Quick answer
A Florida restaurant usually needs general liability, commercial property with business income and food spoilage, and workers' compensation once it has four or more employees. If you serve alcohol, add liquor liability, because a general liability policy usually excludes businesses that sell or serve it. Many small restaurants combine liability and property in a businessowners policy, and delivery by employees in their own cars calls for hired and non-owned auto coverage.
Coverage a restaurant usually needs
| Coverage | What it's for |
|---|---|
| General liability | Customer slips and falls, injuries in your dining room, and claims that your food made someone sick (products and completed operations). |
| Commercial property and business income | Your kitchen equipment, furniture and inventory after a fire or storm, plus lost income and ongoing expenses while you're closed for a covered loss. |
| Equipment breakdown and food spoilage | Walk-in coolers, compressors and hood systems that fail, and the food lost with them. Spoilage from a utility power outage is often limited or needs its own endorsement, so ask. |
| Liquor liability | Claims that someone you served caused injury or damage. Standard general liability usually excludes businesses that sell, serve or furnish alcohol, so it has to be added if you do. |
| Workers' compensation | Burns, cuts and falls in the kitchen. Required in Florida once you have four or more employees, part-time included. |
| Hired and non-owned auto | Liability when employees deliver or run errands in their own cars. A food truck needs its own commercial auto policy. |
| Cyber liability | Card data and point-of-sale systems: breach notification, forensics and downtime after an attack. |
Florida and federal rules that apply
- Every public food service establishment needs a license from the Division of Hotels and Restaurants, Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (section 509.241, Florida Statutes).
- Florida's dram shop law limits a server's liability for an intoxicated adult's actions, but not for willfully and unlawfully serving someone under the legal drinking age or knowingly serving a person habitually addicted to alcohol (section 768.125). Lawsuits still happen, and liquor liability coverage pays to defend them.
- Workers' compensation is required for most non-construction employers with four or more employees, counting part-time workers (Chapter 440, Florida Statutes).
As of October 2026. Sources are listed at the end of the page.
What drives the price
- Share of sales from alcohol, and whether you have a bar or late hours
- Cooking methods (fryers, open flame, grills) and a serviced hood fire-suppression system
- Annual sales and payroll by role
- Building age, construction and whether you own or lease it
- Delivery, catering and off-site events
- Claims in the last three to five years
Have this ready before you ask for a quote
- Type of restaurant, hours, seating and annual sales
- Alcohol: license type and the share of sales from beer, wine and liquor
- Payroll by role (kitchen, servers, managers, drivers) and number of employees
- Square footage, building year and whether you own or lease; the lease's insurance requirements
- Hood suppression and fire inspection records
- Prior insurance and loss runs for the last three to five years
Don't have everything? Send what you have; an agent will ask for the rest. Coverage can't be bound or changed through this website, and each insurance company makes its own underwriting decision.