Restaurant & bar insurance coverages
The core commercial coverages every food-and-beverage business should understand — what each does, who needs it, and what it costs.
Liquor Liability
Liquor liability insurance covers injuries or damage caused by a patron your business over-served — most often a drunk-driving crash after they leave. It pays legal defense and settlements that general liability specifically excludes. Any business that serves alcohol needs it; most states require it to hold a liquor license.
General Liability
General liability insurance covers third-party claims from ordinary restaurant operations — a customer slips on a wet floor, gets food poisoning, or has property damaged. It pays medical bills, legal defense, and settlements. Nearly every landlord requires it before leasing, commonly at $1M-per-occurrence and $2M-aggregate limits.
Workers’ Comp
Workers' compensation pays medical bills, lost wages, and disability for employees hurt on the job — the burns, cuts, and slips a kitchen produces constantly. It is mandatory in 48 states and D.C. once you hit the state's employee threshold; Texas is the only state where private employers can opt out.
Property
Commercial property insurance protects your physical assets — building, kitchen equipment, fixtures, inventory, and signage — against covered perils like fire, theft, and vandalism. Many policies add business interruption to replace lost income during a covered shutdown. It does not cover equipment that fails from internal breakdown, or liability claims.
BOP (the bundle)
A business owner's policy bundles general liability and commercial property — usually with business interruption — into one policy, cheaper than buying each alone. For a restaurant it covers customer-injury claims plus your building, equipment, and contents. It does not include workers' comp, liquor liability, or commercial auto.
By business type
Talk to an agent who insures food & beverage every day
A licensed commercial-lines agent who specializes in restaurants and bars will review your coverage, close the gaps that catch owners, and show you what a program actually costs — before anything is bound.