*By Invitation Only

Member Kaplan will give us an inside look to what has been happening at the NLRB and what decisions are most important to the restaurant industry. With the upcoming Presidential election, Member Kaplan will also address what he expects to change and/or stay the same depending on the results of the election. This will be an enlightening hour to get us started!

The session will address emerging issues in connection with threatened and filed mass consumer arbitrations, including (1) how class action complaints may be mass arbitration traps; (2) the role of litigation funding, social media platforms, lead generation, and arbitration administrators; (3) the firms involved and their deep coordination; (4) best in class protections in arbitration agreements in 2024; (5) the benefits and drawbacks of an arbitration program; (6) ethical and legal issues inherent in the mass arbitration model; (7) litigation developments touching on mass arbitration issues, including recent district and circuit-level decisions and cases to watch; (8) the attributes of various arbitration providers, and their rules and procedures (including the recent AAA and JAMS rules changes announced in 2024); and (9) the types of claims that are being threatened and filed against retailers as part of mass arbitrations.

The leaders of Skadden’s mass arbitration practice will share practical strategies to ensure that restaurants’ consumer-friendly arbitration programs are not weaponized against them to seek coercive settlements.

This panel will explore the trending wage and hour issues impacting the restaurant industry, including recent state laws relating to service charges and delivery fees. We will examine the explosion of tips and use of service charges to ease labor costs, as well as potential missteps that can impact the profitability of the business. Join us for an in-depth discussion on how these changes are shaping the industry and what restaurant owners and managers need to know to stay compliant and profitable.

Open to all Attendees

Enjoy some live music, drinks, and dinner as you reconnect with industry friends and network with your peers.

Open to all Attendees

As more and more domestic, international and luxury brand companies develop or expand concepts throughout the US restaurant market, they are faced with Prohibition-era State legal provisions called the Tied House Laws that prevent entities who engage in manufacturing or wholesaling alcohol to be involved in the retail industry, and vice-versa. This has had a major effect on transactions involving the restaurant industry and has the potential of complicating or scuttling significant deals. The panel will discuss how to navigate the Tied House Laws to reach successful conclusions of corporate transactions as well as discuss recent important developments in New York and California restaurant law.

• Rice and Spice: Recent developments in Prop 65 Litigation
• Future of Prop 65 food litigation
• Consumer Food Claims: PFAS, BPA, Phthalates and beyond
• What’s working for Defendants
• Defense strategies for Prop 65 and Consumer Claims

In the next decade, the U.S. is poised to face major demographic challenges as the declining birthrate and rising life expectancy create an even tighter labor market and place massive strains on the federal budget. Given the potential impact on the country’s economic growth, now is the time to make critical immigration reforms to help employers hire and retain the talent they need to compete in the global marketplace. The lack of viable programs, outdated and arbitrarily low visa quotas, onerous compliance burdens, and endless backlogs that pervade employment-based visa programs are not meeting the workforce needs of today or the challenges of tomorrow. However, while both Republicans and Democrats agree that the current immigration system is broken, immigration reform remains one of the most contentious policy issues in America and will certainly be a flash point during the upcoming election.

Please join this interactive panel discussion, hosted by Littler Mendelson, which brings together corporate and small business leaders for a robust discussion on strengthening the U.S. workforce and key opportunities and challenges they face, along with suggested reforms, legal updates and creating effective immigration compliance policies.

Open to all Attendees

A veteran of the food and beverage industry, Edna Morris has over 40 years of leadership experience that includes positions of influence with some of the most well-known restaurant groups and organizations in the United States. Ms. Morris has served as the President of Red Lobster, Blue Coral Seafood & Spirits, Quincy’s Family Steakhouse, and the James Beard Foundation. Since 2017, she has worked as a Senior Advisor at Solomon Partners in the firm’s Grocery, Pharmacy & Restaurants Group. She will be joined by Lisa Gressel, former Chair of the Restaurant Law Center and former General Counsel at P.F. Chang’s China Bistro’s, for a fireside chat on legal challenges facing the industry and how she navigated them as an industry executive.

The interactive process has changed. We will explore:

• • • Changes to the religious accommodation standard
    • Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) issues
    • Pump Act and unique issues within restaurants

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) and related Environmental Social Governance (ESG) efforts continue to be important for many organizations seeking to create equitable, inclusive, and sustainable environments that promote belonging.  But since the Supreme Court’s decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, these initiatives have come under increased scrutiny—from consumers, investors, business partners, franchisees, and other stakeholders. DEI and related ESG efforts have also been the subject of litigation, shareholder and government investigations, legislation, and agency enforcement actions. In this program, panelists will provide an overview and update on those challenges, identify immediate and concrete steps companies can take to mitigate legal risk, and discuss restaurant-industry best practices for implementing action-orientated strategies designed to fit the culture of your organization.

The Supreme Court wrapped up a blockbuster term, which dramatically transformed the dynamic between federal agencies, such as the Department of Labor, and the entities they regulate. From overturning the 40-year-old Chevron doctrine (Loper Bright v. Raimondo), to expanding the right to challenge decades old federal regulations (Corner Post v. Federal Reserve System), to stripping a federal agency of their power to seek civil monetary penalties through an administrative proceeding (SEC v. Jarkesy), the Supreme Court has opened doors to legal challenges against agency actions past, present, and future. Join us for an engaging panel discussion that will explore how these recent Supreme Court landmark decisions will alter agency actions, and discover a new playbook of enhanced opportunities for the Restaurant Law Center to challenge agency statutory interpretations and for restaurants to defend themselves from agencies regulatory overreach.

Open to All Attendees

Share in some light hors d’oeuvres and libations before heading out to dinner for the evening.

All Attendees who registered with a Law Firm Partner promo code will receive e-communications from their respective law firm contacts regarding dinner details. For Attendees who registered without a promo code, the RLC will look for firms that have extra seats and are able to invite additional guests.

Open to all Attendees

Food and beverage retailers are using AI in many ways from hiring decisions, ordering and delivery, customer recognition, customer loyalty and marketing campaigns, and much more. This session will provide an overview of AI as it relates to the retail and food service sector and how to manage the legal and regulatory issues through effective AI policies. The session will cover:

1. Review of Key AI litigations
2. Overview of White House Executive Order Mandates
3. Update on AI legislation (including CO, CA, and UT)
4. Legal Issues with AI chatbots
5. Employee use of AI
6. Corporate policies for managing AI

Join us for a walking tour of historic Old San Juan with a local expert, followed by lunch downtown in a beautiful Spanish colonial architecture courtyard.