An insurance quote starts with the restaurant you run, not simply the word “restaurant.” A Carlsbad café with counter service, a San Diego dining room serving alcohol and a catering business working off-site can have very different exposures. Incomplete information can lead to a proposal that does not reflect the actual operation.
You do not need every document to start a conversation. This checklist helps identify what is available, what has changed and what needs a follow-up question. It is not a promise of eligibility, a fixed premium or a substitute for an insurer’s application.
Delivery, liquor and lease responsibilities need separate answers.
For deliveries, identify owned vehicles, employee personal vehicles and outside platforms. Hired/nonowned auto liability and physical damage to a driver’s own car are different questions. Do not assume a platform contract or personal auto policy protects the restaurant against every delivery-related allegation.
Explain how alcohol is sold or served, including catering and events. Host liquor and liquor liability are not interchangeable; ask about the actual form, exclusions and any assault-and-battery restrictions. Share lease requirements for liability, tenant improvements and additional insured endorsements. None is supplied merely by entering a request on a certificate.
- Who owns and drives delivery vehicles?
- Who sells, supplies and serves alcohol?
- Which improvements and equipment are the tenant’s responsibility?
- Which lease endorsements are confirmed, pending or unavailable?
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?
The takeaway
Keep one consistent set of operating details for each proposal. Tell the broker what is changing, ask for missing coverage to be identified, and obtain written confirmation before relying on an effective date.
Discuss your coverage needs