Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their very own.
Christy Reuter loves her shoppers. Not simply as names on a contract — in an actual, roll-up-her-sleeves, answer-emails-at-midnight form of approach.
“My shoppers are slightly loopy,” admits the Blank Rome LLP associate and chair of its hospitality follow. “However I really like that about them. It’s a must to be slightly loopy to be on this enterprise.”
That is precisely why Reuter thrives in hospitality legislation. Eating places are fast-paced, unpredictable and filled with high-stakes selections. When operators want somebody to guard their enterprise, whether or not it is a last-minute lease negotiation, a licensing deal or a trademark dispute, Reuter is the one they name.
She ensures her shoppers keep protected in an trade the place the best authorized steerage can imply all the pieces.
Associated: This Chef Built a Meatball Empire, Lost Millions and Came Back Stronger with a Pizza Revolution
The restaurant trade is constructed on ardour, however ardour alone will not defend you from a foul deal. That is the place an skilled hospitality lawyer makes all of the distinction.
“I can inform immediately when somebody would not perceive this trade,” Reuter tells Shawn Walchef, host of the Restaurant Influencers podcast. “They argue over the fallacious issues, miss important particulars and find yourself making horrible offers.”
She compares it to going to the fallacious kind of physician. “You do not go to a heart specialist in case your foot hurts,” Reuter says. “It is the identical factor with attorneys. You need somebody who lives and breathes hospitality legislation, who understands the nuances of restaurant offers.”
Reuter’s skill to navigate high-pressure hospitality offers did not develop in a single day. As basic counsel for Cipriani, she helped lead the restaurant firm by way of main authorized battles, together with the financial disaster and high-profile tax issues.
“When you could have over 500 workers, guaranteeing that everybody is aware of all the pieces’s going to be okay is a problem,” she says. “I discovered the way to put out fires quick as a result of, on this enterprise, small authorized missteps can flip into huge issues.”
She’s labored on main restaurant offers in New York, Miami, Las Vegas and past. From negotiating restaurant administration contracts to serving to manufacturers broaden globally, her authorized experience ensures that operators aren’t simply protected — however positioned for achievement.
And one of many biggest mistakes she sees? Not defending the model.
Associated: Your Guests All Want the Same Thing, Says This Hotel Food and Beverage Consultant — Here’s What
Defending your model
For a lot of restaurant operators, the authorized facet of branding is an afterthought. They construct a terrific idea, launch a killer menu and develop a loyal following — solely to comprehend too late that they by no means protected their title.
“Operators do not all the time take into consideration trademarking their model early on,” Reuter says. “However should you do not defend your title, another person will. And when you lose management of your model, it is nearly unattainable to get it again.”
A strong trademark is not only a authorized technicality — it is the inspiration of a restaurant’s long-term success. Whether or not it is licensing alternatives, enlargement plans or just maintaining a competitor from stealing the title, Reuter ensures her shoppers keep in management.
On the finish of the day, Reuter’s job is about greater than contracts and negotiations. It is about defending the folks and companies of which she believes.
“My job is not simply to evaluation contracts,” she says. “It is to ensure my shoppers aren’t signing one thing that might damage them years down the street.”
That is why she fights for each deal prefer it’s her personal. As a result of in hospitality, the best lawyer is not simply an advisor — they are a associate within the enterprise.
Associated: To Make the Perfect Cocktail, You Need Collaboration. It’s the Same When You Own a Restaurant.
About Restaurant Influencers
Restaurant Influencers is dropped at you by Toast, the highly effective restaurant point-of-sale and administration system that helps eating places enhance operations, improve gross sales and create a greater visitor expertise.
Toast — Powering Profitable Eating places. Study extra about Toast.
