For over 15 years A'LaCarte Foodservice Consulting Group (A'LaCarte) has been providing operations and growth related consulting to Restaurants, Hotels, Convention Centers, Casinos, Country Clubs, Stadiums and Airports. A'LaCarte has successfully completed projects for start-ups, independent restaurant companies and large multi-unit chains. They have consulted on concept development operations, and growth related matters with a variety of chains (franchisors and franchisees) and independent operators.

Chris Tripoli has over 35 years experience in the Hospitality industry as a Designer, Developer, Owner and Operator. He has provided research and opinions on a variety of legal issues facing the hospitality industry. Mr. Tripoli has written for Food Service News, My Table Magazine, Restaurant Start-up and Growth and has been featured in various other trade publications. He lectures at the Art Institute and teaches courses in opening restaurants and proper growth strategies at the Small Business Development Center of the University of Houston.

Services Include:

Concept Development

Finance Planning (Mergers & Acquisitions)

Business Valuations

Operations (Policies and Procedures)

Management and Staff Handling (Labor Related)

Safety, Sanitation and Food Handling

Franchise Development and Field Services

Major Mark Willingham, BS. MSA., provides expert witness services and litigation consultation in Dram Shop lawsuits and other matters concerning the service and consumption of alcohol including alcohol service policies, employee training, management systems, and risk assessment. Maj. Willingham policed and regulated the alcoholic beverage industry for 30 years and is a PhD candidate in Business Security focusing on responsible alcohol retailing. He is the past international president of the FBI National Academy Associates, a Fulbright Scholar, and a Certified Public Manager.

Major Willingham is a nationally recognized expert in the field of Responsible Retailing and the Service and Use of Beverage Alcohol. He is an author, lecturer, industry and government consultant, researcher, and expert witness in State and Federal Courts. His experience includes 30 years as a State Police commander responsible for law enforcement, regulation, and licensing of the alcoholic beverage industry.

Ares of Expertise:

Alcohol Related Injury or Wrongful Death:

Reasonable Standards of Care In The :
- Management and Service of Beverage Alcohol
- Prevention of Alcohol Service to and Consumption by Underage Patrons
- Prevention of Service to Habitually Addicted Persons
- Creation and Maintenance of a Safe Business Environment
- Prevention of Drug Sales and Use
- Training and Supervision of Beverage Servers

Dram Shop Liability and Over Service of Alcohol

Criminal Matters including DUI and Disorderly Intoxication

Responsible Beverage Solutions:

Business Plan Development and Review:
- License Acquisition, Facilities Location and Design, Employee Screening and Selection

Server and Service Policies and Practices
- Development and Implementation of Management and Server Alcohol Training
- Development and Implementation of Alcohol Sales, Service, and Use Policies

Risk Abatement and Liability Mitigation
- Environmental Design
- Due Diligence Review
- Secret Shopper and Compliance Reviews
- Poly-Drug Sales and Use Prevention

Drug Free Workplace Standards
- Drug Free Workplace Policies and Practices
- Drug Free Workplace Training

Business Remediation and License Sanction

Responsible Vendor Compliance

Jeff Nelken is a Food Safety expert with 35 years experience in the hospitality industry. He specializes in Food Safety, Accident Prevention and Training in restaurants, casinos, manufacturing plants, and health care facilities. Mr. Nelken consults for attorneys that need expert opinions on topics, such as food-borne illness complaints, food allergies, accidents, foreign objects, burns and standards of performance and care.

He coaches personnel to improve food safety awareness, through inspection and customized quality HACCP training programs. He is a certified trainer and provider with the Los Angeles Health Department. In addition, Mr. Nelken has worked with CNN, FOX, CBS, NBC, INSIDE EDITION, and Dateline MSNBC’s investigation team, as well as Restaurants, Casinos, Schools, Supermarkets and Food Manufacturers to provide food safety.

Services Offered:

Litigation Support

Food Safety Training

Accident / Safety Training

AIB Audit Preparation

Vulnerability Inspections

Food Safety Speaker

Health Dept. Issues

Food Service & Restaurant Design Consultant. I have been involved in the design of restaurants and commercial kitchens for over 10 years. I have personally designed over 125 restaurants including front of house and back kitchen design, including project management. I have a B.A. in interior design. I have worked on projects throughout the United States and Phillipines, and Honduras.

Over the last 2 years I have owned my own company which has provided complete construction drawings for over 30 restaurants ranging from 1,500 sq. ft. to over 3,000 sq. ft. I have also been retained by architects and business owners to provide coordination drawings for commercial kitchen design for over 35 projects ranging in size from 1,000 sq. ft to 5,000 sq. ft. I have also worked on franchise restaurant projects for McDonalds, Chevy's Mexican Restaurant, Jamba Juice, Tahoe Joe's, Taxi's Hamburgers.

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Mr. Stearns leads a collection of highly experienced and specialized hotel and hospitality experts with offices in AZ, FL, LA, MA, ME and NH. THE HOTEL EXPERTS, LLC has provided hospitality consulting, litigation support and impartial expert witness research, reports and testimony for both plaintiffs and defendants who are individual litigants, hotel owners, hotel operators, franchisors and franchisees since 2002. THE HOTEL EXPERTS, LLC always endeavors to balance the specific resume attributes of its experts and their location with the strategic needs of each individual case in matters from contract or brand disputes and employment conduct to accounting and valuation, and safety and security issues including various personal injuries and wrongful deaths.

Areas of Expertise:

Operating Standards

Product Standards

Safety & Security Standards Emergency Procedures

Integrity Standards

Employee Qualifications & Hiring Practices

Standards for Training

Marketing Practices

Franchise Agreements & Management Contracts

Franchise Relations

Casino & Gaming Operations

Restaurants

Alcoholic Beverage Services

Accounting

Taxation

Valuation