Re:
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Chanticleer
Holdings, Inc. (the “Company”)
Form
10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008
File
Number 814-00709
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1.
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We
have reviewed your response to our prior comment 3. Please
confirm to us that your response represented the form of the future filing
disclosure. In addition, we note from your response that you
held 342,814 shares of stock of Syzygy Entertainment, Ltd., a related
party. Please confirm to us that the carrying value of these
shares was $77,138 (and/or was included within this balance) as disclosed
in your response to our prior comment 10, and such amount is reflected in
Note 4, Investments, to your financial statements under the subheading
"Available for sale securities" at December 31, 2008. The notes
to the financial statements should separately identify and disclose this
as a related party investment.
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Response:
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a.
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Pursuant
to your request, we confirm that our future revenue disclosure will be in
a form similar to that included in our response to your prior comment
3.
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b.
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We
owned a total of 642,814 shares of Syzygy Entertainment, Ltd. at December
31, 2008 which we valued at a total of $77,138. This amount is
included in the subheading "Available for sale securities" of Note 4 to
our Form 10-K dated December 31,
2008.
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c.
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We
also need to expand future disclosure to include the Company's total
ownership of Syzygy Entertainment, Ltd. in the related party footnote,
although, Mr. Pruitt has ceased involvement with Syzygy since his June 1,
2009 resignation as CFO and a Director. The investment
represents approximately 1.5% of the outstanding stock of
Syzygy.
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2.
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As
a related matter, if you owned more than 342,814 shares as of December 31,
2008, please state the number of shares held and explain how and when they
were acquired.
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Response:
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3.
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We
have reviewed your response to our prior comment 4. Please
confirm to us that both paragraphs of your response represented the form
of the future filing disclosure. Also, see the first paragraph
of your response. Please clarify, if true, that the December
31, 2008 carrying value of $76,000 in two gas wells is reflected in the
line item "Investments at cost" under the subheading "Other Investments"
in Note 4 to the audited financial
statements.
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Response:
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a.
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We
confirm it is our intention to include the form of the disclosure included
in our response to your prior comment 4 in future filing
disclosure.
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b.
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We
also confirm that the $76,000 carrying value of our investment in two gas
wells was included in the sub-heading "Investments at cost" in Note 4 to
the audited financial statements.
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4.
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We
have reviewed your response to our prior comment 5. To enhance
an understanding of the narrative information being provided, we believe
it useful in this situation to also disclose in a tabular format or in the
narrative itself, the amounts involved, similar to the disclosure of
amounts you have provided elsewhere under MD&A-Results of
Operations. Please
revise.
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2008
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2007
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|||||||
Other
income (expense):
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||||||||
Equity
in earnings (losses) of investments
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$ | (123,111 | ) | $ | 35,916 | |||
Realized
gains from sale of investments
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- | 24,696 | ||||||
Unrealized
gains (losses) of marketable equity securities
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5,000 | (43,000 | ) | |||||
Interest
expense
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(20,486 | ) | (10,933 | ) | ||||
Interest
income
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- | 3,629 | ||||||
Loss
on sale of fixed asset
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- | (713 | ) | |||||
Other
than temporary decline in available-for-sale securities
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(1,150,025 | ) | - | |||||
$ | (1,288,622 | ) | $ | 9,595 |
5.
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We
have reviewed your response to our prior comment 11. Please
confirm to us that your response represented the form of the future filing
disclosure.
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6.
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We
have reviewed your response to our prior comment 14 and note your proposed
disclosures. In addition, please consider revising the
statements of cash flows line item "Increase (decrease) in deferred
revenue" for the three months ended March 31, 2009 to reflect an increase
in deferred revenue of $302,083, representing the net change in this
liability during the period.
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7.
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We
have reviewed your response to our prior comment 15. In the
amended filing, please disclose the names of these two cost method
investments, your ownership percentage in each and the number of shares
held at each balance sheet date.
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8.
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It
appears that Remodel Auction Incorporated may now be listed on the pink
sheets. If true, please disclose this fact in the
filing.
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9.
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We
have reviewed your response to our prior comment 16. It appears
from your response that you believe that both of your available-for-sale
investments were impaired at December 31, 2008 and March 31, 2009, and
that these impairments were other than temporary. Further we
have reviewed the financial statements presented in your Form 10-Q for
June 30, 2009. As the balance sheets in that filing no longer
include a line item titled "Accumulated other comprehensive loss" it
appears that you may intend to amend your fiscal 2008 Form 10-K and your
Form 10-Q for March 31, 2009 to write the cost basis of each individual
security down to fair value as of each of these dates. It also
appears that you consider these write-downs to constitute an error in
previously issued financial statements (e.g. oversight or misuse of facts
that existed at the time the financial statements were
prepared). If our understanding is correct, please
confirm. Also, an Item 4.02 Form 8-K would need to be filed
immediately to report the non-reliance on previously issued financial
statements. We refer to both your Form 10-K for December 31,
2008 and your Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31,
2009. Alternatively, please explain how our understanding is
not correct. Please advise as we may have further comment after
review of your response.
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10.
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As
a related matter, the amount and timing of any write-downs that you
propose to record should be consistent with the guidance set forth in FASB
Staff Position SFAS 115-1 and in Topic 5-M of the Staff Accounting
Bulletins. It should also be consistent with your stated
accounting policy, as described to the staff in your response to our prior
comment 6.
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11.
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We
have reviewed your response to our prior comments 19 and
20. Please confirm that your responses will be reflected in the
amended March 31, 2009 Quarterly Report on Form
10-Q.
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12.
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Refer
to your response to our prior comment 19. We assume that the
new partner, to whom you sold half of your investment, is an unrelated
third party. That is, we assume that you did not sell your
interest to a related party or affiliate and/or to any of the other
investors in the $5 million loan. Please confirm supplementally
or explain how our assumption is not
correct.
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13.
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We
have reviewed your response to our prior comments 12 and
21. The amended December 31, 2008 Annual Report on Form 10-K
should include an evaluation of your 'disclosure controls and procedures'
pursuant to Item 307 of Regulation S-K. We note from your
response to prior comment 12 that you will comply with this disclosure
requirement. Please note that as your 'internal control over
financial reporting' had been considered 'not effective' as of this
period, it is assumed that the conclusion on the effectiveness of your
'disclosure controls and procedures' would also be considered 'not
effective.'
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·
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Due
to the limited number of accounting employees, the Company is unable to
segregate all noncompatible duties, which would prevent one person from
having significant control over the initiation, authorization and
recording of transactions. This condition is characteristic of
all companies except those with large numbers of accounting
personnel. A mitigating control is the personal involvement of
the members of the Board of Directors in the analysis and review of
internal financial data, as well as the consultant retained by the Company
to serve the functions of a controller for assistance and preparation of
financial reporting.
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·
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An
effective Audit Committee is an integral part to the integrity of the
Company's financial reporting. The responsibilities of the
Audit Committee should be detailed in the Committee's charter and provided
to its members. These responsibilities should, at a minimum,
require inquiry and awareness of current Company transactions, analysis of
interim and annual financial data and review of minutes of the Board of
Directors. The Audit Committee's oversight and periodic
investigation can serve as a mitigating control to the lack of segregation
of duties inherent to companies with a limited number of
personnel. The current practices of the Company's Audit
Committee do not fulfill these
criteria.
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·
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We
did not maintain effective control over the application, monitoring and
reporting of the appropriate accounting policies related to
available-for-sale securities. Specifically, we did not take
into account the other than temporary impairment of available-for-sale
securities and did not record the other than temporary impairment as a
realized loss rather than as a component of other comprehensive loss in
stockholders' equity.
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14.
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Further,
the conclusion reached should be provided by both the Chief Executive
Officer and Chief Financial Officer, which we note to be the same
individual. Your current disclosure in the March 31, 2009 and
June 30, 2009 Quarterly Reports on Forms 10-Q only reference the
conclusion by the Chief Executive Officer. In the respective
disclosures to be included in the amended December 31, 2008 Form 10-K, as
well as in the amendments to the March 31, 2009 and June 30, 2009 Forms
10-Q, please clarify that your Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial
Officer concluded that your 'disclosure controls and procedures' were
either 'not effective' or 'effective,' as
appropriate.
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15.
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We
note from your response to our prior comment 21 that there have not been
"...any corrective actions with regard to significant deficiencies and
material weaknesses" and that you believe" ...that lack of
segregation of duties noted at December 31, 2008 continues to be a
material weakness." As such, it is unclear how you have
concluded that your 'disclosure controls and procedures' are 'effective'
at March 31, 2009 and also at June 30, 2009. Please
advise. It is further unclear from your response whether the
material weaknesses (please separately describe each material weakness, if
other than lack of segregation of duties) have been resolved via the steps
you have implemented, such as the hiring of an internal accountant...and
the use of a third-party to review your financial
information. Finally, please explain how your conclusions are
consistent with your responses to our prior comments 13 and
16. Please advise and revise your proposed disclosures
accordingly.
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·
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Due
to the limited number of accounting employees, the Company is unable to
segregate all noncompatible duties, which would prevent one person from
having significant control over the initiation, authorization and
recording of transactions. This condition is characteristic of
all companies except those with large numbers of accounting
personnel. A mitigating control is the personal involvement of
the members of the Board of Directors in the analysis and review of
internal financial data, as well as the consultant retained by the Company
to serve the functions of a controller for assistance and preparation of
financial reporting.
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·
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An
effective Audit Committee is an integral part to the integrity of the
Company's financial reporting. The responsibilities of the
Audit Committee should be detailed in the Committee's charter and provided
to its members. These responsibilities should, at a minimum,
require inquiry and awareness of current Company transactions, analysis of
interim and annual financial data and review of minutes of the Board of
Directors. The Audit Committee's oversight and periodic
investigation can serve as a mitigating control to the lack of segregation
of duties inherent to companies with a limited number of
personnel. The current practices of the Company's Audit
Committee do not fulfill these
criteria.
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·
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We
did not maintain effective control over the application, monitoring and
reporting of the appropriate accounting policies related to
available-for-sale securities. Specifically, we did not take
into account the other than temporary impairment of available-for-sale
securities and did not record the other than temporary impairment as a
realized loss rather than as a component of other comprehensive loss in
stockholders' equity.
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·
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We
did not maintain effective control over the application, monitoring and
reporting of the appropriate accounting policies related to deferred
acquisition costs. Specifically, we did not take into account
paragraph 59 of SFAS 141(R) which became effective on January 1, 2009 and
provides that acquisition related costs shall be expensed in the period in
which they are incurred.
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16.
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You
state that you exchanged your oil and gas property investments for 700,000
shares of NAEY. Please tell us how you accounted for the
difference between the book value of the original investment and the
$126,000 fair value of NAEY and provide support for your accounting,
including your basis in GAAP. In this regard, we note the
reference to a realized gain from "sales" of investments in your statement
of operations. Please also tell us the date of the
exchange.
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17.
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We
note that you have classified this single investment as a trading
security. Please explain your intentions with respect to this
investment and explain how you intend to classify any related cash flows
in the cash flow statement and why.
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18.
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Refer
to your investment in Lifestyle Innovations, Inc. Please tell
us when and how you acquired this investment. Indicate whether
this investment is designated "LFSI" for trading purposes and, if it is,
explain why it is described as not having any significant operations at
this time. Tell us the number of shares and the percentage of
ownership interest held at each balance sheet date. Provide
objectively verifiable support for its valuation at June 30,
2009. Please provide similar information for Bouncing Brain
Productions. We may have further
comments.
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a.
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We
acquired the investment in Lifestyle Innovation, Inc. debt on May 31, 2006
with cash in the amount of $100,000 for debt with a face value of
$1,177,395.
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b.
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Lifestyle
Innovations, Inc. traded under symbol "LFSI" but has only had a deminimus
amount of income from a royalty in the last three years and is not a
reporting company.
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c.
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The
debt was converted into a note with interest at 12% on July 1,
2008. We own approximately 28% of the debt in Lifestyle
Innovations, Inc. at each of the balance sheet
dates.
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d.
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The
company has a value of approximately $400,000 as a shell, based on
estimates provided by an attorney knowledgeable in the
area. Accordingly, the valuation of $100,000 would not require
impairment at this time.
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a.
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We
acquired an investment in EE Investors, LLC on January 26, 2006 with cash
in the amount of $250,000.
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b.
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We
own 1,205 units (3.378%) in EE Investors, LLC, whose sole asset is 40% of
Edison Nation, LLC. Accordingly, our ownership of Edison Nation
LLC is approximately 1.351%.
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c.
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Edison
Nation was formed to provide equity capital for new inventions and help
bring them to market. The initial business plan included
developing the products and working with manufacturers and marketing
organizations to sell the products. This has evolved into a
less hands-on program which involves selling products with patents to
other larger companies and retaining royalties. Edison Nation
is not at cash flow break-even yet, but has also developed a number of
companies for which they do product
searches.
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d.
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The
managing member of EE Investors, LLC is in current discussions with
another company that would acquire up to 50% of the ownership of EE
Investors. This would allow the initial investors to get all of
their money back while retaining a smaller interest on a go-forward
basis. Based on this, there is no impairment of the current
investment.
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19.
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We
may have additional comments upon this document upon review of the revised
Form 10-K for fiscal 2008 and the revised Form 10-Q for March 31,
2009.
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·
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the
Company is responsible for the adequacy and accuracy of the disclosure in
the filing;
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staff
comments or changes to disclosure in response to staff comments do not
foreclose the Commission from taking any action with respect to the
filing; and
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the
Company may not assert staff comments as a defense in any proceeding
initiated by the Commission or any person under the federal securities
laws of the United States.
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