Legal Challenges in the Quick-Service and Fast-Casual Restaurant Industry (Presented by HospitalityLawyer.com)

Stephen Barth | HospitalityLawyer.com®

Stephen Barth, author of Hospitality Law and coauthor of Restaurant Law Basics, is an attorney, the founder of HospitalityLawyer.com, the annual Hospitality Law Conference series, and the Global Travel Risk Summit Series. As a professor at the Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management, University of Houston, he teaches courses in hospitality law and leadership. He is #3 on Global Guru’s Top 30 Hospitality Thought Leaders & Influencers for 2023. In addition to legal and travel risk mitigation insight, Stephen specializes in communicating the importance of Emotional Intelligence in leadership roles; and has provided valuable insight to many companies including The Methodist Hospital System, Wyndham Worldwide, Dine Equity, Business Travel News and Aramark. His fun, fast paced presentations provide practical information and solutions to enhance your personal and professional life.

Alexis Mason | GrayRobinson, P.A

Alexis is a shareholder with GrayRobinson’s nationwide regulated products department who provides legal guidance to clients in the alcohol beverage, cannabis, and food industries. Among her practice areas, Alexis advises on trade regulation and compliance guidance associated with mergers and acquisitions in regulated product industries. Alexis’ experience includes work on multi-billion-dollar beverage industry mergers, combining her corporate law and alcohol law acumen. Before joining the firm, Alexis gained experience as in house counsel for REEF Technology. While at REEF Technology, she conducted research to determine regulations applicable to certain business models in various jurisdictions and advised stakeholders regarding such regulations.

David Denney | Denney Law Group

David is the founder of Denney Law Group, a law firm that counsels startups and growing companies. David and his team focus the majority of their practice on matters including the formation of new businesses, the purchase and sale of existing businesses; private equity transactions; commercial leases and other real estate transactions; corporate matters; trademark protection; employment matters; franchising; beverage alcohol licensing (TTB/TABC); and general contract negotiation. When all else fails, the firm also represents its clients in various types of civil litigation.

In addition to representing small businesses in all walks of life, the firm has a well-established niche practice representing independent restaurants, bars, brewpubs, caterers, chefs, breweries, distilleries, wineries, food trucks, ghost kitchens, chuckwagons, and just about every other member of the ever-growing hospitality community.

Vince Vittatoe | Vittatoe Consulting, LLC

Vince Vittatoe is a seasoned professional with over 35 years of experience in law enforcement, corporate safety, security, and loss prevention. He has held various leadership roles in the hospitality and restaurant industries, including as the Director-Safety & Security at Accor North America and as a senior safety/security and loss prevention expert for Red Roof Inns and Bob Evans Restaurants.

Vittatoe is a Board-Certified Protection Professional (CPP), Certified Security Consultant (CSC), and CPTED Practitioner, and he has been involved in various professional associations, including ASIS International and the International Association of Professional Security Consultants. His expertise includes conducting security/risk assessments, premises liability reviews, emergency operations planning, policy and procedure reviews, crime and threat analysis, general liability consulting, OSHA reviews, and training for company staff members.

Benjamin Dudek | Fisher Phillips

Ben Dudek is an employment attorney in the Columbia office. He is certified by the South Carolina Supreme Court as a Specialist in Employment and Labor Law. Ben is very active in defending employers against administrative charges and lawsuits in state and federal courts. He represents clients in matters involving the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA); Title VII discrimination, retaliation, and harassment; the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA); the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA); wrongful discharge; and wage and hour laws.

When Ben is not defending clients, he enjoys providing advice and counsel on everyday workplace law issues. He also drafts and reviews handbooks and employment policies for clients with operations across the country. In particular, Ben counsels clients on drug and alcohol testing policies and procedures. He also assists clients undergoing reductions-in-force (RIFs) and reorganizations.

Ben devotes another part of his practice to drafting non-compete and non-solicitation agreements for clients to protect their customers and competitive assets. He also advises clients on how to enforce these agreements as well as defend against claims from competitors related to unfair competition. Prior to attending law school, Ben was a staffer for the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure in Washington, D.C. Within his practice, he monitors the latest legislative developments affecting employers on the federal, state, and local levels.

During law school, Ben was a Senior Articles Editor for the South Carolina Law Review. He is the author of “Rebutting the Strong Presumption of Reliability for Effective Assistance: The Pursuit of Cumulative Analysis for Strickland Claims in South Carolina,” 65 S.C. L. Rev. 685 (2014). Ben was inducted into the Order of the Coif and the Order of Wig and Robe. In addition, he received CALI Awards in Business Corporations; Civil Procedure; Legal Reasoning, Analysis, and Writing I; and Problems in Professional Responsibility. Before joining Fisher Phillips, Ben served as a law clerk to the Honorable H. Bruce Williams on the South Carolina Court of Appeals.

I. Workplace violence | 12:00pm – 12:15pm

II. Premises liability | 12:15pm – 12:30pm

III. Food & beverage liability | 12:30pm – 12:45pm

IV. Third-party delivery risk | 12:45pm – 1:00pm

Break | 1:00pm – 1:10pm

V. Safety & bonding leave | 1:10pm – 1:25pm

VI. Operational risk management | 1:25pm – 1:40pm