The restaurant and consumer retail industry is a major driver of the U.S. economy, creating millions of jobs, from chefs and servers to sales associates and managers, supporting local communities and driving economic growth.
Restaurants and retail stores also serve as hubs of innovation and entrepreneurship, enabling small business owners, designers, and aspiring franchise owners to pursue their dreams. As new dining concepts and retail trends start small and grow into thriving regional and national chains, their ownership teams look to the Restaurant + Consumer Retail industry team at Kegler Brown as outside general counsel to help build those ideas, create sustainable operations, and, ultimately, exit.
By providing comprehensive legal services tailored to the unique needs of the restaurant and retail sector, Kegler Brown's broad and experienced team helps clients navigate challenges, seize opportunities, and achieve long-term success.
Key Areas of Focus
- Private Placements + Transactions: Kegler Brown’s deal team is the backbone of our approach to the industry, helping businesses raise capital, restructure corporate entities, take on new partners, and prepare to sell to a third-party, franchisee, or private equity.
- Mergers + Acquisitions: Because business owners are always seeking opportunities for strategic growth, our transactional lawyers regularly serve as lead counsel in mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, licensing agreements, and other strategic partnerships, helping clients navigate the complexities of business combinations and cultural integration.
- Intellectual Property: Protecting brand identity through trademarks, copyrights, and patents is one of the most overlooked, but essential, aspects of growing a concept- we help safeguard recipes, logos, product designs, marketing materials, and the other unique ideas that make these businesses resonate with their customers.
- Franchising + Licensing: Many businesses in this sector operate under franchise or licensing agreements. Kegler Brown’s dedicated Franchise + Distribution team works closely with owners, managers, and in-house counsel to create franchised businesses; draft, negotiate, and enforce Franchise Disclosure Documents and licensing agreements; and ensure compliance with federal and state franchise laws.
- Employment Law: Our employment team is deeply experienced in working with multi-unit concepts to establish and maintain a valuable workforce, managing issues such as wage and hour disputes, union organizing, executive compensation plan design, workplace safety, and compliance with anti-discrimination and harassment laws.
- Real Estate + Commercial Leasing: Securing prime locations is crucial for the success of any restaurant or retail business. Our real estate team has been working with businesses throughout the industry supply chain to find, secure, build, analyze, and grow their multi-unit real estate portfolios throughout the United States for decades.
- Regulatory Compliance: Ensuring adherence to health and safety regulations, labor laws, and environmental standards is critical to long-term success. We offer advice on compliance with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards, Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regulations, and local health department rules.
- Litigation + Dispute Resolution: When problems arise with landlords, tenants, employees, former employees, vendors, distributors, franchisees, franchisors, or other third-parties, our dispute resolution team relies on its deep industry experience to navigate those disputes cost-effectively through litigation, arbitration, or mediation.
- Consumer Protection: When consumer-focused businesses plan to execute engaging marketing, advertising, and promotional campaigns, we partner with their risk management teams to ensure compliance with consumer protection laws, including advertising standards, gaming rules, and product safety regulations.
