party services such as Uber Eats, DoorDash and GrubHub.
SuperFit
Foods Meal Prep (“SuperFit Foods”): On March 25, 2021, we acquired the assets of SuperFit Foods. SuperFit Foods is a
wholly owned meal prep division located in Jacksonville, Florida and focuses solely on meal plans. The terms meal prep and meal plans
will be used interchangeably throughout this document. The business operates with a centralized kitchen that prepares all meals for distribution
to consumers twice per week. This is a subscription-based business model where consumers order their meals via the SuperFitfoods.com
website and are charged automatically every week. There are over 150 meal plan options to choose from as well as various healthy juices,
snacks and desserts. Meal plans focus on specific dietary needs such as vegetarian, high protein, gluten free and low calorie.
SuperFit
Foods’ distribution process is different than most meal prep companies. The business operates with a centralized kitchen that prepares
all meals for distribution to consumers twice per week. All meals are packaged in a temperature-controlled facility for food safety and
quality controls. While other meal plan companies ship meals directly to consumer’s homes, the SuperFit Foods model uses Company-owned
coolers placed at designated pick-up locations throughout the Jacksonville, Florida market. Pick up locations are placed inside wellness
centers such as gyms, yoga studios and various lifestyle locations. SuperFit Foods delivers twice per week by independent contractors
to these locations and consumers conveniently pick up their orders after their workouts or during their daily routines. This model allows
us to keep food fresh and refrigerated (even in the summer months), reduces shipping costs to consumers and provides an easier distribution
model for the Company. While we do offer direct shipment to homes, this represents a small percentage of overall Company revenue.
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Pokemoto
Hawaiian Poke restaurants (“Pokemoto”): On May 14, 2021, MMI acquired the Pokemoto chain. This consisted of purchasing
PKM Stamford LLC, Poke Co, LLC, LB Holdings LLC, and TNB Holdings LLC, Poke Co Holdings LLC, GLL Enterprises LLC, and TNB Holdings II,
LLC, each a Connecticut limited liability company (collectively, Pokemoto”). Pokemoto Orange Park FL LLC and Pokemoto Kansas LLC
(included in “Pokemoto”) were formed in 2022 for the purposes of developing new corporate Pokemoto stores. Pokemoto restaurants
are fast-casual style restaurants that specialize in Hawaiian inspired poke bowls, wraps and salads. Poke is native Hawaiian cuisine
made up of diced fresh fish served as an appetizer or main course with strong influences of Japanese and Korean cuisine. Think of it
as deconstructed sushi that a consumer can customize into a bowl, salad or wrap every time. Hawaiian Poke is trending in the restaurant
industry. It is a unique segment that is healthy, customizable, popular with millennials and Gen-Zs, offers unique flavor profiles and
is “Instagrammable.”
Pokemoto
offers consumers the possibility to customize their order every time. Consumers move down a linear production line (similar to Chipotle
or Subway customer interaction and operations) customizing their bowl from a wide selection of ingredients. Pokemoto offers six types
of protein including sushi grade tuna, salmon, chicken, shrimp, lobster seafood salad or tofu. Consumers pick a base of white/brown rice
or salad, select from over 25 mix-ins/toppings including avocado, kani salad, pickled daikon, hijiki seaweed, masago, caviar, mandarin
oranges, edamame, mango, roasted cashews or wonton crisps to name a few and topped off with over eight proprietary sauces that are made
in house. All this gets mixed together creating a flavor explosion that is customized for every consumer. In select locations, we offer
Boba tea in a variety of flavors.
Pokemoto
requires little to no cooking. Everything is either raw (tuna, salmon, veggies and fruits) or comes in pre-cooked (chicken and shrimp).
The only cooking we do is preparing soup and rice. It’s that simple. Because we have little cooking and consumers customize their
orders, our labor requirements compared to most restaurants may be reduced. In addition, we believe training becomes much easier when
you are not cooking or requiring recipes to be followed while consumers customize their menu options. This creates a consistent product
across all our Pokemoto restaurants as we expand into more markets. Finally, because we have little to no cooking, our build outs usually
do not require expensive hoods, fire suppression systems, deep fryers, grills, ovens, etc. making the potential cost of building out
a location more favorable when compared to a traditional restaurant.
Sadot
LLC: Sadot was formed on October 19, 2022, in Delaware and is a wholly owned subsidiary of MMI. Sadot is focused on international
Agri-food commodity shipping, farming, sourcing and production of key ingredients such as soy meal, corn, wheat, food oils, etc. A typical
shipment contains 25,000 to 75,000 metric tons of product, although some transactions can be smaller. Sadot was formed as part of the
Company’s diversification strategy while still remaining within the overall food industry.
Our
Industry
Muscle
Maker Grill and Pokemoto restaurants operate within the Limited-Service Restaurant, or LSR, segment, of the United States restaurant
industry, which includes quick service restaurants, or QSR, and fast-casual restaurants. We offer fast-casual quality food combined with
quick-service speed, convenience and value across multiple dayparts. We believe our differentiated, high-quality healthy-inspired menu
delivers great value all day, every day and positions us to compete against both QSR and fast-casual concepts.
SuperFit
Foods operates within the pre-made, ready-to-eat meal prep segment. We offer pre-made, ready-to-eat meals that focus on specific dietary
needs like keto, vegetarian, high protein, low sugars, etc. SuperFit Foods offers over 150 different meal plan options to choose from
as well as various healthy juices, snacks and desserts.
Sadot
operates within the international food commodity shipping, sourcing, farming and production segment of the overall food supply chain
industry. Our current primary focus is on shipping food commodity items such as soy meal, corn and wheat between countries via cargo
ships. These shipments provide raw materials and ingredients to various food manufacturers as part of the overall food supply chain.
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Our
Strategy
Our
strategy for the restaurant division concentrates on expansion through franchising. However, in order to “seed” new markets
for franchising we may open Company-owned and operated locations in key markets.
We
believe franchising is the future of the restaurant division. This strategy uses the franchising experience of the management team with
the goal of expanding more quickly. We believe franchising has the potential to propel growth without our Company having to spend its
capital on Company-owned brick and mortar locations.
Our
franchising efforts will continue to be concentrated on expanding the Pokemoto brand. We believe there is a unique opportunity to grow
the Pokemoto brand within the Hawaiian Poke segment of the restaurant industry. The Hawaiian Poke segment is fragmented with the largest
company having approximately 65-85 locations today. The industry is full of independently owned “mom-and-pop” locations and
we expect that the industry is ready for a company to enter the market and become a significant player in the segment. We are positioning
Pokemoto with the goal of playing this role.
While
Pokemoto franchising is the focus, we will also open Company-owned Pokemoto locations strategically placed in key markets where we are
focusing our franchising efforts. Franchisee prospects need to experience Pokemoto locally versus having to travel long distances. This
approach is critical to selling franchises. Each Company location should be considered as “seeding” the market. Eventually,
when the market begins to open franchise locations, the intent is to franchise the original “seed” Company location and then
turn to building and franchising the next market. This is a leapfrog strategy that has traditionally been used to drive franchise growth
more aggressively.
Our
strategy for our Muscle Maker Grill restaurants is to optimize the brand. This will be performed through cost reductions, co-branding
locations with Pokemoto or converting the location to a Pokemoto restaurant. We will continue to evaluate profitability at each location
while staying current with market trends in each specific location. As part of the optimization strategy, we will divert resources from
any closed locations towards the remaining open locations with the intent of enhancing their performance.
Muscle
Maker Grill restaurants are primarily geographically located in the Northeast United States, but we also have locations on military bases
such as Fort Sill, Fort Bliss and Fort Benning, as well as franchise locations in Texas, Washington and California. In addition, we have
locations open in Kuwait. Our Kuwaiti partner performs all operational support, training, distribution and manufacturing of various proprietary
items that are used to supply their locations.
Improve
Comparable Restaurant Sales. We plan to improve comparable restaurant sales growth through the following strategies:
Menu
Strategy and Evolution: We will continue to adapt our menu to create entrées that complement our healthy-inspired
offerings and that reinforce our differentiated fast-casual positioning. We believe we have opportunities for menu innovation as we
look to provide customers more choices through customization and limited time only alternative proteins, recipes and other
healthy-inspired ingredients. Our marketing and operations teams collaborate to ensure that the items developed in our test stores
can be executed to our high standards in our restaurants with the speed and value that our customers have come to expect. To provide
added variety, from time to time we introduce limited time offerings at Muscle Marker Grill, (“MMG”) and SuperFit Foods, (“SFF”) and Pokemoto, due to being
highly customizable, will offer new proteins, sauces and other ingredients allowing consumers to try different flavor
combinations.
Attract
New Customers Through Expanded Brand Awareness: Our goal is to attract new customers as we expand our various concepts to become
more widely known through new restaurant openings and marketing efforts focused on broadening the reach and appeal of our brand. The
goal of our marketing efforts is to have consumers become more familiar with our brands as we continue to penetrate our markets, which
we believe will benefit our existing restaurant base. Our marketing strategy centers on our “healthier for you” food, which
highlights the desirability of healthy-inspired food or proprietary recipe quality of our food. We utilize various marketing techniques
including email, text, social media, print, influencers, press releases, third party apps and local store marketing. We believe the restaurant
industry has changed over the past few years and consumer preferences have shifted towards an emphasis on convenience, speed, customization,
delivery and mobility. This has led to an increase in to-go orders, third-party delivery and direct to consumer meal prep/plan offerings.
We believe our various brands have the ability to adjust our business strategy to accommodate these consumer trends.
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Continue
to Grow Dayparts: We currently have multiple dayparts and segments where revenue is generated in our restaurants. These dayparts
and segments include: lunch, dinner, catering, smoothies/protein shakes and meal prep/plans in our various locations, and breakfast in
select locations. We expect to drive growth across our dayparts through enhanced menu offerings, and marketing campaigns. We plan to
continue introducing and marketing limited time offers to increase occasions across our dayparts as well as to educate customers on our
lunch and dinner offerings. Muscle Maker Grill restaurants and SuperFit Foods have the unique opportunity to grow in the pre-packaged,
portion-controlled meal prep/plan category. Currently, we offer pre-portioned and packaged meal prep/plans for consumers who want to
specifically plan their weekly meals for dietary or nutritional needs. These meal plans can be delivered to a consumer’s home,
picked up at each restaurant location or at our Company-owned coolers placed inside fitness, wellness or lifestyle facilities.
Third
party delivery services such as Uber Eats, Grub Hub, DoorDash and others offer an expansion beyond the four walls of our restaurants
and represents a growing segment of our overall revenue. We also have partnered with Snackpass in our Pokemoto restaurants. Snackpass
offers online ordering, delivery and pick up while also providing an in-store kiosk where customers can place their orders versus waiting
in line. Snackpass offers consumers the ability to earn game tokens for each order which can be used to play the Snackpass loyalty program
game. The Company uses this partnership as an alternative to traditional loyalty programs and represents, in some locations, a significant
portion of restaurant sales generated through this partnership.
Our
strategy for Sadot is to own and operate, a wholesaling food business, focusing on international food commodity shipping, farming, sourcing
and production of key ingredients such as soy meal, corn, wheat, food oils, etc. The goal of Sadot is to launch Muscle Maker into a new
era by creating a comprehensive, global food company that stretches from sustainable farming, agricultural commodity shipping and trading,
distribution, productions and ultimately reaches consumers through the restaurant, franchise and meal prep companies.
Sadot
was formed as part of our diversification strategy while still remaining within the overall food industry. We aim implement this strategy through product and process innovations, supply chain commitments, and a strategic approach to operational excellence with a focus
on increasing the volume and enhancing the efficiency of our global operations.
Our
Strengths
Restaurant
Division
Iconic
and Unique Concept: We provide guests healthy-inspired versions of mainstream-favorite and customizable dishes that are intended
to taste great, in our effort to make it convenient, affordable and enjoyable to eat healthier. Our diverse menu was created for everyone
– fitness enthusiasts, those starting their journey to a healthier lifestyle, and people trying to eat better while on-the-go.
We
are focused on expanding our presence through growing the Pokemoto brand within new and existing markets by continuing to add franchise
partners to our system and increasing the number of corporate-owned locations. We have already signed 60 franchise agreements and opened
13 new locations since August of 2022. Our corporate-owned restaurants will focus on creating Pokemoto/Muscle Maker combo units where
applicable. In addition to creating Pokemoto seed locations in key markets to supplement our franchise sales efforts while also offering
direct to consumer pre-made meal prep/plan offerings to consumers within the Jacksonville, Florida market via SuperFit Foods.
Innovative,
Healthier Menu : Our menus feature items such as grass-fed steak, all-natural chicken, lean turkey, plant-based products, tofu, chicken,
salmon, shrimp, sushi grade tuna as well as options that satisfy all dietary preferences – from the carb-free consumer to guests
following gluten-free or vegetarian diets. Our brands do not sacrifice taste to serve healthy-inspired options. We develop and source
proprietary sauces and fat free or zero-carb dressings to enhance our unique flavor profiles. In addition to our healthy-inspired and
diverse food platform, we offer 100% real fruit smoothies, boosters and proprietary protein shakes as well as retail supplements. While
our Pokemoto concept offers consumers the possibility to customize their meal every time. Consumers move down a linear production line
similar to Chipotle or Subway choosing their toppings with a modern twist including tofu, chicken, salmon, shrimp, lobster seafood salad,
and sushi grade tuna. Pokemoto also offers a variety of flavors of Boba Teas.
The
Company prides itself on making healthy-inspired versions of the guest’s favorite food, giving them easy access to the food they
seek at our restaurants. This means catering to an array of healthier eating lifestyles. For over 20 years Muscle Maker Grill restaurants
has been providing food to gluten-free diners, low-carbohydrate consumers and vegetarians. We offer over 30 versions of salads, wraps,
bowls, sandwiches and flatbreads. With the addition of Pokemoto we now also offer six types of protein, a base of white/brown rice or
salad, over 25 mix ins/toppings including avocado, kani salad, pickled daikon, hijiki seaweed, masago, mandarin orange, edamame, mango,
roasted cashews or wonton crisps to name a few and topped off with over eight proprietary sauces that are made in house. All this gets
mixed up together creating a flavor explosion that is customizable for each customer.
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Delivery:
Delivery is an option through our online ordering platform or third-party delivery apps making it easy and convenient for our guests.
Delivery percentages range from 10% up to 85% of sales in our corporate locations. We strongly believe the delivery segment will continue
to grow as our core demographic has demonstrated the need for online ordering and delivery versus dine-in and take-out. We and our franchise
owners leverage employees for local delivery but also use third party services such as Uber Eats, GrubHub, DoorDash and others to fulfill
delivery orders. SuperFit Foods delivers twice per week utilizing independent contractors to Company-owned coolers placed inside fitness,
wellness or lifestyle facilities where consumers conveniently pick up their orders after their workouts or during their daily routines.
Meal
Prep/Plans: To make healthy-inspired eating even easier, Muscle Maker Grill’s healthy-inspired menu items are available through
our Meal Prep/Plan program, allowing pre-orders of meals via phone, online or in-store, available for pick up or delivered right to their
door. Available as 5, 10, 15, or 20 meals, guests can choose from over 40 Muscle Maker Grill menu items for each meal.
SuperFit
Foods consists of pre-made, ready-to-eat meals that focus on specific dietary needs like keto, vegetarian, high protein, low sugars,
etc. SuperFit Foods offers over 150 different meal options to choose from as well as various healthy juices, snacks and desserts. SuperFit
Foods operates as a subscription model where consumers are automatically charged each month. Consumers order online, provide their credit
card information and have over 150 options to choose from. Guests can also opt. to select their likes and dislikes and meal selection
becomes automatic. SuperFit Foods’ distribution process is different than most meal prep companies. Other meal prep companies ship
meals directly to consumer’s homes or use their own fleet of vehicles to drop orders off at homes. SuperFit Foods prepares all
meals in a temperature-controlled facility allowing for higher food safety and freshness. The SuperFit Foods model uses Company-owned
coolers placed inside fitness, wellness or lifestyle facilities.
Sadot
On
November 14, 2022 (the “Effective Date”), the Company, Sadot and Aggia LLC FC, a company established under the laws of
United Arab Emirates (“Aggia”) entered into a Services Agreement (the “Services Agreement”). Pursuant to the
Services Agreement, Sadot engaged Aggia to provide specialized advisory services to support the establishment, procurement, and
management of Sadot’s global supply-chain integration business. The acquisition of assets and capabilities in sustainable
Agri-Commodity farming, trading, transporting and processing, with the goal of eventually retailing through MMI’s restaurant brands is a
critical component of this venture.
In
order to assist with the growth of the Sadot business MMI expects to capitalize on the years of experience and industry knowledge of
Aggia and leverage their expertise into additional verticals, without the time and capital outlaw of hiring the professionals independently.
Our
Properties
Rent
Structure: Our restaurants are typically located in retail centers as in-line locations or food court type settings in universities
or military bases. A typical restaurant generally ranges from 800 to 2,500 square feet with seating for up to approximately 40 people.
Our leases for Company-operated locations generally have terms of one to ten years, with one or two renewal terms of one year to ten
years. Restaurant leases provide for a specified annual rent, and some leases call for additional or contingent rent based on revenue
above specified levels. Generally, our leases are “net leases” that require us to pay a pro rata share of taxes, insurance
and maintenance costs. New leases for our non-traditional locations usually have rent calculated as a percentage of net sales and have
terms up to 10 years. We do not guarantee performance or have any liability regarding franchise location leases.
System-Wide
Restaurant Counts: As of December 31, 2022, our restaurant system consisted of 44 restaurants comprised of 19 Company-operated
restaurants and 25 franchised restaurants located in California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts,
Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington and Kuwait.
Site
Selection Process: We consider the location of a restaurant to be a critical variable in its long-term performance, and as such,
we devote significant effort to the investigation and evaluation of potential restaurant locations. Our in-house management team has
extensive experience developing hundreds of locations for various brands. We use a combination of our in-house team and outside real
estate consultants to locate, evaluate and negotiate new sites using various criteria including demographic characteristics, daytime
population thresholds and traffic patterns, along with the potential visibility of, and accessibility to, the restaurant. The process
for selecting locations incorporates managements and franchisee’s experience and expertise and includes data collection and analysis.
Additionally, we use information and intelligence gathered from managers and other restaurant personnel that live in or near the neighborhoods
we are considering.
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Direct
to consumer meal prep/plan locations can either be through existing Muscle Maker Grill restaurant locations or can be set up like a commissary
where meals are prepared in a temperature-controlled kitchen space, not open to consumer traffic like SuperFit Foods. These locations
can be in any area if pick up service via UPS or FedEx is available. This allows the Company to build out locations in favorable rent
situations while being able to mail meal prep/plans direct to consumers within a 250-mile radius or conveniently drop off meals at various
pick-up locations throughout the market.
Our
Restaurant Design
After
identifying a lease site, we commence our restaurant buildout. Our typical restaurant is an inline retail space or food court that
ranges in size from 800 to 2,500 square feet. Our restaurants are characterized by a unique exterior and interior design, color
schemes, and layout, including specially designed decor and furnishings. Restaurant interiors incorporate modern designs and rich
colors in an effort to provide a clean and inviting environment and fun, family-friendly atmosphere. Each restaurant is designed in
accordance with plans we develop; and constructed with a similar design motif and trade dress. Restaurants are generally located
near other business establishments that will attract customers who desire healthier food at fair prices served in a casual, fun
environment. We estimate it takes approximately four to six months from identification and lease signing of the specific site to
opening the restaurant. This timeframe can be shortened to as little at 90 days pending the amount of time it takes to acquire
equipment and complete leasehold improvements.
Our
Restaurant Management and Operations
Service:
We are extremely focused on customer service. We aim to provide fast, friendly service on a solid foundation of dedicated, driven
team members and managers. Our team members and managers are responsible for our dining room environment, personally visiting tables
to ensure every customer’s satisfaction.
Operations:
We intend to measure the execution of our system standards within each restaurant through an audit program for quality, service and
cleanliness. The goal is to conduct these audits quarterly and may be more or less frequent based upon restaurant performance. Additionally,
we have food safety and quality assurance programs designed to maintain the high standards for food and food preparation procedures used
by both Company-operated and franchised restaurants.
Managers
and Team Members: Each of our restaurants typically has a manager or shift leader. At each Muscle Maker Grill restaurant location
there are usually between six and ten team members who prepare our food fresh daily and provide customer service. At each Pokemoto location
there are usually between two and four team members who prepare our food fresh daily and provide customer service.
We
are selective in our hiring processes, aiming to staff our restaurants with team members that are friendly, customer-focused and driven
to provide high-quality products. Our team members are cross-trained in several disciplines to maximize depth of competency and efficiency
in critical restaurant functions.
Training:
Our Franchisee training generally consists of 10 to 14 days in a certified training location, and an additional 7 to 10 days post
opening training. Our operational team members provide consistent, ongoing training through follow up restaurant visits, inspections
or email or phone correspondences.
Our
Franchise Program
Overview:
We use a franchising strategy to increase new restaurant growth, especially as we focus on growing the Pokemoto brand, in certain
United States and international markets, leveraging the ownership of entrepreneurs with specific local market expertise and requiring
a relatively minimal capital commitment by us. We believe the franchise revenue generated from our franchise base has historically served
as an important source of stable and recurring cash flows to us and, as such, we plan to expand our base of franchised restaurants. We
have signed 60 franchise agreements and opened 13 new locations since August 2022. We currently have over 50 franchise agreements sold,
but not yet opened. In existing markets, we encourage growth from current franchisees. In our expansion markets, we seek highly motivated
and entrepreneurial new franchisees for single-unit or multi-unit development opportunities. We market our franchise opportunities with
the support of a franchising section on our website, social media, trade shows and other marketing tactics.
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Franchise
Owner Support: We believe creating a foundation of initial and on-going support is important to future performance for both our franchisees
and our brand.
We
have a mandatory training program that was designed to ensure that our franchise owners and their managers are equipped with the knowledge
and necessary skills to operate our concept. The program consists of hands-on training in the operation and management of the restaurant.
Training is conducted by a general training manager who has been certified by us for training. Instructional materials for the initial
training program include our operations manual, crew training system, wall charts, job aids, recipe books, product build cards, management
training materials, food safety book, videos and other materials we may create from time to time. Training must be successfully completed
before a trainee can be assigned to a restaurant as a manager.
We
also provide numerous opportunities for communication and shared feedback between us and franchise owners. Currently, we communicate
on a frequent basis through email and virtual meetings allowing for questions and answers with all franchisees. In addition, our operations
and marketing teams conduct phone calls and/or on-site visits on a frequent basis with franchisees on current operational changes, new
products, revenue generating ideas, cost savings, and local store marketing.
Franchise
Agreements:
The
franchise agreements currently:
● Have
terms for 10 through 20 years, with termination dates ranging from 2023 until 2041. These
agreements are generally renewable for terms ranging from 5 to 10 years.
● Provide
for the payment of initial franchise fees ranging from $5,000 to $35,000.
● Require
the payment of on-going royalty payments ranging from 2% to 6% of net sales at the franchise
location. In addition, franchisees contribute ranging from 1% to 2% (total) of net sales
to the marketing and brand development/advertising fund.
● Franchisees
are licensed the right to use the Muscle Maker Grill ® or Pokemoto ®
trademarks, its confidential operating manual and other intellectual property in connection
with the operation of a Muscle Maker Grill or Pokemoto restaurant at a location authorized
by us.
● Franchisees
are granted a protected territory prohibiting the establishment of another Muscle Maker Grill
or Pokemoto restaurant within a geographic territory, the scope of which is the subject of
negotiation between Muscle Maker Development LLC or Poke Co Holdings LLC and the franchisee.
● Franchisees
are required to offer only those food products that are authorized by Muscle Maker Development
LLC or Poke Co Holdings LLC, prepared using our proprietary recipes; and may obtain most
supplies only from suppliers that are approved or designated by Muscle Maker Development
LLC or Poke Co Holdings LLC. Muscle Maker Development LLC or Poke Co Holdings LLC receives
rebates from various vendors or distributors based on total system wide purchases.
● As
partial consideration for payment of the initial franchise fee and on-going royalties, Muscle
Maker Development LLC or Poke Co Holdings LLC loans its franchisees a copy of its confidential
operating manual.
● Administers
the advertising/brand development fund and provides franchisees with pre-opening and on-going
assistance including site selection assistance, pre-opening training, and in-term training.
Multi-Unit
Development Agreements: Franchisees who desire to develop more than one restaurant and who have the financial strength and managerial
capability to develop more than one restaurant may enter into a multi-unit development agreement. Under a multi-unit development agreement,
the franchisee agrees to open a specified number of restaurants, at least two, within a defined geographic area in accordance with an
agreed upon development schedule which could span several months or years. Each restaurant, in accordance with the development schedule,
requires the execution of a separate franchise agreement prior to site approval and construction, which in most cases will be the then
current franchise agreement, except that the initial franchise fee, royalty and advertising expenditures will be those in effect at the
time the multi-unit agreement is executed. Multi-unit development agreements require the payment of a development fee ranging from $20,000
to $35,000 for the first restaurant plus ranging from $10,000 to $17,500 multiplied by the number of additional restaurants that must
be opened under such development agreement. The entire development fee is payable at the time the multi-unit development agreement is
signed; however, the development fee actually paid for a particular restaurant is credited as a deposit against the initial franchise
fee that is payable when the franchise agreement for the particular franchise is signed.
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Area
Representative Agreements: Pursuant to our area representative agreements, the area representatives will identify and refer prospective
franchisee candidates to us, provide franchisees with our site selection criteria and assist franchisees to complete a site review package,
and will advise franchisees concerning our standards and specifications, perform on-going training as required and make quarterly on-site
visits and inspections, but we retain control of all decision-making authority relative to the franchisees, including franchisee approval,
site location approval and determination whether franchisees are in compliance with their franchise agreements.
Area
representative agreements are generally for a term ranging from 10 to 20 years, in consideration for which we generally compensate area
representatives with a range of 1% to 2% of net sales of the franchises that are under the area representative for the term of the agreement
as well as up to 50% of the initial franchise fees for new franchise agreements.
Our
Marketing and Advertising
We
promote our restaurants and products through multiple advertising campaigns. The campaigns aim to deliver our message of fresh and healthy-inspired
product offerings. The campaign emphasizes our points of differentiation, from our fresh ingredients and in-house preparation to the
preparation of our healthy inspired meals.
We
use multiple marketing channels, including social media such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, email, text marketing, local store marketing,
public relations/press releases and other methods to broadly drive brand awareness and purchases of our featured products. We complement
this periodically with direct mail.
Our
Purchasing and Distribution
Maintaining
a high degree of quality in our restaurants depends in part on our ability to acquire fresh ingredients and other necessary supplies
that meet our specifications from reliable suppliers. Food and supplies are delivered to most of our restaurants one to two times per
week. Our franchisees are required to use our primary distributors, or an approved regional distributor and franchisees must purchase
food and supplies from approved suppliers. In our normal course of business, we evaluate bids from multiple suppliers for various products.
Fluctuations in supply and prices can significantly impact our restaurant service and profit performance.
Since
Sadot is widely diversified in global agribusiness markets, there are no material seasonal fluctuations in overall global processing
volumes and the sale and distribution of its products and services. There is a degree of seasonality in the growing cycles, procurement,
and transportation of our principal raw materials: oilseeds, corn, wheat, and other grains.
The
prices of agricultural commodities, which may fluctuate significantly and change quickly, directly affect our Company’s working
capital requirements. Working capital requirements have historically trended with inventory levels. No material part of the Company’s
business is dependent upon a single customer or very few customers.
Our
Intellectual Property
We
have registered Pokemoto ® , SuperFit Foods ® , Muscle Maker Grill ® , Meal Plan AF ® ,
MMG Burger Bar ® and certain other names used by our restaurants as trademarks or service marks with the United States
Patent and Trademark Office and Muscle Maker Grill ® in one foreign country. Our brand campaign, Great Food with Your Health
in Mind ™ , has also been approved for registration with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. We have also filed
for the for the trademarks “get in the aloha state of mind” and “meal prep and chill”, which are currently pending
with the United States Patent and Trademark Office In addition, the Muscle Maker Grill, Pokemoto and SuperFit Foods logos, recipes, trade
dress, packaging, website name and address and Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and other social media and internet accounts are our intellectual
property. Our policy is to pursue and maintain registration of service marks and trademarks in those countries where business strategy
requires us to do so and to oppose vigorously any infringement or dilution of the service marks or trademarks in such countries. We maintain
the recipe for our healthy inspired recipes, as well as certain proprietary standards, specifications and operating procedures, as trade
secrets or confidential proprietary information.
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Our
Competition
Restaurant
Division
We
operate in the restaurant industry, which is highly competitive and fragmented. The number, size and strength of competitors vary by
region. Our competition includes a variety of locally owned restaurants and national and regional chains that offer dine-in, carry-out
and delivery services as well as meal prep companies. Our competition in the broadest perspective includes restaurants, pizza parlors,
convenience food stores, delicatessens, supermarkets, third party delivery services, direct to consumer meal prep and club stores. However,
we indirectly compete with fast-casual restaurants, including Chipotle and Panera Bread, among others, and with healthy inspired fast-casual
restaurants, such as Pokeworks, Freshii and Veggie Grill as well as direct-to-consumer meal prep such as Freshly, among others.
We
believe competition within the fast-casual restaurant and meal prep segments is based primarily on ambience, price, taste, quality and
the freshness of the menu items. We also believe that QSR competition is based primarily on quality, taste, speed of service, value,
brand recognition, restaurant location and customer service. We believe the restaurant industry has changed over the past few years due
to the COVID-19 specifically as it relates to delivery and how consumers interact with brands. This changing environment will require
flexibility and the ability to rapidly make adjustments.
As
consumer preferences continue to evolve into healthier eating options, most restaurants are developing healthier menu choices. As more
restaurants offer healthier options, the competition for our product offerings becomes more intense and could pose a significant threat
to future revenues. However, we believe our experience, size and flexibility allows Muscle Maker, Inc’s portfolio of Companies
to adapt faster than many other restaurant concepts.
Sadot
Sadot
operates in the global agribusiness industry. We have significant competition in the markets in which we operate based principally on
price, foreign exchange rates, quality, global supply and alternative products. Given the commodity-based nature of our business, Sadot,
on an ongoing basis, expects to focus on managing unit costs and improving efficiency through technology improvements and productivity
enhancements.
Our
Management Information Systems
All
of our Company-operated and franchised restaurants use computerized point-of-sale and back-office systems, which we believe are scalable
to support our long-term growth plans. The point-of-sale system provides a touch screen interface and a stand-alone high-speed credit
card and gift card processing terminal. The point-of-sale system is used to collect daily transaction data, which generates information
about daily sales and product mix that we actively analyze. Our SuperFit Foods division sales are 100% online through the superfitfoods.com
website.
Our
computer systems are designed to assist in the management of MMI. The systems also provide corporate headquarters and our operations
team with quick access to detailed business data and reduces the time spent by our managers on administrative needs. The systems also
provide sales, bank deposit and variance data to our accounting department.
Third
party delivery and meal prep/plan sales are ordered using online software or apps with reports generated through various software packages
provided by the third-parties.
Our
Corporate Structure
Overview:
Muscle Maker, Inc. serves as a holding company of the following subsidiaries:
● Muscle
Maker Development, LLC, a directly wholly owned subsidiary, which was formed in Nevada on
July 18, 2019, for the purpose of running our existing franchise operations and continuing
to franchise the Muscle Maker Grill name and business system to qualified franchisees.
● Muscle
Maker Corp. LLC, a directly wholly owned subsidiary, which was formed in Nevada on July 18,
2019, for the purposes of developing new corporate stores and to also operate these new and
existing corporate restaurants which presently holds the following entities:
○ MMG
Ft. Bliss, Inc, a wholly owned subsidiary, which was formed in Texas on January 28, 2016,
to run a Company-owned restaurant.
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○ MMG
Tribeca, Inc, a wholly owned subsidiary, which was formed in New Jersey on July 21, 2026,
to run a Company-owned restaurant.
● Muscle
Maker USA, Inc., a directly wholly owned subsidiary, which was formed in Texas on March 14,
2019, for the purpose of holding specific assets related to a company financing arrangement.
● Muscle
Maker Development International. LLC, a directly wholly owned subsidiary, which was formed
in Nevada on November 13, 2020, to franchise the Muscle Maker Grill name and business system
to qualified franchisees internationally.
● SuperFit
Foods, LLC, a directly wholly owned subsidiary, which was formed in Nevada on February 23,
2021, for the purpose of running our subscription based fresh-prepared meal prep business
located in Jacksonville, Florida.
● TNB
Holdings LLC, a directly wholly owned subsidiary, which was formed in Connecticut for the
purpose of running our existing Company-owned location which presently holds the following
entities:
○ Pokemoto
LLC, a directly wholly owned subsidiary, which was formed in Nevada on August 19, 2021, to
serve as a holding company of the following subsidiaries.
■ TNB
Holdings II LLC, a directly wholly owned subsidiary, which was formed in Connecticut for
the purpose of running our existing Company-owned location.
■ LB
Holdings LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary, which was formed in Connecticut for the purpose
of running our existing Company-owned location.
■ GLL
Enterprises LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary, which was formed in Connecticut for the purpose
of running our existing Company-owned location.
■ PKM
Stamford LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary, which was formed in Connecticut for the purpose
of running our existing Company-owned location.
■ Poke
Co LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary, which was formed in Connecticut for the purpose of running
our existing Company-owned location.
■ Pokemoto
Orange Park LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary, which was formed in Nevada on March 31, 2022
for the purpose of running Company-owned locations.
■ Pokemoto
Kansas LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary, which was formed in Nevada on July 28, 2022 for the
purpose of running Company-owned locations.
● Poke
Co Holdings LLC, a directly wholly owned subsidiary, which was formed in Connecticut on July
18, 2018 to franchise the Pokemoto name and business system to qualified franchisees.
● Sadot
LLC, a directly wholly owned subsidiary, which was formed in Delaware on October 19, 2022
to participate in activities such as sourcing, distributing and production of agriculture
products.