Being a successful restaurant owner can be a challenge – especially as other food deliveries and cooking services continue to pop up. As if that didn’t make things difficult enough, there are all sorts of legal issues that may come up, from how you set the menu to how your employees get paid, or who decides what’s for dinner. That’s where a business lawyer comes in
Here are six key problems they can help you solve.
1) Intellectual Property Protection
As a business owner, you may have acquired the rights to products or services already. But if you didn’t, you still need to ask yourself: What do I have that is unique or special, and can I protect it? You might think that all rights begin with a patent-well, maybe not. Things like trademark filings or copyright protection are also important.
2) Business Contracts
If you want a business relationship with another party, you’ll need to agree on a set of basic terms and conditions. And that includes things like how the business will be operated, what the taxes will be, who will pay for what, and when. These are all part of the “business contract” – which is what a lawyer can help you put together.
3) Employee Relationships
Your employees may have been hired by an employment agency or by word of mouth. Who’ll hire them and treat them right, who’ll pay their salaries and determine when, how and for what shareholders in the business you’ll share? These are all important issues that the business lawyer can help you handle.
4) Holding Company Structure
Do you need a separate corporate structure to operate your restaurant? Is one parent company better than another? Will it impact your ability to sell shares or liquidate your business? These are all issues that attorneys can help you tackle.
5) Lease Issues
If you have purchased a property or building to use as your restaurant, you’ll need to decide whether you want to lease, rent, or buy. And when it comes time to renew the lease, who can decide? What if someone else is interested in the property? Who will tell them no? These are all things that an attorney can help you with.
6) Legal Issues
On top of all these other business matters, you likely have some legal issues that need to be researched, resolved, and dealt with. These might be estate planning or tax issues. Or they may be Business Insurance claims or product liability. Whatever they are, a good lawyer can help you research them and get them taken care of.
Some of these issues are ones that you may feel you can solve on your own. But if you do, you may wind up spending much more money than is otherwise needed. As a restaurant owner, it’s probably not a good idea to forgo the help of an attorney who has experience with food establishments and/or restaurants.
If you are a business owner who owns or operates any type of restaurant, it’s a good idea to retain the services of a business attorney. The experience and knowledge that they will bring to your situation can be invaluable.
