From a single café in Brunswick to a multi-venue restaurant group, hospitality is one of the most under-insured sectors in Australia. We arrange cover that responds when it matters — and we explain it in English, Mandarin or Cantonese.
Hospitality businesses live with hot kitchens, alcohol service, late nights, casual staff and tight margins. Generic small business policies are not built for this — and the gaps show up at the worst possible time.
Public liability covers third-party injury and property damage on or arising from your premises. For hospitality, $20 million is standard — many landlords, licensing authorities and councils require it. Product liability extends the same protection to food poisoning, allergic reactions and other claims arising from food and drink served.
If your venue is licensed, liquor liability covers claims arising from the responsible service of alcohol — for example, a patron causing injury after leaving the premises intoxicated. Most public liability policies exclude or sub-limit liquor claims, so this needs to be either added by extension or placed under a specialist policy.
Fit-out, kitchen equipment, refrigeration, furniture, stock and consumables are insured at proper replacement value. We pay close attention to refrigeration spoilage and stock cover — a common claim in Melbourne hospitality whenever a power outage or fridge breakdown takes out a freezer or coolroom.
For cafés and restaurants with shopfront glass, feature windows, mirrors or external signage, glass cover is essential. Standard sub-limits are often insufficient for large frontages and we increase them to match the actual replacement cost.
If a kitchen fire, flood or major equipment failure forces you to close, business interruption pays your loss of gross profit and ongoing fixed costs (rent, wages, loan repayments) until you reopen. Setting the right indemnity period and the correct gross profit figure is the single most important decision in a hospitality policy.
Mechanical and electrical breakdown of ovens, dishwashers, coffee machines, fridges and freezers is excluded under standard property cover and needs equipment breakdown to be added — often combined with deterioration of stock cover for the contents of failed cool rooms.
WorkCover is mandatory in Victoria once your annual remuneration exceeds the threshold or you employ an apprentice. Hospitality has higher WorkCover rates than most industries because of the frequency of cuts, burns and back injuries. We help with the classification and audit process so you do not pay more than you should.
Patterns we see when reviewing existing hospitality policies. Any of these familiar?
Premiums depend on turnover, trading hours, cuisine type, claims history and the limits you select. Larger restaurants, licensed venues and bars typically sit higher than small cafés because of liquor liability, stock value and trading hours.
Cuisine type also matters — cooking with naked flame or wok cooking attracts a higher rating from most insurers. Pricing is set by the underwriter and confirmed at quotation.
If your venue is licensed to sell or serve alcohol, liquor liability is a meaningful exposure. It covers claims arising from the service of alcohol — for example, an intoxicated patron causing injury after leaving the premises.
Most public liability policies exclude or limit liquor-related claims, so a specific extension or specialist policy is required for licensed venues.
Food trucks and pop-ups need public and product liability that covers operations away from a fixed address, vehicle insurance with food preparation extensions, contents and stock cover for equipment carried inside the vehicle, and event-specific cover where the venue requires it.
Many councils and event organisers require a certificate of currency confirming $20M public liability before granting a permit.
Yes, provided business interruption is on the policy and the trigger is an insured event. After a kitchen fire that closes the venue for repairs, business interruption pays your loss of gross profit and ongoing fixed costs for the indemnity period — typically 12 or 18 months.
Setting the right indemnity period and the correct gross profit figure is the single biggest mistake we see in hospitality policies.
Most hospitality packages include glass cover for shopfront glass, internal partitions and signage as a standard inclusion, but with a sub-limit. For cafés and restaurants with large feature windows or extensive glazing, the standard sub-limit may be insufficient and we increase it to match the actual replacement cost.
WorkCover is mandatory in Victoria for any business with annual remuneration above the threshold or that employs an apprentice. Hospitality businesses typically have higher WorkCover rates because of the frequency of cuts, burns and back injuries.
We help you classify staff correctly and challenge incorrect remuneration calculations at audit.
Send us your current schedule of insurance and a real broker will benchmark it against the wider hospitality market — line by line, with no review fee and no obligation. If you choose to place cover through us, we may earn commission from the insurer as set out in our Financial Services Guide.
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