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 ☒

Filed by a party other than the Registrant ☐

Check the appropriate box:

☐ Preliminary Proxy Statement

☐ Confidential, for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule 14a-6(e)(2))

☒ Definitive Proxy Statement

☐ Definitive Additional Materials

☐ Soliciting Material under §240.14a-12

UNIFIRST CORPORATION

(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 all boxes that apply):

☒ No fee required

☐ Fee paid previously with preliminary materials

☐ Fee computed on table in exhibit required by Item 25(b) per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(1) and 0-11

UNIFIRST CORPORATION

68 Jonspin Road

Wilmington, Massachusetts 01887

NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS

To Be Held On Tuesday, January 9, 2024

The Annual Meeting of Shareholders (the “Annual Meeting”) of UniFirst Corporation (the “Company”) will be held at the corporate offices of the Company located at 68 Jonspin Road, Wilmington, Massachusetts 01887 on Tuesday, January 9, 2024 at 8:30 A.M. Eastern Time for the following purposes:

Proposal 1 above relates solely to the election of two Class I Directors nominated by the Board of Directors and does not include any other matters relating to the election of directors, including, without limitation, the election of directors nominated by any shareholder of the Company.

The Board of Directors has fixed the close of business on November 13, 2023 as the record date for the Annual Meeting. All shareholders of record on that date are entitled to receive notice of and to vote at the meeting.

Under Securities and Exchange Commission rules, the Company is providing access to the proxy materials for the Annual Meeting to shareholders via the Internet. Accordingly, you can access the proxy materials at www.edocumentview.com/UNF. Instructions for accessing the proxy materials and voting are described below and in the Annual Shareholder Meeting Notice (the “Notice”) that you received. Please review the proxy materials prior to voting.

Your vote is very important. If you hold your shares in your own name as a holder of record with our transfer agent, you may vote by one of the following methods:

If you are a stockholder of record and attend the Annual Meeting, you may vote in person by ballot even if you have previously voted by Internet, by telephone or by returning your proxy card. Any proxy may be revoked by delivery of a later dated proxy. We encourage you to vote prior to the Annual Meeting by Internet, telephone or proxy card in accordance with the instructions above.

If your shares are held by a broker, bank or other nominee in street name, please follow the instructions you receive from your broker, bank or other nominee to have your shares voted. If your shares are held by a broker, bank or other nominee in street name and you wish to vote in person at the Annual Meeting, you will need to obtain a “legal proxy” from the broker, bank or other nominee that holds your shares of record prior to attending the meeting and voting.

Wilmington, Massachusetts

November 30, 2023

YOUR VOTE IS IMPORTANT. WHETHER OR NOT YOU EXPECT TO ATTEND THE ANNUAL MEETING, PLEASE REVIEW THE PROXY MATERIALS, INCLUDING OUR 2023 ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 10-K, AT WWW.EDOCUMENTVIEW.COM/UNF AND VOTE BY INTERNET AT WWW.ENVISIONREPORTS.COM/UNF, BY TELEPHONE OR BY PROXY CARD IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE INSTRUCTIONS IN THIS PROXY STATEMENT AND THE NOTICE. IF YOU ATTEND THE MEETING, YOU MAY CONTINUE TO HAVE YOUR SHARES VOTED AS INSTRUCTED IN THE PROXY OR YOU MAY WITHDRAW YOUR PROXY AT THE MEETING AND VOTE YOUR SHARES IN PERSON. IF YOUR SHARES ARE HELD IN STREET NAME, PLEASE FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS YOU RECEIVE FROM YOUR BROKER, BANK OR OTHER NOMINEE TO HAVE YOUR SHARES VOTED.

Important

Please note that due to security procedures, if you decide to attend the Annual Meeting, you will be required to show a form of picture identification to gain access to the offices of UniFirst Corporation. Please contact the Company’s Investor Relations group at (978) 658-8888 if you plan to attend the Annual Meeting.

UNIFIRST CORPORATION

68 Jonspin Road

Wilmington, Massachusetts 01887

PROXY STATEMENT FOR 2024 ANNUAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS

to be held on January 9, 2024

at 8:30 A.M. Eastern Time

at the corporate offices of UniFirst Corporation

located at 68 Jonspin Road,

Wilmington, Massachusetts 01887

General Information

This Proxy Statement is furnished in connection with the solicitation of proxies by the Board of Directors of UniFirst Corporation (the “Company”, “UniFirst”, “we”, “our” or “us”) for use at the 2024 Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held on Tuesday, January 9, 2024 (the “Annual Meeting”) and at any adjournments or postponements thereof. This Proxy Statement and the accompanying Notice of Annual Meeting of Shareholders are first being made available to shareholders on or about November 30, 2023.

The Board of Directors has fixed the close of business on November 13, 2023 as the “Record Date” for the determination of the shareholders entitled to notice of, and to vote at, the Annual Meeting and any adjournments or postponements thereof. As of the close of business on the Record Date, there were outstanding and entitled to vote 15,127,118 shares of common stock, par value $0.10 per share (“Common Stock”), and 3,590,295 shares of Class B common stock, par value $0.10 per share (“Class B Common Stock”). Transferees after such date will not be entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting. Each share of Common Stock is entitled to one vote per share. Each share of Class B Common Stock is entitled to ten votes per share.

As more fully described in this Proxy Statement, the purposes of the Annual Meeting are (1) to elect two Class I Directors nominated by the Board of Directors, each to serve for a term of three years until the 2027 Annual Meeting of Shareholders and until their respective successors are duly elected and qualified, (2) to approve, on a non-binding, advisory basis, the compensation of the Company’s named executive officers as more fully described in this Proxy Statement; (3) to approve, on a non-binding, advisory basis, the frequency of future non-binding, advisory votes on the compensation of the Company’s named executive officers; (4) to approve the UniFirst Corporation 2023 Equity Inventive Plan; (5) to ratify the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending August 31, 2024; and (6) to consider and act upon any other matters which may properly come before the Annual Meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof.

With respect to the election of Class I Directors, a plurality of the votes cast by holders of shares of (1) Common Stock and Class B Common Stock, voting together as a single class and represented in person or by proxy at the Annual Meeting and entitled to vote thereon, is necessary to elect Michael Iandoli and (2) Common Stock, voting separately as a single class and represented in person or by proxy at the Annual Meeting and entitled to vote thereon, is necessary to elect Joseph M. Nowicki. Votes may be cast “For” or “Withhold” with respect to the election of each of Messrs. Iandoli and Nowicki. A “Withhold” vote is not considered a vote cast for the election of a Director and will have no impact on the election of a Director, except to the extent that in a contested election the failure to vote for an individual results in another individual receiving a larger percentage of votes. Under the plurality voting standard, the two nominees up for election at the Annual Meeting that receive the highest number of votes cast “For” their election will be elected.

With respect to the approval, on a non-binding, advisory basis, of the compensation of the Company’s named executive officers (Proposal 2), the approval, on a non-binding, advisory basis, of the frequency of future non-binding, advisory votes on the compensation of the Company’s named executive officers (Proposal 3), the approval of the UniFirst Corporation 2023 Equity Incentive Plan (Proposal 4), the ratification of the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending August 31, 2024 (Proposal 5) and each other matter expected to be voted upon at the Annual Meeting, the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast by holders of shares of Common Stock and Class B Common Stock, voting together as a single class and represented in person or by proxy at the Annual Meeting and entitled to vote thereon, is required for approval. Votes may be cast “For”, “Against” or “Abstain” on Proposal 2, Proposal 4 and Proposal 5. Votes may be cast for a frequency of every year (box “1 Year” on the proxy card), every

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two years (box “2 Years” on the proxy card) or every three years (box “3 Years” on the proxy card), or shareholders may “Abstain” with respect to Proposal 3.

If you are the beneficial owner of shares held in a brokerage account and you do not instruct your broker, bank or other agent how to vote your shares, your broker, bank or other agent may still be able to vote your shares in its discretion. Under the rules of the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”), brokers, banks and other securities intermediaries that are subject to NYSE rules may use their discretion to vote your “uninstructed” shares on matters considered to be “routine” under NYSE rules but not with respect to “non-routine” matters. A broker non-vote occurs when a broker, bank or other agent has not received voting instructions from the beneficial owner of the shares and the broker, bank or other agent cannot vote the shares because the matter is considered “non-routine” under NYSE rules. Proposals 1, 2, 3 and 4 are considered to be “non-routine” under NYSE rules such that your broker, bank or other agent may not vote your shares on those proposals in the absence of your voting instructions. Conversely, Proposal 5 is considered to be “routine” under NYSE rules and thus if you do not return voting instructions to your broker, your shares may be voted by your broker in its discretion on Proposal 5.

The representation in person or by proxy of at least a majority of all Common Stock and Class B Common Stock issued, outstanding and entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. Consistent with applicable law, the Company intends to count abstentions and broker non-votes for the purpose of determining the presence or absence of a quorum for the transaction of business. Any shares not voted (whether by abstention, broker non-vote or otherwise) will have no impact on the election of Directors, except to the extent that in a contested election the failure to vote for an individual results in another individual receiving a larger percentage of votes, and no impact on the other proposals described above or any other matter which may properly come before the Annual Meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof.

Your vote is very important. If you hold your shares in your own name as a holder of record with our transfer agent, you may vote by one of the following methods:

If you are a stockholder of record and you attend the Annual Meeting, you may vote in person by ballot at the Annual Meeting even if you have previously voted by Internet, by telephone or by returning your proxy card. Any proxy may be revoked by delivery of a later dated proxy. We encourage you to vote prior to the Annual Meeting by Internet, telephone or proxy card in accordance with the instructions above.

If your shares are held by a broker, bank or other nominee in street name, please follow the instructions you receive from your broker, bank or other nominee to have your shares voted. If your shares are held by a broker, bank or other nominee in street name and you wish to vote in person at the Annual Meeting, you will need to obtain a “legal proxy” from the broker, bank or other nominee that holds your shares of record prior to attending the meeting and voting.

Shares represented by a properly executed proxy received prior to the times above and not revoked will be voted at the Annual Meeting as directed on the proxy. If a properly executed proxy is submitted and no instructions are given, the proxy (1) will be voted “For” the election of each of the two nominees for Class I Director named in this Proxy Statement, each to serve for a term of three years until the 2027 Annual Meeting of Shareholders and until their respective successors are duly elected and qualified, (2) will be voted “For” the approval, on a non-binding, advisory basis, of the compensation of the Company’s named executive officers, (3) will be voted for a frequency of every “1 Year” for holding future say-on-pay votes on the compensation of the Company’s named executive officers, (4) will be

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voted “For” the approval of the UniFirst Corporation 2023 Equity Incentive Plan, and (5) will be voted “For” the ratification of the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending August 31, 2024. It is not anticipated that any matter other than those set forth in this Proxy Statement will be presented at the Annual Meeting. If other matters are presented, proxies will be voted in accordance with the discretion of the proxy holders. The Board of Directors recommends a vote (1) “For” the election of each of the two nominees for Class I Director, (2) “For” the approval, on a non-binding, advisory basis, of the compensation of the Company’s named executive officers, (3) for a frequency of every “1 Year” for holding future say-on-pay votes on the compensation of the Company’s named executive officers, (4) “For” the approval of the UniFirst Corporation 2023 Equity Incentive Plan and (5) “For” the ratification of the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending August 31, 2024.

A shareholder of record may revoke a proxy at any time before it has been exercised by (1) filing a written revocation with the Secretary of the Company at the address of the Company set forth above, (2) properly casting a new vote via the Internet or by telephone at any time before the closure of the Internet or telephone voting facilities, (3) filing a duly executed proxy bearing a later date, or (4) appearing in person and voting by ballot at the Annual Meeting. Any shareholder of record as of the Record Date attending the Annual Meeting may vote in person whether or not a proxy has been previously given, but the presence (without further action) of a shareholder at the Annual Meeting will not constitute revocation of a previously given proxy. Any written revocation of a proxy should be sent to UniFirst Corporation, 68 Jonspin Road, Wilmington, MA 01887, Attention: Secretary, prior to the vote at the Annual Meeting.

If your shares are held through a broker, bank or other nominee and you instructed your broker, bank or other nominee to vote your shares by following the instructions that the broker, bank or other nominee provided to you, you may change your voting instructions by submitting new voting instructions to your broker, bank or other nominee prior to the deadline for voting.

The expense of this proxy solicitation will be borne by the Company. In addition to the solicitation of proxies by mail, on the Internet websites www.edocumentview.com/UNF and www.envisionreports.com/UNF and by telephone, the Directors, officers and employees of the Company may also solicit proxies personally, by telephone or by mail without special compensation for such activities. The Company may also request persons, firms and corporations holding shares in their names or in the names of their nominees, which are beneficially owned by others, to send proxy material to and obtain proxies from such beneficial owners. The Company will reimburse such holders for their reasonable expenses in connection therewith.

The Company’s 2023 Annual Report to Shareholders, including the Company’s audited financial statements for the fiscal year ended August 26, 2023 (the “2023 fiscal year”), is being made available to shareholders concurrently with this Proxy Statement at www.edocumentview.com/UNF and www.envisionreports.com/UNF.

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PROPOSAL 1

ELECTION OF DIRECTORS

The Board of Directors of the Company is currently composed of six members, divided into three classes of two directors. Generally, one class is elected each year at the Annual Meeting of Shareholders and the Directors in each class serve for a term of three years and until their respective successors are duly elected and qualified. As the term of one class expires, a successor class is elected at each Annual Meeting of Shareholders.

At the Annual Meeting, two Class I Directors will be elected to serve until the 2027 Annual Meeting of Shareholders and until their respective successors are duly elected and qualified. The Board of Directors has nominated Michael Iandoli and Joseph M. Nowicki as Class I Directors (together, the “Nominees”).

The Board of Directors has determined that Messrs. Iandoli and Nowicki are “independent” under the rules of the New York Stock Exchange.

Unless otherwise instructed, the persons named in the proxy will vote the shares to which the proxy relates “For” the election of the Nominees to the Board of Directors. While the Company has no reason to believe that any of the Nominees will be unable to serve as a Director, in the event any of the Nominees should become unavailable to serve at the time of the Annual Meeting, it is the intention of the persons named in the proxy to vote such proxy for such other person or persons as the Board of Directors may recommend.

Vote Required

The affirmative vote of a plurality of the votes cast by holders of shares of Common Stock and Class B Common Stock, voting together as a single class and represented in person or by proxy at the Annual Meeting and entitled to vote thereon, is required to elect Mr. Iandoli. The affirmative vote of a plurality of the votes cast by holders of shares of Common Stock, voting separately as a single class and represented in person or by proxy at the Annual Meeting and entitled to vote thereon, is required to elect Mr. Nowicki.

Recommendation

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS THAT YOU VOTE “FOR” THE ELECTION OF MICHAEL IANDOLI AND JOSEPH M. NOWICKI AS CLASS I DIRECTORS.

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Information Regarding Nominees and Directors

The following table sets forth certain information with respect to the two nominees for election as Class I Directors at the Annual Meeting and those continuing Directors of the Company whose terms expire at the Annual Meetings of Shareholders in 2025 and 2026, based on information furnished to the Company by each Director. Approximately one-third of our Board of Directors self-identifies as female or ethnically diverse.

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Meetings of the Board of Directors and Its Committees

Board of Directors. The Company’s Board of Directors is divided into three classes, and the members of each class serve for staggered three-year terms. The Board of Directors is currently composed of two Class I Directors (Messrs. Iandoli and Nowicki), two Class II Directors (Messrs. Sintros and Zemlin) and two Class III Directors (Mr. Pupkin and Ms. Croatti). Phillip L. Cohen, Thomas S. Postek and Kathleen M. Camilli also served on the Board of Directors during the 2023 fiscal year. The terms of the continuing Class III Directors and II Directors will expire upon the election and qualification of Directors at the Annual Meeting of Shareholders in 2025 and 2026, respectively. At each Annual Meeting of Shareholders, Directors generally will be elected for a full term of three years to succeed those Directors whose terms are expiring. The Board of Directors held 13 meetings during the Company’s 2023 fiscal year.

Audit Committee. During the 2023 fiscal year, the Audit Committee consisted of Messrs. Nowicki (Chair), Cohen and Postek and Ms. Camilli. The Audit Committee held seven meetings during fiscal 2023. The current members of the Audit Committee are Messrs. Nowicki (Chair), Iandoli and Pupkin. The Audit Committee is responsible for assisting the Board of Directors in its oversight of (1) the integrity of the Company’s financial statements and reporting process, (2) the qualifications, independence and performance of the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm, (3) the performance of the Company’s internal audit function, and (4) the Company’s compliance with legal and regulatory requirements. The Board of Directors and the Audit Committee have adopted a written Audit Committee Charter, which is reviewed annually and revised from time to time. A current copy of the Audit Committee Charter, as amended and restated, is available on the Company’s website at www.unifirst.com. The Board of Directors has determined that each of the members of the Audit Committee during fiscal 2023 and each of the current members of the Audit Committee is “independent” under the rules of the NYSE and the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and has determined that Messrs. Nowicki, Iandoli, Pupkin, Cohen and Postek are “audit committee financial experts” under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). The Board of Directors and the Audit Committee have adopted a Statement of Corporate Policy and Code of Business Conduct, a current copy of which is available on the Company’s website at www.unifirst.com. The Company’s Audit Committee Complaint Procedure is also available on the Company’s website at www.unifirst.com.

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Compensation Committee. During the 2023 fiscal year, the Compensation Committee consisted of Messrs. Iandoli (Chair), Nowicki and Zemlin. The Compensation Committee met on five occasions during fiscal 2023. Messrs. Iandoli (Chair), Nowicki and Zemlin are also the current members of the Compensation Committee. The Compensation Committee is responsible for reviewing and approving the Company’s executive compensation program, recommending awards under the Company’s equity compensation plans and establishing the compensation for the Company’s Chief Executive Officer. The Board of Directors has determined that each of the members of the Compensation Committee is “independent” under the rules of the NYSE. The Board of Directors and the Compensation Committee have adopted a written Compensation Committee Charter, which is reviewed annually and revised from time to time. A current copy of the Compensation Committee Charter is available on the Company’s website at www.unifirst.com.

Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. During the 2023 fiscal year, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee consisted of Messrs. Zemlin (Chair), Cohen, Iandoli and Pupkin. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee met on three occasions in fiscal 2023. Messrs. Zemlin (Chair), Iandoli and Pupkin are the current members of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee reviews and evaluates potential nominees for election or appointment to the Board of Directors and recommends such nominees to the full Board of Directors. The Board of Directors and the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee have adopted a written Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee Charter, which is reviewed annually and revised from time to time. A current copy of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee Charter is available on the Company’s website at www.unifirst.com. The Board of Directors has determined that each of the members of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee is “independent” under the rules of the NYSE. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee’s policy is to review and consider all Director candidates recommended by any of the Company’s Directors or shareholders. Such review and consideration is to proceed in accordance with the Company’s By-laws, Corporate Governance Guidelines and Policy Regarding New Director Nominations. See “Other Matters — Shareholder Proposals” for a summary of certain of these requirements. While neither the Board of Directors nor the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee has a specific policy with respect to diversity, the Policy Regarding New Director Nominations provides that the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee believes that director candidates should have a background that is complementary to that of the existing Board members so as to provide management and the Board of Directors with a diversity and freshness of views. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee is also responsible for developing and recommending to the Board of Directors a set of Corporate Governance Guidelines applicable to the Company and periodically reviewing such guidelines and recommending any changes to those guidelines to the Board of Directors. The current Corporate Governance Guidelines are available on the Company’s website at www.unifirst.com. In addition, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee maintains a Policy Regarding New Director Nominations, a current copy of which is available on the Company’s website at www.unifirst.com. Since this policy was adopted, there have been no material changes to the procedures by which shareholders may recommend nominees to the Board of Directors.

Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Committee. During the 2023 fiscal year, the ESG Committee consisted of Ms. Camilli (Chair), Ms. Croatti and Messrs. Iandoli and Pupkin. The ESG Committee met on two occasions during fiscal 2023. The current members of the ESG Committee are Messrs. Pupkin (Chair), Ms. Croatti, and Messrs. Nowicki and Zemlin. The ESG Committee is responsible for providing oversight and advice to the Company with respect to environmental, social and governance matters. A current copy of the ESG Committee Charter is available on the Company’s website at www.unifirst.com.

Each Director participated in at least 75% of all of the meetings of the Board of Directors and of the committees of which the Director was a member held during the last fiscal year. The Board of Directors generally schedules a meeting to coincide with the Annual Meeting of Shareholders. Directors are strongly encouraged to attend the Annual Meeting. Each of the Directors participated in the 2023 Annual Meeting of Shareholders.

Please note that information contained in our website is not incorporated by reference in, or considered to be a part of, this Proxy Statement.

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Independence of Board Members

The Board of Directors has determined that each of Messrs. Iandoli, Nowicki, Pupkin and Zemlin is an “independent director” in accordance with the corporate governance rules of the NYSE as a result of having no material relationship with the Company other than (1) serving as a Director and a Board of Directors Committee member, (2) receiving related fees as disclosed in this Proxy Statement and (3) having beneficial ownership of the Company’s securities as disclosed in the section of this Proxy Statement entitled — “Security Ownership of Management, Directors, Director Nominees and Principal Shareholders.” The Board of Directors had previously determined that each of Messrs. Cohen and Postek and Ms. Camilli was an “independent director” as well.

Board Leadership Structure

Mr. Sintros serves as our President and Chief Executive Officer and as Director, and Mr. Zemlin, an independent Director, serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors believes that having independent Board leadership ensures strong independent oversight. Mr. Zemlin presides at all meetings of the Board of Directors and chairs the executive sessions of independent Directors, who regularly meet in executive sessions at which only independent Directors are present. Mr. Zemlin also provides input to Mr. Sintros and makes suggestions regarding meeting agendas. Mr. Zemlin, from time to time, provides feedback to the President and Chief Executive Officer on executive sessions and facilitates discussion among the independent Directors outside of meetings of the Board of Directors.

Risk Oversight

The Board of Directors is responsible for overseeing the Company’s risk assessment and management function, considering the Company’s major financial risk exposures and evaluating the steps that the Company’s management has taken to monitor and control such exposures. For example, the Board of Directors receives periodic reports from senior management on areas of material risk to the Company, including operational, financial, legal and regulatory and reputational risks. The Company believes that the leadership structure of the Board of Directors supports effective oversight of risk assessment and management.

Risk Considerations in the Company’s Compensation Programs

In connection with the Compensation Committee’s compensation reviews, the Compensation Committee assesses whether the Company’s compensation policies and practices are reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on the Company. Based on its review, the Compensation Committee believes that the mix and design of the Company’s compensation plans and policies do not encourage employees to assume excessive risk and therefore are not reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on the Company. In making this determination, the Compensation Committee considered a number of matters, including the following elements of the Company’s executive compensation plans and policies: (1) the Company sets performance goals that the Company believes are reasonable in light of past performance and market conditions; (2) the long-term vesting for the Company’s equity incentive awards helps to align the interests of management with those of the Company’s shareholders in respect of the Company’s long-term performance; (3) a range of levels of performance under the Company’s cash incentive bonus plans and its performance-based equity awards results in corresponding levels of compensation under those plans, rather than an “all-or-nothing” approach; and (4) achievement of the targets under the Company’s bonus plans is based on the satisfaction of corporate performance metrics such as revenues and operating income, which serves to minimize the impact of excessive risk-taking by any individual member of management.

Evaluation Program of the Board of Directors and its Committees

In order to maintain the Company’s governance standards, the Board of Directors, and each committee thereof, is required to undertake annually a formal self-evaluation process. As part of this process, the members of the Board of Directors and each committee thereof evaluate a number of competencies, including, but not limited to, its structure, roles, processes, composition, development, dynamics, effectiveness and involvement.

Meetings of Independent Directors

The independent Directors of the Company meet in executive sessions outside the presence of management. The presiding Director for these meetings is Mr. Zemlin. Any interested party or shareholder who wishes to make their concerns known to the independent Directors may avail themselves of the same procedures provided below under the heading “Communication with the Board of Directors.” The Company’s Audit Committee Complaint Procedure is available on the Company’s website at www.unifirst.com.

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Communication with the Board of Directors

Any interested party or shareholder who wishes to communicate with any of the Company’s Directors or the Board of Directors as a group, may do so by writing to the Board of Directors, or such individual Director(s), c/o Chief Financial Officer, UniFirst Corporation, 68 Jonspin Road, Wilmington, MA 01887. The Company recommends that all correspondence be sent via certified U.S. mail, return receipt requested. All correspondence received by the Chief Financial Officer will be forwarded promptly to the appropriate addressee(s).

Director Stock Ownership Policy

The Board of Directors has a stock ownership policy. Under the policy, Directors are expected to own shares of the Company’s stock having a value at least equal to four times the annual retainer fees for Directors. The policy provides a four-year phase-in period. The Board of Directors believes that this policy helps to align the interests of the Directors with those of the Company’s shareholders.

Policy Against Pledging and Hedging Company Shares

The Board of Directors has a policy that generally prohibits a non-employee Director from pledging Company shares without the express prior approval of the Compensation Committee. Similarly, the policy also prohibits a non-employee Director from holding Company shares in a margin account or making such shares held in a brokerage account available as collateral for a margin feature. Based on information furnished to the Company by each non-employee Director, no Company shares owned by any non-employee Director are held in a margin account, serve as collateral for any loan or are subject to any pledge obligation.

The Company’s insider trading policy prohibits Directors and officers from engaging in transactions of a speculative nature involving the Company’s securities. The policy prohibits short sales and other hedging transactions and also generally prohibits transactions involving derivative securities, such as options, calls or puts whose value is derived from the value of the Company’s equity securities. The policy also prohibits all of the Company’s Directors and officers from pledging Company securities without the consent of the Compensation Committee. In addition, the policy prohibits all of the Company’s Directors and officers from margining Company securities.

Clawback Policy

The Board of Directors adopted a Clawback Policy effective as of October 2, 2023. The Clawback Policy generally provides, subject to certain exceptions, that if the Company is required to prepare a restatement of its financial statements, the Company will recover from its executive officers any incentive-based compensation that was erroneously awarded in excess of the amount that otherwise would have been awarded based on restated amounts in the restated financial statements. The recovery period is the three completed fiscal years immediately preceding the date that the Board of Directors concludes that the Company is required to restate its financial statements. Incentive-based compensation includes any compensation that is earned based on the attainment of a financial reporting measure of the Company and any other equity-based compensation. The Clawback Policy also applies to employees that are not executive officers if the Board of Directors determines that such employees materially contributed to the circumstances requiring the restatement and that such contribution involved misconduct or a breach of fiduciary duty.

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Security Ownership of Management, Directors, Director Nominees and Principal Shareholders

The following table sets forth as of November 13, 2023 certain information concerning shares of Common Stock and Class B Common Stock beneficially owned by (i) each Director and Nominee, (ii) each of the named executive officers of the Company identified below under the heading “Summary Compensation Table” and (iii) all executive officers, Directors and Nominees as a group, in each case based solely on information furnished by such individuals. Except as otherwise specified, the named beneficial owner has sole voting and investment power. The information in the table reflects shares outstanding of the Company’s Common Stock and Class B Common Stock on November 13, 2023, restricted stock units which are vested as of, or will vest within 60 days after, November 13, 2023 and stock appreciation rights which are exercisable as of, or will vest within 60 days after, November 13, 2023 and are exercisable based on the closing price of the Company’s Common Stock on November 13, 2023.

^ Unless otherwise indicated, each beneficial owner’s address is c/o UniFirst Corporation, 68 Jonspin Road, Wilmington, MA 01887.

* Less than 1%.

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To the knowledge of the Company, the following are the only beneficial owners of more than 5% of the outstanding shares of Common Stock or Class B Common Stock of the Company as of November 13, 2023. All information presented is based solely on information provided by each beneficial owner.

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EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

Compensation Discussion and Analysis

The Compensation Committee of our Board of Directors, in collaboration with management, develops and implements our compensation policies. The Compensation Committee also reviews and establishes the compensation paid to our executive officers. We believe we provide an appropriate and competitive total compensation package to our executive officers through a combination of base salary, annual cash incentive bonuses, long-term equity incentive compensation and broad-based benefits programs. We place significant emphasis on pay for performance-based incentive compensation, which is designed to reward our executive officers based on the achievement of predetermined corporate goals.

This Compensation Discussion and Analysis describes our compensation objectives, policies and practices with respect to our President and Chief Executive Officer, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, and our other four most highly-compensated executive officers as determined in accordance with applicable SEC rules (collectively, our “named executive officers”). For fiscal 2023, as we did in last year’s Proxy Statement, we determined to include a sixth named executive officer (i.e., a fourth other most highly-compensated executive officer) because each of William M. Ross and Michael A. Croatti has the same title and received the same level of salary, annual cash incentive bonus and annual long-term equity incentive awards in fiscal 2023.

Accordingly, our named executive officers in fiscal 2023 were Steven S. Sintros, our President and Chief Executive Officer, Shane F. O’Connor, our Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, David M. Katz, our Executive Vice President, Sales and Marketing, David A. DiFillippo, our Executive Vice President, Operations, Mr. Ross, our Executive Vice President, Operations and Mr. Croatti, our Executive Vice President, Operations.

Objectives of Our Executive Compensation Programs

Our compensation programs for our named executive officers are designed to achieve the following objectives:

Our Executive Compensation Programs and Plans

We designed our executive compensation programs and plans to achieve the objectives described above. Our executive compensation primarily consists of base salary, annual cash incentive bonuses under an executive bonus plan and CEO Cash Incentive Bonus Plan, or CEO Bonus Plan, that are tied to the achievement of predetermined corporate performance goals, long-term equity incentive compensation and broad-based benefits programs. We also design management by objectives, or MBOs, for certain of our named executive officers, which are intended to incentivize performance with respect to objectives established at the beginning of the fiscal year. Our named executive officers have the opportunity to earn cash bonuses based on their achievement with respect to such MBOs.

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Within the context of the overall objectives of our compensation programs, we typically determine the specific amounts of compensation to be paid to each of our named executive officers based on a number of factors:

In addition, we rely on our understanding of the amount of compensation paid by our principal competitors and similarly situated companies to their executives with comparable roles and responsibilities as a market check for the compensation decisions we make.

Each of the primary elements of our executive compensation is discussed in detail below, including a description of how each element fits into the overall compensation of our named executive officers. We also discuss below the amounts of compensation paid to our named executive officers for fiscal 2023 under each of these elements. In the descriptions below, we highlight particular compensation objectives that we have used to design specific elements of our executive compensation program to address. However, it should be noted that we have designed our compensation programs to complement each other and collectively serve all of our executive compensation objectives described above. Accordingly, whether or not specifically mentioned below, we believe that each element of our executive compensation program serves each of our objectives to a greater or lesser extent.

With respect to our CEO compensation program, we initially designed the structure in fiscal 2017 with benchmarking data and input from Pearl Meyer & Partners, LLC (now known as Meridian Compensation Partners), a third party compensation consulting firm. At that time, we considered and confirmed Pearl Meyer’s independence. While we did not conduct formal benchmarking with respect to the compensation of our named executive officers in fiscal 2023, we used data prepared by Meridian Compensation Partners as one of several factors to inform certain of our determinations with respect to such compensation. We considered and confirmed the independence of Meridian Compensation Partners.

Base Salary - Named Executive Officers

We pay our named executive officers a base salary, which we review and determine annually. We believe that a competitive base level of compensation is a necessary element of any compensation program that is designed to attract and retain talented and experienced executive officers who will facilitate the accomplishment of our long-term strategic plan and increase shareholder value. We also believe that attractive base salaries can motivate and reward executive officers for their overall performance. The base salaries paid to our named executive officers reflect the general performance of our named executive officers during prior years, their roles and responsibilities, and their experience, skills and contributions.

The base salaries set forth in the “Summary Compensation Table” below reflect the base salaries earned by our named executive officers in fiscal 2023. We determined the base salaries of our named executive officers on a fiscal year basis.

For fiscal 2023, we increased the annual base salaries of our named executive officers as a result of their performance as follows: Mr. Sintros from $850,000 to $888,250, Mr. O’Connor from $400,000 to $422,000, Mr. Katz from $444,000 to $461,760, Mr. DiFillippo from $410,000 to $426,400, Mr. Ross from $375,000 to $393,750 and Mr. Croatti from $375,000 to $393,750.

Annual Cash Incentive Bonuses - Named Executive Officers

Consistent with our emphasis on performance incentive compensation programs, our named executive officers are eligible to receive annual cash incentive bonuses primarily based on their performance as measured against predetermined corporate financial goals that we establish. The primary objective of our annual cash incentive bonuses is to motivate our named executive officers and to reward them for meeting our short-term objectives using a performance-based compensation program with objectively determinable goals. Our annual cash incentive bonuses also align the interests of our named executive officers and our shareholders by providing our executives with incentives to increase shareholder value and a reward for doing so.

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Mr. Sintros participates in our CEO Bonus Plan, and our other named executive officers participate in our executive bonus plan. Our CEO Bonus Plan and executive bonus plan are described below. The performance metrics for fiscal 2023 under the CEO Bonus Plan were the same as the performance metrics under our executive bonus plan and are based on corporate adjusted revenue and adjusted operating income. We designed the structure of the plans in fiscal 2023 to align the performance bonus criteria for all of our named executive officers. In establishing our bonus opportunities under the executive bonus plan, we consider the incentives that we want to provide to our executives.

In addition, as described above, certain of our named executive officers have the opportunity to earn cash bonuses in connection with MBOs that we design at the beginning of the fiscal year. In fiscal 2023, each of Messrs. Sintros and O’Connor had the opportunity to earn cash bonuses based on MBOs, which are described below.

CEO Bonus Plan

Under our CEO Bonus Plan, Mr. Sintros has the potential to earn annual cash incentive bonuses at a level that represents a meaningful portion of his cash compensation. For fiscal 2023, our CEO Bonus Plan provided for potential annual cash incentive bonuses of up to 127.5% of Mr. Sintros’ salary earned for the fiscal year. Potential bonus payments under our CEO Bonus Plan are linked to objective criteria set forth in the plan. Mr. Sintros can earn annual cash incentive bonuses based on predetermined criteria tied to adjusted revenues and adjusted operating income.

At the beginning of fiscal 2023, we set five potential achievement levels with respect to adjusted revenue. If actual adjusted revenue met a specified achievement level, Mr. Sintros would earn a corresponding specified percentage of his salary. The CEO Bonus Plan for fiscal 2023 included potential adjustments to actual revenues to take into account the impact of any deterioration of the Canadian dollar to U.S. dollar exchange rate from 0.73 U.S. dollars to 1.0 Canadian dollar and potential adjustments relating to significant transactions that are not customary nor likely to recur.

At the beginning of fiscal 2023, we also set five potential achievement levels with respect to adjusted operating income. If actual adjusted operating income met a specified achievement level, Mr. Sintros would also earn a corresponding specified percentage of his salary. The CEO Bonus Plan for fiscal 2023 included potential adjustments to actual operating income to take into account Company costs and expenses in excess of $1.0 million associated with claims, litigation, regulatory or environmental matters, asset impairment, the gross margin related to significant transactions that are not customary nor likely to recur, any foreign exchange gain or loss recognized in the fiscal year, changes in generally accepted accounting principles impacting operating income in excess of forecast, any difference in management bonus expense compared to the forecasted amount and losses, costs or expenses arising from natural catastrophes or similar events.

The following table includes the potential and actual achievement levels and corresponding bonus payouts for fiscal 2023 with respect to adjusted revenue under our CEO Bonus Plan (in millions, except percentages):

Our actual revenue for fiscal 2023 was $2,233.0 million and our adjusted revenue under the CEO Bonus Plan was $2,190.1 million. As a result, based on achieving the maximum level, Mr. Sintros earned a bonus of 63.8% of his base salary on account of adjusted revenue for fiscal 2023.

The following table includes the potential and actual achievement levels and corresponding bonus payouts for fiscal 2023 with respect to adjusted operating income under our CEO Bonus Plan (in millions, except percentages):

Our actual operating income for fiscal 2023 was $133.6 million and our adjusted operating income under the CEO Bonus Plan was $170.6 million. However, our operating income in our core laundries segment, which is a significant driver of

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our business, was below our forecast. As a result, we determined that the bonus payout should be based on threshold achievement instead of achievement at the 75% level. Accordingly, based on achieving the threshold level, Mr. Sintros’ earned a bonus of 21.3% of his base salary on account of adjusted operating income for fiscal 2023.

The amount of Mr. Sintros’ bonus for fiscal 2023 under the CEO Bonus Plan was determined to be $755,013, which was 85.1% of his base salary. Such amount is reflected in the “Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation” column of the “Summary Compensation Table” below.

Executive Bonus Plan

Under our executive bonus plan, our named executive officers have the potential to earn annual cash incentive bonuses at a level that represents a meaningful portion of our named executive officers’ cash compensation. For fiscal 2023, our executive bonus plan provided for potential annual cash incentive bonuses of up to 60% of the named executive officer’s salary earned for the fiscal year. Potential bonus payments under our executive bonus plan are linked to objective criteria set forth in the plan. Our named executive officers can earn annual cash incentive bonuses based on predetermined criteria tied to corporate adjusted revenues and adjusted operating income.

At the beginning of fiscal 2023, we set five potential achievement levels with respect to adjusted revenue. If actual adjusted revenue met a specified achievement level, each executive would earn a corresponding specified percentage of the executive’s salary. The executive bonus plan for fiscal 2023 included the same potential adjustments to actual revenue as were included in the CEO Bonus Plan described above.

At the beginning of fiscal 2023, we also set five potential achievement levels with respect to adjusted operating income. If actual adjusted operating income met a specified achievement level, each executive would earn a corresponding specified percentage of the executive’s salary. The executive bonus plan for fiscal 2023 included the same potential adjustments to actual operating income as were included in the CEO Bonus Plan described above.

The following table includes the potential and actual achievement levels and corresponding bonus payouts for fiscal 2023 with respect to adjusted revenue under our executive bonus plan (in millions, except percentages):

Our actual revenue for fiscal 2023 was $2,233.0 million and our adjusted revenue under the executive bonus plan was $2,190.1 million. As a result, based on achieving the maximum level, each named executive officer earned a bonus of 30.0% of the executive’s base salary on account of adjusted revenue for fiscal 2023.

The following table includes the potential and actual achievement levels and corresponding bonus payouts for fiscal 2023 with respect to adjusted operating income under our executive bonus plan (in millions, except percentages):

Our actual operating income for fiscal 2023 was $133.6 million and our adjusted operating income under the executive bonus plan was $170.6 million. However, our operating income in our core laundries segment, which is a significant driver of our business, was below our forecast. As a result and as we did under our CEO Bonus Plan, we determined that the bonus payout should be based on threshold achievement instead of achievement at the 75% level. Accordingly, based on achieving the threshold level, the named executive officers earned a bonus of 10.0% of the executive’s base salary on account of adjusted operating income for fiscal 2023.

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As a result of the achievement levels under our executive bonus plan discussed above, our named executive officers received the following annual cash incentive bonuses for fiscal 2023:

The 40.0% of base salary earned by each of the named executive officers under our executive bonus plan is reflected in the “Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation” column of the “Summary Compensation Table” below.

CEO MBO Bonus

For fiscal 2023, we determined that Mr. Sintros would be eligible to receive a cash bonus of up to $200,000 (approximately 22.5% of his base salary) based on the potential achievement of three MBOs that we designed at the beginning of fiscal 2023. The first MBO was tied to the continued implementation of our CRM and ERP systems in accordance with the then current timeline. The second MBO related to overseeing the successful integration of our fiscal 2023 acquisition of Clean Uniform. The third MBO related to certain strategic planning matters. The Committee set the achievement potential for the CRM and ERP systems-related MBO at $50,000, acquisition-related MBO at $75,000 and strategic planning matters-related MBO at $75,000. We determined that Mr. Sintros achieved the maximum potential bonus related to both the CRM and ERP systems-related and the acquisition-related MBOs and a bonus of $37,500 with respect to the strategic planning matters MBO. As a result, we approved an aggregate cash bonus of $162,500 to be paid to Mr. Sintros on account of such MBOs. Such bonus with respect to Mr. Sintros’ MBOs is included in the “Bonus” column of the “Summary Compensation Table” below.

CFO MBO Bonus

For fiscal 2023, we determined that Mr. O’Connor would be eligible to receive a cash bonus of up to $100,000 (approximately 23.4% of his base salary) based on the potential achievement of two MBOs. The first MBO was tied to the continued implementation of the CRM and ERP systems in accordance with the then current timeline. The second MBO was tied to the remediation of the previously identified material weakness in our internal controls. The Committee set the achievement potential for each MBO at $50,000. We determined that Mr. O’Connor achieved the maximum potential bonus under the CRM and ERP systems-related MBO but did not achieve the internal control-related MBO. As a result, we approved an aggregate cash bonus of $50,000 to be paid to Mr. O’Connor on account of the CRM and ERP systems-related MBO. Such bonus with respect to Mr. O’Connor’s MBO is included in the “Bonus” column of the “Summary Compensation Table” below.

Long-Term Equity Incentive Compensation—Named Executive Officers

We grant long-term equity incentive awards to our named executive officers as part of our total compensation package. We use long-term equity incentive awards as part of our emphasis on performance-based incentive compensation. Our long-term equity incentive awards align the interests of our named executive officers and our shareholders by providing our executives with incentives to increase shareholder value and a reward for doing so. We generally grant long-term incentive awards once each year to each of our named executive officers. We generally grant such equity awards in October or November after the filing of Annual Report on Form 10-K.

We awarded time-based stock-settled stock appreciation rights (“SAR”) and restricted stock units (“RSU”) to our named executive officers in fiscal 2023. With respect to SARs, the recipient receives the value (in shares) of the appreciation

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in the market price of our Common Stock from the grant date to the exercise date. The SARs and RSUs vest in five equal annual installments of 20%. We sometimes refer to our SARs herein as “Share-Based Awards.”

In fiscal 2023, we granted the following SARs to the following named executive officers:

In fiscal 2023, we granted the following time-based RSUs to the following named executive officers:

In fiscal 2023, we also granted performance-based restricted stock units (“PSU”) to our named executive officers. The performance criteria and achievement levels under the PSU awards were the same as the adjusted revenue and adjusted operating income criteria and achievement levels established under the CEO Bonus Plan and executive bonus plan, which are described above. Additional information regarding potential achievement levels with respect to our PSUs is set forth in the Grants of Plan-Based Awards table below. PSUs that are determined to be earned upon achievement of the performance criteria are fully vested.

The following PSUs were earned by our named executive officers on account of our adjusted revenue achievement at the maximum level and adjusted operating income achievement at the threshold level for fiscal 2023:

Broad-Based Benefits Programs and Perquisites

All full-time employees, including our named executive officers, may participate in our health and welfare benefit programs, including medical, dental and vision care coverage, disability insurance, life insurance and the UniFirst Corporation Profit Sharing Plan. In addition, certain of our full-time employees, including our named executive officers, may participate in the UniFirst Corporation Unfunded Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan or the UniFirst Corporation Deferred Compensation Plan. In fiscal 2023, our named executive officers also received certain perquisites and personal benefits set forth in the “Summary Compensation Table” below. We provide these benefits to retain and attract talented executives with the skills and experience to further our long-term strategic plan.

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Executive Employment Plan

On October 26, 2020, our Board of Directors and the Compensation Committee of our Board of Directors adopted an Executive Employment Plan under which our named executive officers are eligible to participate, subject to certain requirements. The Executive Employment Plan provides for certain cash payments upon a named executive officer’s termination under certain specified circumstances. The Executive Employment Plan is intended, among other things, to ensure the ongoing commitment and continued attention and dedication of our named executive officers to their positions and to the best interest of our shareholders in the event of a change in control. The Executive Employment Plan serves as a retention component of our executive compensation program and is also designed to attract talented executives to our company. In connection with our design of the Executive Employment Plan, we engaged Meridian Compensation Partners, a third party compensation consultant, to advise on the structure of the plan. Prior to engaging Meridian Compensation Partners, we assessed the independence of the firm.

See “Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change in Control” below for additional information regarding our Executive Employment Plan.

Our Executive Compensation Process

The Compensation Committee of our Board of Directors is primarily responsible for establishing the compensation paid to our named executive officers. The Board of Directors has determined that each member of the Compensation Committee is “independent” as that term is defined under the applicable rules of the NYSE. In determining executive compensation, our Compensation Committee annually reviews the performance of our named executive officers with our Chief Executive Officer, and our Chief Executive Officer makes recommendations to our Compensation Committee with respect to the appropriate base salary, annual cash incentive bonus payments and grants of long-term equity incentive awards for each of our named executive officers. Our Compensation Committee annually reviews the performance of our Chief Executive Officer and establishes the appropriate base salary, annual cash incentive bonus payments and grants of long-term equity incentive awards to be paid to him. In general, with exception of the initial design of our CEO compensation program in fiscal 2017, we do not engage in a formal benchmarking process in setting the compensation for our executives. As described above, however, we used certain data provided by Meridian Compensation Partners as one factor for certain executive compensation determinations in fiscal 2023.

Compensation Committee Report

The Compensation Committee has reviewed and discussed the Compensation Discussion and Analysis contained in this Proxy Statement with management. Based on such review and discussions, the Compensation Committee recommended to the Board of Directors that the Compensation Discussion and Analysis be included in this Proxy Statement and the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended August 26, 2023 for filing with the SEC.

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Summary Compensation Table

The following table sets forth summary information concerning the annual compensation for the years ended August 26, 2023, August 27, 2022 and August 28, 2021, respectively, awarded to, earned by or paid to our President and Chief Executive Officer, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer and our other four most highly-compensated executive officers (collectively, for purposes of the tables set forth in this Proxy Statement, our “named executive officers”):

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Grants of Plan-Based Awards – Fiscal 2023

The following table contains information related to non-equity incentive plan awards made to our Chief Executive Officer under our CEO Bonus Plan, non-equity incentive plan awards made to our other named executive officers under our executive bonus plan and RSU awards and Share-Based Awards granted to our named executive officers under our Amended and Restated 2010 Stock Option and Incentive Plan during fiscal 2023: