09/25/2026
‘Why is a Burger King franchise case from more than three decades ago receiving renewed national attention today?’
Following the passing of Steven Alan Scheck at age 77, two leading restaurant industry publications have independently revisited Scheck v. Burger King Corp. and the legal battle that challenged prevailing assumptions about , and the balance of power between and .
Nation’s Restaurant News called Scheck’s fight a “pioneering legal case,” reporting that his 1989 lawsuit against helped solidify a franchise legal principle that continues today.
Days later, published “Remembering the Legacy of Steven Scheck,” examining the Burger King dispute, its broader significance to franchising, and the David versus Goliath story of a franchisee and a young attorney, , who pursued a case that several larger, established law firms had assessed as “worthless,” according to Zarco.
The Nation’s Restaurant News story also received broader national distribution through Yahoo Finance.
But the renewed attention is especially striking when viewed across more than three decades:
1992: describes Scheck v. Burger King Corp. as a “landmark in the making.”
1994: University of Miami School of Law Review devotes scholarly analysis to the case.
2026: Nation’s Restaurant News revisits Scheck’s “pioneering legal case.”
2026: QSR Magazine examines “the legacy of Steven Scheck.”
What began with one Burger King franchisee in Lee, Massachusetts, became part of a much larger conversation about franchisee rights, contractual discretion, good faith and fair dealing, and the relationship between franchisors and franchisees.
More than three decades later, the conversation continues.
READ our In The Media story, including links to the national coverage and the history behind the case:
https://www.zarcolaw.com/in-the-media/
Franchise Times Magazine AAHOA International Franchise Association American Association of Franchisees and Dealers (AAFD) Restaurant Business ABA Forum on Franchising Coalition of Franchisee Associations 1851 Franchise Best Lawyers Haute Lawyer Hayley Scheck Antonian