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Catering Insurance
Protect your busy catering operations with customized coverage options
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Tailored insurance for catering businesses
Running a catering company is about more than serving delicious food. It's also about creating extraordinary experiences for your clients and graciously navigating the challenges that come with each special occasion. Keeping your guests, staff, and customers safe plays a big role in your overall success. That's where insurance comes in.
Progressive Commercial can customize coverage for your busy operation so you can focus on delivering the hospitality you're known for.
What is catering insurance?
Caterer insurance is there to support your business when things don't go as planned, like an employee damaging a venue's property or a car accident on the way to a job. The right business insurance lets you focus on providing memorable service and good food. It's designed to help you recover quickly, so you can keep your clients happy and your company running.
Our in-house insurance experts at Progressive Commercial will get you started with customized catering business insurance that meets your unique needs.
Why insurance for a catering business is important
Caterers face a unique mix of risks, working with food, clients, and staff in constantly changing locations. Insurance for catering companies is essential because it can help with costly mistakes and mishaps, whether you're cooking, serving, or transporting food.
Catering liability insurance is often required by clients and venues who will request to see proof of coverage with a certificate of insurance (COI). With Progressive Commercial, it's easy to get the protection you need and the COIs your partners expect.
Who needs catering business insurance?
If you provide food for off-site events, you'll probably need catering service insurance that covers job-related risks. Businesses that might benefit from coverage include:
- Restaurants that cater
- Food delivery companies
- Food trucks and mobile vendors
- Venue owners
Whether you're a sole proprietor working with independent contractors or a large LLC with a full-time staff and catering vans, caterer insurance provides a safety net if something goes wrong.
Is catering insurance the same as restaurant insurance?
Catering and restaurant insurance both financially protect your business, but they guard against different risks. Since catering services are often mobile, they'll need insurance that covers things like travel, venues, and equipment on the go.
For example, caterers might need commercial auto insurance for their van or coverage for an off-site kitchen, while restaurants wouldn't. But if a restaurant provides catering services, it might need to add coverages common to a catering insurance policy.
Types of insurance for catering companies
Catering operations can be large or small, but they all need the same kind of protection. Here are the most relevant coverages for catering businesses:
General liability (GL)
General liability protects against a variety of third-party claims, such as injuries or property damage to others. It can also help with advertising injury, including defamation and copyright claims. If you're sued over a covered incident, this essential catering liability insurance can help with legal costs. Learn more about the benefits of GL.
Example: A server accidentally breaks an expensive vase while catering a house party. General liability could cover the cost of replacing it.
Commercial auto
Commercial auto insurance covers company vehicles, including personal autos used for business purposes. Many personal auto policies don't cover accidents when the vehicle is used for work, so commercial auto coverage is important for most catering businesses. Find out how much a commercial auto policy costs.
Example: Your catering van is packed and leaving a wedding venue, but your driver gets into an accident on the way back to your warehouse. The right commercial auto policy can help pay to repair your vehicle and pay for the other driver's damage.
Business owners policy (BOP)
A business owners policy combines liability protection with commercial property coverage, which safeguards buildings, equipment, and more. It's also flexible, so you can opt for add-on BOP coverages for enhanced protection, like food spoilage and equipment breakdown.
Example: A nearby lightning strike damages your kitchen appliances. A BOP would pay to repair or replace your equipment so you can get back to work quickly.
Workers' compensation
Workers' compensation covers your employees for injuries or illnesses that occur on the job. It pays for medical costs, lost wages, and other related expenses and can also protect you from injury-related employee lawsuits. See workers' comp by state to learn about the laws where you live.
Example: An employee trips and falls while carrying a large tray of food and gets hurt. Workers' comp can pay for medical bills and lost income while they are unable to work.
Liquor liability
Liquor liability is an important coverage if you run bartending services and serve alcohol. It protects you if you serve a guest who was already intoxicated and they go on to cause harm to another person or their property. It can help with legal fees, medical bills, and property repairs.
Example: An intoxicated guest leaves a wedding and crashes into another car. The other driver holds you partly responsible for overserving them alcohol and sues. Liquor liability would pay for your legal fees and any settlement costs.
Food spoilage insurance for caterers
Ingredients are one of the biggest expenses for catering companies. What happens if a storm causes a power outage and all your food goes bad before a big event? With food spoilage insurance, your inventory can be covered to help minimize your loss. It can also cover contamination.
How much does caterer insurance cost?
Your catering insurance cost is based on a variety of factors, such as number of employees and business risk. For example, a catering company with 50 employees will likely cost more to insure than one with 20.
While cost is an important factor when purchasing insurance, choosing the cheapest option might leave gaps in your coverage. To fully protect your catering business, make sure your policy addresses a wide range of risks.
Learn more about what influences your catering business insurance cost. The best way to find out how much you'll pay for a customized policy is to start a quote with Progressive Commercial.
Catering insurance through Progressive Commercial
Progressive Commercial can help protect your catering business so you can focus on good food and happy clients.
Our easy online process lets you explore options at your own pace. Prefer to talk it over? A specialist can walk you through available coverages. Either way, we'll help you find a policy that's right for your business. Get a caterer insurance quote online or call us for expert guidance.
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