Restaurant insurance built around the way you operate.
We help California restaurants and bars decide what belongs in the program, then take it to insurers with real appetite for it: a Businessowners Policy, liquor liability including majority-alcohol operations, workers' comp, and the endorsements landlords and franchisors ask to see.
Response typically within one business day. No obligation · CA License #6008364
What a restaurant program includes.
For eligible restaurants, a BOP combines general liability, business property, and building coverage in one package. Liquor liability can often ride on the same policy: one carrier, one renewal, monthly billing available. Starting figures below are illustrative, not quotes or offers to insure.
General liability
Covers slip-and-fall, food poisoning, and property damage claims from customers.
Property
Kitchen equipment, furniture, and buildout protection, including tenant's improvements.
Liquor liability
Essential for any alcohol service, and commonly required by landlords, lenders, and franchisors. No fixed cap on alcohol share — bars, taverns, and wine bars are underwritten on their merits.
Hired & non-owned auto
Covers employee vehicles used for deliveries and errands.
Workers' compensation
Required by California law if you have employees.
Every premium is built from underwriting review: revenue, location, claims history, alcohol sales percentage, square footage, employee count, and specific operations. We lead with the line-by-line breakout so you can see exactly what each coverage costs.
Restaurant expertise, not a generic quote.
Two brokers pricing the same restaurant can produce meaningfully different premiums. We know how carriers classify, where the credits are, and when to push back.
Classification review
A pizza shop shouldn't be priced as casual dining, and a beer-and-wine cafe shouldn't be priced as a bar. We verify the class code before the carrier builds your quote.
Underwriter advocacy
Carriers give underwriters up to ±40% discretion on your premium. We build the submission (photos, safety program, operational story) so credits land instead of debits.
Package comparison
Most BOPs come in tiered packages. We quote them side by side so you can see what spoilage, contamination shutdown, and equipment breakdown actually cost you.
Line-by-line review
Your quote should be broken out by coverage: building, BPP, liability, every endorsement. We lead with the breakout, and we walk you through it.
Your broker should read the policy you have.
Renewal after renewal, the prior broker requoted the same carrier without testing the market. No competing submission. No alternative structure proposed. At some point that stops being stability and becomes inattention.
And this was not an easy risk to shop: a waterfront restaurant and bar, a heavy share of revenue from alcohol, and a prior claim on the books. Several carriers declined outright. We took the account to more than ten markets, built the submission properly, and got real competing quotes back.
The fix was structural. Consolidating liability, liquor, and property into a single BOP took tens of thousands off the core program, which paid for a $1M umbrella the restaurant never had. We also placed it with built-in, interest-free monthly billing: working capital back in the operator's pocket.
A prior result, not a prediction. Every placement involves a different loss history, different exposures, and a different market appetite.
A fragmented program
Liability and liquor with one carrier, property with another. Two renewal dates, two sets of exclusions to reconcile, and no umbrella at all.
One consolidated BOP + a new $1M umbrella
Property, general liability, and liquor under one policy, with broader property coverage (tenant's improvements, equipment breakdown, spoilage) and an excess layer that wasn't there before.
Restaurant insurance FAQs.
What insurance do California restaurants need?
Most need general liability (customer injuries and property damage), property insurance (equipment and buildout), and workers' compensation if you have employees. If you serve alcohol, liquor liability too. Many restaurants bundle GL and property into a BOP, and for eligible restaurants liquor liability can ride on the same policy with one carrier and monthly billing.
How much does restaurant insurance cost?
Typically $2,000 to $8,000 per year depending on revenue, location, alcohol sales percentage, and claims history. A basic BOP starts around $1,200 per year for small cafes, while full-service restaurants with liquor liability and workers' comp might pay $5,000 to $8,000 total.
Do I need liquor liability if I only serve beer and wine?
Practically, yes. California does not broadly require liquor liability by statute, but any alcohol service creates the exposure, and most landlords, lenders, and franchisors require the coverage regardless of license type. One over-served customer causing an accident can mean a claim a general liability policy is not designed to answer. The good news: beer and wine coverage typically costs less than full bar coverage.
Can I get liability, property, and liquor from one carrier?
Often, yes. For eligible restaurants we place a single package policy combining general liability, property, and liquor liability with one carrier, one renewal date, and monthly billing available. One policy means no coverage gaps between carriers and one point of contact when you have a claim.
Can I get insurance if I just opened, or I'm in a wildfire risk area?
Often, yes. We regularly place new ventures (under 12 months old) and restaurants in high-risk fire zones. These situations require more underwriting review, and every placement is subject to carrier underwriting, but we work with markets that consider risks others decline.
What if I do delivery or catering with my own vehicles?
If employees use personal vehicles for deliveries or catering, you need hired & non-owned auto coverage (starting around $300 per year). If you own delivery vehicles, you'll need commercial auto. Third-party delivery apps typically provide their own coverage for their drivers.
Restaurant insurance guides.
Plain-English guides to the requirements, underwriting rules, and cost drivers that shape restaurant, bar, and franchise insurance.
How premiums are built
How a restaurant BOP premium is actually calculated: classification, territory, construction type, credits, and the optional coverages that matter.
Read the guide →What a BOP covers
The full coverage schedule, decoded: property, business income, liability, liquor, the sublimits everyone ignores, and what's not included by default.
Read the guide →Why restaurants get declined
The eligibility screens that trigger a decline — construction type, sprinklers vs. hood suppression, alcohol share, wildfire exposure, new ventures — and the documentation that turns a decline into a quote.
Read the guide →Certificates of insurance
What landlords and franchisors actually ask for on a COI, what an additional insured is, and how certificates work at lease signing.
Read the guide →Franchise requirements
The insurance requirements in 11 restaurant-franchise FDDs compared side by side: liability limits, umbrella, EPLI, deductible caps, and additional-insured wording.
Read the guide →Talk directly with the broker who handles your account.
No service-center hand-off. Your account is handled by the licensed broker who placed it. And once you're a client, certificates of insurance turn around same day or next business day.
Helpful to have on hand: current policies, loss runs, and your alcohol sales percentage.
Last updated: July 17, 2026