Category Archives: Restaurant

Illinois Employers Must Provide
Sexual Harassment Training By December 31, 2020

On January 1, 2021, an amendment to the Illinois Human Rights Act takes effect, requiring all Illinois employers to provide sexual harassment training to employees. Restaurants and bars will be subject to additional, industry-specific mandates in the new year, which … Continue reading

Posted in Anti-Harassment, Business and Corporate, Employee Handbook, Employment, Illinois Human Rights Act, Restaurant, Time's Up | Leave a comment

COVID-19 Guidance for Retail Businesses Entering Phase III

On June 3, 2020, Chicago joined the rest of Illinois by moving to Phase III of the State’s plan to reopen the economy during the COVID-19 pandemic. Under this recovery phase, certain industries are allowed to reopen or expand their … Continue reading

Posted in Coronavirus, COVID-19, Employee Handbook, Employment, Franchise, Restaurant | Leave a comment

GUIDING YOUR RESTAURANT OR HOSPITALITY BUSINESS THROUGH COVID-19

As communities across the United States grapple with the spread of COVID-19, the attorneys at Marcus & Boxerman remain dedicated to serving one of the industries most impacted by this pandemic—the restaurant and hospitality industry. We continue to advise our … Continue reading

Posted in Franchise, Franchisee, Franchisor, Franchisor & Distributor Services, Restaurant | Leave a comment

Important COVID-19 Guidance For Retail Businesses

With the expansion of COVID-19 and a renewed emphasis on corporate responsibility, it’s prudent for all businesses—especially those operating in the retail sector—to formulate a plan to address various issues related to COVID-19. Retail businesses face a unique challenge during … Continue reading

Posted in Franchisee, Franchisor, Franchisor & Distributor Services, Restaurant, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Update: New Illinois Employment Laws Take Effect in 2020

Governor J.B. Pritzker has enacted several sweeping employment laws that will take effect starting at the beginning of 2020. A brief summary of the extensive changes are listed below: Workplace Transparency Act The Workplace Transparency Act (WTA) will take effect January … Continue reading

Posted in Employee Handbook, Employment, Hotel and Casino Employee Safety Act, Illinois Human Rights Act, MeToo, Restaurant, Sexual Harassment, Victims' Economic Security and Safety Act, Workplace Transparency Act | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Time’s Up for Sexual Harassment in the Restaurant Industry

The Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund (Defense Fund), known for providing legal assistance to victims of sexual misconduct, recently started targeting McDonald’s restaurants to pursue sexual harassment claims. On May 21, 2019, the Defense Fund, the American Civil Liberties Union, … Continue reading

Posted in Anti-Harassment, Franchisee, Franchisor, MeToo, Restaurant, Sexual Harassment, Time's Up | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

#MeToo: Proposed Illinois Law Would Require Restaurant Employee Anti-Harassment Training

On February 15, 2019, Representative Ann M. Williams (D) introduced House Bill 3351, the Restaurant Anti-Harassment Act (the “Bill”). If it is enacted, the Bill would require all restaurants operating in Illinois to have a written sexual harassment training policy … Continue reading

Posted in Anti-Harassment, Business and Corporate, Employee Handbook, Restaurant, Sexual Harassment | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

New Year, New and Amended Employment Laws

Over the past year, the Illinois General Assembly and Chicago City Council have enacted or modified several laws and ordinances that affect employers. Sifting through the specific legal language can be tricky, so we’ve summarized the most important changes that are relevant to employers. … Continue reading

Posted in Business and Corporate, Employment, Restaurant | Leave a comment

Trump Administration Proposes Rollback of Obama-era Tip-Pooling Regulations

The Department of Labor (DOL) has proposed changes to the Fair Labor Standards Act’s (FLSA) tip pooling regulations. The proposed changes would roll back the Obama administration’s 2011 regulations that prohibited employers from distributing tips to anyone other than front-of-the-house … Continue reading

Posted in DOL, FLSA, Restaurant | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Chicago’s Sweetened Beverage Tax Repealed Effective December 1, 2017

In a nearly unanimous vote by the Cook County Board on October 11th, the Cook County sweetened beverage tax has been repealed. Passed in early August 2017, the controversial tax was only in effect for two months before lawmakers decided … Continue reading

Posted in Restaurant, Tax | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment