Description of First Watch Restaurant Group, Inc. Securities

EX-4.3 3 exhibit43descriptionofcapi.htm EX-4.3 Document

Exhibit 4.3

DESCRIPTION OF REGISTRANT’S SECURITIES REGISTERED PURSUANT TO SECTION 12 OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934


The following is a brief description of the common stock, par value $0.01 per share (the “common stock”) of First Watch Restaurant Group, Inc. (the “Company”), which is the only security of the Company registered pursuant to Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”).
The following description does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation (our “certificate of incorporation”), our amended and restated bylaws (our “bylaws”) and the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the “DGCL”).
References in this exhibit to “we,” “us” and “our” refer to the Company and not to any of its subsidiaries.
General

Our authorized capital stock consists of 300,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.01 per share and 10,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.01 per share. Shares of preferred stock have not been issued. Unless our board of directors (our “Board”) determines otherwise, we will issue all shares of our capital stock in uncertificated form.

Common Stock

Holders of our common stock are entitled to the rights set forth below.

Voting Rights

At any meeting of stockholders at which directors are to be elected, directors will be elected by a plurality of the votes cast by the holders of shares present in person or represented by proxy at the meeting and entitled to vote on the election of directors. Our stockholders do not have cumulative voting rights. Except as otherwise provided in our certificate of incorporation, our bylaws or as required by law, all matters to be voted on by our stockholders other than matters relating to the election and removal of directors must be approved by a majority of the shares present in person or represented by proxy at the meeting and voting on the subject matter.

Dividend Rights

Holders of common stock share equally in any dividend declared by our Board, subject to the rights of the holders of any outstanding preferred stock.

Liquidation Rights

In the event of any voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution, distribution of assets or winding up of our affairs, holders of our common stock would be entitled to share ratably in our assets that are legally available for distribution to stockholders after payment of liabilities. If we have any preferred stock outstanding at such time, holders of the preferred stock may be entitled to distribution and/or liquidation preferences. In either such case, we must pay the applicable distribution to the holders of our preferred stock before we may pay distributions to the holders of our common stock.

Other Rights

Our stockholders have no preemptive or other rights to subscribe for additional shares. There are no redemption, conversion or sinking fund provisions applicable to our common stock. All holders of our common stock are entitled to share equally on a share-for-share basis in any assets available for distribution to common



stockholders upon our liquidation, dissolution or winding up. All outstanding shares are validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable.

Preferred Stock

No shares of preferred stock have been issued. Our Board is authorized to provide for the issuance of preferred stock in one or more series and to fix the preferences, powers and relative, participating, optional or other special rights and qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof, including the dividend rate, conversion rights, voting rights, redemption rights and liquidation preference and to fix the number of shares to be included in any such series without any further vote or action by our stockholders. Any preferred stock so issued may rank senior to our common stock with respect to the payment of dividends or amounts upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up, or both. In addition, any such shares of preferred stock may have class or series voting rights. The issuance of preferred stock may have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change in control of our company without further action by the stockholders and may adversely affect the voting and other rights of the holders of our common stock.

Anti-takeover Provisions

Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws contain provisions that delay, defer or discourage transactions involving an actual or potential change in control of us or change in our management. We expect that these provisions, which are summarized below, will discourage coercive takeover practices or inadequate takeover bids. These provisions will be designed to encourage persons seeking to acquire control of us to first negotiate with our Board, which we believe may result in an improvement of the terms of any such acquisition in favor of our stockholders. However, they will also give our Board the power to discourage transactions that some stockholders may favor, including transactions in which stockholders might otherwise receive a premium for their shares or transactions that our stockholders might otherwise deem to be in their best interests. Accordingly, these provisions could adversely affect the price of our common stock.

Classified Board of Directors

Our Board is divided into three classes, Class I, Class II and Class III, with members of each class serving staggered three-year terms. Our certificate of incorporation provides that the authorized number of directors may be changed only by resolution of the Board. Any additional directorships resulting from an increase in the number of directors will be distributed among the three classes so that, as nearly as possible, each class will consist of one-third of the directors. Our certificate of incorporation and our bylaws also provide that a director may be removed by the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the voting power of our outstanding shares of capital stock entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, voting together as a single class, and only for cause so long as our Board is classified. Any vacancy on our Board, including a vacancy resulting from an enlargement of our Board, may be filled only by vote of a majority of our directors then in office. Our classified Board could have the effect of delaying or discouraging an acquisition of us or a change in our management.

Special Meetings of Stockholders and Advance Notice Requirements for Stockholder Meetings, Nominations and Proposals

Our bylaws provide that special meetings of the stockholders may be called only upon the request of a majority of our Board, the Chairperson of our Board or the Chief Executive Officer. Our bylaws prohibit the conduct of any business at an annual or special meeting other than as specified in the notice for such meeting or otherwise brought before the meeting by or at the direction of the Board or a duly authorized committee or authorized officer to whom the Board or committee delegated such authority. These provisions may have the effect of deferring, delaying or discouraging hostile takeovers or changes in control or management of our company.

Our bylaws establish advance notice procedures with respect to stockholder proposals and the nomination of candidates for election as directors, other than nominations made by or at the direction of our Board or a committee of our Board. In order for any matter to be “properly brought” before a meeting, a stockholder will have to comply with the advance notice requirements of directors, which may be filled only by a vote of a majority of directors then in office, even though less than a quorum, and not by the stockholders. Our bylaws allow the presiding officer at a meeting of the stockholders to adopt rules and regulations for the conduct of meetings, which may have the effect of



precluding the conduct of certain business at a meeting if the rules and regulations are not followed. These provisions may also defer, delay or discourage a potential acquirer from conducting a solicitation of proxies to elect the acquirer’s own slate of directors or otherwise attempting to obtain control of our company.

No Stockholder Action by Written Consent

Our certificate of incorporation and our bylaws provide that after the time that our sponsor, Advent International Corporation (“Advent”), collectively owns less than 50% of our then outstanding common stock, subject to the rights of any holders of preferred stock to act by written consent instead of a meeting, stockholder action may be taken only at an annual meeting or special meeting of stockholders and may not be taken by written consent instead of a meeting. Failure to satisfy any of the requirements for a stockholder meeting could delay, prevent or invalidate stockholder action.

Section 203 of the DGCL

Our certificate of incorporation provides that the provisions of Section 203 of the DGCL, which relate to business combinations with interested stockholders, do not apply to us. Section 203 of the DGCL prohibits a publicly held Delaware corporation from engaging in a business combination transaction with an interested stockholder (a stockholder who owns more than 15% of our common stock) for a period of three years after the interested stockholder became such unless the transaction fits within an applicable exemption, such as Board approval of the business combination or the transaction that resulted in such stockholder becoming an interested stockholder. These provisions apply even if the business combination could be considered beneficial by some stockholders. Our certificate of incorporation contains provisions that have the same effect as Section 203 of the DGCL and provides that Advent, their respective affiliates or successors, their transferees, and any group as to which such persons are party do not constitute interested stockholders for purposes of these provisions for so long as they collectively own, directly or indirectly, 10% or more of the voting power of our then outstanding shares of voting stock. Although we have elected to opt out of the statute’s provisions, we could elect to be subject to Section 203 in the future.

Amendment to Bylaws and Certificate of Incorporation

Any amendment to our certificate of incorporation must first be approved by a majority of our Board and if required by law, thereafter be approved by a majority of the outstanding shares entitled to vote on the amendment. Our bylaws may be amended (x) by the affirmative vote of a majority of the directors then in office, without further stockholder action or (y) by the affirmative vote of at least a majority of the voting power of the then outstanding shares entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, voting together as a single class, without further action by our Board.