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Accounting Periods
6 Months Ended
Mar. 09, 2016
Accounting Policies [Abstract]  
Accounting Periods
Accounting Periods
 
The Company’s fiscal year ends on the last Wednesday in August. Accordingly, each fiscal year normally consists of 13 four-week periods, or accounting periods, accounting for 364 days in the aggregate. However, every fifth or sixth year, we have a fiscal year that consists of 53 weeks, accounting for 371 days in the aggregate; fiscal year 2016 will be such a year. Each of the first three quarters of each fiscal year, prior to fiscal year 2016, consisted of three four-week periods, while the fourth quarter normally consisted of four four-week periods.
  
Beginning in fiscal 2016, we changed our fiscal quarter ending dates with the first fiscal quarter end extended by one accounting period and the fiscal fourth quarter being reduced by one accounting period. The purpose of this change is in part to minimize the Thanksgiving calendar shift by extending the first fiscal quarter until after Thanksgiving. With this change in fiscal quarter ending dates, our first quarter is 16 weeks, and the remaining three quarters will typically be 12 weeks in length. The fourth fiscal quarter will be 13 weeks in certain fiscal years to adjust for our standard 52 week, or 364 day, fiscal year compared to the 365 day calendar year. Fiscal 2016 is such a year where the fourth quarter will have 13 weeks, resulting in a 53 week fiscal year. Comparability between quarters may be affected by varying lengths of the quarters, as well as the seasonality associated with the restaurant business.