Music is protected by copyright law, which provides exclusive rights to copyright owners to perform or play their songs. If a restaurant or bar plays music without permission, they are infringing on the copyright, and copyright law allows the owner to recover damages ranging from $750 per violation, to $150,000 if a court decides the infringement was willful.

In Range Road Music, Inc. v. East Coast Foods, Inc., the Court of Appeals found a restaurant violated copyright laws when it played music without a license. The court awarded the Performing Rights Organization (PRO) nearly $200,000 in damages and attorney’s fees. PROs employ investigators that visit businesses to see whether songs are played without a license.

One exception to the rule allows restaurants or bars under 3,750 square feet to play music from a radio, television, or similar household device without a license, provided there are fewer than six speakers (with limits on the placement of speakers), and customers aren’t charged to listen.

Songwriters, composers and music publishers generally join one of three Performing Rights Organizations that license their work to the public: the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI), and SESAC . The PROs send royalties to the copyright owners.

However, obtaining a license from one PRO doesn’t necessarily mean you’re in the clear — you only have a license for that PROs copyright holders. For example, the composer of a song may be represented by ASCAP, while the lyricist may be with SESAC. To avoid this problem, most restaurants and bars choose to purchase a blanket license from each of the PROs, which allows the licensee to play any of the music from each PROs library. Blanket licenses can range from the low hundreds to several thousands of dollars per year.  Like most other agreements, these licenses are fully negotiable. When it comes time to securing one of these PRO licenses, hire an experienced attorney as they will be able to negotiate the best price for your specific establishment.

In January of 2014, the IRS will begin cracking down on how restaurant owners pay out mandatory tips (e.g. the typical 18% mandatory tip for parties of 6 or more).  Going forward, these tips must be classified as service charges that are taxable as regular wages and subject to payroll tax withholding (aka more paperwork and accounting), rather than pooled into the tip cash servers divide at the end of their shift (which has been common practice until now).

Though the policy isn’t a new one, having been issued in June 2012, the implementation was delayed until 2014 to give restaurants time to comply.  Some restaurateurs have already chosen to ditch the mandatory tip altogether rather than having to deal with the increased paperwork and fees.

There are a two ways to buy a restaurant in New York. You can do it by purchasing the ownership shares of the seller or you can purchase the assets of the seller. Each has its advantages and disadvantages in New York but an asset purchase is almost always more beneficial for the buyer. With an asset purchase, the buyer is only assuming certain specified liabilities of the seller. With a purchase of the ownership shares (stock certificates if seller is a corporation and membership interests if seller is a Limited Liability Company), the buyer will be assuming ALL of the liabilities of the seller, known and unknown. In either scenario, a lien and judgment search must be performed on the seller’s business.

GENERAL RULE: Buy the restaurant by means of a bulk asset sale / purchase rather than a purchase of the ownership shares.

You must review the existing lease carefully to determine if the seller is able to assign it to you. If they are able to assign it, you must determine whether the existing clauses are acceptable to you including the term remaining on the lease, the rent amount, the security deposit, the personal guaranty, etc. If they aren’t able to assign the lease, the landlord needs to be contacted to inquire if they are willing to let the tenant off the hook and issue a new lease directly to you.

The purchase agreement, which will either be a stock purchase agreement or bulk asset purchase agreement, will need to state all of the terms of the sale including, but not limited to, the purchase price, the amount being held in escrow, the amount to be paid at closing, the specific assets being purchased, the date for closing, any contingencies to closing (e.g. liquor license granted to Buyer), and any personal representations and indemnifications. A Bill of Sale should accompany the purchase agreement along with a corporate resolution from the seller authorizing the sale. Remember, even with an asset purchase agreement, the buyer will be responsible for any unpaid New York State sales tax owed by the seller. This is why it’s very important to (i) file the appropriate bulk sales notice (form AU 196.10), (ii) have the seller personally represent that no taxes are owed and have him/her agree to personally indemnify the buyer for any unpaid taxes, or other liabilities, that were incurred on or before the closing date, (iii) set the closing date to occur after a tax release letter is received from the New York State Department of Taxation stating that no taxes are owed, and/or (iv) have a large portion of the purchase price held in escrow until the release letter is received from the Department of Taxation. This article is intended to give you a general idea regarding what to look out for but you should retain an experienced restaurant attorney if you are considering purchasing a restaurant or bar in New York.

When considering the execution of a commercial lease, all of the clauses must be given careful consideration. However, when taking a space for a bar or restaurant, there are certain lease clauses that warrant special attention. Following are some key clauses that are a crucial part of every restaurant/bar lease and, if negotiated properly, will allow the restaurateur/bar owner to increase the value of his/her establishment even prior to its opening and to operate with a greater peace of mind.

1) Duration of Lease: Generally, the longer the duration of the lease the better. Especially if given the ability to assign the lease with a minimum of Landlord intervention. Typically, I attempt to negotiate for a 15-year initial term with an annual increase of no more than 3%, and an option to renew the lease for another five-year term exercisable at the discretion of the restaurateur. Do your homework to determine the fair market rental value for the premise.

2) Assignment: Always attempt to retain the ability to assign the lease to a third party (e.g. in the event you want to, or are forced to sell your restaurant). The Landlord will insist that he must give his prior written consent for any assignment to be valid, but you must in turn, insist that his consent can not be unreasonably withheld, delayed or conditioned. Too many restaurateurs do not realize the importance of having the ability to assign their lease until they are at the point where they have decided to sell their restaurant. At that point, the sale of the restaurant will be thwarted because they will not have the ability to offer the lease to the potential purchaser and the Tenant will be forced to just walk away from the premise with nothing. Also be sure that the lease and personal guaranty shall void in the event of a valid lease assignment. Otherwise, you remain liable for any damages, included but not limited to unpaid rent, caused by your Assignee.

3) Liquor License Contingency Clause: If you intend to apply for a liquor license for your premise, most restaurant attorneys strongly advise that you insert an escape clause in your lease in the event that your liquor license application is rejected by the NYSLA. A fair escape clause would be that the tenant gets to void the lease in the event their NYSLA application is rejected BUT are required to pay all rent incurred (included any abated months) to the date of rejection. The personal guaranty, if any, must also void as of that date.

4) Free Rent: Attempt to get the premise rent-free until the latter of (i) the day Tenant opens the establishment to the public, or (ii) the date Tenant receives its liquor license from the NYSLA. Most landlords will agree to this request with some limitation or outside rent commencement date depending on the present demand for the premise and the caliber of the proposed restaurant tenant.

5) The Personal Guaranty: Generally, if the lease is going to be signed in the name of a corporation, all landlords will ask for your personal guaranty. Most landlords, however, will waive this personal guarantee if he/she is presented with other options that may reduce his/her risk in the event of your breach. For example, if you request that the landlord remove the personal guarantee clause and he/she initially refuses, you can offer him a larger security deposit in exchange for eliminating the clause. The larger security deposit will give him/her a greater level of comfort in the event of your default; his goal for including the personal guarantee in the first place. If you don’t have the capital to offer a greater security deposit, then you can offer to compromise and provide the Landlord with a limited personal guarantee or a Good Guy Clause which provides that you will be personally liable only up to the date that you surrender the premises back to the Landlord (a/k/a give him the keys).

GENERAL RULE: Lock in the longest lease term possible with the right to assign the lease.  Get a Liquor License contingency clause and make sure the lease and guaranty void in the event of an assignment or a failure to obtain the Liquor License.

There are many other clauses in a commercial restaurant lease and just because I highlighted the ones above does not mean that the others don’t warrant great attention.  A restaurant lease negotiation and review should be handled by a qualified restaurant attorney.

BYOB, or Bring Your Own Bottle, where owners of establishments allow their customers to bring alcoholic beverages to their premises to be consumed on site, is NOT PERMITTED in unlicensed businesses in New York State unless the Certificate of Occupancy for the premise is for less than 20 people.

GENERAL RULE: BYOB is illegal in New York.

You MUST have a license or permit to sell/serve beer, wine or liquor to the public. Venues without a license or permit may not allow patrons to bring their own alcoholic beverages for consumption.  In addition, owners of businesses may not give away alcoholic beverages to their patrons. Those that do are in violation of the NYS Alcoholic Beverage Control Law.

Applicants should be aware that allowing BYOB without a license may jeopardize their chances for approval of their license.

The New York City Health Department requires that restaurants publicly post A, B, or C letter grade cards that summarize their sanitary inspection scores.  Not posting a grade card or posting it incorrectly is a serious violation that may result in large fines or loss of your permit. To avoid penalties, food service operators and their representatives and attorneys should follow these instructions carefully.

1. Where does the grade card have to be posted?
The grade (or grade pending) card must be posted on a front window, door or outside wall where it is easily seen by people passing by. The card must be within 5 feet of the entrance and from 4 to 6 feet off the ground or floor. If there is no direct entrance to the street, the Health Department sets the place to post the card. The Health Department tracks each grade card by its serial number. It may issue a Notice of Violation to any establishment that fails to post the right card, or posts it in the wrong place.

2. When am I required to post the grade or grade pending card?
The restaurant must post the grade or grade pending card as soon as the inspector provides it. If the restaurant receives both a grade card and a grade pending card, the operator has the choice of posting one of these two cards immediately, until it has had the chance for a hearing at the Administrative Tribunal.
3. Are there penalties for failing to post the grade card, or posting it incorrectly?
Yes. Not posting a grade card can result in fines of up to $1000. Posting the grade card incorrectly can result in a $200 fine. Repeated violations may result in loss of your permit.
4. How do I get a hearing at the Administrative Tribunal?
Everyone who receives a Notice of Violation has the right to a hearing at the Administrative Tribunal. Your scheduled hearing date is printed on the front of the Notice. Directions for how to respond to the Notice are on the back.
5. I had my hearing, and I was given a new grade card. What should I do with it?
When a restaurant receives a grade card at the Administrative Tribunal, it means that the Hearing Examiner’s decision changed the restaurants inspection score enough to change its grade.
You must immediately:
Post the grade card issued by the Tribunal, and
DESTROY the letter grade card and grade pending card that the inspector gave you
at the inspection.
6. I had my hearing, but I was not given a new grade card. Which card do I post now?
If you did not receive a new grade card at the Administrative Tribunal, it means that the Hearing Examiner’s decision did not change the restaurants inspection score enough to change its grade.
You must immediately:
Post the grade card that the inspector gave you at the inspection, and
DESTROY the grade pending card.
7. My restaurant accepted a settlement offer. Which card do I post now?
If you accepted a settlement, your inspection score and grade did not change.
You must immediately:
Post the grade card that the inspector gave you at the inspection, and
DESTROY the grade pending card.
8. What if I miss my hearing date at the Administrative Tribunal?
If you do not respond to your Notice of Violation by 1) accepting a settlement offer;
2) appearing at the Tribunal on your hearing date; 3) writing to the Tribunal for a hearing by mail; or 4) asking on or before your hearing date for an adjournment:
You must immediately:
Post the grade card that the inspector gave you at the inspection, and
DESTROY the grade pending card.
9. I asked for a new hearing date (“adjournment”). What card do I post in the meantime?
If this is the first adjournment you requested, you can continue to post your grade card, or grade pending card. If you ask for another adjournment or miss your second hearing date, you must post the letter grade card the inspector gave you at the inspection.
10. What if I receive a default decision?
If you received a default decision, it means that you did not respond to your Notice of Violation. You were required to post your grade card on the day you missed the hearing. If your grade card is not posted when you receive a default decision:
You must immediately:
Post the grade card the inspector gave you at the inspection, and
DESTROY the grade pending card.
11. Do I have to post the actual grade card? Can I post a photocopy or fax instead?
You must always post the actual letter grade card as required (see Question 1). You cannot substitute a photocopy or fax for the real grade card.
12. How do I replace a lost or damaged card?
You can get a new card at the Health Department’s Bureau of Food Safety and Community Sanitation, 253 Broadway (between Murray and Warren), 12th Floor, in Manhattan.