this site is operated by a business or businesses owned by informa plc and all copyright resides with them. number 8860726. partners of atlanta chef and restaurateur kevin rathbun have gone to court to stop his attempt to purchase their interests in three of his concepts, according to court filings. it’s a common dispute that illustrates the importance of a restaurant operating agreement as a “pre-nup” of sorts that can ease the strain of a business breakup, according to an outside attorney watching the case. no one wants to talk about divorce,” said simon bloom, founding partner of law firm bloom parham, based in atlanta. “but the number one mandate should be the involvement of an experienced attorney who can sit down with all parties and spin out the various scenarios that often happen in a restaurant partnership context.” in the rathbun case, two former employees and minority partners in some of rathbun restaurants, clifford bramble and kirk parks, filed a complaint for declaratory judgment in fulton county superior court last month seeking to prohibit rathbun from buying them out. for all of the entities, rathbun is majority owner, according to court filings. parks, however, resigned from the company in 2016 and bramble resigned in 2017. in january this year, rathbun notified them of his intention to purchase their interests in the company, following the termination provisions in the operating agreements.