Waitr Reports Second Quarter 2021 Results and Execution of Definitive Agreements to Purchase Several Payment Processing Businesses

Waitr Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq: WTRH) (“Waitr” or the “Company”), a leader in on-demand ordering and delivery, today reported financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2021.

Second Quarter 2021 Highlights and Key Business Metrics

• Revenue for the second quarter of 2021 was $49.2 million, compared to $50.9 million in the first quarter of 2021 and $60.5 million in the second quarter of 2020. For the six months ended June 30, 2021, revenue was $100.1 million, compared to $104.7 million for the six months ended June 30, 2020.
  • Average Daily Orders increased to 38,583 for the second quarter of 2021, compared to 37,627 for the first quarter of 2021.
  • Active Diners as of June 30, 2021 were substantially consistent with the Active Diners as of March 31, 2021.
• Net loss for the second quarter of 2021 was $5.6 million, compared to net loss of $3.7 million for the first quarter of 2021 and net income of $10.7 million in the second quarter of 2020. Adjusted net loss¹ was $4.7 million for the second quarter of 2021, compared to adjusted net income of $1.4 million for the first quarter of 2021 and $11.5 million for the second quarter of 2020. Loss per share for the second quarter of 2021 was $0.05 compared to loss per share of $0.03 in the first quarter of 2021 and net income per share for the second quarter of 2020 of $0.10. Adjusted loss per diluted share² for the second quarter of 2021 was $0.04, compared to adjusted earnings per diluted share of $0.01 for the first quarter of 2021 and $0.11 for the second quarter of 2020.
• Adjusted EBITDA³ for the second quarter of 2021 was $2.5 million, compared to $8.3 million in the first quarter of 2021 and $16.7 million in the second quarter of 2020. In the second quarter of 2021, we invested in several key areas of the business, with the expectation of positioning ourselves for long-term growth:
  • At June 30, 2021, we had our highest level of active drivers since inception. During the second quarter of 2021, our continued investment in driver supply led to elevated driver costs in the first two quarters of 2021, but these driver costs started to decrease in the later part of the second quarter of 2021;
  • Addition of QSR and other national brands to the platform, such as Potbelly, Long John Silver’s, KFC, Smoothie King, Applebee’s, Red Robin, causing compression in revenue per order;
  • Focused efforts on our new market launch and geographic expansion strategy as well as corresponding diner incentives in connection therewith;
  • Enhancement of our customer, restaurant partner, and driver support operations; and
  • Acceleration of hiring product and engineering personnel to further refine our technology platform.
• As of June 30, 2021, cash on hand was $60.5 million.

“During the second quarter of 2021, we expanded our scope of delivery and restaurant selection for our diners, adding a variety of additional national brands to our platform and entered new markets in cities and towns we perceived to need expanded delivery options. With over 25,000 restaurants on our platform and a growing footprint in many undeserved areas, we plan to continue to expand our market presence in the on-demand delivery sector,” said Carl Grimstad, Chairman and CEO of Waitr.

“Our independent contractor driver base is at its highest level since inception, a reflection of our ongoing recruiting efforts and focus on providing quality service to our diners and restaurant partners. Our driver labor cost during the first two quarters was higher than normal due to the overall national tight labor market during this period. We continue to support our restaurant partners and the communities we serve,” added Mr. Grimstad.

“We recently launched a comprehensive strategic initiative to change our corporate name, brand and visual identity, reflecting our ongoing commitment to innovation, continued expansion into new delivery verticals, and anticipated expansion into other related sectors. We are excited to begin the process and ultimately identify a corporate name that unifies our current and future service offerings, as well as reflects our long-term business strategy of servicing our ecosystem of diners, restaurants and independent contractor drivers,” continued Mr. Grimstad.

“We recently executed definitive purchase agreements to purchase payment processing companies ProMerchant LLC, Cape Cod Merchant Services LLC and Flow Payments LLC, three players in the merchant processing solutions space. These acquisitions in the fintech sector will further supplement our offerings as we continue to diversify the Company beyond third-party food delivery.”

“We invested in the recent Series-D preferred round of Figure Technologies Inc. and are working on an agreement expected to facilitate the use of the Figure Technologies’ mobile banking blockchain application as a real-time payment option for our diners and independent contractor drivers, as well as providing additional disbursement solutions for our restaurant partners. Figure Technology operates in a sector that is transforming payment options, lending and other financial transactions, and we continue to view fintech solutions as a growth opportunity,” concluded Mr. Grimstad.

Second Quarter 2021 Earnings Conference Call

The Company will host a conference call to discuss second quarter 2021 financial results today at 5 p.m. ET. The conference call will be webcast live from the Company’s investor relations website at http://investors.waitrapp.com. The call can also be accessed live over the phone by dialing (800) 430-8332, or for international callers (323) 289-6581. A replay will be available one hour after the call and can be accessed by dialing (844) 512-2921 or (412) 317-6671 for international callers; the conference ID is 6688695. The replay will be available until Monday, August 16, 2021.

About Waitr Holdings Inc.

Founded in 2013 and based in Lafayette, Louisiana, Waitr operates an online ordering technology platform, providing delivery, carryout and dine-in options. Waitr, along with Bite Squad and Delivery Dudes, connect local restaurants and grocery stores to diners in underserved U.S. markets. Together, they are a convenient way to discover, order and receive great food and other products from local restaurants, national chains and grocery stores. As of June 30, 2021, Waitr, Bite Squad and Delivery Dudes operate in small and medium sized markets in the United States in over 900 cities.

Cautionary Note Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains “forward-looking statements,” as defined by the federal securities laws, including statements regarding the Company’s financial results, implementation of strategic initiatives and future performance of the Company. Forward-looking statements reflect Waitr’s current expectations and projections about future events, and thus involve uncertainty and risk. The words “believe,” “strategy,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “will,” “could,” “would,” “should,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “estimate,” “intend,” “predict,” “potential,” “continue,” and the negatives of these words and other similar expressions generally identify forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties, including the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on the Company’s business and operations, and those described under the section entitled “Risk Factors” in Waitr’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020, filed with the SEC on March 8, 2021, as such factors may be updated from time to time in Waitr’s periodic filings with the SEC, which are accessible on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Additional information will be set forth in Waitr’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the three months ended June 30, 2021, which will be filed with the SEC on August 9, 2021, and should be read in conjunction with these financial results. Accordingly, there are or will be important factors that could cause actual outcomes or results to differ materially from those indicated in these statements. These factors should not be construed as exhaustive and should be read in conjunction with the other cautionary statements that are included in this release and in Waitr’s filings with the SEC. While forward-looking statements reflect Waitr’s good faith beliefs, they are not guarantees of future performance. Waitr disclaims any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement to reflect changes in underlying assumptions or factors, new information, data or methods, future events or other changes after the date of this press release, except as required by applicable law. You should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which are based only on information currently available to Waitr.

Adjusted EBITDA is not required by, nor presented in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America (“GAAP”). We define Adjusted EBITDA as net income (loss) adjusted to exclude interest expense, income taxes, depreciation and amortization expense, stock-based compensation expense, loss on disposal of assets, intangible and other asset impairments, business combination related expenditures and other non-recurring adjustments, accrued legal contingency and restructuring expenses. We use this non-GAAP financial measure as a key performance measure because we believe it facilitates operating performance comparisons from period to period by excluding potential differences primarily caused by variations in capital structures, tax positions, the impact of acquisitions and restructuring, the impact of depreciation and amortization expense on our fixed assets, the impact of stock-based compensation expense and other items that do not reflect our core operations. Adjusted EBITDA is not a measurement of our financial performance under GAAP and should not be considered as an alternative to net income (loss) or other performance measures derived in accordance with GAAP. A reconciliation of net income (loss) to Adjusted EBITDA is provided below:

Adjusted net income (loss) and adjusted earnings (loss) per diluted share are not required by, nor presented in accordance with GAAP. We define adjusted earnings (loss) per diluted share as adjusted net income (loss) divided by our weighted average common shares outstanding - diluted. Adjusted net income (loss) is calculated as net income (loss) plus business combination related expenditures and other non-recurring adjustments, accrued legal contingency and restructuring expenses. We use these non-GAAP financial measures because we believe they facilitate period to period comparisons of operating performance, by excluding potential differences primarily caused by non-recurring items. Business combination related expenses, accrued legal contingency and restructuring expenses are considered non-recurring items. Adjusted net income (loss) and adjusted earnings (loss) per diluted share are not measurements of our financial performance under GAAP and should not be considered as an alternative to net income (loss) or earnings (loss) per share or other performance measures derived in accordance with GAAP. A reconciliation of net income (loss) to adjusted net income (loss), along with adjusted earnings (loss) per diluted share, is provided below:

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