Restaurant insurance quote checklist 

1. Describe how and where you serve guests.

Write a short description of your service model, hours and every operating location. Include activity away from the premises, even when it is only occasional. An application should not describe a dine-in-only operation if employees regularly deliver orders or cater events.

• Legal business name, address, ownership and years in operation
• Counter service, table service, catering, food-truck or other activities
• Hours, seating, outdoor areas, entertainment and special events
• Delivery arrangements: company drivers, personal cars or outside platforms

2. Separate sales, payroll and job duties.

Bring annual sales estimates and identify food, alcohol and off-site revenue where available. Explain whether the figures describe the past year or a projection for the coming one. A planned patio opening or new catering operation can make last year’s figures an incomplete guide.

For payroll, identify what employees actually do. Cooking, serving, cleaning, managing and driving may create different underwriting questions. Do not treat a worker as an independent contractor merely because payment is reported on a particular tax form; classification and coverage require their own review.

3. List the property and kitchen protection.

Separate the building, if you own it, from tenant improvements, furniture, cooking equipment and stock. The purchase price of used equipment may not represent what it would cost to replace today. Ask which valuation method a proposed policy uses.

• Square footage and information about the building and your leased space
• Cooking methods, hood and fire-suppression systems, and maintenance records
• Refrigeration, major equipment values and food stock
• Alarm, sprinkler and other protection details requested by the insurer

4. Bring contracts and existing insurance records.

Share the insurance provisions of your lease and any venue or catering contracts. A landlord’s required limit, additional insured request and responsibility for improvements are separate questions. A certificate of insurance alone cannot rewrite a policy.

Current declarations, renewal dates and available loss information help explain what you already have. Record any changes since that application, such as alcohol service or employee deliveries. Ask the team for an appropriate way to share documents, and avoid sending unnecessary employee identifiers or sensitive financial information.

5. Compare more than the premium.

Ask which causes of loss trigger business income coverage and how a waiting period or restoration period applies. Clarify equipment breakdown, spoilage, utility interruption and liquor-related exposures rather than assuming each is included in a business owners policy.

If something is excluded, ask what other protection may be available and what would remain your responsibility. Compare deductibles, limits, endorsements and conditions alongside the total cost. A lower premium is not meaningful if it removes protection your lease or operation requires.

• What is covered, excluded or subject to a smaller sublimit?
• What assumptions about sales, payroll and operations were used?
• Which requested endorsements are included, pending or unavailable?
• What must happen before coverage can take effect?