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Food, Drink & Leisure Insurance
Running a business in the food, drink, hospitality or leisure sector can involve a wide range of risks. From customer injuries and property damage to equipment breakdowns, stock losses and business interruption, having appropriate commercial insurance in place can help protect your business against insured events.
At 1st Choice Insurance, we can help businesses across the UK explore food, drink and leisure insurance tailored to their individual circumstances. Whether you run a restaurant, café, pub, hotel, takeaway, gym, leisure centre or another customer-facing business, our team can discuss your requirements and help you understand the insurance options available.
We have access to a wide panel of insurance providers, allowing us to explore different types of cover based on your business activities, premises, employees and the risks associated with your operations.
Get a Hospitality Insurance Quote
Looking for hospitality insurance for your business?
Our team can discuss your business activities and help you consider the types of commercial insurance you may need, from public liability and employers’ liability to buildings, contents, stock and business interruption cover.
Call 03301 081615 for a no-obligation hospitality insurance quote or use our quote form below.
What is Hospitality Insurance?
Food, drink and leisure insurance is a broad term used for commercial insurance arrangements designed around businesses operating in the hospitality, leisure and food and drink sectors.
Businesses in these industries can face a variety of risks because they may have premises, employees, customers, stock, specialist equipment, vehicles and other business assets to consider.
For example, a restaurant may need to consider risks associated with customers visiting the premises, kitchen equipment, food stock and employees. A gym may have different considerations relating to exercise equipment and members, while a hotel may need cover for its buildings, contents, guests and employees.
Rather than relying on a one-size-fits-all approach, insurance can be arranged around the individual circumstances and activities of your business.
Who Needs Hospitality Insurance?
Food, drink and leisure insurance can be relevant to a wide range of businesses, including:
- Restaurants
- Cafés and coffee shops
- Pubs and bars
- Takeaways and fast-food businesses
- Hotels
- Guest houses and bed & breakfasts
- Holiday accommodation
- Nightclubs and entertainment venues
- Gyms and fitness centres
- Leisure centres
- Indoor activity centres
- Family entertainment businesses
- Catering companies
- Event businesses
- Sports and recreational facilities
- Other hospitality and leisure businesses
The insurance requirements of each business will vary depending on its activities, premises, employees, turnover, equipment and other circumstances.
Types of Hospitality Insurance
There are several types of commercial insurance that may be relevant to hospitality and leisure businesses.
Restaurant Insurance
Restaurants can face risks ranging from damage to their premises and catering equipment to customer injuries, employee accidents and loss of stock.
Restaurant insurance can be arranged around your individual business requirements and may include options such as:
- Public liability insurance
- Employers’ liability insurance
- Buildings insurance
- Contents and equipment cover
- Stock insurance
- Business interruption cover
- Legal expenses cover
The cover available will depend on the insurer and the circumstances of your restaurant.
Whether you operate a small independent café, coffee shop or larger food business, café insurance can help you consider the risks associated with your premises, customers, employees, equipment and stock.
Depending on your circumstances, cover may be available for areas such as public liability, employers’ liability, contents, stock, equipment and business interruption.
Pubs and bars can have a variety of insurance considerations, particularly where alcohol is served, customers visit the premises and staff work late or extended hours.
Pub insurance or bar insurance can be arranged to consider risks associated with your premises and operations.
Depending on the policy, options may include public liability, employers’ liability, buildings and contents, stock, business interruption and loss of licence cover.
Hotels, guest houses and bed & breakfasts can have additional insurance requirements due to the nature of their premises and the number of guests, employees and facilities involved.
Hotel insurance can include options for buildings, contents, public liability, employers’ liability, business interruption and other areas of cover depending on the property and how it operates.
If you operate guest accommodation, it is important to provide accurate information about the type of accommodation, number of rooms, facilities and services provided when arranging insurance.
Gym & Fitness Centre Insurance
Gyms and fitness businesses can have specific insurance considerations due to the use of exercise equipment and the activities undertaken by customers and staff.
Gym insurance can be arranged around your individual activities and may include options such as public liability, employers’ liability, contents, equipment and business interruption cover.
Additional considerations may apply where your business provides personal training, classes, sports activities or other services.
Leisure Centre & Activity Business Insurance
Leisure businesses can include a wide range of activities and facilities, from indoor activity centres and family entertainment venues to recreational and sports facilities.
The insurance requirements can vary significantly depending on the activities provided.
We can discuss your operations and explore available cover for areas such as public liability, employers’ liability, buildings, contents, equipment and business interruption.
What Does Food, Drink & Leisure Insurance Cover?
There is no single standard food, drink and leisure insurance policy that is suitable for every business. The cover available will depend on your circumstances and the insurer’s underwriting criteria.
Depending on the policy, options can include:
Buildings Insurance
Buildings cover can protect the structure of an insured commercial property against specified events, such as fire, storm or flood, subject to the policy terms.
This can be particularly relevant to businesses that own their premises.
Contents, Equipment & Stock
Contents cover can protect business assets such as furniture, fixtures, catering equipment, kitchen equipment and other contents against insured events.
Stock cover may also be available for food, drink, ingredients and other business stock, subject to policy terms and applicable limits.
Public Liability Insurance
Public liability insurance can provide cover for certain claims made against your business by members of the public for injury or damage to their property arising from your business activities.
For hospitality businesses where customers regularly visit the premises, this can be an important consideration.
Employers’ Liability Insurance
If your business employs staff, employers’ liability insurance is a legal requirement in the UK.
Employers’ liability cover is designed to protect against certain claims made by employees for injury or illness arising from their employment.
Business Interruption Insurance
Business interruption insurance can provide cover for certain financial losses following an insured event that causes interruption to your business.
Depending on the policy, this may help cover loss of income or additional costs associated with getting the business operating again.
The precise cover, triggers and indemnity period will depend on the policy selected.
Accidental Damage
Accidental damage cover can provide protection against certain unexpected accidental damage to insured property or contents.
It is not automatically included in every policy, so it is important to check the cover selected.
Glass & Signage
Businesses with shopfronts, windows, internal glass or external signage may be able to arrange glass cover as part of their insurance.
Loss of Licence
For certain licensed businesses, cover may be available for loss of a licence following specified circumstances.
Availability and eligibility will depend on the insurer and policy wording.
Money Cover
Businesses that handle cash may be able to arrange cover for money held on the premises or while being transported, subject to specified conditions and limits.
Legal Expenses
Legal expenses insurance may be available to help with certain legal costs and disputes covered by the policy.
The types of legal matters covered will depend on the policy terms.
Frequently Asked Questions About Hospitality Insurance
Is hospitality insurance a legal requirement?
There is no single legal requirement to have a policy called “hospitality insurance”. However, some individual types of insurance may be required depending on your circumstances.
For example, employers’ liability insurance is generally compulsory for businesses that employ staff, subject to certain exemptions.
Other covers, such as public liability, buildings, contents and business interruption insurance, are not generally compulsory but may be appropriate depending on your business and contractual requirements.
Do restaurants need public liability insurance?
Public liability insurance is not generally a legal requirement for restaurants, but it can provide cover for certain claims made by members of the public following injury or damage to property arising from your business activities.
Restaurants should consider their individual risks when deciding what insurance cover they require.
Do pubs need public liability insurance?
Pubs and bars regularly have members of the public visiting their premises, so public liability insurance can be an important consideration.
The cover can provide protection against certain claims for injury or property damage arising from your business activities, subject to the policy terms.
Do I need employers’ liability insurance for my restaurant?
If you employ staff, you will need employers’ liability insurance under UK law.
This can include businesses employing full-time, part-time or temporary staff.
Can food and drink stock be insured?
Yes, cover for food, drink and other stock can be available depending on the policy.
Additional cover may also be available for certain risks affecting refrigerated or frozen stock, although this is subject to the insurer and policy terms.
Can hospitality insurance cover multiple locations?
Yes, insurance can potentially be arranged for businesses operating across multiple locations.
The availability of this type of cover will depend on the insurer and the circumstances of your business.
Can I insure a pub with a late licence?
Insurance can be available for pubs and bars with late opening hours or licences, subject to the insurer’s underwriting criteria.
It is important to provide accurate information about your opening hours, entertainment, alcohol sales and other activities when requesting a quotation.
Can I insure a gym or fitness centre?
Gym and fitness centre insurance can be arranged to consider the activities, premises, equipment and services provided by your business.
Depending on your operations, this may include public liability, employers’ liability, contents, equipment and business interruption cover.
Can I insure a hotel or guest house?
Hotel, guest house and bed & breakfast insurance can be arranged based on the nature of the accommodation and services you provide.
The insurer may consider factors such as the number of rooms, occupancy, facilities, employees and whether food and drink are provided.
Can hospitality insurance cover events?
Some policies can be extended to cover certain events, functions, outdoor trading or temporary activities.
The availability of cover will depend on the nature of the event and the insurer’s criteria, so these activities should be disclosed when arranging your insurance.
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