AND THEY'RE OFF!!!!! Dear HL Clients,The race is on as the banks are gearing up to accept PPP applications.  Who's gonna get the money and when is it gonna run out and will there be enough for all of us and when can we apply...

Dear HL Clients, We all pay a huge insurance premium for our business each month and it's always such a hard check to write because we never actually get anything for it.  It's shakedown street, but we put up with it because we think it offers...

YOU DOWN WITH PPP?Break it Down!  Yeah, so we are just waiting for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) a.k.a. SBA 7(a)a.k.a. CARES application to come online.  Secretary Mnuchin said that he expects the application to be available by Friday of this week.  Realistic? Probably Mnot.  Whether we...

DOLLA DOLLA BILL Y'ALL! Dear HL Clients, Hey!  Something to be legitimately excited about!!  There will be money available for bars and restaurants. We don't know exactly how long it will take to get it and there are lots of questions but we will learn more in the coming days as...

HL DELIVERY PLAYBOOK IS HERE!! and bailout news.... Dear HL Clients, We have been working all day trying to figure out how the bailout is going to work and who will be able to take advantage of it.  I'm calling it a bailout because that's exactly...

Did Homeboy take a two-iron to the temple?  Our President thinks it's going to be business as usual by Easter?  It's just insane and irresponsible to even float the idea. We have beautiful people dying by the dozens in our city and we lost such a great one today...

Dear HL Clients, In all of my years as both an operator and a lawyer, I never felt that I had any true leverage with landlords. NYC has traditionally been a landlord's market with plenty of ready, willing and able tenants lined up to take your space...

Dear HL Clients, What's the spread?  Word on the street is 2-6 months.  That's two months as the best case scenario before we can reopen and six as the latest.  Sure, there are the naysayers and the disbelievers, but I'm going with a blend of scientists,...

You all know that we love you and want you to succeed but, we are your LAWYERS after all so it's our job to look at what you're doing, analyze the risk, look at the law and then warn your asses.  So, while we are...

Now that the new reality is settling in, one thing is crystal clear and there really is no other way to say it: WE NEED MONEY!!!!!!! Like NOW!!!!!!! This edition is all about the money.  Remember what that is?  It's amazing how little we care...

GET ON YOUR BIKES PEOPLE!! From Joseph ("Joey Regs") Levey: Rules are out!!!  Read 'em in full here https://sla.ny.gov/Restrictions-in-Response-to-COVID-19, if you want, but let's get right to what you care about... You can only sell for "take-out" and "delivery" the types of alcoholic beverages that you are...

Everyone we work with is very scared. The first-timers, the big restaurant groups, the hoteliers, all wondering if we can survive this.  After a life  of paying dues on the line, all the toil and endless hours busting ass on the floor to finally achieve the...

HL Clients, MAYOR DE BLASIO CALLS IT -- TAKE OUT AND DELIVERY ONLY!Mayor de Blasio will be signing an executive order today, Monday, March 16, 2020, requiring all New York City restaurants and nightlife establishments to suspend their normal operations as of tomorrow. Effective Tuesday at 9:00am,...

Dear HL Clients, Such new respect for ER doctors now.  Three day shifts with a few hours sleep here and there and then non-stop emergencies to triage.  Big, life-changing decisions to be made. It's no joke. Take a minute for yourself. Sit down for a second. Have a beer, do a crossword puzzle,...

HL Clients, Well, this may be your last brunch for a while because: GOVERNOR CUOMO ASKS ALL RESTAURANTS AND BARS TO VOLUNTARILY CLOSE From the Governor: “Voluntarily close down. Voluntarily close down your bar, your restaurant, your gymnasium,” said Cuomo. “At one point, people actually...

Dear HL Client, In response to the many emails that we are receiving asking about what to do about closing your restaurant or how to deal with a multitude of employment questions, we are establishing an email hotline that we will monitor throughout the day....

Dear HL Client, The response to the hotline has been overwhelming and understandably so.  Everyone is thinking about whether to close, how to close, who to fire, how to fire them, ethical concerns about staying open and so much more.  It's a lot to handle and...

HL Clients, So fried. Talking about what's to come, what to do now, how we're going to make it through this and when it's gonna end has left all of our brains completely fried.  It's a lot to process and it's deeply emotional on so many levels.  We...

Click "Continue Reading" to See This Blog then Click Here Dear HL Client,In today's edition of we will address acts of God -- and acts of Cuomo, DeBlasio and Meyer.  It's been an eventful day so let's get to the news. HEADLINE OF THE DAY     ...

Dear HL Client, We will send out a new email every day to HL clients with updates on how we, as an industry, should best handle the issues at hand related to the pandemic.  So many clients called us today about what to do about the...

Dear HL Client, Like it’s not hard enough for restaurants and bars to make a buck in this city, now we have to deal with a pandemic and nervous diners?  Well, it’s here and it may affect your business, so let's do our best to keep our...

As the Coronavirus continues to spread, we stand ready to assist you, your business, and your employees during this fast-paced and potentially scary time. Please read the information provided below and continue to check your inbox for additional updates from us as they become available.  WHAT DO...