Category Archives: Alcohol

The Top 7 Things To Consider Before Buying A Restaurant

By Matthew Sanderson on May 1st, 2013 Posted in Acquisitions, Alcohol, Contracts, Corporate Entity, Employment, Intellectual Property, Liability, Litigation, Real Estate

There are so many things to consider when buying a restaurant that we decided to break that list down to just seven issues. If you only look at these issues, you should avoid most of the big hazards when you buy your next restaurant. Now, this assumes that you have some idea of the restaurant… Continue Reading

How To Handle Alcohol Liability Claims

By Matthew Sanderson on December 12th, 2012 Posted in Alcohol, Liability, Litigation, Recent Law Trends

With the tragic death of Dallas Cowboy’s player Jerry Brown, Jr. still fresh in our minds, it is more important than ever to be wary of potential liability from alcohol distribution. (For the latest on that story, see this link from an article written by Elissa Repko and Selwyn Crawford at the Dallas Morning News)…. Continue Reading

What To Know About Texas Alcohol Permits: An Industry Perspective

By Matthew Sanderson on September 26th, 2012 Posted in Alcohol, Commentary, Competition, Legislation, Liability, Negotiation, News, Vendors

Obtaining and dealing with alcoholic beverage permits requires a lot of time and effort, and it can be full of legal pitfalls as well. Sometimes you need a lawyer, but often an outside alcohol permit company can be more cost effective. As one example, we recently interviewed Nancy Scott, with Joe LaBarba Permit Service in… Continue Reading

Help: The City Wants To Shut Down My Restaurant!

By Matthew Sanderson on September 19th, 2012 Posted in Alcohol, Liability, Litigation, Negotiation

The unthinkable has happened – your restaurant, your baby, is being threatened by the “man”, and it’s up to you to save the day. Don’t worry – help is on the way! How Did This Happen? Let’s first discuss why this may have happened. Most cases of restaurant closure fall into the following categories: (1)… Continue Reading

Are Texas Restaurants Required To Serve Free Water?

By Matthew Sanderson on June 14th, 2010 Posted in Alcohol, Competition, Franchises, Legislation, Litigation, Recent Law Trends

One of our dedicated blog followers recently asked whether Texas restaurants are required to serve water without charge. I had heard for years that this was a law, but since I did not already know the answer, I looked into this further. The results were surprising. It seems that at least at the state level,… Continue Reading

The Best of TexasRestaurantLaw.com 2009

By Matthew Sanderson on December 31st, 2009 Posted in Acquisitions, Alcohol, Commentary, Contracts, Corporate Entity, Employment, Franchises, Immigration, Intellectual Property, Legislation, Litigation, Negotiation, News, Recent Law Trends, Vendors

We couldn’t close out the year without a “Best of 2009″! Here’s the best TexasRestaurantLaw.com content of the year, based on your enthusiasm via comments, links, and retweets. We thank you all for your continued support! Let’s get started: Recent Nutrition Law Trends – This will likely be a continued source of legislation on… Continue Reading

The Biggest Contract Mistake & How To Avoid It

By Matthew Sanderson on November 9th, 2009 Posted in Acquisitions, Alcohol, Commentary, Contracts, Corporate Entity, Franchises, Litigation, Negotiation, Recent Law Trends, Vendors

The ugly truth is that people make mistakes every day when they sign contracts for their companies. What’s worse is that many people don’t even realize that they are making a mistake. This particular mistake can cost your company thousands of dollars in legal fees. This mistake can cost you personally in legal fees and… Continue Reading

5 Reasons You Think You Don’t Need a Lawyer to Buy a Restaurant

By Matthew Sanderson on July 24th, 2009 Posted in Alcohol, Contracts, Corporate Entity, Franchises

The truth of the matter is that you do not NEED a lawyer when you buy a restaurant or any business. Is it a good idea? Could it save you money in the long run? I believe that the answer to these questions is most certainly YES, but I’ll let you be the judge. Accordingly,… Continue Reading

Texas Legislature Leaves Restaurant Industry Alone

By Matthew Sanderson on June 9th, 2009 Posted in Alcohol, Commentary, Immigration, Legislation, News, Recent Law Trends

Everyone in the restaurant industry should know what new laws affect them. This last legislative session addressed a variety of laws from immigration to fat and smoke, and the this article provides those results. The latest session of the Texas Legislature ended on June 1, 2009. Comprising the 81st Session of the Legislature, Texas lawmakers… Continue Reading

Where There’s Smoke . . . You’re Not In Dallas

By Matthew Sanderson on April 17th, 2009 Posted in Alcohol, Legislation, News, Recent Law Trends

We all know that familiar smell of combined stale beer and cigarettes that, until now, marked the relaxed atmosphere of an old fashioned honky-tonk or bar, but in Dallas, that is no more. At midnight on Friday, April 10, 2009, the latest of Dallas’ efforts to eliminate smoke from public buildings became effective. As reported… Continue Reading

Alcohol Permits and Changes in Control

By Matthew Sanderson on March 22nd, 2009 Posted in Alcohol, Contracts

By Matthew M. Sanderson How does the change in control of a restaurant that sells alcohol affect its alcohol permit? This question comes up time and again, and there are no easy answers. In general, this question occurs when a restaurant changes ownership and the new owner needs an alcohol permit. With the drastic speed… Continue Reading