Liability insurance for Restaurants & Bars
Liquor liability, food trucks, and high-turnover employment claims.
Public record case files for Restaurants & Bars
- An assault exclusion can reach a negligent-premises claim
Calling a claim negligent security or poor premises management did not avoid an assault-and-battery exclusion. The court said the claim depended on the assault, so the exclusion applied under this policy. Read the exclusion and the facts behind the claim, not just the lawsuit’s label.
Questions by coverage line
Commercial General Liability
All General Liability questions →Liquor Liability
All Liquor Liability questions →- Do I need liquor liability insurance? If you sell or serve alcohol commercially, yes — your general liability policy excludes liquor claims for businesses in the alcohol trade, and in many places the liquor license itself requires coverage. South Carolina mandates $1 million for on-premises licensees open past 5 p.m. If you only host events where alcohol is served, host liquor coverage usually handles it.
- What do we do when there is no assault and battery insurance available? You're not imagining it — carriers have pulled back assault-and-battery coverage for bars, and in some markets no standard carrier will write it. The working playbook: a hospitality broker with surplus-lines access, taking a sublimit over an exclusion, and documented security practices — the same measures South Carolina now credits against its liquor liability mandate.
- What is liquor liability insurance? Liquor liability insurance covers claims arising from serving or selling alcohol — typically a third party injured by your intoxicated patron, suing you under a state dram shop law. It exists because general liability policies exclude these claims for any business in the business of alcohol. Many states and most hospitality leases make it a condition of pouring at all.
Coverage mechanics for Restaurants & Bars
Policy mechanics, exclusions, certificates, and claims questions live on our sister publication: Restaurants & Bars on isthiscovered.org.