b'catering a small handful of events a year,The good news for them is that many of those small costs add up quickly, and thatthe coverages needed for caterers are typical annual policy makes much more sense. for restaurants, with a few exceptions.3. You also need to make sure thatOne thing that restaurants may not have your insurer is serious about certificatesthought about is auto insurance. If your new of insurance.Many clients will demandcatering venture requires vans or trucks, a that you cough up proof of coverage beforecommercial auto policy is essential.you land the job, and the best insurers haveOn the other hand, if your employees great systems set up for that. Some havehandle the delivery, you arent off the hook proof of coverage built into apps, whilefor insurance. In that case, make sure to get others have web portals that let you quicklya hired and non-owned auto policy, which get electronic copies to share. And mostwould protect you if someone from your are also more than happy to include thosecompany causes damage with a vehicle clients as named insured on your policythat isnt owned by your business whileABOUT THE AUTHORthrough those portals. they are on the job. Michael Giusti, M.B.A., is a senior writer at Catering insurance comes with a To make sure you arent leaving outinsuranceQuotes.com, which variety of coverage limits, with the low something, make sure to let your agent knowhelps consumers shop and end being around $300,000 per incident,you have moved into the catering world tocompare insurance quotes and a $600,000 annual aggregate. Butensure everything is properly covered. online. He has worked as typically clients request a $1 million/a journalist for more than 20 years, including as a $2 million policy, so unless you have aBIG PICTURE reporter at a daily newspaper specific need, buying more coverage mayWhile no expense is easy to take on, thein Florida, as an editor at a not be worthwhile in the end. cost for proper insurance is an investmentregional business journal, and One of the great benefits to a cateringin keeping your business safe fromas a writer for national and policy is that the insurance companycatastrophe. How much you pay dependsinternational publications. He specializes in business, can help hire an attorney to protect youon your specific circumstances and whattechnology, finance, in case something goes wrong and youyou need coveredthe more employeesinsurance, automotive and are sued. And if you lose, they will alsoand more coverages you need, the moreindustry-focused writing.cover your liability for bodily injuries oryou will pay.medical payments (after your deductible,But paying less may mean you arent of course). If a venue you are working in iswell covered, so skimp at your own damaged because of you or your staff, thatriskliterally. liability portion will have your back as well.Additional points to keep in mind: Make sure to talk to your insurer about all the waiters and contract workers you employ so you can get a properly matched workers compensation policy. Many states will hold caterers liable if a guest is overserved, so liquor liability becomes important. Depending on your situation, coverage for spoilage or equipment breakdown can be essential. And dont forget your trailer or mobile kitchen, which will likely need its own endorsement to stay protected.RESTAURANT CONCERNSThere are plenty of restaurants that never dreamed of becoming a caterer before lockdowns forced them to look for other revenue streams.CATERING, FOODSERVICE & EVENTS cfe-news.com41'