Multi-Unit Restaurant

Womble Carlyle lawyers from across a variety of disciplines have joined together to address the unique and diverse needs of multi-unit restaurant owners and operators, whether they are franchisors, franchisees or independents. We represent restaurateurs in every aspect of their businesses, including:

• Equity capital raises and reorganizations 
• Acquisitions and divestitures 
• Negotiation of traditional and mezzanine debt facilities
• Drafting and negotiating franchise-related agreements
• Franchise regulatory compliance
• Protection of intellectual property
• Site selection, including assistance with environmental risk management, incentive negotiations and local permitting
• Labor and employment matters, including OSHA and ERISA compliance
• Vendor supply arrangements
• Dispute resolution

Members of the core team include: Ken Carroll, the former managing member of our Research Triangle Park office and a senior corporate member who has led transaction teams in several multi-unit convenience store divestitures and regularly counsels clients in procurement contracts; Nellie Shipley, a member in the real estate development group with broad experience in commercial real estate acquisition and development; Stan Smith, a senior corporate member who has represented restaurant franchisors, multi-unit franchisees and single store restuarants in all aspects of their operations; Carol Brani, a senior intellectual property member who provides both franchisors and franchisees with contract and program design advice; Theresa Sprain, a senior employment associate with both litigation and planning experience who represents employers in various labor related matters, including OSHA audits and wage and hour disputes commonly experienced by restaurant employers; Pete Brunstetter, a senior corporate and securities member, who has counseled clients throughout his career in various high profile matters and has significant experience representing a NYSE-listed restaurant franchisor in nearly every aspect of operations; and Ryan Opel, a senior corporate and securities associate, who has considerable experience counseling clients, including an international restaurant franchisor, in a wide variety of legal matters affecting restaurant franchisors and franchisees, such as franchise agreements, joint ventures, and corporate and commercial contracts and transactions.

We bring to the table all of our resources and extensive industry knowledge to seamlessly address all of your legal needs. Let us put our passion for the food service industry to work for you.

*the term Member is equivalent to the term Partner in general partnership law firms