As a restaurant owner, your business is open to the public on a daily basis. Your restaurant may very well be the cleanest and most professional eatery around, but it’s important to remember that accidents can still occur in the most organized of environments. In an effort to keep your business protected, restaurant liability insurance is available to you exactly for this reason. We have coverage solutions that are designed specifically for restaurants and the most common claims faced by this industry.
If you are unfamiliar with the type of coverage restaurant liability insurance covers, let’s take a look at some primary examples:
Property Damage – You may think that your customers are far more likely to damage your property than vise-versa, but there are circumstances where your customers have their personal belongings damaged accidentally.
For example, should your server trip and fall on their way to a table, spilling scorching hot coffee everywhere, your customer’s cell phone or purse could very well be affected and potentially ruined leaving you liable. Worse, if a kitchen fire were to erupt due to a grease spill you would be held responsible for replacing any personal belongings caught in the midst of the flames.
Bodily Injury – If a customer of yours experiences an injury while in your restaurant, this form of coverage will look after their claim. Whether it’s injury from slipping on an unmarked wet floor, falling down a step, exposure to a spill, or even food poisoning; each of these scenarios can take place at any time, so it’s important to be prepared for the unexpected, with the proper insurance coverage.
Medical Costs – If an employee or customer is injured and it leads to medical fees of some sort, you may be required to assist with this cost. If your regular coverage won’t cover the entire amount requested by the injured person(s) you may wish to adopt an umbrella policy which provides additional coverage for medical fees. This coverage is often suggested to ensure that you are entirely covered for anything that may come your way.
Liquor Responsibilities – It’s imperative that your restaurant carries the proper coverage for claims related to liquor; of course this isn’t applicable to restaurants that do not serve liquor, however. Liquor liability ensures that you are equipped with the necessary coverage should a customer be injured or impaired leading to the injury of someone else. This may refer to drunk driving or picking a fight with a member of the public due to impairment. It is extremely important to keep an eye on all customers who are drinking in your restaurant, to avoid potential outcomes like these.
Personal and Advertising Damages – It may sound bizarre, but it’s true that you can cause damage to your ad campaign. In fact, competing companies can file a claim against you if they believe your content is offensive to their restaurant or if they think you are falsely advertising your restaurant. If you have an ad that attacks other restaurants or if you leave false/negative reviews online about your competitor, the restaurant being “attacked” can technically take you to court over this. This form of coverage is available so that legal fees and other expenses related to such a claim will be partially covered.
If you need commercial insurance for your restaurant, at Will Marshall Insurance, we are more than pleased to assist you. Contact our office today to speak to one of our friendly advisors.
Call us in Barrie at 705-726-2551 or in Orillia at 705-326-5664.