Bousquet Holstein has a long history of serving hospitality and restaurant clients as their trusted business advisors. Our attorneys have provided experienced legal counsel to the restaurant, hospitality and beverage industry focusing on compliance, operations, development and transactional matters. We provide our business partners with common-sense legal, business and creative advice necessary to comply with a wide spectrum of tax, labor, health, liquor and general legal requirements unique to this industry. Our clients include business owners, managers, investors and developers of restaurants, hotels and resorts, franchises, breweries, vineyards, distilleries, as well as food and beverage manufacturers, retailers, and distributors.
Managing a Workforce
Few issues create greater risk for restaurant owners than managing a workforce. From tipped wage compliance and Department of Labor investigations to employee disputes and workplace litigation, employment-related issues can quickly become expensive distractions from running a successful business.
Restaurant owners face a unique combination of operational, regulatory, and workforce challenges. High employee turnover, complex wage and hour requirements, staffing shortages, liquor licensing obligations, and increasing regulatory scrutiny require practical solutions that allow businesses to remain focused on serving customers and growing their operations.
Whether responding to a Department of Labor audit, updating employee policies, navigating liquor licensing requirements, addressing workplace disputes, or defending litigation, our attorneys provide practical, industry-focused guidance tailored to the realities of operating a hospitality business.
Workplace Compliance and Employment Counseling
Running a restaurant means making employment decisions every day. Hiring, scheduling, employee discipline, accommodations, leave requests, workplace complaints, and terminations all create legal risk if not handled properly. In an industry where staffing challenges and employee turnover are constant concerns, employers often need practical answers quickly.
Our attorneys serve as outside employment counsel to restaurant owners, operators, hospitality groups, and food service businesses. We provide day-to-day guidance on workplace issues, help employers navigate regulatory requirements, and work proactively to identify and address problems before they become costly disputes.
Employee Handbooks and Workplace Policies
Restaurant employers need policies that reflect the realities of hospitality operations. Employee handbooks and workplace policies establish expectations, promote consistency, and provide managers with practical tools for addressing workplace issues.
We assist restaurant owners in developing and updating employee handbooks and workplace policies addressing wage payment practices, tip pooling arrangements, attendance expectations, scheduling practices, anti-harassment policies, complaint reporting procedures, disciplinary standards, and employee separations. Our goal is to help employers create policies that support both compliance and effective business operations.
Workplace Investigations and Employee Issues
Employee complaints often require immediate attention and can create significant operational and legal challenges if not addressed appropriately. Allegations involving harassment, discrimination, retaliation, employee misconduct, or workplace disputes can affect both workplace morale and business performance.
We help restaurant owners and management teams respond to workplace complaints, conduct investigations, evaluate legal risks, and make informed employment decisions. By addressing issues promptly and effectively, we help employers reduce risk and minimize disruption to day-to-day operations.
Wage and Hour Compliance and Department of Labor Audits
Few areas of law create more exposure for restaurant owners than wage and hour compliance. Tipped employees, tip credits, overtime requirements, spread-of-hours pay, meal periods, employee classifications, payroll practices, and recordkeeping requirements remain frequent sources of claims, audits, and litigation.
Our attorneys assist hospitality employers in evaluating pay practices, identifying compliance concerns, and responding to audits and investigations conducted by the New York State Department of Labor and the United States Department of Labor. Whether addressing a potential issue before it becomes a claim or responding to an active investigation, we help businesses navigate compliance challenges while minimizing operational disruption.
Liquor Licensing and Alcohol Beverage Compliance
For many hospitality businesses, a liquor license is one of the company’s most valuable assets. Obtaining and maintaining the appropriate license requires ongoing attention to regulatory requirements, ownership changes, licensing restrictions, and compliance obligations.
Bousquet Holstein assists restaurant owners, bars, breweries, wineries, distilleries, and hospitality operators with liquor licensing matters throughout every stage of their business. We help clients navigate new license applications, renewals, transfers, ownership changes, regulatory reviews, and matters before the New York State Liquor Authority.
Restaurant and Hospitality Litigation
Disputes are an unfortunate reality for many hospitality businesses. Employee lawsuits, wage and hour claims, contract disputes, partnership disagreements, customer claims, and regulatory proceedings can create significant financial and operational burdens.
When disputes arise, restaurant owners need counsel that understands both the legal issues involved and the realities of operating a hospitality business. Our attorneys represent restaurant and hospitality clients in employment litigation, wage and hour claims, administrative proceedings, commercial disputes, and regulatory matters. We focus on practical strategies designed to protect the business, manage risk, and allow ownership to remain focused on operations.