IHOP 2014 Annual Report Download - page 30

11
Environmental Matters
We are subject to federal and state environmental regulations, but historically these have not had a material effect on our
operations. We are not aware of any federal, state or local environmental laws or regulations that are likely to materially impact
our revenues, cash flow or competitive position, or result in any material capital expenditure. However, we cannot predict the
effect of possible future environmental legislation or regulations. For further information regarding environmental matters, see
Item 1A, Risk Factors.
Employees
At December 31, 2014, we had approximately 2,325 employees, of whom approximately 525 were full-time, non-
restaurant, corporate personnel. Our employees are not presently represented by any collective bargaining agreements and we
have never experienced a work stoppage. We believe our relations with employees are good. Our franchisees are independent
business owners, so their employees are not included in our employee count.
Corporate Information
We were incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware in 1976 with the name IHOP Corp. In November 2007, we
completed the acquisition of Applebee’s, which became a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company. Effective June 2, 2008, we
changed our name to DineEquity, Inc. Our principal executive offices are located at 450 North Brand Boulevard, Glendale,
California 91203-2306 and our telephone number is [phone]. Our Internet address is www.dineequity.com. Our common
stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) and trades under the ticker symbol “DIN.”
We have a 52/53 week fiscal year ending on the Sunday nearest to December 31 of each year. For convenience, we refer to
all fiscal years as ending on December 31 and all interim fiscal quarters as ending on March 31, June 30 and September 30 of
the respective fiscal year. There were 52 weeks in our 2014, 2013 and 2012 fiscal years, which ended on December 28, 2014,
December 29, 2013 and December 30, 2012, respectively. There will be 53 weeks in our 2015 fiscal year that will end on
January 3, 2016. The last month of our fiscal 2015 fourth quarter will contain six weeks.
Available Information
Our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, proxy statements and
amendments to those reports filed with or furnished to United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”)
pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, are available free of charge through our
website as soon as reasonably practicable after electronically filing such material with the SEC. The SEC maintains an Internet
site that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding our filings at www.sec.gov. In
addition, the public may read and copy the materials we file with the SEC at the SEC's Public Reference Room at 100 F. Street,
NE, Washington, D.C. 20549. Information regarding the operation of the Public Reference Room may be obtained by calling
the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. The above references to our website and the SEC’s website do not constitute incorporation by
reference of the information contained on those websites and should not be considered part of this document.
Item 1A. Risk Factors.
General
This Item 1A includes forward-looking statements. You should refer to our discussion of the qualifications and limitations
on forward-looking statements included in Item 7.
The occurrence of any of the events discussed in the following risk factors may materially adversely affect our business,
financial condition and results of operations, which may materially adversely affect the value of our shares of common stock.
Our business is affected by general economic conditions that are largely out of our control. Our business is dependent
to a significant extent on national, regional and local economic conditions, and, to a lesser extent, on global economic
conditions, particularly those conditions affecting the demographics of the guests that frequently patronize Applebee's or IHOP
restaurants. If our customers' disposable income available for discretionary spending is reduced (because of circumstances such
as job losses, credit constraints, higher housing costs, increased tax rates, energy costs, interest rates or other costs) or if the
perceived wealth of customers decreases (because of circumstances such as lower residential real estate values, increased
foreclosure rates, increased tax rates or other economic disruptions), our business could experience a decline in sales and/or
customer traffic as potential customers choose lower-cost alternatives (such as quick-service restaurants) or choose alternatives
to dining out. Any decreases in customer traffic or average value per transaction due to these or other reasons could: