Restaurant owners are usually among the most dedicated entrepreneurs who invest time and money to offer an exceptional experience to their patrons. But the hospitality industry can be challenging and presents an ongoing struggle for business owners to provide excellent service and food and maintain profits.
The challenges get even more complicated. Below is an outline of the industry-specific dangers that helps you to identify any possible blind spots in your risk management and insurance plans. When you consider the risks associated with damage to property and equipment breakdowns, criminal activity and liquor liability also need to be considered.
1: Restaurants’ exposures to the property are significant. They may result from numerous sources, including equipment malfunctions, food spoilage, natural disasters, customers, employees, and other third-party sources. In the discussion of exposures to property, such as water and fire damage, they are the most significant, and restaurants are at a higher risk of occurrence due to factors like open flames. Using flammable materials often includes advanced HVAC systems, sewer backups, and water-line connections between appliances.
2: Restaurants rely on working equipment to serve their customers efficiently. Restaurant owners may suffer business interruptions or even long-term closings if equipment malfunctions. Furthermore, equipment breakdowns can cause significant property damage should an appliance fail or cause a fire which can increase the expense of your enterprise.
3: Criminality can pose a problem for restaurant proprietors, particularly since their establishments typically have an ongoing cash flow coming through and out. The area of a restaurant and the timing of opening can have an impact on the security risk. Theft is always a possibility, which makes it necessary for owners to get back any money or property that has to get taken. It does not require immediate access to cash to steal your goods or supplies. Securities, as well as pools, are all quickly snatched up.
4: The liability of restaurants’ premises could directly impact the safety of patrons, and, in the event of injuries within your establishment, it could be deemed accountable. Simple things like hot plates spilled beverages, or uneven surfaces could result in high-cost insurance claims after an accident. Slips or falls, burns, scalds, and cuts are commonplace and a significant cause of concern.
5: Food safety is essential for restaurant owners and the primary cause of liability for food products and foods. It makes ensuring the security of your customers an issue. The risk of food poisoning, contamination, spoilage, or reactions to food is always present. Suppose one of your customers gets sick due to the food you serve or accidentally ingests a foreign object in your menu items. In that case, your restaurant may be liable for legal consequences and be responsible for irreparable damage to its reputation.
6: Liquor liability lawsuits get filed daily, and it’s becoming more typical for family members and victims. To bring suits against restaurants over their part in serving a client who gets injured in an accident involving alcohol. To make matters even more complicated, you only need one claim for liquor liability to put your company at risk. The risks to restaurant owners could stem from selling alcohol to minors, serving patrons too much, and non-compliance with applicable laws.
7: Continuity is a must in the business as there are few things more essential than uninterrupted cash flow and revenue, especially for smaller and medium-sized companies. In reality, a short interruption in business could be highly costly to a company and result in severe reputational harm or permanent closures. The most frequent restaurant interruptions include fires, natural disasters and food recall, cyber-related events, staff shortages, and supplier problems.
8: Cybercriminals often target restaurants since they typically process abundant debit and credit card data. Employees who get not adequately educated on data and computer security can put your business at risk of being a victim of ransomware, infections, phishing scams, and malware. In addition, Many restaurants provide guests with Wi-Fi which, when not properly secured, could expose you and your guests to the risk of being targeted by hackers.
9: The type of services you offer at your restaurant depends on the services you offer. Your employees might be required to operate a motor vehicle to benefit the business and create car exposure during the process. While essential for everyday business operations, improper car usage may cause accidents or large insurance claims. Furthermore, when you allow employees to use their vehicles to work, the standard auto policies are usually insufficient. In addition, offering valet parking could cause unexpected problems if a car belonging to a customer is damaged.
Although the right strategies for managing risk can limit the risk of exposure, no method is 100 % successful in guaranteeing a safe workplace. Therefore, partnering with a reputable insurance broker is even more critical. Who can not only evaluate your risks and make sure you are covered with the proper insurance coverage too. Contact Commercial Insurance Ottawa today for a quote on your commercial or business insurance at (613) 454-5640 or email at info@commercialinsuranceottawa.com.