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
Category Archives: Contracts
Subscribe to Contracts RSS FeedWhat Is Restaurant Intellectual Property?
Posted in Acquisitions, Competition, Contracts, Employees & Waitstaff, Intellectual Property, Liability, Litigation, Negotiation, VendorsAt TexasRestaurantLaw.com, we have covered “Who Owns Your Restaurant Name?” and “Is Your Restaurant Recipe Safe?” However, we have not previously discussed the many parts of restaurant intellectual property. This post shows some of the most critical pieces that encompass restaurant intellectual property. Your Name & Brand We all hear that branding is everything. Likewise,… Continue Reading
How To Deal With Restaurant Partner Disputes
Posted in Commentary, Contracts, Corporate Entity, Franchises, Franchising, Liability, Litigation, NegotiationThere are many motivations for restaurant creation and investment. However, these different desires can lead to conflict, so how are restaurant operators, owners, and investors supposed to resolve these conflicts? This post answers that question, and it gives a game plan to operators, owners, and investors to deal with these inevitable conflicts. Step One: Avoid… Continue Reading
When To Terminate A Restaurant Transaction
Posted in Acquisitions, Commentary, Competition, Contracts, Franchises, Franchising, Liability, Litigation, NegotiationRestaurant transactions are similar to the old Kenny Rogers song, The Gambler – “You’ve got to know when to walk away, and know when to run!” Perspective is so important in general, and in restaurant transactions, you must know when to move forward on deals and when to kill them. But how do you determine… Continue Reading
The Absolutely Essential Issues In A Restaurant Lease
Posted in Acquisitions, Contracts, Corporate Entity, Franchises, Franchising, Liability, Litigation, Negotiation, Real EstateLeasing is a big issue for restaurants. Almost all restaurants at least start out leasing their space. Often, restaurants are required to lease their space to capture the prime locations of a given area. For these reasons and many more, it is vital for restaurant owners to pay close attention to leasing terms. The following… Continue Reading
Can An Email Bind Your Restaurant Like A Contract?
Posted in Acquisitions, Commentary, Contracts, Employees & Waitstaff, Liability, Litigation, Negotiation, Recent Law Trends, VendorsWe all think of email as a convenience. The same is true for text messages. These are just easy ways to communicate. They don’t really mean anything. Right? Wrong! Email and text messages are some of the most dangerous tools created. They are powerful. They are permanent. And in Texas, they are binding. Don’t believe… Continue Reading
How To Spot Good Restaurant Investments
Posted in Acquisitions, Contracts, Franchises, Negotiation, News, Recent Law TrendsBy all accounts, 2013 should be a great year for the Texas restaurant industry. For just one example, click on this link, which is an article by Teresa Gubbins from austin.culturemap.com. According to the article: A report by the National Restaurant Association says that the Texas restaurant industry will lead the country in sales growth… Continue Reading
The Single Biggest Mistake Made When Selling A Restaurant
Posted in Acquisitions, Contracts, Liability, Litigation, NegotiationNow that we’re all stuffed and overweight after Thanksgiving, I thought that I would mention another type of over-doing it: your representations to a potential buyer when you decide to sell a restaurant. These representations are critical to the success of a sale, both before negotiations begin and after you close on the sale. With… Continue Reading
Loan Documents: 3 Top Issues For Restaurant Borrowers
Posted in Contracts, Lending, Liability, NegotiationAs much as we wanted to tie in Thanksgiving to this post (think puns on words like “gobble”, “pilgrim” or “stuffing”), we thought that you might want to know more about loan issues this week. The economy is still not in full recovery mode, and as such, we are still dealing with some bank work-outs…. Continue Reading
Restaurant Non-Competes: Are They Worth It?
Posted in Contracts, Employees & Waitstaff, Employment, Liability, Litigation, Recent Law TrendsA funny thing happened recently. When Lauren Drewes Daniels at The Dallas Observer featured TexasRestaurantLaw.com last week at this link, a controversy ensued between folks that commented on the article. The dispute involved whether non-competes were valid and enforceable in Texas. Apparently, it is a common myth that non-compete agreements are not enforceable in Texas,… Continue Reading
Is Franchising The Only Key To Restaurant Success?
Posted in Contracts, Franchises, Franchising, Legislation, Liability, Litigation, NegotiationWe talk a lot here about franchising and for good reason. After all, many restaurant owners make great money by developing or buying into a great franchise concept. However, some restaurant owners take a different approach: they develop their own brand and remain the key figure in each additional restaurant. Stephen Pyles is one such… Continue Reading
5 Top Strategies For Protecting Your Restaurant And Personal Assets
Posted in Contracts, Corporate Entity, Liability, LitigationHow safe are the assets in your restaurants? Are you personally liable for your restaurant’s liabilities? These are two of the most common questions we get from our restaurant owner clients, so we thought we would share five of the top strategies we use to shield our restaurant owners from liabilities at their restaurants, which… Continue Reading
Is Your Restaurant Recipe Safe?
Posted in Acquisitions, Contracts, Franchises, Franchising, Intellectual Property, Liability, LitigationDid you know that KFC uses two different companies to blend the herbs and spices that make up its secret recipe? One company blends part of the spices, the other blends the remaining spices, and a computerized processor mixes them together so that neither company knows the full recipe. Like the Colonel, you may have… Continue Reading
Restaurant Trade Fixtures And Equipment – What Belongs To You And What Belongs To The Landlord?
Posted in Acquisitions, Contracts, Liability, Litigation, Real EstateCo-Authored by Matt Sanderson & Lindsey Postula THE MYSTERIOUS TRADE FIXTURE What are trade fixtures? Trade fixtures are the equipment that a tenant uses to operate its business. Although they are not considered to be real property (which means they don’t fall into the definition of fixtures), they are generally attached to the leased premises… Continue Reading
How To Finance Your Restaurant Purchase
Posted in Acquisitions, Contracts, Franchises, FranchisingThe recent economic struggles have given rise to a host of financing opportunities, and you should consider them all when buying your restaurant. Traditional Financing It’s no surprise that you can go to a bank to finance a restaurant purchase, but which bank and what are your options? These are hard questions. Traditional financing is… Continue Reading
Which Restaurant Franchise Is Right: Fast Food, Fine Dining, or Somewhere In Between?
Posted in Acquisitions, Competition, Contracts, Franchises, Franchising, LiabilityWe’ve talked a lot about franchises in prior posts. Assuming you have decided that a franchise is in your future, how do you know which type is right for you? This question comes to us quite a bit, so here are some thoughts to consider in each of the common types of franchises: Fast Food… Continue Reading
5 Ways to Avoid Costs of Acquiring Restaurants
Posted in Acquisitions, Contracts, Corporate Entity, Franchises, Negotiation, Real Estate, VendorsAll too often the margins of restaurant acquisition require stringent cost control. To help, here are five things to keep those costs low when considering the purchase of a restaurant: 1. Assemble Your Team – It’s hard to decide when to get your team of counselors (like attorneys, accountants, appraisers) involved in a deal. If… Continue Reading
Put More Money in Your Pocket: Perform a Lease Audit
Posted in Contracts, Franchises, Litigation, Negotiation, News, Real EstateDid you know that you have a 90% chance of overpaying operating costs (CAM, Taxes and Insurance) under your lease, if you fail to check the calculation for accuracy. This comes from the December 2009 edition of Commercial Tenant’s Lease Insider. Many landlords do not take the time to reflect tenant-specific exclusions, caps, etc…. Continue Reading
Partnership Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Posted in Acquisitions, Competition, Contracts, Corporate Entity, Franchises, Intellectual Property, Litigation, Real Estate, VendorsNearly anyone who has been in business either knows of or at least has heard of the pitfalls of partnerships. However, a lot of people don’t know that you can be partners with someone and not even know it. You might say, “Funny lawyer. Who cares?” But you should care, and here’s why. Partnerships make… Continue Reading
Is Your Restaurant Business Down? 5 Things Not To Do
Posted in Contracts, Corporate Entity, Employment, Franchises, Litigation, Negotiation, Real Estate, Recent Law Trends, VendorsIt’s no secret that many restaurants are suffering from the current recession, which is hopefully going to end soon. As a result, many restaurant owners are faced with the dilemma of “who to pay” when there’s not enough funds to pay everyone. In situations like these, it’s easy to make a misstep. With that in… Continue Reading
5 Things Your Restaurant Insurance Won’t Protect You From
Posted in Contracts, Corporate Entity, Franchises, Litigation, Negotiation, VendorsWe all know that insurance is the best protection from most forms of liability in a restaurant. However, there are a variety of things that insurance doesn’t protect against. Here are five things often omitted from insurance coverage, and some solutions to this issue. 1. Creditors In General – Creditors come in a variety of… Continue Reading
Ten Keys to Negotiating Your Restaurant Lease
Posted in Acquisitions, Contracts, Negotiation, Real EstateFor the most part, restaurant owners lease their property, at least when starting out and often permanently. As such, negotiating a lease can be a stressful experience. To reduce some of that stress, we’ve put together the following Ten Keys To Negotiating Your Restaurant Lease. PRIMARY CONCERNS 1. Net vs. Gross Lease. Every lease is… Continue Reading
The Best of TexasRestaurantLaw.com 2009
Posted in Acquisitions, Alcohol, Commentary, Contracts, Corporate Entity, Employment, Franchises, Immigration, Intellectual Property, Legislation, Litigation, Negotiation, News, Recent Law Trends, VendorsWe 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
How Joint Ventures Are Like The Grinch
Posted in Acquisitions, Contracts, Corporate Entity, Franchises, Litigation, NegotiationSince we are right in the middle of the holiday season, I thought I’d discuss the insidious nature of joint ventures and compare them to Dr. Seuss’s mean ol’ Grinch. Many people are astounded when I explain the many risks involved in joint ventures, and like the Grinch, they are to be avoided whenever possible…. Continue Reading