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

Legal risks in QSR and fast-casual restaurants: workplace violence, premises liability, food safety, delivery exposure, and operational risk management.

2026-02-18 12:00:00

1.5 hours

Program Details

2026-02-18 12:00:00

Program Details

2026-02-18 12:00:00

Over 1,000+ webinars

2026-02-18 12:00:00

1.5 hours

Course Overview

Managing Restaurant Legal Risk in 2026

2026-02-18 12:00:00

Participants will learn strategies for preventing workplace violence, managing premises liability, ensuring food safety compliance, and mitigating third-party delivery exposure. These practical approaches help restaurant operators reduce claims and maintain defensible operations.

Format

CLE Credit

1.5h CLE Credits

Level

Intermediate

Length

1.5

Key topics that will be covered

01
Workplace Violence
De-escalation training, active shooter preparedness, and proper incident documentation techniques.
02
Premises Liability
Managing slip and fall claims, PPE compliance, and video surveillance considerations.
03
Food Safety
Allergen management, foodborne illness response, and hot beverage burn prevention.
04
Delivery Risk
Third-party platform exposure, alcohol compliance, and tamper-evident packaging measures.
05
Employee Leave
Navigating FMLA, ADA accommodations, and gender-neutral parental bonding leave policies.
06
Risk Management
Written policies, manager accountability, documentation practices, and certification tracking systems.

Program schedule

clock 12:00 pm - 12:15 pm EST

Workplace Violence Prevention and De-escalation Strategies

This session examines the unique conditions in quick-service restaurants that contribute to workplace violence, including post-pandemic increases in aggressive customer behavior. Attendees will learn about foreseeability concepts, de-escalation training approaches, and proper incident documentation techniques.

Stephen BarthStephen Barth
Alexis MasonAlexis Mason
David DenneyDavid Denney
Vince VittatoeVince Vittatoe
Benjamin DudekBenjamin Dudek
clock 12:15 pm - 12:30 pm EST

Managing Premises Liability and Slip-and-Fall Claims

Explore the leading category of premises liability claims in restaurants, focusing on slip, trip, and fall prevention for both employees and customers. The session covers PPE compliance challenges, video surveillance best practices, and key differences between employee and customer injury claims.

Stephen BarthStephen Barth
Alexis MasonAlexis Mason
David DenneyDavid Denney
Vince VittatoeVince Vittatoe
Benjamin DudekBenjamin Dudek
clock 12:30 pm - 12:45 pm EST

Food and Beverage Safety and Liability Exposure

This session addresses critical risks including burns, equipment injuries, allergen management, and foodborne illness claims. Attendees will learn about minor employee restrictions, hot beverage protocols, and the triple threat of private litigation, regulatory scrutiny, and reputational damage.

Stephen BarthStephen Barth
Alexis MasonAlexis Mason
David DenneyDavid Denney
Vince VittatoeVince Vittatoe
Benjamin DudekBenjamin Dudek
clock 12:45 pm - 1:00 pm EST

Mitigating Third-Party Delivery Platform Legal Risks

Examine the multiple risk categories created by third-party delivery services, from food safety concerns to allergen communication breakdowns. Learn strategies for protecting your brand reputation and ensuring compliance with alcohol delivery regulations.

Stephen BarthStephen Barth
Alexis MasonAlexis Mason
David DenneyDavid Denney
Vince VittatoeVince Vittatoe
Benjamin DudekBenjamin Dudek
clock 1:10 pm - 1:25 pm EST

Navigating Employee Leave and Mental Health Accommodations

Address the increasing requests for workplace stress and mental health-related leave under ADA and FMLA frameworks. This session covers key considerations for handling suspicious timing of leave requests and ensuring gender-neutral parental bonding leave policies.

Stephen BarthStephen Barth
Alexis MasonAlexis Mason
David DenneyDavid Denney
Vince VittatoeVince Vittatoe
Benjamin DudekBenjamin Dudek
clock 1:25 pm - 1:40 pm EST

Building a Culture of Operational Risk Management

Discover the foundational elements of effective risk management: written policies, consistent training, and accountability. Learn how empowered managers, proper documentation practices, and proactive guest communication create a culture that minimizes litigation exposure.

Stephen BarthStephen Barth
Alexis MasonAlexis Mason
David DenneyDavid Denney
Vince VittatoeVince Vittatoe
Benjamin DudekBenjamin Dudek
Stephen Barth

Stephen Barth

HospitalityLawyer.com®

Alexis Mason

Alexis Mason

GrayRobinson, P.A

David Denney

David Denney

Denney Law Group

Vince Vittatoe

Vince Vittatoe

Vittatoe Consulting, LLC

Benjamin Dudek

Benjamin Dudek

Fisher Phillips

Stephen Barth

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.

Education & Credentials

He earned a B.A. in Economics, an M.A. in Communications, and a J.D. from Texas Tech University. His faculty profile also describes decades of work in hospitality law and leadership education, alongside litigation-support and expert-witness work in hospitality-related matters.

Recognition & Leadership

He has received University of Houston teaching recognition, including the Career Teaching Excellence Award, and other teaching honors noted in his professional materials. He has also been recognized by Global Gurus in its hospitality rankings, including being listed as the #1 hospitality professional for 2022 and appearing in the 2023 and 2024 lists.

Professional Involvement

His work includes building HospitalityLawyer.com as a platform serving hospitality lawyers and industry leaders with legal, safety, and risk-management resources. He is also associated with industry-facing conferences and summits that convene professionals around hospitality legal risk and travel risk management.

Experience

Across more than three decades at the University of Houston’s Hilton College, his profile notes teaching and speaking activity at significant scale, including thousands of students taught, extensive publishing, and hundreds of industry presentations. His work also includes being retained in litigation contexts and contributing expertise on hospitality-related standards of care and operational risk.
Alexis Mason

Alexis Mason

GrayRobinson, P.A

Alexis Mason is a shareholder with GrayRobinson’s nationwide regulated products department who provides legal guidance to clients in the alcohol beverage, cannabis, and food industries, including trade regulation and compliance guidance associated with mergers and acquisitions.

Experience

Experience includes work on multi-billion-dollar beverage industry mergers combining corporate law and alcohol law expertise. Previously served as in-house counsel for REEF Technology, conducting research on regulations applicable to business models in various jurisdictions and advising stakeholders.
David Denney

David Denney

Denney Law Group

Vince Vittatoe

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, with expertise in the hospitality and restaurant industries.

Education & Credentials

Board-Certified Protection Professional (CPP), Certified Security Consultant (CSC), CPTED Practitioner

Professional Involvement

Involved in various professional associations including ASIS International and the International Association of Professional Security Consultants

Experience

Over 35 years of experience in law enforcement, corporate safety, security, and loss prevention. Former Director-Safety & Security at Accor North America and senior safety/security and loss prevention expert for Red Roof Inns and Bob Evans Restaurants. Expertise includes security/risk assessments, premises liability reviews, emergency operations planning, policy and procedure reviews, crime and threat analysis, general liability consulting, OSHA reviews, and staff training.
Benjamin Dudek

Benjamin Dudek

Fisher Phillips

Ben Dudek is an employment attorney certified by the South Carolina Supreme Court as a Specialist in Employment and Labor Law, focusing on defending employers and providing workplace law counsel.

Education & Credentials

Senior Articles Editor for the South Carolina Law Review during law school; inducted into the Order of the Coif and the Order of Wig and Robe; received CALI Awards in Business Corporations, Civil Procedure, Legal Reasoning, Analysis, and Writing I, and Problems in Professional Responsibility

Recognition & Leadership

Certified by the South Carolina Supreme Court as a Specialist in Employment and Labor Law; 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)

Experience

Employment attorney in the Columbia office at Fisher Phillips. Defends employers against administrative charges and lawsuits in state and federal courts involving ADA, Title VII, FMLA, ADEA, wrongful discharge, and wage and hour laws. Provides advice on workplace law issues, drafts and reviews handbooks and employment policies, counsels on drug and alcohol testing policies, assists with reductions-in-force and reorganizations, drafts non-compete and non-solicitation agreements. Prior to law school, was a staffer for the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. Served as law clerk to the Honorable H. Bruce Williams on the South Carolina Court of Appeals.
Stephen Barth

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.

Education & Credentials

He earned a B.A. in Economics, an M.A. in Communications, and a J.D. from Texas Tech University. His faculty profile also describes decades of work in hospitality law and leadership education, alongside litigation-support and expert-witness work in hospitality-related matters.

Recognition & Leadership

He has received University of Houston teaching recognition, including the Career Teaching Excellence Award, and other teaching honors noted in his professional materials. He has also been recognized by Global Gurus in its hospitality rankings, including being listed as the #1 hospitality professional for 2022 and appearing in the 2023 and 2024 lists.

Professional Involvement

His work includes building HospitalityLawyer.com as a platform serving hospitality lawyers and industry leaders with legal, safety, and risk-management resources. He is also associated with industry-facing conferences and summits that convene professionals around hospitality legal risk and travel risk management.

Experience

Across more than three decades at the University of Houston’s Hilton College, his profile notes teaching and speaking activity at significant scale, including thousands of students taught, extensive publishing, and hundreds of industry presentations. His work also includes being retained in litigation contexts and contributing expertise on hospitality-related standards of care and operational risk.
Alexis Mason

Alexis Mason

GrayRobinson, P.A

Alexis Mason is a shareholder with GrayRobinson’s nationwide regulated products department who provides legal guidance to clients in the alcohol beverage, cannabis, and food industries, including trade regulation and compliance guidance associated with mergers and acquisitions.

Experience

Experience includes work on multi-billion-dollar beverage industry mergers combining corporate law and alcohol law expertise. Previously served as in-house counsel for REEF Technology, conducting research on regulations applicable to business models in various jurisdictions and advising stakeholders.
David Denney

David Denney

Denney Law Group

Vince Vittatoe

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, with expertise in the hospitality and restaurant industries.

Education & Credentials

Board-Certified Protection Professional (CPP), Certified Security Consultant (CSC), CPTED Practitioner

Professional Involvement

Involved in various professional associations including ASIS International and the International Association of Professional Security Consultants

Experience

Over 35 years of experience in law enforcement, corporate safety, security, and loss prevention. Former Director-Safety & Security at Accor North America and senior safety/security and loss prevention expert for Red Roof Inns and Bob Evans Restaurants. Expertise includes security/risk assessments, premises liability reviews, emergency operations planning, policy and procedure reviews, crime and threat analysis, general liability consulting, OSHA reviews, and staff training.
Benjamin Dudek

Benjamin Dudek

Fisher Phillips

Ben Dudek is an employment attorney certified by the South Carolina Supreme Court as a Specialist in Employment and Labor Law, focusing on defending employers and providing workplace law counsel.

Education & Credentials

Senior Articles Editor for the South Carolina Law Review during law school; inducted into the Order of the Coif and the Order of Wig and Robe; received CALI Awards in Business Corporations, Civil Procedure, Legal Reasoning, Analysis, and Writing I, and Problems in Professional Responsibility

Recognition & Leadership

Certified by the South Carolina Supreme Court as a Specialist in Employment and Labor Law; 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)

Experience

Employment attorney in the Columbia office at Fisher Phillips. Defends employers against administrative charges and lawsuits in state and federal courts involving ADA, Title VII, FMLA, ADEA, wrongful discharge, and wage and hour laws. Provides advice on workplace law issues, drafts and reviews handbooks and employment policies, counsels on drug and alcohol testing policies, assists with reductions-in-force and reorganizations, drafts non-compete and non-solicitation agreements. Prior to law school, was a staffer for the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. Served as law clerk to the Honorable H. Bruce Williams on the South Carolina Court of Appeals.

Credits by state

AK1.5
AL1.5
AR1.5
AZ1.5
CA1.5
CO1.5
CT1.5
DC
DE1.5
FL2.0
GA1.5
HI1.5
IA1.5
ID1.5
IL1.5
IN1.5
KS1.5
KY1.5
LA1.5
MA1.5
MD1.5
ME1.5
MI1.5
MN1.5
MO1.8
MS1.5
MT1.5
NC1.5
ND1.5
NE1.5
NH90.0
NJ1.5
NM1.5
NV1.5
NY1.5
OH1.5
OK2.0
OR1.5
PA1.5
RI2.0
SC1.5
SD1.5
TN1.5
TX1.5
UT1.5
VA1.5
VT1.5
WA1.5
WI1.5
WV1.8
WY1.5

1000+

Live stream programs

24/7

Access to live webinars & recordings

70,000+

Trusted by Legal Professionals

1000+

Live stream programs

24/7

Access to live webinars & recordings

70,000+

Trusted by Legal Professionals

1000+

Live stream programs

24/7

Access to live webinars & recordings

10,000+

Trusted by Legal Professionals

1000+

Live stream programs

24/7

Access to live webinars & recordings

70,000+

Trusted by Legal Professionals

MCLE Credits

Alabama
Approved
Alaska
Approved
Arizona
Approved
Arkansas
Approved
California
Approved
Colorado
Pending
Connecticut
Approved
Delaware
Pending
District of Columbia
No Required
Florida
Approved
Georgia
Approved
Hawaii
Approved
Idaho
Pending
Illinois
Approved
Indiana
Approved
Iowa
Pending
Kansas
Pending
Kentucky
Pending
Louisiana
Pending
Maine
Pending
Maryland
No Required
Massachusetts
No Required
Michigan
No Required
Minnesota
Approved
Mississippi
Pending
Missouri
Approved
Montana
Pending
Nebraska
Pending
Nevada
Approved
New Hampshire
Approved
New Jersey
Approved
New Mexico
Approved
New York
Approved
North Carolina
Pending
North Dakota
Approved
Ohio
Approved
Oklahoma
Pending
Oregon
Pending
Pennsylvania
Approved
Rhode Island
Pending
South Carolina
Pending
South Dakota
No Required
Tennessee
Approved
Texas
Approved
Utah
Pending
Vermont
Approved
Virginia
Not Eligible
Washington
Approved
West Virginia
Pending
Wisconsin
Approved
Wyoming
Pending

Alabama

Requirements

The Alabama State Bar MCLE Commission requires attorneys to complete 12 credits, including 1 ethics, by December 31 of each year. All credits must be reported by February 15 of the following year. A maximum of 12 credits, including 1 ethics credit, may be carried over for 1 year only.  

Formats

  • Attorneys can earn unlimited “live” credit through live seminars, live webcasts, and co-sponsored locations with MyLAWCLE-Alabama approved programs
  • Attorneys are limited to 6 credits per compliance period of “online” programs through MyLAwCLE On-Demand programs