Restaurant, Food and Beverage, and Licensing

Overview

We offer a full-service, focused approach to our restaurant, hotel, and off-premise food and alcohol retail clients as well as Georgia manufacturers and distributors. Located in Atlanta, the firm provides creative, high-value and cost-effective advocacy to national, regional and local retailers in multiple areas that impact their businesses including premises liability, alcohol licensing and compliance, dram shop litigation and more. Our attorneys provide tailored assessments and experienced assistance in navigating the complex tapestry of food and beverage law, including federal, state and local statutes, regulations and ordinances.

We also work with various local municipalities and trade associations, including the Georgia Restaurant Association, Georgia Food Industry Association, and Georgia Association of Convenience Stores. Our attorneys are leaders in alcohol licensing continuing education, having developed the Responsible Alcohol Sales & Service (RASS) workshops that are now required in many Georgia jurisdictions before obtaining an alcohol license.

The breadth of our firm allows us to service virtually any of our clients’ legal needs effectively and efficiently. Our practice group leaders work with our other practices to provide seamless service on a wide range of complex legal matters, including real estate, tax, employment and labor, corporate, finance, litigation, e-commerce and intellectual property. Our services include:

Securing state and local alcohol licenses, permits and certifications, including representation before government agencies,
Planning, forming and organizing business entities for restaurants, hotels, bars, nightclubs and event facilities,
Real estate, including retail and commercial leasing and resolving land use and zoning issues,
Purchasing and selling restaurant, hotel, bar and nightclub businesses as well as off premise retail businesses,
Assisting with legal aspects of financing, drafting, negotiating and reviewing labor and employment and general business agreements,
Planning, forming and organizing franchises, including preparation and review of franchise agreements and offering circulars for compliance with federal and state franchise laws and regulations,
Intellectual property, including protection of trademarks and labels, and licensing,
E-commerce,
Litigation, including bankruptcy, alcohol licenses, alcohol violations, premises and product liability cases, and
Employment and immigration issues.

Experience

Dram shop cases involving alcohol retailers
Obtained dismissals in favor of defendants in several cases involving alcohol retailers who had been sued for providing alcohol to minors or to individuals who were intoxicated.
Dismissal of environmental citations
Obtained dismissal of multiple environmental citations issued to a local restaurant and its owner.
Dram shop case involving serving alcohol to minor
Obtained defense verdict in lawsuit against alcohol retailer whose employee sold alcohol to a minor, in which the minor then was involved in a car accident, killing the other individual in the vehicle.
Restaurant leasing for franchisees, operators, tenants, and property owners
Extensive experience includes representation of franchisees of a national restaurant operator in over 200 leases, representation of restaurant tenants in leases for new open market spaces in Atlanta, representation of numerous national and local restaurant operators, a coffee bar operator and a craft micro-brewery, and representation of a property owner in numerous restaurant leases in North Carolina.
Licensing transaction for prominent southeastern private restaurant group
Served as outside counsel for one of the leading private restaurant groups in the Southeast formerly helmed by one of a select group of certified Master Chefs in the United States and regularly listed in the Atlanta Business Chronicle as a Top 100 in Atlanta Hospitality. A recent hospitality related engagement includes the following: Representation of the licensor in a license arrangement with a joint venture for the Fly Burger restaurant concept in the Atlanta ...
Counsel to restaurateurs and restaurants
Represents multiple restaurateurs and restaurants, in connection with all legal matters, such as entity structuring and formation, contracts, trademark registration and licensing, alcohol beverage and related licensing, acquisitions and other general corporate matters.
Financing of the transfer of franchise ownership
Represents two of the largest franchisees (with more than 100 combined locations) of a major national quick serve restaurant company in connection with the financing of the transfer of franchise ownership to new owners.