Restaurant, Food & Beverage Industry

ULC brings together from different disciplines lawyers who provide client-first, cost-effective legal services to businesses in the hospitality industries and add value for clients whenever and wherever possible. Team members represent hotel and resort, food and beverage, travel and entertainment facility and programming clients to destinations of their choices. Our clients include some of the most recognized names in these hospitality industries.

We represent restaurants and other food and beverage businesses in the creation, financing, operation, management and expansion of their businesses, and in buying and selling restaurant concepts or entire companies.

In addition to handling corporate, finance, merger and acquisition, and securities matters for our food and beverage clients, Team members represent clients in regulatory matters including alcoholic beverage licensing and enforcement, as well as other state and local licensing issues specific to the operation or acquisition of food and beverage businesses. Our lawyers maintain close working relationships with state and local agencies having jurisdiction over food and beverage industry clients in order to provide maximum value to firm clients.

Our expertise includes the structuring of ownership entities, joint ventures and related domestic and international tax planning; the representation of owners and operators in connection with the often complex negotiation, documentation and enforcement of operating and management contracts, franchise agreements and operating leases worldwide; the negotiation of architectural, construction and development agreements; and the structuring and documentation financing for single assets as well as portfolios, including restructurings and workouts of troubled assets.

ULC and affiliates have vast experience in the Restaurant, Food & Beverage Practice industry. Our attorneys provide legal services to a wide range of national and regional restaurant chains, early-stage restaurant companies, distilleries, packaged food companies, licensors, manufacturing companies, individual restaurateurs, franchisors, importers and wholesalers.

Practice Spotlight:

Corporate Finance and Securities Law Issues;

E-commerce;

Employment and Labor Advice;

Food and Beverage Products Distribution Matters;

Intellectual Property Issues Involving Patents, Trademarks and Label Registrations, Including Trademark Litigation and Prosecution;

Licensing and Franchising;

Litigation Services;

Negotiations with State Taxing Authorities over Payment of State Taxes.

Purchase and Sale of Restaurant Assets;

Start-up Funding and Organizational Matters;