The Legal Landscape for Food, Drink & Hospitality Businesses

Hospitality sector challenges are evolving. Experts share practical legal and commercial guidance for operators, owners and investors.

The hospitality sector continues to face evolving legal and commercial challenges. This seminar brings together experts from Employment Law, Commercial Litigation, Property Litigation, Corporate & Commercial, and Commercial Property to provide practical guidance on the issues affecting operators, owners and investors.

In this seminar we will be exploring:

• The Final Course: Lease Exits and Dilapidations in Hospitality: This session explores the legal and practical challenges of ending a hospitality lease, from section 25 notices to dilapidations claims, equipping you with the insight needed now to avoid costly pitfalls in the future.
• When Regulators Call, How Due Diligence Shapes the Outcome: Through two real-world case studies, this session examines how due diligence can shape the outcome of regulatory enforcement in the food and drink sector, highlighting the stark difference between outcomes when companies are prepared and when they are not.
• Exit Strategy: Maximising Value When It’s Time to Sell : Whether planning years in advance or responding to an unexpected opportunity, a well-structured exit strategy can significantly enhance the value of your business. This session explores the key steps hospitality businesses should take to prepare for a successful sale, from early-stage planning and financial readiness to operational optimisation. It will also examine how to position your business attractively to potential buyers, highlighting value drivers, mitigating risk, and ensuring a smooth and strategic transition.
• Challenging Supplier Cost Increases: When Food, Drink and Hospitality Businesses Should Push Back: Rising supplier costs are becoming an increasingly common challenge for businesses across the food, drink and hospitality sector. However, suppliers cannot simply increase prices because their own costs have risen. This session explores the contractual and commercial issues that arise when suppliers seek to pass on increased costs, the warning signs to look out for, and the practical steps businesses can take to protect profitability whilst maintaining important supplier relationships.
• Unfair Dismissal Protection: Rethinking Probation in the Food & Drink Sector: The Employment Rights Act 2025 is set to reshape unfair dismissal protection from 2027, with significant implications for how food and drink businesses manage probation periods, particularly in fast-paced, high-turnover environments. This session explores the practical impact of the reforms on common sector challenges, including seasonal hiring, variable hours, front-of-house performance concerns, and rapid onboarding. We will outline how employers can adapt recruitment, training, and probation processes to assess suitability quickly and fairly, while reducing the risk of unfair dismissal claims. We will also highlight practical HR strategies tailored to the sector, such as structured trial shifts, consistent performance checks, and clear documentation, helping operators balance operational flexibility with increased legal risk.
• The Evolving High Street: What It Means for Food & Beverage Operators: The high street is not disappearing, but it is changing rapidly. For food and beverage operators, these shifts create both risks and significant opportunities. Success increasingly depends on understanding how consumers use town centres, what attracts footfall, and how hospitality businesses fit into a broader mixed-use environment.