Cafes, Restaurants and Bars Insurance

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Cafes, Restaurants and Bars Insurance

Independent insurance brokers help you get the best insurance cover for your café, restaurant or bar.

Owners of cafes, restaurants, and bars know that, along with the stress of running a small business, come unique challenges around managing the risks associated with expensive equipment and inventory. If something happens in your business, you need to be back up and running immediately. Understanding exactly how you can protect your business and what your insurance may (or may not) cover you for is a key focus for our insurance broker network. Talk to an NZbrokers member today about how we can help you protect your business.

Cafes, restaurants, and bars insurance broker

You’ve got a cool room filled with the best ingredients, a wine cellar with the most expensive bottles, and a kitchen filled with high-end, top-quality equipment. Not to mention a team of people that make your business what it is today.

So, if your electricity goes out, causing those ingredients to spoil, what do you do? Or a water pipe bursts, damaging all that expensive equipment? Or a thief breaks in and vandalises those priceless bottles of wine?

If your business cares for the clothing or other property of your customers do you have proof you received that property and that it was stored safely and securely then returned to the correct person?

Managing the risks facing your business means recognising the hazards and being adequately insured.

To get the right coverage, you need to talk to the experts in cafés, restaurants, and bars insurance.

NZbrokers is a network of independent brokers with extensive experience in cafés, restaurants and bars insurance, and we have a broker close to you.

NZbrokers can help you:

  • find the best insurance cover for your business’s needs
  • review cover from the broadest range of insurers
  • understand premiums and risk management
  • manage insurance claims to save you time and get a better outcome.

*Talk to one of our independent brokers today to find out more. Click here to find the broker closest to you

Getting the right insurance for your café, restaurant, or bar

The hospitality industry is tough. You need to juggle late nights, difficult customers, and the delicate balancing act between having the right fresh ingredients on hand and minimising spoilage. And that’s before you consider risks like theft, employee fraud, fire or storm damage, equipment breakdown, stock spoilage, and other unforeseen events that can stop you operating for a night, a week, or longer.

If you serve food and/or alcohol in any capacity, you need to make sure you’ve got all the risks covered. And kitchens are a risky business. There’s fire, sharp objects, liquids that can be spilled, trip hazards, and a fast-paced environment. Accidents can happen in the blink of an eye.

Then there’s the risk of theft, both from outsiders and employees. Because the stock is often attractive and staff change frequently cafes, restaurants, and bars can be prime targets for thieves.

Natural and man-made disasters can also affect your business, from earthquakes, storms and floods to power failures and fires.

And then there’s the human factor. Serving food and alcohol to customers brings the risk that someone may suffer a food allergy or consume too much alcohol. While hospitality businesses are always working to minimise these risks, they can happen.

Making sure you’re fully insured for every eventuality can give you peace of mind, letting you run your business more confidently.

Here are five things to think about when considering how to insure your café, restaurant, or bar:

1 Fire Deep fryers or woks bring increased risk of damaging fire, so some insurance policies will demand that you put extra safety precautions in place, while others will charge an increased premium.
2 Breakdown Equipment breakdown can cause significant financial losses, so it’s worthwhile having backup plans in place. For example, if your cool room breaks down, do you have somewhere else to store your perishables? Monitored temperature alarms can help make sure you can move perishables before they spoil. Many insurance policies have limits on the amount they’ll pay out for spoilage, so make sure you read the fine print.
3 Flood Serious weather events are happening more frequently around New Zealand so it’s worth considering how exposed your business is to flood damage. Check your area’s flood history to see if you’re at risk of floods, then choosing a provider that covers you adequately. Don’t assume you’re covered for floods even if you’re covered for other damage such as fires, burst pipes, and storms.
4 Theft Hospitality businesses are prime targets for thieves and robbers, as well as employee fraud. Make sure your policy covers you for all eventualities.
5 Liability Do you look after property for your customers? If a customer leaves you with an expensive jacket (and contents of the pockets) that goes missing will your liability insurance cover that?

Choosing the right insurance provider for your business’s needs depends on a broad variety of factors. Working with an independent, transparent insurance broker like a member of NZbrokers means you don’t have to spend time and resources investigating all the options and hoping you don’t miss something. Your broker will be able to find the right policy for you and you may even end up paying less than you think for your preferred policy.

Contact us today to find out more.