Senior Technical Accountant

FAT Brands Inc.; Lexington (KY); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

FAT Brands Inc. seeks a technically strong Senior Accountant to own lease accounting and fixed assets for a multi‑brand restaurant portfolio. You will manage ASC 842, ROU assets, lease liabilities, and related reconciliations across company-operated and franchised locations.

You will also oversee fixed assets, CIP, depreciation, and impairment testing, coordinating with internal teams and auditors to ensure accurate reporting and strong controls.

Qualifications

• BS in Accounting or Finance required.
• 4+ years of progressive accounting experience; public accounting or a public/private combination strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated hands‑on ownership of ASC 842 for a substantial multi‑location lease portfolio — not incidental exposure.
• Demonstrated hands‑on ownership of a fixed asset subledger including CIP, leasehold improvements, and capitalization policy application.
• Experience in a multi‑entity environment with intercompany activity and consolidation.
• Working knowledge of US GAAP with the ability to research guidance independently and document conclusions in writing.
• Advanced Excel and AI (large data sets, complex formulas, pivot tables, reconciling system output to source data).
• Proven experience supporting external audits on assigned areas.

Responsibilities

• Own the lease portfolio end to end — restaurant real estate, ground leases, equipment leases, and subleases to franchise operators.
• Perform classification analysis and calculate ROU assets and lease liabilities, including remeasurement for modifications and reassessments.
• Account for percentage and variable rent, CAM, real estate taxes, insurance pass‑throughs, and tenant improvement allowances.
• Handle closed and dark stores — cease‑use decisions, ROU asset impairment, termination and buyout accounting for non‑operating sites.
• Prepare amortization schedules, entries, reconciliations, footnote disclosures, and maturity tables; resolve lease system to GL differences.
• Serve as the internal ASC 842 resource for real estate, development, franchise, and legal teams evaluating new or amended deals.

Skills

Advanced Excel

Data analysis

Education

Bachelor's degree in Accounting or Finance

Tools

NetSuite

Visual Lease

LeaseQuery

Nakisa

Power BI

SQL

Job description

Description

FAT Brands Inc is a leading global franchising company that develops and grows fast casual, quick-service, and casual dining concepts around the world — a portfolio of 12 brands, including Round Table Pizza®, Fatburger, Marble Slab Creamery, Johnny Rockets, Fazoli’s, Great American Cookies, Buffalo’s Cafe & Express, Hurricane Grill & Wings, Native Grill & Wings, Pretzelmaker, and Ponderosa and Bonanza Steakhouses, spanning more than 1,700 units worldwide.

We are seeking a technically strong Senior Accountant to own lease accounting and fixed assets for a multi-brand restaurant portfolio spanning company-operated and franchised locations. Restaurant real estate is the heart of this role: store leases, ground leases, subleases to franchisees, percentage rent, and the capital that goes into building, remodeling, and eventually closing units.

You will read the lease, model the remeasurement, book the entry, reconcile the account, and defend the position to the auditors. The right candidate has real depth in ASC 842 and long-lived asset accounting, moves quickly through a high-volume multi‑entity close, and fixes the system rather than the spreadsheet.

Key Responsibilities

Restaurant Lease Accounting (ASC 842)

• Own the lease portfolio end to end — restaurant real estate, ground leases, equipment leases, and subleases to franchise operators — abstracting new and amended leases as units open, transfer, refranchise, or close.
• Perform classification analysis and calculate ROU assets and lease liabilities, including remeasurement for modifications, option reassessments, holdovers, and terminations.
• Account for percentage and variable rent, CAM, real estate taxes, insurance pass‑throughs, and tenant improvement allowances.
• Handle closed and dark stores — cease‑use decisions, ROU asset impairment, termination and buyout accounting, and obligations on non‑operating sites.
• Prepare amortization schedules, entries, reconciliations, footnote disclosures, and maturity tables; resolve lease system to general ledger differences.
• Serve as the internal ASC 842 resource for real estate, development, franchise, and legal teams evaluating new or amended deals.

Restaurant Fixed Assets

• Own the fixed asset subledger by unit: leasehold improvements, kitchen and refrigeration equipment, POS and back-office technology, furniture and fixtures, signage, and drive‑thru systems.
• Administer construction‑in‑progress for new builds, conversions, remodels, and refresh programs; apply capitalization triggers and record placed‑in‑service on opening date.
• Apply capitalization policy consistently and distinguish capital from repairs and maintenance in a high‑volume R&M environment; amortize leasehold improvements over the shorter of useful life or lease term.
• Account for unit closures, equipment transfers, retirements, and assets conveyed in refranchising transactions.
• Support ASC 360 impairment testing at the individual restaurant level — asset grouping, undiscounted cash flow analysis by unit, and fair value measurement.
• Prepare roll‑forwards, depreciation forecasts, and capital spend reporting by brand, unit, and project; coordinate periodic asset verification with field and operations teams.

Close, Reporting & Systems

• Execute month‑end, quarter‑end, and year‑end close across multiple brands and legal entities on a tight calendar, including entries, accruals, and reconciliations.
• Deliver variance analysis with the actual driver — unit count, remodel activity, closures, rent changes — and draft technical memos documenting accounting conclusions.
• Administer the lease accounting system and fixed asset module, maintain NetSuite integrations, and implement automation that shortens the close and reduces manual schedules.
• Support acquisition and refranchising integration, including opening balance sheet lease and asset data and system conversion.
• Execute internal controls, maintain desk procedures, and serve as primary contact for external auditors on lease and fixed asset requests.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting or Finance.
• 4+ years of progressive accounting experience; public accounting or a public/private combination strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated hands‑on ownership of ASC 842 for a substantial multi‑location lease portfolio — not incidental exposure.
• Demonstrated hands‑on ownership of a fixed asset subledger including CIP, leasehold improvements, and capitalization policy application.
• Experience in a multi‑entity environment with intercompany activity and consolidation.
• Working knowledge of US GAAP with the ability to research guidance independently and document conclusions in writing.
• Advanced Excel and AI (large data sets, complex formulas, pivot tables, reconciling system output to source data).
• Proven experience supporting external audits on assigned areas.

Preferred Qualifications

• Hands‑on NetSuite experience, including Fixed Assets Management and multi‑subsidiary reporting.
• Experience with a dedicated lease accounting platform (e.g., Visual Lease, LeaseQuery / FinQuery, CoStar, Nakisa).
• Participation in an ERP or subledger implementation, migration, or conversion.
• Exposure to unit‑level impairment analysis, refranchising transactions, or acquisition integration.
• Familiarity with data tools that support reconciliation and reporting automation (Power Query, SQL, Power BI).