When running a pub, restaurant, café or any type of hospitality business, you face a variety of risks that can endanger the viability of your business. Due to the nature of your clientele and manner of operation—long hours, late closing times, crowded premises and sometimes drunken customers—the risks you’re exposed to are unique to the hospitality industry.

Purchasing appropriate cover for your venue can help mitigate risk and also help provide protection against claims of employees and customers. Not all hospitality venues operate the same way or serve the same people; covers can widely vary. Hospitality insurance should be tailored for each individual business, catering for the specific risks of your business.

Liability Insurance

As a business owner, you are liable for your employees and customers on a daily basis. You should therefore be prepared to offset any damages caused by accidents or acts of negligence. There are three main types of liability cover to consider:

• Public Liability – Insures third-party injury, loss and damage resulting from business activities. ‘Third party’ includes any customers or visitors. If a customer were to slip and fall as a result of a messy or floor for example, your pub, restaurant or café would be covered with public liability.
• Products Liability – Protection towards accidental injury or damage resulting from a product sold by the insured. If a customer gets sick from a drink or meal your employee serves, PL cover helps mitigate the financial damages.
• Employers’ Liability – Compulsory in the United Kingdom if a business has an employee other than the owner. EL covers employers in the event of an employee’s work-related injury or disease.

Buildings & Contents Insurance

If you own your business premises or are responsible for the building in the lease, you must ensure that you have adequate building cover

Contents cover provides protection in a number of areas specific to hospitality risks:

• Equipment Breakdown covers broken machinery/equipment such as point-of-sale computer systems, taps, refrigerators, and ovens or fryers.
• Stock covers beer, wine, spirits, cigars and cigarettes. It can also include damage to stock resulting from storms or product leakage if the stock is stored more than 15 centimetres above the floor.
• Employee Personal Effects covers the theft of employee personal property while working at the pub.

Business Interruption

It can be difficult for pubs to resume business after a loss. Even if the loss was insured, without business interruption cover, business owners can lose hard-earned profits and income they would have gained had the loss not happened. Business Interruption can cover loss of income and profits in the event that insured damage prevents your hospitality venue from operating.

Loss of License

A spirits licence may be essential to your business—without it, you cannot legally serve alcohol. For reasons beyond your control, such as a policy or legislation change, you could potentially lose your licence with no back-up plan to keep your business running. Loss of licence cover can help mitigate this risk by offering a safety net should you lose your licence. Loss of License does not cover a loss due to negligence or unsanitary conditions.

Call us directly or complete our quote form and we’ll conduct a full review of your business’ insurance needs

We will approach our panel of insurers to find cover that meets your requirements at a competitive rate

Once agreed, your policy will start and you’ll be protected towards several eventualities.