Sarah Brown Stoller, Founder

Sarah has represented restaurants and hospitality groups for more than 20 years, including nearly 15 years in-house. Her experience with the realities of operating within the framework of legal agreements and regulations informs all her legal negotiations resulting in profitable, efficient business relationships and saving time and money.

Sarah was most recently solo in-house counsel for the restaurant and media company helmed by chef and humanitarian José Andrés. During a period of rapid growth and evolving industry challenges, Sarah partnered with José Andrés Group teams on all legal fronts to launch new projects, strengthen foundations and build capacity for continued growth.

Over the years, Sarah has:

• Built in-house legal departments and tools, including corporate and financial guardrails, policies and procedures, outside counsel tracking and management.

• Represented Michelin-starred restaurants, fast-casual industry leaders, quick serve franchisors and franchisees, yoga studios, hair salons, nightclubs, hotel owners and operators, airport concessionaires, motorway operators, landlords, and lenders.

• Providing growth-mode and profit-mode legal guidance for clients in all phases of the business lifecycle: opening restaurants; closing down non-performing locations, brands and partnerships; expanding into adjacent industries including products, entertainment and media; navigating financing through due diligence, closing and workouts, and through both traditional and non-traditional structures; and negotiating enterprise technology and services agreements and agreement terminations to support evolving company needs.

Before becoming a lawyer, Sarah got her restaurant start as a server at The Ground Round, perfected Neon Deli sandwiches in college, and represented a DC neighborhood favorite restaurant in law school. 

Off the clock, Sarah is a former NCAA rower, future Masters rower and current Peloton power zoner; a fan of all the sports for all the people; a BritLit bibliophile; a mom to two teens, wife to a tech innovator and colleague to an Aussiedoodle.