Georgia Restaurant Insurance

You're ready to bring your dream of opening a restaurant to life. While the vision of happily stuffed and satisfied customers is appealing, it's also important to consider the very real risks that come with opening a new restaurant. Having the right coverage in place from the start is the best way to protect yourself against the less fun parts, like financial losses and lawsuits. 

And that's why we're here, to help you understand the restaurant insurance game in Georgia. Starting with a little background on restaurant insurance and moving into common exposures and risks specific to Georgia, we hope to give you the info you need to get the protection your restaurant deserves. When you're ready, our independent insurance agents can help bring multiple quotes from different carriers to the table and help you pick the coverage, and price, that's right for you.

What Is Restaurant Insurance?

In short, restaurant insurance is a policy designed to cover all the components involved in your restaurant, from your property and supplies to your employees and customers. Obviously, serving food to the public ties directly into concerns about protecting their health, but restaurant operation comes with many different risks that are important to consider before setting up shop. 

What Type of Restaurant Insurance Coverage Do I Need in Georgia?

We'll get into specifics for your state in just a minute, but first, let's check out the type of coverage generally needed for restaurant owners no matter their location. A restaurant insurance policy typically includes the following:

• General liability: This coverage protects against lawsuits related to injury or property damage done by the business, and it's mandatory. Food poisoning claims would fall under this category.
• Workers' compensation: If your employees are injured, become ill, or die from a work-related incident, this aspect of the insurance will cover the financial ramifications. Coverage is mandatory in Georgia, as well as most other states.
• Property insurance: This covers any damage to the physical building that houses your restaurant, in case of fire, etc. The type of cooking equipment your establishment uses will contribute to the risk of fire damage, and may influence the cost of your policy. Businesses with deep fryers that use grease are considered a higher risk.
  Note: Restaurants with a drive-thru will have extra property that needs coverage, and paved surfaces (like driveways) are not typically covered by general property insurance.
• Business income: A part of property insurance, this aspect covers the financial loss suffered while a business is closed due to fire damage or other disasters.
• Ordinance and law: Another part of property insurance, it covers the financial ramifications if your building is found to not be up to the current state code. This coverage also applies in the event that you need to rebuild your restaurant, or if you're building one from the ground up, yourself. Handicap compliant features, fire safety equipment, and emergency exits are all factors, here. 
• Boiler & machinery: Also known as "equipment insurance," it covers electric equipment in the building (such as AC units and boilers) that breaks down due to power surges, etc. Property insurance MAY cover this stuff, but not always.
• Spoilage: This coverage takes care of the replacement costs of food that spoils due to power outages caused by storms, surges, etc.
• Communicable disease: Covers any illnesses transmitted to customers due to improper hygiene of your employees.

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Optional Add-Ons for Restaurant Insurance in Georgia

The basics included in the restaurant insurance policy may not cover all of your business's unique needs. Your independent insurance agent will know what add-ons to set you up with, but here's a look at a few that you might need (or just really want to have):

• Commercial/business auto insurance: If you run a carry-out restaurant that makes deliveries, you'll want to look into getting coverage for your company vehicles from things like theft and vandalism. Your restaurant will also be held responsible for damage done by your driver while in a company vehicle. Food trucks will also need this coverage.
• Coverage for signage: This protects your signage from things like weather and vandalism, since it's not typically covered under regular property insurance. It's especially important for restaurants with a drive-thru, with all the extra signage that could be damaged due to distracted or impaired drivers, or vandalism.
• Art floater insurance: This option exists mainly for the bigger/fancier restaurants with artwork on display. Scheduling an appraisal for the specific pieces you want to cover is the first required step. In case of fire or even theft, this coverage can help prevent having to pay for the replacements out of pocket.
• Liquor liability insurance: While not mandatory, this coverage can fill in some important gaps. General liability will NOT protect you if your employees overserve a customer who ends up with a DUI or other alcohol-related charge. Coverage is more necessary for smaller restaurants, as chains tend to have stricter serving rules and training policies in place to prevent mishaps. 

How Do Georgia's Dram Shop Laws Influence My Coverage Needs?

Dram shop laws hold a business liable for serving alcohol to minors, as well as for harm caused by an individual who has been overserved by that business — even after they leave your establishment. A state's specific laws and set of associated penalties/fines for violating them can influence your liquor liability coverage needs and the cost of your coverage. 

In Georgia, as well as most other states, a guest who sustains injuries to themselves due to over intoxication may not sue the establishment, since it's considered the guest's personal responsibility to monitor how much they consume. So, liability coverage for first-party cases is mainly only required in the case that a minor is served since minors are not legally allowed to drink in any state.

However, third-party liability coverage is crucial. In the case that another individual is harmed by an intoxicated guest, such as in a bar fight or auto accident, they may sue your establishment. For these cases, the third party will need proof that the intoxicated guest continued to be intentionally served past the point of visible intoxication by your restaurant.

Lawsuits can seriously cost you or your business, in the form of significant financial penalties, loss of employment or liquor license, or even jail sentences. Your agent will set you up with the proper liquor liability coverage based on Georgia's unique laws. They'll also explain the costs associated with each level of coverage.

You Might Need to Add Hurricane Insurance in Georgia

Unfortunately, Georgia is frequently home to hurricanes. These intense storms just love that prime East Coast real estate, and they could do major damage to your restaurant. Since hurricane damage isn't usually covered by property insurance, it's absolutely worth at least looking into.

Talk to your agent about adding hurricane coverage. Georgia is one of 19 states that require a mandatory hurricane deductible as part of its homeowners insurance policies, so it's obvious that the storms here are no joke. Getting your business the protection it needs could save you a lot of headaches.

How Much Does Restaurant Insurance Cost in Georgia?

It depends on what kind of restaurant you run and a few other factors, such as if you've got employees, offer a delivery service, operate a drive-thru or serve liquor. 

DID YOU KNOW?

A typical range for coverage starts on the low end at about $10,000/year for a smaller establishment with fewer employees, and hits the high end of more than $100,000/year for a much larger restaurant, like a chain.

A restaurant insurance policy is typically the cheapest and easiest way to go. This package offers most of the liability and property coverage you'll need, and you can always add on specifics as necessary. Your independent insurance agent will know exactly what to hook you up with.

What's the Safest/Cheapest Kind of Restaurant I Can Start?

Obviously, smaller is going to be cheaper. A food truck or corner stand downtown will be by far the cheapest option since there won't be as many sales as in a larger chain, there aren't any other employees (that would require workers' comp), and you won't be serving alcohol. Coverage costs would most likely be in the low thousands each year.

What's the Most Expensive/Riskiest Kind of Restaurant I Can Start?

On the other end of the spectrum, a large dine-in restaurant with tons of employees, features like a salad bar and buffet, and a liquor bar is by far the priciest/riskiest venture. All the required workers' comp, property and liability insurance drive up costs exponentially. 

It ultimately depends on lots of specifics like the number of employees and the value of the property, of course, but we're talking BIG numbers, like more than $100,000 per year.

Finding/Comparing Georgia Restaurant Insurance Quotes

Our experienced independent insurance agents will help you determine which type of Georgia restaurant insurance makes the most sense for you. They'll also compare policies and quotes from several different insurance companies to make sure they're setting you up with protection that's among the best around. In other words, they'll make it happen.