EXHIBIT 10.4
Registration Rights
Agreement
THIS REGISTRATION RIGHTS
AGREEMENT (“
Agreement ”) is made and entered into as of this
5 th day of October, 2009, by and between
Granite City Food & Brewery Ltd., a Minnesota corporation
(the “ Company ”) and DHW Leasing L.L.C., a
South Dakota limited liability company (“ DHW
”).
WHEREAS , upon the terms and subject to the conditions
of the Debt Conversion Agreement by and between the Company and DHW
of even date herewith (the “Debt Conversion
Agreement”), the Company has agreed to sell the Shares (as
defined herein) to DHW; and
WHEREAS , to induce DHW to execute and deliver the Debt
Conversion Agreement, the Company has agreed to provide certain
registration rights under the Securities Act (as defined herein)
and applicable state securities laws.
NOW, THEREFORE
, in consideration of the mutual
covenants contained in this Agreement, and for other good and
valuable consideration, the receipt and adequacy of which are
hereby acknowledged, the Company and DHW agree as
follows:
Section 1.
Definitions .
As used in this Agreement, the
following terms shall have the meanings as set forth
herein:
1.1
“ Board ” means the Board of Directors of
the Company.
1.2
“ Closing Date ” shall mean the date on
which the closing of the transactions contemplated by the Debt
Conversion Agreement occurs.
1.3
“ Commission ” means the United States
Securities and Exchange Commission, and any successor
thereto.
1.4
“ Common Stock ” means the
Company’s common stock, $.01 par value per share.
1.5
“ DHW ” includes any person to whom the
rights under this Agreement have been assigned or transferred
(each, a “ Holder ”).
1.6
“ Holder ” means DHW and the persons
defined in Section 1.6.
1.7
“ Person ” means an individual,
partnership, limited partnership, corporation, business trust,
limited liability company, association, joint stock company, trust,
unincorporated organization, joint venture, or other entity of
whatever nature.
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1.8
“ Prospectus ” means the Prospectus
included in a Registration Statement (including, without
limitation, a Prospectus that includes any information previously
omitted from a Prospectus filed as part of an effective
Registration Statement in reliance upon Rule 430A promulgated
under the Securities Act), as amended or supplemented by any
Prospectus supplement, with respect to the terms of the offering of
any portion of the Registrable Securities covered by a Registration
Statement, and all other amendments and supplements to the
Prospectus, including post effective amendments, and all material
incorporated by reference or deemed to be incorporated by reference
in such Prospectus.
1.9
“ Registrable Shares ” means the shares
of Common Stock purchased by DHW pursuant to the Debt Conversion
Agreement; provided, however, that such shares of Common Stock
shall no longer be Registrable Shares (A) when they shall have
been effectively registered under the Securities Act and sold by
DHW in accordance with such registration or sold by DHW pursuant to
Section 4(1) of the Securities Act or Rule 144,
(B) when registration under the Securities Act would no longer
be required for the immediate sale of all such shares of Common
Stock pursuant to the provisions of Rule 144, or (C) on
or after the date which is three years after the Closing
Date.
1.10
“ Registration Statement ” means a
Registration Statement filed on Form S-3 (or such other form
as is then available to the Company) under the Securities Act to
permit the resale of the Registrable Shares, including the
Prospectus, amendments and supplements to each such Registration
Statement or Prospectus, including pre- and post-effective
amendments, all exhibits thereto, and all material incorporated by
reference or deemed to be incorporated by reference in such
Registration Statement.
1.11
“ Register,” “registered” and
“registration ” refer to a registration
effected by preparing and filing a Registration Statement and the
declaration or ordering of the effectiveness of such Registration
Statement.
1.12
“ Rule 144 ” promulgated by the
Commission under the Securities Act, as such rule may be
amended from time to time, or any successor
rule thereto.
1.13
“ Securities Act ” means the Securities
Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations
promulgated from time to time thereunder.
1.14
“ Shares ” means the shares of Common
Stock issuable pursuant to the Debt Conversion
Agreement.
Section 2.
Registration Rights .
2.1
Initial Registration . The Company shall
prepare and file with the Commission, not later than 90 days after
the Closing Date, a Registration Statement covering 4,666,666
Registrable Shares to be registered under the Securities Act on a
non-underwritten basis.
2.2
Additional Registration . At least six months
after the Closing Date, if DHW has sold all of the Registrable
Shares included in the initial Registration Statement, DHW may
request the filing of an additional Registration Statement covering
up to 4,666,666 Registrable Shares (a “Registration
Request”). Upon receipt of a Registration Request, the
Company shall
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use best commercial efforts to, within 45 days
of the Registration Request, prepare and file a Registration
Statement covering the shares which are the subject of the
Registration Request and shall use best commercial efforts to cause
such Registration Statement to become effective as soon as is
practicable following its filing. Upon the sale of all of the
Registrable Shares included in such Registration Statement, DHW may
submit an additional Registration Request covering up to 4,666,666
Registrable Shares and the Company will follow the same procedure
of preparing, filing and seeking effectiveness of a Registration
Statement covering the shares which are the subject of such
Registration Request. The procedure set forth in the
immediately preceding sentence will be followed until all of the
Registrable Shares have been sold; provided, however, that this
Section 2.2 shall not obligate the Company to file
(a) more than six Registration Statements (including the
initial Registration Statement) in total, (b) Registration
Statements any more frequently than one every six months, nor
(c) any Registration Statement more than three years after the
Closing Date. If for any reason the Commission does not
permit registration of all of the Registrable Securities included
in any Registration Statement filed pursuant this Section 2.2,
then the Company’s obligation to register the affected shares
shall cease.
2.3
Underwritten Offering . If DHW intends to
distribute the Registrable Shares covered by any Registration
Statement filed hereunder, DHW shall so inform the Company in the
related Registration Request. DHW shall select the
underwriter with the written approval of the Company, which
approval shall not be unreasonably withheld.
2.4
Abandonment of Registration . In the event that
DHW determines for any reason not to proceed with a registration at
any time before a Registration Statement has been declared
effective by the Commission, and such Registration Statement, is
withdrawn with respect to the Registrable Shares covered thereby,
DHW agrees to bear its own expenses incurred in connection
therewith and to reimburse the Company for the reasonable expenses
incurred by it attributable to the registration of such Registrable
Shares, and if DHW in fact so reimburses the Company, then DHW
shall not be deemed to have exercised its right to require the
Company to register Registrable Shares pursuant to
Section 2.2.
Section 3.
Registration Procedures . When the Company is required by the
terms of this Agreement to effect the registration of Registrable
Shares under the Securities Act, the Company will do the
following:
3.1
Filing . Prepare and file with the Commission a
Registration Statement with respect to such securities, and use
best commercial efforts to cause such Registration Statement to
become and remain effective for such period as may be reasonably
necessary to effect the sale of such securities; provided, however,
such period shall not exceed the earlier to occur of (i) the
completion by the underwriters of the distribution pursuant to such
Registration Statement or (ii) as set forth in
Section 3.2 (the “ Effectiveness Period
”).
(a)
Not less than four trading days prior to the filing of a
Registration Statement or any related Prospectus or any amendment
or supplement thereto, the Company shall furnish to each Holder
copies of the “Selling Stockholders” section of such
document, the “Plan of Distribution” and any risk
factor section contained in such document that addresses
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specifically the transactions under the Debt
Conversion Agreement or the selling stockholders, as proposed to be
filed.
(b)
(i) Prepare and file with the Commission such amendments,
including post effective amendments, to each Registration Statement
and the Prospectus used in connection therewith as may be necessary
to keep such Registration Statement continuously effective as to
the applicable Registrable Securities for its Effectiveness Period;
(ii) cause the related Prospectus to be amended or
supplemented by any required Prospectus supplement, and as so
supplemented or amended to be filed pursuant to Rule 424;
(iii) respond as promptly as reasonably possible to any
comments received from the Commission with respect to each
Registration Statement or any amendment thereto; and
(iv) comply in all material respects with the provisions of
the Securities Act with respect to the Registration
Statements.
(c)
Notify the Holders as promptly as reasonably possible (and, in the
case of (i)(A) below, not less than three trading days prior
to such filing) (i)(A) when a Prospectus or any Prospectus
supplement or post effective amendment to a Registration Statement
is proposed to be filed; (B) when the Commission notifies the
Company whether there will be a “review” of such
Registration Statement and whenever the Commission comments in
writing on such Registration Statement; and (C) with respect
to each Registration Statement or any post effective amendment,
when the same has become effective; (ii) of any request by the
Commission or any other Federal or state governmental authority for
amendments or supplements to a Registration Statement or Prospectus
or for additional information; (iii) of the issuance by the
Commission of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of a
Registration Statement covering any or all of the Registrable
Securities or the initiation of any Proceedings for that purpose;
(iv) of the receipt by the Company of any notification with
respect to the suspension of the qualification or exemption from
qualification of any of the Registrable Securities for sale in any
jurisdiction, or the initiation or threatening of any proceeding
for such purpose; and (v) of the occurrence of any event or
passage of time that makes the financial statements included in a
Registration Statement ineligible for inclusion therein or any
statement made in such Registration Statement or Prospectus or any
document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated therein by
reference untrue in any material respect or that requires any
revisions to such Registration Statement, Prospectus or other
documents so that, in the case of such Registration Statement or
the Prospectus, as the case may be, it will not contain any untrue
statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact
required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements
therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made,
not misleading.
(d)
Use its reasonable commercial efforts to avoid the issuance of, or,
if issued, obtain the withdrawal of (i) any order suspending
the effectiveness of a Registration Statement, or (ii) any
suspension of the qualification (or exemption from qualification)
of any of the Registrable Securities for sale in any
jurisdiction.
(e)
Prior to any public offering of Registrable Securities, to register
or qualify or cooperate with the selling Holders in connection with
the registration or qualification (or exemption from such
registration or qualification) of such Registrable Securities for
offer and sale under the securities or Blue Sky laws a mutually
agreeable number of jurisdictions within the United States, to keep
each such registration or qualification (or exemption therefrom)
effective during the Effectiveness Period and to do any and all
other acts or things necessary or
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advisable to enable the disposition in such
jurisdictions of the Registrable Securities covered by the
Registration Statements except that the Company shall not for any
purpose be required to execute a general consent to service of
process or to qualify to do business as a foreign corporation in
any jurisdiction wherein it is not so qualified. .
(f)
Upon the occurrence of any event contemplated by
Section 3.1(c)(v), as promptly as reasonably possible, prepare
a supplement or amendment, including a post effective amendment, to
the affected Registration Statements or a supplement to the related
Prospectus or any document incorporated or deemed to be
incorporated therein by reference, and file any other required
document so that, as thereafter delivered, no Registration
Statement nor any Prospectus will contain an untrue statement of a
material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be
stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in
light of the circumstances under which they were made, not
misleading.
3.2
Period of Effectiveness . Prepare and file with
the Commission such amendments to such Registration Statement and
supplements to the Prospectus contained therein as may be necessary
to keep such Registration Statement effective for such period as
may be reasonably necessary to effect the sale of such securities,
provided, however, such period shall not exceed the earlier to
occur of (i) the completion by the underwriters of the
distribution pursuant to such Registration Statement,
(ii) three years after the Closing Date, or (iii) a
reasonable determination by the Company that the Shares covered by
the Registration Statement may be sold in their entirety under
Rule 144.
3.3
Copies . Furnish to DHW and to the underwriters
of the securities being registered, if any, such reasonable number
of copies of the Registration Statement, preliminary Prospectus,
final Prospectus and such other documents as DHW and such
underwriters may reasonably request in order to facilitate the
public offering of such securities.
3.4
Holder Sales; Discontinuance and Allowed Suspension
. Each Holder covenants and agrees that it will not sell any
Registrable Securities under the Registration Statement until the
Company has electronically filed the final Prospectus as then
amended or supplemented as contemplated in Section 3.1 and the
Holder has received notice from the Company that such Registration
Statement and any post-effective amendments thereto have become
effective. Each Holder agrees that, upon receipt of a notice
from the Company of the occurrence of any event of the kind
described in S