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Christy Reuter loves her purchasers. Not simply as names on a contract — in an actual, roll-up-her-sleeves, answer-emails-at-midnight form of approach.
“My purchasers are slightly loopy,” admits the Blank Rome LLP companion and chair of its hospitality observe. “However I really like that about them. You need to be slightly loopy to be on this enterprise.”
That is precisely why Reuter thrives in hospitality regulation. Eating places are fast-paced, unpredictable and stuffed with high-stakes choices. 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 purchasers keep protected in an trade the place the fitting authorized steering can imply all the pieces.
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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 straight away when somebody would not perceive this trade,” Reuter tells Shawn Walchef, host of the Restaurant Influencers podcast. “They argue over the flawed issues, miss important particulars and find yourself making horrible offers.”
She compares it to going to the flawed 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 regulation, who understands the nuances of restaurant offers.”
Reuter’s capability to navigate high-pressure hospitality offers did not develop in a single day. As basic counsel for Cipriani, she helped lead the restaurant firm via main authorized battles, together with the financial disaster and high-profile tax issues.
“When you have got 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 right way to put out fires quick as a result of, on this enterprise, small authorized missteps can flip into large 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.
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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 identify.
“Operators do not all the time take into consideration trademarking their model early on,” Reuter says. “However in case you do not defend your identify, another person will. And when you lose management of your model, it is virtually inconceivable 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 protecting a competitor from stealing the identify, Reuter ensures her purchasers 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 assessment contracts,” she says. “It is to ensure my purchasers aren’t signing one thing that might damage them years down the highway.”
That is why she fights for each deal prefer it’s her personal. As a result of in hospitality, the fitting lawyer is not simply an advisor — they are a companion within the enterprise.
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