The Insurance Family Blog

Does your restaurant or food services business use independent contractors for delivery services to customers?  It’s a wonderful way to serve customers and grow your sales – but its also a risky operational exposure and needs to be managed properly.  At Sutherland-Scherff we specialize in restaurants and have the experience to help you build a solid risk management program for delivery services.

Does your restaurant or food services business use independent contractors for delivery services to customers?  It’s a wonderful way to serve customers and grow your sales – but its also a risky operational exposure and needs to be managed properly.  At Sutherland-Scherff we specialize in restaurants and have the experience to help you build a solid risk management program for delivery services.

A commercial property insurance policy can usually be depended upon to handle direct loss to structures, equipment and related property that are owned by a restaurant or other food service business.  However, what happens when weather conditions take a turn for the worse and cause indirect damage by knocking out utility services to your establishment?  Examples of losses include damage by heat-induced transformer breakdowns; or broken power lines, including compressors, motors and switches, which could result in food spoilage.

It’s a cynical statement…that there’s one in every bunch.  But we’ve all been in work situations where one employee’s dishonesty negatively affects the entire staff…and your bottom line.   However, there are steps you can take to reduce employee dishonesty and crime in your restaurant, and restaurant insurance is a major part of that.

When setting up any business, it is vital that you choose the most appropriate, most beneficial, and most cost effective insurance solution to cover all of your needs. Each business and every industry has its own unique requirements because of the day to day activities involved in that business. Running a restaurant, for instance, requires liability insurance for employees and for customers. However, there are some aspects of restaurant insurance that you may not have yet considered. Fortunately, restaurant insurance can be tailored to meet all of the needs of restaurants, coffee shops, delis, bistros and similar businesses.

Do you want to increase your restaurant or bistro’s profits?  Of course you do.  So have you been keeping tabs on how much food goes bad during a specified amount of time and found that you’re dealing with an inordinate amount of spoilage?  As a restaurateur you know it’s imperative that you keep a lid on food costs…especially food that goes bad during a given week. That said, it’s always good to check that your California restaurant insurance policy includes coverage for unforeseen food spoilage, as sometimes it’s unavoidable. Nevertheless, keep our guide to minimizing food spoilage in mind when organizing your kitchen.

Coverage

Liquor Liability Insurance for California restaurants and bars defends you against any charges of negligence related to the service of alcohol on your premises, and also indemnifies your business for any financial loss if you are found to be legally liable for any negligence.  As the owner, you are responsible for your patrons when alcohol is served to them under California’s Liquor Liability laws. 

With the very nature of a restaurant business comes the risk of fire. Unfortunately, many restaurants fall victim to fires and can sustain extreme damage and loss. We hear about these events every day in the insurance industry and they only prove how vital the partnership between a restaurant owner and their insurer is.

Generally speaking, we don’t think of restaurants as dangerous places but the truth is an incident can occur at any time and it’s essential that your restaurant insurance policy covers it.

When running a restaurant business in California, dealing with the ins and outs of restaurant insurance is something most owners would rather avoid. However it is imperative as an employer and as a business owner to have valid insurance coverage. It is also vital to adhere to the guidelines set down by the insurance company or the coverage could be invalidated.