Restaurants

But the most talked-about dining room in the city still has to negotiate its lease, manage a large hourly workforce under California's demanding employment laws, protect its brand, and navigate the operational and regulatory pressures of running a food business. Greenberg Glusker's restaurant attorneys work at both levels — the business you're building and the legal complexity underneath it.

Our clients span independent concepts, celebrity-backed dining venues, quick-service chains, and multi-unit groups — from single-location owners to operators managing hundreds of sites. Whatever the size or stage of your business, we bring the full resources of a premier Los Angeles firm to every engagement.

Real Estate

We negotiate and structure lease agreements for single-unit and multi-unit operators, represent restaurant groups in lease disputes with landlords, and advise on site acquisitions and build-outs. We have acted as lease counsel to an international restaurant company across disputes in multiple U.S. markets and regularly represent quick-service chains in nationwide leasing and real estate matters. We also advise on land use and zoning issues that arise in connection with new openings.

Employment

We counsel restaurant operators on wage and hour compliance, tip pooling rules, meal and rest break requirements, exempt classifications, and EDD audits. Our litigators have represented prominent celebrity restaurants in wage and hour class actions and resolved complex multi-plaintiff PAGA cases at a fraction of projected exposure — often before formal discovery begins. We also advise on ADA and EEOC claims, child labor law compliance, and workers' compensation matters, and help operators build the HR documentation and internal policies that reduce litigation risk.

Corporate, Finance, and M&A

We advise restaurant operators, investors, and owners at every stage of the business lifecycle. Our M&A team has represented the purchaser of a hundred-location restaurant chain, advised Mandarin Holdings in its acquisition of the Leeann Chin restaurant group and subsequent credit facility refinancing, and represented Stix Holdings in its acquisition of Pick Up Stix restaurants. We structure acquisition financing, term loans, and revolving credit facilities for restaurant operators, handle corporate formation for new concepts, and negotiate commercial contracts and investor and partnership agreements. When businesses face financial stress, we also counsel on turnarounds, workouts, restructuring, and distressed M&A.

Intellectual Property and Brand Protection

We clear and prosecute trademark applications for restaurants and restaurant groups, enforce trademark rights — including obtaining emergency federal court seizure orders in infringement actions — and defend restaurants against third-party copyright and trademark claims. We also structure promotional contests and sweepstakes, negotiate sponsorship agreements, and advise on licensing arrangements for branded restaurant concepts.

Regulatory Compliance

We advise on alcohol permits and licensing, health and safety compliance, product and menu labeling requirements, and general compliance with applicable food industry standards. We also counsel on local government contracting and permitting matters that arise in connection with new locations and expansions.

Ownership and Shareholder Disputes

We have resolved multi-million dollar buyout disputes between co-owners of restaurant businesses through dissolution proceedings and mediated settlements, and handled related real estate and corporate unwinding issues. We represent minority shareholders, departing partners, and principals in disputes over business operations and real property interests, and move efficiently to protect our client's position while minimizing disruption to the business.