Alan Higbee

Getting a share of the American belly and bite can be tough for foreign upstarts competing against established U.S. food chains, said Alan Higbee, a restaurant attorney with the law firm of Fowler White.He said "They have to change or let the American consumer develop a taste for their authentic food product".

We believe this recognition reflects favorably on the value that we provide to our corporate clients and the strong relationships that we have built with them over the years," said Alan Higbee, statewide practice chair of Fowler White Boggs Banker's Business Department.

Alan Higbee, a lawyer with the Tampa law firm of Fowler White Boggs & Banker, which represented WingHouse, said the judge also found that the WingHouse girls' outfits are "functional."The function of WingHouse outfits is marketing, Higbee said.

As an attorney in the Restaurant Practice Group at Fowler, White, Boggs and Banker, P.A., Alan Higbee says it is possible to take measures to find a trustworthy business partner who will make such challenges easier to overcome.

"One of the first questions I ask is why they want to be partners," says Higbee, who is based in Tampa, Florida, and whose law firm has advised restaurateurs ranging from Pizza Hut to local independents.
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Whether it is from a VC firm or another investor, Higbee says laying out what each prospective party's expectations are can prevent future complications.Sometimes, he suggests both parties write a business plan.During that process, expectations for margins, time to profitability and other objectives are outlined.
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Higbee says discussing what both parties see as an appropriate time to exit the deal -- through buyouts, sales, succession planning or foreclosure -- is crucial.

"Personality is probably the most important factor in partnerships, but that doesn't mean they have to have the same personality," he says.