The word in town is your restaurant has the best food. Your Yelp and Google Business pages are filled with customers ranting and raving about the customer service, you’re known for having the freshest ingredients and business is booming. You would want to protect that, right?
Having comprehensive insurance coverage for all areas of your restaurant is vital and necessary to protect yourself and your employees and to keep the doors open and money flowing. But you may be wondering, what types of insurance coverage does your restaurant need?
General Liability and Liquor Liability
Every Ohio business owner needs a general liability insurance policy. Why? Unfortunately, we live in a world where people can and will sue you if they think they can get a big payout, even if you offer to correct the problem or pay for the damage.
Running a restaurant is not without risk and mistakes can and will happen. From food poisoning to slips on wet floors, having a general liability policy will protect you and your business from crippling lawsuits that can go on for months or even years, damaging your reputation.
If your restaurant serves alcohol, make sure your general liability policy covers liquor liability to protect you in the event a patron injures themselves or another while intoxicated at the restaurant or on their way home.
Property Coverage
Ask any restaurant owner and they’ll tell you how devastating it is to have a major kitchen appliance breakdown, costing the business pounds of food and time. Kitchen-grade ovens and refrigeration units are expensive but essential to any food-based business — it’s what keeps the doors open, your customers happy, and having one fail can mean losing money and business.
Having property coverage on your equipment will help you get repairs or replacements done fast so your restaurant can be up and running without much loss of downtime or money.
Commercial Auto Insurance
Does your restaurant deliver food? Do you have valets? Do you sometimes need to send employees out to pick up supplies from places like Restaurant Depot?
If the answer is yes to any of the above questions, you need a commercial auto insurance policy. A commercial auto insurance policy will protect you in the event of an employee causing an accident while on the clock or a valet scratching a patron’s car while parking.
Don’t make the mistake of relying on an employee to have comprehensive auto insurance when you can take it into your own hands. Unless your employees carry their own commercial auto insurance, any time they are in a car for work, their personal insurance policy will not cover the accident, leaving you in the line of fire for a lawsuit.
Schedule A Free, No-Obligation Consultation
SFM Insurance is here to help you find the right coverage for your restaurant — whether you’re an independent coffee shop or own multiple restaurant locations.
If you’re ready to review your current coverage or find a policy that better meets the needs of your restaurant, reach out for a free consultation today and let us craft a policy specifically for your needs. For more tips and our latest updates, visit us on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn!
