Restaurant Law Blog

Force majeure is a contractual provision that excuses a party’s performance if an unforeseeable event prevents them from fulfilling their obligations under the agreement.  Not all agreements (especially lease agreements) contain these provisions, but some of them do.  Landlords frequently object to the inclusion of these provisions for practical reasons.  However, that does not mean that you are without recourse if your agreement lacks such a provision.  I’ll discuss that below.
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As of this morning, the NYS Liquor Authority is permitting all On-Premises licenses to sell and deliver beer, wine and liquor.  This is a significant departure from the prior restriction limiting the sale and delivery to only beer.  Additionally, if you are overstocked, you are now permitted to return for a credit any and all alcohol purchased from March 1st.  

We know that these are uncertain and overwhelming times for many of our clients but we just wanted to let you know that we remain available to help in any way we can.  We are doing our best to try and gather information on resources and options that are available to our clients  as clearly this is a new scenario and measures are being enacted on both the city and state level to assist some of the businesses forced to cease normal operations.

What is the Spread of Hours Law?

Title 12 of the New York Codes, Rules, and Regulations (NYCRR) §142-1.6 is a law that requires employers to pay any employee an extra hour of pay, at the basic minimum hourly rate, for any day on which the employee’s “spread of hours” exceeds 10. The spread of hours is defined as “the length of the interval between the beginning and end of an employee’s workday.”  Essentially, if an employee’s “punch in” and “punch out” time exceeds 10 hours on any given day, even if that employee left the restaurant or hotel for a 6-hour lunch and only actually worked 5 hours that day, the employer must pay them for an extra hour.  The additional hour of pay “is not payment for time worked or worked performed” and does not need to be included in the regular rate for the purpose of calculating overtime pay.
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Free Seminar:  Why Lawyers Kill Commercial Real Estate Deals and How to Spot a Bad Deal in Advance
When:  Wednesday, March 15, 2017 from 5:30pm – 7:00pm
Where:  NYC Small Business Solutions, 110 William Street, New York, NY (7th Floor Boardroom)
Seminar Description: Are you tired of spending countless hours showing a property and negotiating a deal, only to have lawyers get involved and kill the transaction?  How can this be avoided?  This seminar is designed to assist commercial real estate brokers identify problematic deal terms before their time is wasted.  The seminar will focus on:

• Is your ‘non-binding’ letter of intent actually binding?
• How to properly structure a letter of intent for various transactions (e.g. sale, lease, investment)
• Identifying hidden lease expenses (i.e.

Beware:  If you own more than one restaurant which operates under the same name, you may have created an illegal and unintended franchise.

This sounds crazy, but it is actually very common and the consequences of creating an unintended franchise are substantial, serious, and include the possibility of both personal and criminal liability.  Many well-intentioned operators have tried to avoid the franchise tag by referring to their business relationships and partnerships as a “license,” or a “capital investment,” but the label placed on a relationship has little bearing on whether or not the relationship constitutes a franchise.

Would the same operators have pursued a different path if they had known that their mistake could result in the rescission of every one of their business transactions and the filing of criminal charges against them? It is a felony to sell a franchise without complying with both State and Federal law, and the respective agencies have the power to shut down your restaurants, freeze your bank accounts, order restitution, prevent an operator from opening new locations, impose huge penalties, award attorney’ fees to all injured parties, and rescind every one of the offender’s agreements under claim of fraud.  And, to top it off, claiming that they relied on the advice of their attorney will not help since franchise statutes impose strict liability, meaning that an owner’s intent or knowledge of the law (or lack thereof) is irrelevant.

When:   

Downtown Location:  September 13, 2016 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Uptown Location:  September 28, 2016 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Where:  

Downtown Location: 79 John St., 2nd Fl, New York, NY 10038
Uptown Location:  361 West 125th St., 2nd Fl, New York, NY 10027

Seminar Description:  An insider look at tips, tricks, and best practices to start your first restaurant in NYC, presented by Restaurant Attorney James D. DiPasquale.  To start and run a successful restaurant you must understand many different legal considerations which make operating in New York City, particularly unique. Whether you are a new or existing restaurant owner, this special follow-up to the Restaurant Management Boot Camp class will help you gain a deeper understanding of all of the basic requirements to get your business up and running.

-Forming a Corporation or Limited Liability Company (pros/cons of each)

-Partnership Considerations (The legalities of dealing with your business partners and investors)

-Finding  your restaurant space (Buying an existing restaurant vs. straight lease)

-Negotiating your Restaurant’s lease

-Applying for a Liquor License

-General discussion on permits needed (food service/cabaret/sidewalk café, etc.)

To Register:

For the Downtown seminar:  click HERE or paste the following link into your web browser: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/restaurant-management-bootcamp-20-lower-manhattan-91316-registration-27080444338

For the Uptown seminar, click HERE or paste the following link into your web browser: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/restaurant-management-bootcamp-20-upper-manhattan-92816-registration-26354368626?aff=ebapi

Can the State Liquor Authority regulate the retail sale of wine?

The State Liquor Authority (SLA) is the agency responsible for issuing liquor licenses, regulating alcohol sales, and doling out punishments to bars and restaurants caught violating the various regulations surrounding the industry. However, many are beginning to consider whether the SLA has actually gone too far within the context of retail wine and beer sales – particularly with regard to the out-of-state shipment of orders from local wineries and microbrews.

In one ongoing battle, upstate New York’s Empire Wines has sought an answer to this very question, and is engaging in ongoing litigation to help clarify the breadth of powers the SLA may use against New York-based companies engaged in the out-of-state sale of wine, beer and liquor. So far, the SLA has imposed several citations against Empire Wines, based primarily on the premise that the states to which it is shipping alcohol have their own prohibitions against the interstate shipment of alcohol. In other words, Empire Wines is exporting wines to states from which wine export is prohibited.

In its defense, Empire Wines has pointed out the blatant fact that it is not breaking any laws in the state of New York by shipping wines to places that do not allow their own businesses to engage in similar practices. In essence, Empire Wines asserts that the SLA’s charge of “improper conduct” is, in and of itself, an improper exercise of power by the agency and should be stopped through legislation.

Earlier this year, a bill that would put a stop to the SLA’s enforcement powers over perceived violations of laws in other states – especially when no other state has made a finding of guilt against a New York-based retailer-- passed both houses of the New York State legislature with broad support.

This bill is awaiting Governor Cuomo's signature. The governor has publicly voiced his support of New York’s growing winery and microbrew industry.

If you are facing a difficulties regarding SLA regulations and would like to discuss your options with an experienced liquor license attorney, please contact DiPasquale Law Group, serving the greater New York City metropolitan area, at 646.383.4607.