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About this industry

Description

From wage and hour regulations to acquiring and retaining staff and labor relations, employers in the restaurant industry face more than their share of compliance challenges. At the same time, frequent employee turnover, combined with a high level of customer contact, make day-to-day workforce management and effective employee and supervisor training an indispensable part of doing business.

Our restaurant team provides legal and strategic business solutions to hundreds of restaurants across the United States with unparalleled results, depth and experience. We represent more than 500 restaurant clients, including more than one-third of the top 100 U.S. chains as ranked by Nation’s Restaurant News in 2020. Our nationwide group of attorneys helps restaurants comply with federal, state and local laws on a regional basis and across the 50 states.

Preventive wage and hour strategies

  • Exempt status
  • Tip credit
  • Tip pooling/service charges
  • Side work challenges
  • Delivery charges
  • Off the clock
  • Do you really have to pay someone just for showing up?
  • Payment for uniforms
  • Paystubs
  • Deductions from pay
  • Rest/meal periods
  • Equal pay issues

Guest relations

  • Guest discrimination and accommodation
  • Protection of identity of VIP clients (AKA whales)

Employee relations

  • Sexual and other harassment prevention
  • Age and other discrimination prevention
  • Confidentiality (recipes, trade secrets and more)
  • Reasonable accommodation — religion/disability
  • Service animals
  • Marketing and advertisements
  • Social media
  • Privacy-related policies
  • Safety compliance
  • I-9 and E-Verify audits
  • Executive compensation and benefits

Operations

  • Crisis management
  • Safety planning
  • Restaurant image
  • Recruitment practices
  • Email communications

Labor relations

  • Preventive labor relations programs
  • Strategies to train managers/staff

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Principal, New York City
Office Managing Principal, Orlando