What should auditors conclude regarding Chesters' ability to continue as a going concern?
Chesters Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
In preparing the financial statements, management is required to evaluate whether there are conditions or events, considered in the aggregate, that raise substantial doubt about Chester's International, LLC's ability to continue as a going concern within one year after the date that the financial statements are available to be issued.
Auditors' Responsibilities for the Audit of the Financial Statements
Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditors' report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance but is not absolute assurance; and therefore, is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. The risk of not detecting a material misstatement resulting from fraud is higher than for one resulting from error, as fraud may involve collusion, forgery, intentional omissions, misrepresentations, or the override of internal control. Misstatements, including omissions, are considered material if there is a substantial likelihood that, individually or in the aggregate, they would influence the judgment made by a reasonable user based on the financial statements.
In performing an audit in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards, we:
- Exercise professional judgment and maintain professional skepticism throughout the audits.
- Identify and assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to fraud or error, and design and perform audit procedures responsive to those risks. Such procedures include examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements.
- Obtain an understanding of internal control relevant to the audits in order to design audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of Chester's International, LLC's internal control. Accordingly, no such opinion is expressed.
- Evaluate the appropriateness of accounting policies used and the reasonableness of significant accounting estimates made by management, as well as evaluate the overall presentation of the financial statements.
- Conclude whether, in our judgment, there are conditions or events, considered in the aggregate, that raise substantial doubt about Chester's International, LLC's ability to continue as a going concern for a reasonable period of time.
Source: Item 21 — **FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (FDD page 48)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Chesters's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, the auditor's responsibility includes concluding whether there are conditions or events that raise substantial doubt about Chesters's ability to continue as a going concern for a reasonable period of time. This assessment is a critical part of the audit process. Management is responsible for evaluating Chesters's ability to continue as a going concern within one year after the date the financial statements are available.
The auditors must exercise professional judgment and maintain professional skepticism throughout the audits. They identify and assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to fraud or error, and design and perform audit procedures responsive to those risks. These procedures include examining evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements on a test basis. The auditors also evaluate the appropriateness of accounting policies used and the reasonableness of significant accounting estimates made by management, as well as evaluate the overall presentation of the financial statements.
The auditor's opinion, as stated in the Independent Auditor's Report, indicates that the financial statements of Chester's International, LLC, present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position as of December 31, 2024 and 2023, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the years then ended, in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. This opinion suggests that, based on the audit, there is no substantial doubt about Chesters's ability to continue as a going concern.