defa14a
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
SCHEDULE 14A
Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934 (Amendment No. )
Filed by the Registrant þ
Filed by a Party other than the Registrant o
Check the appropriate box:
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Preliminary Proxy Statement |
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Confidential, for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule 14a-6(e)(2)) |
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Definitive Proxy Statement |
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Definitive Additional Materials |
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Soliciting Material Pursuant to §240.14a-12 |
LUBY'S, INC.
(Name of Registrant as Specified In Its Charter)
(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if other than the Registrant)
Payment of Filing Fee (Check the appropriate box):
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No fee required. |
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Fee computed on table below per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(1) and 0-11. |
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Fee paid previously with preliminary materials. |
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Check box if any part of the fee is offset as provided by Exchange Act Rule 0-11(a)(2)
and identify the filing for which the offsetting fee was paid previously. Identify the
previous filing by registration statement number, or the Form or Schedule and the date of its
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Date Filed: |
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On December 31, 2007, Lubys, Inc. mailed the following letter to its shareholders:
LUBYS ANNUAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS
IS RAPIDLY APPROACHING YOUR VOTE IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT
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If you already voted Lubys WHITE proxy card, no further action is required |
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If you have not yet voted, please vote the enclosed WHITE proxy card today |
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If you voted a gold proxy card, there is still time to change your vote by voting the
WHITE proxy card today |
If you have any questions, call Mackenzie Partners, Inc. Toll-Free at (800) 322-2885
or call Lubys Investor Relations Department at (713) 329-6880
December 31, 2007
Dear Shareholder:
Lubys January 15, 2008 Annual Meeting of Shareholders is rapidly approaching. If you have not
yet voted, we strongly recommend you vote Lubys WHITE proxy card today FOR your Boards
experienced directors Dr. Judith B. Craven, Arthur R. Emerson, Frank Markantonis and Gasper Mir,
III. We urge you to protect your investment in Lubys by throwing away any gold proxy card you may
have received from dissident shareholder and New York City-based hedge fund, Ramius Capital.
WE BELIEVE THE RAMIUS NOMINEES ARE CONFLICTED AND
INCENTIVIZED ONLY TO ACT IN THE INTERESTS OF RAMIUS
AND NOT ALL LUBYS SHAREHOLDERS
The Ramius nominees each have special financial arrangements with Ramius which we believe
compromises their independence and commitment to serving the interests of the Company and all
Lubys shareholders.
Each of the Ramius nominees signed an agreement with Ramius under which they have received an
upfront payment from Ramius and stand to be paid even more money only after Ramius sells all of its
Lubys stock.
We believe this compensation arrangement incentivizes the Ramius nominees to pursue a
short-term agenda at the expense of Lubys restored capital structure and strategic growth plan.
THE RAMIUS NOMINEES LACK THE NECESSARY SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE
REQUIRED TO SERVE ON YOUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS
While Ramius touts the restaurant industry experience of its nominees, we believe that this
experience is neither distinguished nor relevant to Lubys casual dining business model. Fast
food and failing concepts are not what your Board needs to help lead Lubys through its next growth
phase or to create shareholder value.
Consider the following facts about the Ramius nominees:
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Brion Grube had short stints at Mexican fast-food chain Baja Fresh (CEO for only 19
months) and at Café Express (CEO for only 17 months). At Baja Fresh, Grube presided over a
failed expansion strategy, staggering operating losses and negative same-store sales
comparables. As a result of Grubes failure to turn around Baja Fresh and restore
profitable |
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growth, Baja Fresh was ultimately sold in 2006 for only $31 million, nearly $250 million
less than its original purchase price just five years before. At Café Express, a small
chain with less than 20 locations, Grube failed to deliver on growth promises and presided
over negative same-store sales comparables. |
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Matt Panneks limited restaurant executive experience includes his brief tenure (CEO for
only 15 months) at the hamburger chain, Fuddruckers. Ramius fails to explain why Panneks
role at Fuddruckers was so brief, and the circumstances surrounding his departure. |
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Stephen Farrar has worked primarily at Wendys, the fast food hamburger and drive-thru
chain a business model built on franchising that has very little relevance to Lubys
from-scratch cooking and casual dining offering. |
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Bill Fox is a recurring Ramius director for hire and has no restaurant industry
experience. In just 18 months, Ramius has nominated Fox to four different public company
Boards in disparate industries. Fox is currently a nominee for two Boards, including
Lubys, and only one week ago, according to preliminary results, Fox was REJECTED as a
Ramius nominee by the shareholders of Datascope Corporation, a publicly-traded medical
device maker. Also, Ramius has failed to disclose that Fox was sued for federal securities
fraud relating to his role as an executive officer at Revlon and its subsidiary, the
Cosmetics Centers, a public company that ultimately filed for bankruptcy. |
Lubys shareholders, ask yourselves: Given the short tenure and lackluster record of the
Ramius nominees and their lack of relevant experience, is this the new leadership that you want
serving on your Board of Directors? Remember, only one of the Ramius nominees has any public Board
experience, and he is a director for hire with no restaurant industry experience whatsoever.
PROTECT YOUR INVESTMENT DO NOT ELECT THE RAMIUS NOMINEES
DOING SO WOULD ENABLE RAMIUS TO PURSUE ITS SHORT-TERM,
SELF-SERVING FINANCIAL RELEVERAGING SCHEME
AT THE EXPENSE OF ALL SHAREHOLDERS
In an effort to seek your vote and advance its short-term agenda, Ramius is attempting to
masquerade as a corporate governance and restaurant industry expert. The truth is, based on its
track record, Ramius is neither. Ramius is nothing more than a short-term focused hedge fund that
offers no business plan for Lubys, and is not concerned with driving sustainable and profitable
growth for the benefit of all shareholders.
Ramius targets public companies in hostile proxy fights to advance its own self-serving
interests. Ramius wants Lubys to pursue a sale and leaseback of the Companys owned real estate
in order to make a short-term profit at the expense of long-term value creation for all
shareholders. Despite its best efforts to distance itself from this notion, Ramius central scheme
from the outset of its campaign at Lubys has not changed. We urge you to not be misled by Ramius.
Lubys Board, together with the assistance of nationally recognized and independent financial
advisors, carefully evaluated the Companys capital structure and analyzed sale and leaseback
strategies and unanimously concluded that a sale-leaseback plan is not in the best
interests of the Company and all Lubys shareholders:
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By owning rather than leasing our properties, Lubys generates better operating margins
and greater cash flow returns, which better position the Company for growth. |
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Ramius financial releveraging scheme makes NO financial sense for Lubys... Since
2001, Lubys Board and management team have successfully eliminated
$120 million of debt, restored profitability, and positioned the Company for sustainable and |
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profitable growth. Now, in todays uncertain financial markets, Ramius wants to reverse
course and pursue an ill-conceived sale-leaseback scheme which would saddle the Company with
millions of dollars in lease obligations. Lubys wants to use its cash flow to grow the
Company, not to pay rent. |
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...and it makes NO business sense for Lubys either. Ramius agenda is wholly
inconsistent with Lubys strategic growth plan of building 45 to 50 new restaurants over
the next five years; investing in Lubys existing restaurants through upgrading and
remodeling; and growing the Companys culinary contract business to provide food service at
healthcare facilities. |
Lubys Board and management team stand firmly behind the Companys solid capital structure and
believe that our strategic growth plan is the best way to create value for all shareholders.
LUBYS DIRECTORS ARE EXPERIENCED, INDEPENDENT AND
COMMITTED TO ACTING ON BEHALF OF ALL SHAREHOLDERS
Lubys Board consists of a majority of independent directors who are diverse and open-minded
business and community leaders. Lubys directors possess valuable and unique skills in restaurant
operations; health and food safety; corporate leadership; human resources; accounting; risk
management; corporate finance; legal compliance; bilingual marketing and customer strategy all
areas that are critical to the continued success of an organization like Lubys, which employs over
8,000 people and serves millions of customers each month.
Each of Lubys four directors standing for re-election has relevant and
critical expertise:
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Dr. Judith Craven (Vice Chairman): Extensive health and food safety experience
as the head of the Health Department in Houston and a current member of the Board of
Directors of Sysco Foods, the global leader in selling, marketing and distributing food
products to restaurants, hotels, hospitals and schools. Public health and safety are
essential in the restaurant business as well as in the healthcare facilities which Lubys
serves through its growing culinary services business. Dr. Craven is also an experienced
leader in the Boardroom. In addition to serving on the Board of Sysco, she currently serves
on the Boards of Belo, Sun America Fund, and Valic. She has also served as a director at
Compaq. |
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Arthur Emerson: Bilingual marketing and advertising experience for restaurants.
Mr. Emerson led the introduction of Lubys marketing and advertising campaign to Hispanic
customers with Spanish speaking commercials in 2004. He has also been influential in
developing Lubys childrens programs marketing and advertising to families and female
decision makers, and broadening Lubys customer demographic to include younger families. |
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Frank Markantonis: Extensive restaurant experience (30+ years) in law, risk
management, human resources and real estate. At Lubys, Mr. Markantonis has been
instrumental in implementing policies and procedures that directly led to multi-million
dollar per year savings related to risk management, helped Lubys reduce its insurance
costs and expand its coverage, and helped Lubys eliminate debt through the sale of
underperforming properties. |
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Gasper Mir, III (Chairman): Public accounting expertise; independent leadership
as Chairman of Board; and large organization executive experience. Mr. Mir has served on
the Board of Hermann Memorial Healthcare (a multi-billion dollar hospital system in Texas)
and has been a partner at KPMG (one of the worlds largest accounting firms) and a top
official at the Houston Independent School District (one of the nations largest). Mr. Mir
has experience with healthcare facilities that complements Lubys culinary services
business. |
Your Board strongly believes that the oversight, experience and proven achievements of Dr.
Craven, Mr. Emerson, Mr. Markantonis and Mr. Mir is what Lubys needs in its next phase of growth.
SUPPORT YOUR BOARD VOTE LUBYS WHITE PROXY CARD TODAY
IMPORTANT: Remember that only your latest dated proxy counts in a contested election such as
this. For this reason, we strongly urge you to vote only Lubys WHITE proxy card and to throw away
Ramius gold proxy card. This is the only way to ensure that your shares are voted FOR Lubys
directors. If you have previously voted a gold card, even to withhold your vote from the Ramius
nominees, please take the time today to vote your WHITE proxy card.
Lubys shareholders who have any questions or need assistance voting their WHITE proxy card
should contact the Companys investor relations department at (713) 329-6808 or
investors@lubys.com, or MacKenzie Partners, Inc. which is assisting the Company in this matter,
toll-free at (800) 322-2885.
On behalf of your Board of Directors,
Sincerely,
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Gasper Mir, III
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Christopher J. Pappas |
Chairman of the Board
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President and Chief Executive Officer |
Additional Information
In connection with the solicitation of proxies, Lubys has filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission (the SEC) a definitive proxy statement on November 29, 2007 (the Proxy
Statement). The Proxy Statement contains important information about Lubys and the 2008 Annual
Meeting of Shareholders. Lubys shareholders are urged to read the Proxy Statement carefully.
On November 29, 2007, Lubys began the process of mailing the Proxy Statement, together with a
WHITE proxy card. Shareholders may obtain additional free copies of the Proxy Statement and other
documents filed with the SEC by Lubys through the website maintained by the SEC at www.sec.gov.
The Proxy Statement and other relevant documents also may be obtained free of charge from Lubys by
contacting Investor Relations in writing at Lubys, Inc., 13111 Northwest Freeway, Suite 600,
Houston, Texas 77040; or by phone at 713-329-6808; or by email at investors@lubys.com. The Proxy
Statement is also available on Lubys website at www.lubys.com/06aboutusFilings.asp. The contents
of the websites referenced above are not deemed to be incorporated by reference into the Proxy
Statement. In addition, copies of the Proxy Statement may be requested by contacting the Companys
proxy solicitor, MacKenzie Partners, Inc., by phone toll-free at 1-800-322-2885.
Lubys and its directors and executive officers and other members of management and employees
may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies in connection with the 2008 Annual
Meeting of Shareholders. You can find information about Lubys directors and executive officers in
the Proxy Statement.
Forward-Looking Statements
This document contains statements that are forward-looking statements within the meaning of
Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934, as amended. All statements contained in this document, other than statements of
historical fact, are forward-looking statements for purposes of these provisions, including any
statements regarding plans for expansion of the Companys business, scheduled openings of new
units, the implementation of the Companys strategic growth plan, the effects of alternative
business plans and expectations concerning unit sales and investor returns. Forward-looking
statements by their nature involve substantial risks and uncertainties that could significantly
affect expected results, and actual future results could differ materially from those described in
such statements. Some of the factors that could cause actual future results to differ materially
are described under the caption Risk Factors in the Companys annual reports on Form 10-K and
quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, which may be obtained free of charge at the SECs website at
www.sec.gov or from Lubys at www.lubys.com.