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Restaurant owners may need separate insurance policies to protect their businesses against losses. Common losses that restaurant owners require protection against include fire damage, customer data compromises, and employees’ injuries. A good restaurant insurance policy covers these and other losses. Most restaurant owners get liability and commercial property coverage by buying a business owner’s policy (BOP). However, some restaurant owners get a standard package policy.

How it Works

Any restaurant faces numerous risks. No single insurance policy covers all the risks faced by restaurants. Therefore, the majority of restaurant owners purchase BOP. This protects against property damage and general liability coverage. Restaurants can also purchase add-on coverage that protects them from things like employee theft and liquor liability.

A BOP covers a restaurant against lawsuits that may arise from a person being injured within their premises. Such injuries can arise from a robbery or a slippery floor. It also covers incidences like an employee breaking an expensive appliance or a stove damaged by fire.

Purchasing a BOP is a cost-effective option when compared to buying property damage and general liability policies separately. A restaurant can supplement BOP with add-on policies.

These can include:

• Cyber liability plan that covers incidents like computer hack (Applicable for restaurants with websites that allow online ordering)
• Liquor liability policy that protects a restaurant against lawsuits arising from drunk patrons.
• Employee theft and crime policy that covers incidents like a worker stealing from the restaurant’s cash register.
• Worker’s compensation policy to cover claims arising from employees that are injured within the business premises.

Major Types of Insurance for Restaurants

There is no single restaurant insurance policy that’s fit for all restaurants. However, several insurance policies protect restaurants against common losses incurred by food-service industry operators. Buying a BOP and supplementary coverage provides broad protection for a restaurant against property damage, injury claims, and food spoilage among others. Here are some of the most common insurance policies for restaurants.

Business Owner’s Policy

This insurance policy bundles different types of insurance coverage for restaurants more cost-effectively and efficiently. It includes general liability coverage that protects a restaurant against third-party claims arising from property damage or injury. Property damage covers damage to restaurant equipment or space. It also covers income loss if problems like natural disasters or equipment damage make the business inoperable.

Employment Practices Liability

If you have employees in your restaurant, you are vulnerable to regulatory actions or claims arising from the allegations of violating the employee protection laws. With this policy, your settlement damages and defense costs will be covered if your restaurant faces an anti-discrimination lawsuit, a wage-and-hour lawsuit, and any other claim relating to unlawful employment practices. If a disgruntled employee sues your restaurant claiming that you didn’t pay for the extra hours they worked, this policy will cover the defense costs.

Commercial Auto Insurance

If you run a mobile restaurant or food vendor’s business, you most likely have delivery vehicles. In that case, you need a commercial auto insurance policy to protect your vehicles. This insurance can protect your restaurant in the event of an accident that might lead to third-party injury claims. The coverage provided by this insurance also includes company vehicle damages like food trucks and refrigerated transport.

Cyber Liability Insurance

If your restaurant accepts payments via credit cards, it might be vulnerable to customer data breaches. The Federal Trade Commission estimates the loss caused by  cyber crime to be $10 billion every year. Your restaurant can be liable for significant losses in the event of a customer data breach. A cyber liability policy protects a restaurant against regulatory actions, PR efforts, and crisis response, as well as, claims against a restaurant and network or efforts to recover data.

Workers’ Compensation Insurance

This insurance policy pays for medical bills and total or partial disability benefits in case a restaurant employee sustains an injury at the job site. This insurance is a requirement for most establishments with employees in most countries and states.

Employee Theft Insurance

Employee theft policy can be a standalone plan or part of larger commercial crime policy. It covers losses caused by dishonest employees. Some of the damages covered by this insurance include theft of products or money from a restaurant.

Cost of the Insurance for a Restaurant

BOP insurance for a restaurant costs around $2,160 in annual premiums with coverage of $1 million. This option is more cost-effective because it provides a single plan instead of several policies for property damage, business interruption, and liability. A restaurant can save more money by choosing an insurer with add-ons to this coverage.

Other factors that determine the cost of insurance for a restaurant include the value of the property, the number of business employees, the number of vehicles owned by the establishment, and claim history.

In a nutshell, the best restaurant insurance suits the budget and other needs of the establishment. Therefore, shop for the insurance policy for your restaurant wisely.

Cooking in the fire was a conventional way of preparing meals before the advent of ovens and stoves. However, most people don’t even realize that cooking in a fireplace is an option nowadays! Fireplace cooking is best for winter periods when most of us won’t brave the cold weather to grill outside.

 Nevertheless, terrible weather doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t appreciate fireplace cooked food. Whether you have an electric or a wood-burning stove, you can still grill your favorite meals (e.g., meat) throughout the year.

There are various types of grills designed for fireplace cooking. Although electric fireplaces and fireplace cooking equipment are not easy to come by; the puraflame western 33 is available in the market. And it’s one of the best-embedded heating fireplaces I know.

Below are some tips for grilling in your fireplace:

1. Chimney inspection

If you can’t recall the last time you had your chimney examined or swept, don’t cook anything in there. Hire an expert fireplace inspector before making your first fire, fireplaces that aren’t adequately maintained can pose a considerable safety risk. The inspector will do a basic sweep and examine the flue to ensure that your furnace meets the required safety standards.

2. Pick the best wood

Opt for hard seasoned wood such as alder, cedar, pecan, oak, and cherry are all excellent choices for your indoor fireplace. Their smoke will saturate your food. They will also get hot enough and generate hot flames to prepare your meal. Hard seasoned wood is also less likely to throw off sparks, and this ensures your safety.

3. Understand how to light a fire safely

Ensure that the chimney is neat and unblocked. Also, open the damper and heap massive logs at the bottom. Add a few smaller ones on top and later top off the stack with some ignition. By so doing, the smoke from the kindling will easily access the chimney, and your house won’t get dingy.

More so, putting bigger logs at the bottom will give you an extended burning time which is vital if you’re grilling foods that require more time. There are various ways of stating the fire; some people suggest that you put the kindling on the bottom while others will advise you to start with a 2.5 to 5.1 cm bed of ash.

But, igniting on the bottom makes the fire burn for a shorter time and using a thicker bed of ash produces a longer-lasting heat for roasting. For evenly cooked food, allow the fire to get to a steady burn of about 2 to 3 inches before you begin cooking.

4. Use proper cookware

Before you start cooking, have sturdy fireplace tools and gloves. Long tongs, skewers, cast iron skillets, fire-resistant gloves, a meat thermometer, and a Dutch oven are some essential tools you’ll require.

You can as well use some bricks for propping a grill pan on cast iron skillet above the flames. This way, your food will be evenly cooked, with a reduced risk of burning. Arrange the bricks and the grill pan to about four to five inches above the wood or kindling. Besides, don’t use anything made of plastic, glass, or silicone and always have a fire extinguisher.

5. Clean up!

Clean your fireplace after every meal and ensure it remains in top condition. After the fire has gone out, scoop the ashes, dispose of them in a garbage bag, tidy out any remaining ashes and wipe off the hearth.

Take home

Cooking in your fireplace is a pleasant way of enjoying hearty meals. For excellent results, have the right tools, have your chimney inspected annually, and clean up after cooking. Remember to pick hard seasoned wood to reduce sparks, and most importantly be safe.