It depends. A restaurant’s general liability policy usually covers catering you do away from your premises, as long as the carrier knows you cater and your catering sales are disclosed. The key condition is the rest of the policy: liquor liability may be limited to your restaurant address, equipment is only partly covered off-site, and employees driving to events create auto exposure your restaurant policy does not handle.
Plenty of restaurants add catering one event at a time, a rehearsal dinner here, an office lunch there, without telling their agent. That is where problems start. This page walks through each coverage line, where the gaps usually are, and how to close them. For a deeper look, see our blog post on catering and off-premises events.
Coverage line by coverage line: what goes with you to the event
- General liability – the standard ISO CGL is not limited to your address; it applies to your operations anywhere in the coverage territory. But underwriting is based on what you disclosed, and some restaurant programs limit or exclude catering unless it is scheduled and rated.
- Liquor liability – many liquor policies and endorsements are written for designated premises only, so pouring wine at an off-site wedding may not be covered unless the carrier extends it. Your liquor license may also require a separate catering permit.
- Property – business personal property is mainly covered at your described premises. Standard forms include only limited extensions for property off-premises and in transit, which may not cover chafers, warmers, a portable bar or a smoker trailer.
- Commercial auto – vans and trucks you own need a commercial auto policy. Staff using their own cars for deliveries or events call for hired and non-owned auto liability.
- Workers compensation – it generally follows your employees to the event, but out-of-state events need other-states coverage on the policy.
- Products-completed operations – food eaten at the event is typically within this hazard, which carries its own aggregate limit.
Exclusions and conditions caterers run into
Beyond the coverage lines above, off-site catering claims tend to trip over contracts and classifications rather than the insuring agreement itself. Watch for:
- Misclassification – if catering is a meaningful share of your revenue but the policy is rated purely as a restaurant, the carrier may question coverage or adjust premium at audit.
- Designated premises endorsements – any endorsement that limits coverage to listed locations, especially on liquor liability.
- Contractual liability – venue contracts often ask you to indemnify the venue; the CGL covers liability assumed in an insured contract, but only as defined in your policy.
- Additional insured and primary wording – many venues require additional insured status on a primary and non-contributory basis plus a waiver of subrogation, which must be added by endorsement.
- Care, custody or control – damage to the venue’s property you are using, such as a rented tent or a client’s kitchen, may be excluded or limited.
Two off-site catering scenarios
An Italian restaurant caters a wedding with a wine service
An Italian restaurant caters a 150-guest wedding at a barn venue and pours wine it brought from the restaurant. Late in the night, a guest who was served repeatedly drives off and causes a crash. The restaurant’s general liability excludes liquor-related claims for a business in the business of serving alcohol, so the defense depends on the liquor liability coverage. If that policy is limited to the restaurant’s address, the restaurant may have no coverage at all for this claim.
A barbecue restaurant’s smoker trailer at a corporate picnic
A barbecue restaurant tows its smoker trailer to a corporate picnic. A coal from the firebox burns a hole in the client’s event tent and a guest trips over an extension cord. The trip-and-fall is a general liability claim. The tent damage may be too, unless the care, custody or control exclusion applies because the tent was rented by the restaurant. The trailer itself needs an inland marine or equipment floater, and the tow vehicle needs auto coverage that includes the trailer.
What to check before you book the next event
- Catering disclosed on your application, with catering sales included in your rated receipts.
- Liquor liability that applies off premises, or a separate policy for events you serve.
- Off-premises and in-transit property limits, or an inland marine floater for portable equipment.
- Hired and non-owned auto liability, plus a commercial auto policy for any vehicles titled to the business.
- Blanket additional insured and waiver of subrogation endorsements so you can meet venue contracts quickly.
- Workers comp other-states coverage if you cater across state lines.
- Products-completed operations aggregate adequate for large events.
- Any designated premises or catering limitation endorsement.
Getting catering added the right way
Provident Financial Group is an independent agency, so US Restaurant Insure can quote restaurant programs that include catering from multiple carriers on one application. Once coverage is bound, we issue certificates of insurance for venues quickly, with the additional insured wording they request. Call (866) 964-6660 before your next event. If catering is your main business, start with our catering insurance page.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a separate policy just for catering?
Not always. If catering is a side line, many restaurant programs can include it by endorsement or classification. If catering drives most of your revenue, a catering-specific program may fit better.
Does my liquor liability cover drinks served at an event?
Only if the policy is not limited to your premises. Read the declarations and endorsements, and confirm your license allows off-site service. See do caterers need liquor liability insurance.
What do venues usually require from a caterer?
Most ask for a certificate of insurance showing general liability, liquor liability if you serve, auto, workers comp, and the venue named as additional insured. Some also require a waiver of subrogation and primary and non-contributory wording.
Are my employees covered if they get hurt at an event?
Workers comp generally covers employees injured while working off-site in the course of employment. Events in another state may need other-states coverage on your policy.
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