Related Party Transactions

12 Months Ended

May 29, 2012

Related Party Transactions [Abstract]

Related Party Transactions

RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

The Chief Executive Officer of the Company (Craig F. Maier), who also serves as a director of the Company, owns a Big Boy restaurant licensed to him by the Company. Another officer and director of the Company (Karen F. Maier) is a part owner of a Big Boy restaurant that is licensed to her and her siblings (excluding Craig F. Maier). Certain other family members of Craig F. Maier also own a licensed Big Boy restaurant.

These three restaurants are operated by the Company (not consolidated herein) and they pay to the Company franchise and advertising fees, employee leasing and other fees, and make purchases from the Company’s commissary. The total paid to the Company by these three restaurants amounted to $5,217,000, $5,002,000 and $4,915,000 respectively, in fiscal years 2012, 2011 and 2010. The amount owed to the Company from these restaurants was $92,000 and $57,000 respectively, as of May 29, 2012 and May 31, 2011. Amounts due are generally settled within 28 days of billing.

All related party transactions described above were effected on substantially similar terms as transactions with persons or entities having no relationship with the Company.

The Chairman of the Board of Directors from 1970 to 2005 (Jack C. Maier, deceased February 2005) had an employment agreement that contained a provision for deferred compensation. The agreement provided that upon its expiration or upon the Chairman’s retirement, disability, death or other termination of employment, the Company would become obligated to pay the Chairman or his survivors for each of the next 10 years the amount of $214,050, adjusted annually to reflect 50 percent of the annual percentage change in the Consumer Price Index (CPI). Monthly payments of $17,838 to the Chairman’s widow (Blanche F. Maier), a director of the Company until her death in September 2009, commenced in March 2005. On March 1, 2012, the monthly payment was increased to $19,436 from $19,149 in accordance with the CPI provision of the agreement. The present value of the long-term portion of the obligation to Mrs. Maier’s Estate (Craig F. Maier, Executor), approximating $381,000 is included in the consolidated balance sheet under the caption “Deferred compensation and other.” The present value of the current portion of the obligation approximating $212,000 is included in "Accrued expenses" in the consolidated balance sheet.