The Federal Tax Deductions for Tips and Overtime Pay: Opportunities for Restaurants Employers
New York State Restaurant Reservation Anti-Piracy Act Cracks Down on a "Leech Industry"
The Briefing by the IP Law Blog: Chipotle and Sweetgreen Settle Food Fight Over CHIPOTLE Trademark
Shining a Light on Greek Cuisine with Chef Doug Psaltis
Podcast: The Briefing by the IP Law Blog - Cookie Co’s Motion to Dismiss Trademark Lawsuit by Restaurant Crumbles
The Briefing by the IP Law Blog: Cookie Co’s Motion to Dismiss Trademark Lawsuit by Restaurant Crumbles
FLSA and Wage and Hour Issues for Restaurants
Restaurant Rebound: How Employers Can Build and Keep Top-Notch Service Teams
Reporting Cash Tips to the IRS [More with McGlinchey, Ep. 24]
From More Delivery, Takeout and Outdoor Dining Options to Financial Relief – How Restaurants Have Managed Throughout the Pandemic
Strategies for Restaurant Owners to Survive in the New Normal
RCG Webinar | Where's the Beef?
II-30- Tackling 3 Big Wage and Hour Questions for Employers
Stealth Lawyer: Mark Russ Federman, Appetizing Shop Owner
On March 20, 2025, the U.S. Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) granted an opposition filed by Jack’s Family Restaurants, LP, and denied an application filed by Jack’s Grill and Billiards, Inc., to register JACK’S...more
When Taco Bell announced its intention to eliminate all exclusive trademark rights in the phrase TACO TUESDAY, it invoked the Declaration of Independence, claiming that any restriction on the right to use it “violates an...more
Popular food chains Chipotle and Sweetgreen settled a trademark dispute relating to Sweetgreen’s use of ‘CHIPOTLE’ on its menu. Scott Hervey and Josh Escovedo talk about this dispute on this episode of The Briefing by the IP...more
When entering into a trademark license agreement most trademark owners do not consider the possibility that their agreement actually may be a franchise, which would subject them to specific disclosure requirements and a...more
Think about your favorite pizza restaurant. What sets it apart from the frozen pizza you could pick up from your local grocery store? Is it the cheese-stuffed crust? The quality of the pepperoni?...more
In this episode of The Briefing by the IP Law Blog, Scott Hervey and Josh Escovedo discuss a trademark dispute between a restaurant and a craft cookie maker, over the use of similar marks for cookies. ...more
The great pizza wars of 2021 are not what you might expect. While the courts will never be able to resolve the question of who (or where) makes the best pie, a pair of decisions from the last few weeks did resolve contentious...more
A proposed class action settlement pending in the District Court of Colorado involving Grubhub, Inc. has been called into question by would-be intervenors from a similar action against Grubhub pending in the Northern District...more
Since the inception of the pandemic, “ghost kitchens” - or shared commercial spaces which host multiple restaurant brands only serving food via delivery or takeout - have presented a surprising silver lining for both...more
Illinois Federal Court Excludes Plaintiffs’ Expert Testimony on Certification Motion in Anti-Poaching Class Action - A federal court in Illinois granted Jimmy John’s motion to exclude expert testimony of a putative class...more
In a case “test[ing] the limits of the extraterritorial application of the Copyright and Lanham Acts,” the D.C. Circuit affirms the dismissal of design-your-own pizza restaurant &pizza’s lawsuit against an Edinburgh-based...more
A federal court in Tennessee held a Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken former franchisee in contempt for failure to deidentify its restaurant after entry of a temporary restraining order and consent to a permanent injunction. ...more
Trademark registration is essential for small business owners who are looking to build and protect the brand within their community. But when a competitor opens up down the street with the same or similar name, trademark...more
In a decision of first impression issued last week, the United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee held, in Gus’s Franchisor, LLC v. Terrapin Restaurant Partners, LLC, that the COVID-19 pandemic did...more
The Federal Circuit in In re JC Hospitality LLC recently affirmed the United States Patent and Trademark Office, Trademark Trial and Appeal Board’s refusal to register the service mark THE JOINT for a venue offering...more
I’ve lost track of how many lawsuits I’ve seen between co-owners of New York City restaurants. It’s not surprising given the high percentage of restaurant failures in an intensely competitive market with high rents, high...more
Regulation - FDA-USDA Propose Joint Regulatory Framework for Cell-Grown Meat - On Nov. 16, 2018, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) issued a joint statement...more
The alcohol industry has seen a veritable explosion in trademark filings from craft and independent brewers, distillers and wineries. This upsurge means trademarks are coming into conflict more and more often in the...more
Disputes over restaurant trademarks are not exactly rare. However, we couldn’t help noticing that on September 28, 2018, injunctions issued hours apart in two restaurant name disputes involving high profile New York marks....more
LEGISLATION, REGULATIONS & STANDARDS - Mass. Governor Vetoes Raw Milk Bill - Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker has vetoed a state environmental bond bill containing a provision that would allow raw milk sales at farm...more
The New Jersey Turnpike Authority (“NJTA”) was forced to pay a big toll when the United States Patent and Trademark Office, Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (the “Board”), dismissed its opposition to a pizza restaurant’s...more
10) Choose your name and logo carefully. The end goal is to be able to trademark your identity. In order to do that, you have to be distinguishable from others. Do your research and be creative. 9) Size. Be Goldilocks. Like...more
Though an individual owner and operator of a formerly franchised Church's Chicken restaurant in Texas was not a signer of the franchise agreement, a district court ruled the individual was subject to the agreement's...more
A registered trademark is a valuable corporate asset and can be a significant part of a company's worth. A franchisor has an affirmative legal duty to police use of its mark by licensed franchisees and also third-party...more