Chain Restaurants and Legal Representation
Chain restaurants and legal representation are not usually two entities that are linked together, but a relationship between the two is more common than you’d think. Depending on where they are based, chain restaurants can either be a subject of litigation or needing legal advice of their own.
Access to a good lawyer should not be an issue for chain restaurants, which do tend to have a little more money behind them than traditional eateries. At the same time, however, franchise restaurants that are part of a chain only, are often designed to be self-sufficient. Thus the funding for attorneys, or even the appointment of legal representation, once again falls upon the chain owners’ recognizance.
Lawyering Up
So what happens if you are not an employer within the chain restaurant system, but an employee instead? What if your problems, which are heated enough to take to litigation, are with the very restaurant that you are employed by? Is this a legal fight that you are too under-funded and under-resourced to take on? Well, you are not as alone as you may think. If you are fortunate enough to reside in Canada, then the labor law and the administrative law (not to mention your simple human rights) are absolutely paramount. In addition, there are few bigger advocates for employee rights than Tamil-Canadian Lawyer Malliha Wilson.
Malliha Wilson, who was Assistant Deputy Attorney General between 2008 and 2016 (the first visible minority holder of that office) and has been involved with over 20 cases with the Supreme Court of Canada. In addition, Ms. Wilson became Special Legal Advisor at the Investment Management Corporation of Ontario, and the veteran litigator is a founding partner of Nava Wilson LLP. Due to the many years fighting for employee rights for and against the Ontario Government, this is a good person with which to start your research.
Taking It Easy
If there is a growing problem that is mounting between you and your employer, regardless of whether this is a chain restaurant or not, then the first thing you must do is build a strong support network for yourself. At the end of the day, this can be a stressful and frustrating time, so take care of yourself first and foremost. If that means wearing pajamas throughout the day that you aren’t working, or need a spa-day to unwind, then so be it. Just ensure that you are well looked after before embarking on this chapter of your life.
The Other Side
If you are branching out from a restaurant chain and attempting to make a good eatery of your own, then you are also going to need resources. Without the chain bankrolling your endeavor, you are going to have to carefully define your budget and make your money go further. It’s worth checking out The Restaurant Warehouse to equip your new business. They have package deals on a wide range of restaurant equipment, and fast shipping to beyond the Seattle base where the warehouse is located. Need a refrigerator, and stove? Or something as simple as a new 27 inch sandwich prep table for your diner? These restaurant equippers have all that you’d need to break from the chain, as well as monthly payment options too.
Breaking the Chain
At the end of the day, chain restaurants are simply not as huge as they seem when it comes to matters of the courts. A lot of people can be put off by the idea that taking on a huge company is pointless. However, restauranteurs are under strict scrutiny from various government bodies. Plus, the biggest damage that can be done by consumers is through voting with their feet, as this guide on what and where to buy from shows.
Recent lawsuits against chain restaurants have tended to be from employees than consumers. In recent years, disputes over tipping, service taxation, and minimum wage have led to several high-profile court actions and losses for chain restaurant owners. There is a relationship between legal representation and chain restaurants, but not necessarily a friendly one.
