Food & Beverage Legal Risks in Hotels: Licensing, Liability & Alcohol Compliance (Presented by HospitalityLawyer.com)

Stephen Barth, Founder | HospitalityLawyer.com®

Stephen Barth, author of Hospitality Law and coauthor of Restaurant Law Basics, is an attorney, the founder of HospitalityLawyer.com, the annual Hospitality Law Conference series, and the Global Travel Risk Summit Series. As a professor at the Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management, University of Houston, he teaches courses in hospitality law and leadership. He is #3 on Global Guru’s Top 30 Hospitality Thought Leaders & Influencers for 2023. In addition to legal and travel risk mitigation insight, Stephen specializes in communicating the importance of Emotional Intelligence in leadership roles; and has provided valuable insight to many companies including The Methodist Hospital System, Wyndham Worldwide, Dine Equity, Business Travel News and Aramark. His fun, fast-paced presentations provide practical information and solutions to enhance your personal and professional life.

• Education & Credentials

He earned a B.A. in Economics, an M.A. in Communications, and a J.D. from Texas Tech University. His faculty profile also describes decades of work in hospitality law and leadership education, alongside litigation-support and expert-witness work in hospitality-related matters.

• Recognition & Leadership

He has received University of Houston teaching recognition, including the Career Teaching Excellence Award, and other teaching honors noted in his professional materials. He has also been recognized by Global Gurus in its hospitality rankings, including being listed as the #1 hospitality professional for 2022 and appearing in the 2023 and 2024 lists.

• Professional Involvement

His work includes building HospitalityLawyer.com as a platform serving hospitality lawyers and industry leaders with legal, safety, and risk-management resources. He is also associated with industry-facing conferences and summits that convene professionals around hospitality legal risk and travel risk management.

• Experience

Across more than three decades at the University of Houston’s Hilton College, his profile notes teaching and speaking activity at significant scale, including thousands of students taught, extensive publishing, and hundreds of industry presentations. His work also includes being retained in litigation contexts and contributing expertise on hospitality-related standards of care and operational risk.

Grace H. Yang, Regulated Products Deputy Section Chair, Shareholder | GrayRobinson, P.A.

Grace H. Yang is a shareholder at GrayRobinson, P.A. and serves as Deputy Section Chair of the firm’s Regulated Products Section. Based in Tampa, she is a licensing and compliance attorney whose practice centers on alcohol beverage, food, and hospitality clients across Florida and nationwide. She works with a broad range of clients, including hotels, restaurants, grocery stores, convenience stores, package liquor stores, resorts, golf clubs, country clubs, theme parks, breweries, wineries, and distilleries, advising them on regulation, licensing, land use, and multistate compliance matters. Over the course of her career, she has handled the purchase, sale, and licensure of thousands of retail stores, resort properties, restaurants, senior living facilities, and other businesses throughout the United States. She also regularly joins GrayRobinson colleagues in the corporate, real estate, and hospitality practices to deliver broad support for clients, and frequently represents alcohol beverage and hospitality sector clients before local and state administrative agencies.

• Education & Credentials

Grace H. Yang earned her J.D. from Cornell Law School in 1997, where she served as Managing Editor of the Cornell Journal of Law and Public Policy from 1996 to 1997, having previously served as General Editor from 1995 to 1996. Prior to law school, she received her B.A. from Yale University in 1994, graduating cum laude and with distinction in the major. She is admitted to practice law in Florida.

• Recognition & Leadership

Grace H. Yang has received sustained recognition for her work in alcohol beverage and hospitality law. She has been listed in Chambers USA, Nationwide: Food and Beverages: Alcohol, continuously from 2012 through 2025. Tampa Magazine named her a Top Lawyer in Leisure and Hospitality Law in 2019 and 2026. Florida Trend recognized her in its Legal Elite listing from 2009 to 2010 and again from 2017 to 2019, and in 2025 she was recognized in Florida Trend’s Legal Elite NOTABLE – Women Leaders in Law. She also holds a Martindale-Hubbell Preeminent rating.

• Professional Involvement

Grace H. Yang maintains an extensive record of professional and civic involvement. She serves on the Board of Directors of the Academy of Hospitality Industry Attorneys for the term 2025 to 2028. Within the Hillsborough County Bar Association, she served as President from 2019 to 2020, having previously served as President-elect in 2018 to 2019 and on the Board of Directors from 2012 to 2018; she received the association’s Outstanding Lawyer Award in 2023. With the Hillsborough County Bar Foundation, she has served in successive leadership roles including Secretary (2022–2023), Treasurer (2023–2024), President-elect (2024–2025), and President (2025–2026), and previously served as a Board of Trustees member from 2020 to 2022. She is a 2011 Fellow of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity. Within the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Tampa Bay, she served as Director from 2012 to 2018 and received its Outstanding Member Award in 2023. She has served on the Hillsborough Association for Women Lawyers Board of Directors and as Vice President of Membership from 2004 to 2006, and is a member of the Florida Association for Women Lawyers. Additional affiliations include the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, the National Association of Alcoholic Beverage Licensing Attorneys, the National Association of Licensing and Compliance Professionals, the Hillsborough County Hotel and Lodging Association, the Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce of Tampa Bay (where she served as Vice President from 2012 to 2013 and on the Board of Directors from 2011 to 2012), the Westshore Alliance Board of Directors (2015–2022), the Yale Club of Tampa Bay as Director from 2001 to 2019, The Florida Bar’s Administrative Law Section and Voluntary Bar Liaison Committee, and the 13th Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Committee from 2010 to 2020.

• Experience

Grace H. Yang’s practice encompasses licensing, compliance, and land use work for clients operating in heavily regulated industries. On the licensure side, she assists clients in obtaining and maintaining liquor licenses, food and lodging licenses, local business licenses, health permits, spa and salon permits, and other licenses required for lawful operation across multiple states. She counsels clients on food and alcohol compliance matters and advises those launching new business ventures in this regulated space. Her land use practice focuses on commercial development projects requiring alcohol-related special use or conditional use permits or variances. As Deputy Section Chair of GrayRobinson’s Regulated Products Section, she manages project teams working to acquire licenses in multistate business acquisitions. She has spoken and written extensively on topics including liquor liability across states, hospitality and workplace alcohol compliance, digital ID and scanning technology, and licensing considerations in food and beverage management company transitions, among other subjects, before audiences including the Association of Corporate Counsel, the Academy of Hospitality Industry Attorneys, the National Conference of State Liquor Administrators, and the Hospitality Law Conference.

I. Understand Alcohol Licensing and Permitting Requirements for Hotel F&B Operations | 12:00pm – 12:20pm

This topic explains the legal and regulatory framework governing alcohol service in hotels, including licensing, permitting, and operational approvals. It highlights how requirements can differ depending on the outlet type, ownership structure, and jurisdiction. Attendees will better understand how licensing issues affect both compliance and day-to-day operations.

II. Identify Liability Risks Associated with Alcohol Service and Strategies to Mitigate Exposure | 12:20pm – 12:40pm

This section explores the liability risks that can arise from alcohol service, including over-service, service to minors, and event-related incidents. It also addresses the legal theories and practical situations that often lead to claims against hotels. The discussion emphasizes prevention through training, policies, oversight, and operational controls.

III.Recognize Insurance Considerations and Coverage Gaps in Food and Beverage Programs | 12:40pm – 1:00pm

This topic looks at how insurance supports hotel risk management in food and beverage operations, particularly where alcohol is involved. It examines the relationship between liquor liability, general liability, and contractual risk transfer. Attendees will learn where common coverage gaps appear and how those gaps can increase exposure.

Break | 1:00pm – 1:10pm

IV. Navigate Multi-Jurisdictional Compliance Challenges and Regulatory Enforcement Trends | 1:10pm – 1:25pm

This section addresses the challenge of operating food and beverage programs across jurisdictions with different legal standards and enforcement priorities. It explains how local variation can affect licensing, promotions, service rules, and compliance expectations. The presentation also highlights enforcement trends that may create increased scrutiny for hotel operators.

V. Develop Practical Risk Management Approaches That Balance Compliance with Profitability | 1:25pm – 1:40pm

This topic focuses on how hotels can manage legal risk without sacrificing revenue opportunities or guest experience. It emphasizes practical approaches that align compliance, business strategy, and operational efficiency. Attendees will come away with ideas for building F&B programs that are both defensible and commercially effective.