Business insurance for restaurants, pubs and bakeries
Protect your food and hospitality business with insurance tailored to your activity
Whether you run a restaurant, a pub or a bakery, your work carries specific risks that business insurance is designed to cover. Discover Public liability built for food and hospitality professionals in Ireland.
Business insurance, done differently.
Fully online business insurance in Ireland.
A few questions and you're covered.
No lock-in, no long contracts.
Excess from €0, up to €6.5 million of cover.
Our insurance is for
Why business insurance is essential in food & hospitality
Everyday risks you should not underestimate
Working with food and drink exposes your business to particular risks. From front-of-house service in a pub to the early shift in a bakery, these activities share common exposures:
Food poisoning: a customer made ill by something you served
Allergen mistakes: a dish served with something the customer asked you to leave out.
Accidents on your premises: slips, trips, burns and scalds.
Damage you accidentally cause: to a customer's property or the premises you rent.
What is Public Liability insurance?
How does public liability work? If a third party, like a customer or a member of the public, holds you responsible for an injury or for damage to their property, public liability insurance takes care of your defence costs and any compensation due.
What does it cover? Injury or property damage caused to others in the course of your work. You choose a cover limit of €1.25 million, €2.5 million or €6.5 million per claim. Optional covers can be added: Employers' Liability (€13 million per claim) if you have staff, and Third-party objects and sites for damage to equipment or premises of others in your care (up to €5,000 per claim).
Cover that fits your profession. You describe your activities fully at sign-up, and your cover matches what you actually do: restaurant operations and food service, takeaway service and the sale of food and beverages are all insured activities.
Your excess. The amount you pay yourself towards a claim. The options are €0, €250, €500, €1,000 and €2,500, with €0 and €250 available up to €500,000 annual revenue; above that the minimum is €500. A higher excess means a lower premium.
Is it mandatory? Public liability isn't required by law in Ireland. However, many landlords, food markets, event organisers and local authorities often ask for proof of cover before you can trade. Public liability cover starts from €7.55 per month.
Who needs it? Any food or hospitality business that deals with the public: restaurants, cafés, pubs, takeaways and bakeries.
Which cover do you need?
Most businesses are exposed to both. One covers injury and damage, the other financial loss from your work. You can combine them in one Insify policy. Cover limits, excess and exclusions apply. See the policy wording.
Public Liability insurance
Covers claims when your work injures someone or damages something that belongs to them. For example, someone trips over your equipment, or you damage a floor while working at a client's premises.
- Choose your cover: from €1.25 million up to €6.5 million per claim, and up to twice that per insurance year
- Excess from €0, depending on your turnover
- Staff? Add optional Employers' Liability with €13 million cover per claim
- Most relevant when your work brings you into contact with clients, the public, their premises or their belongings
Professional Indemnity insurance
Covers purely financial loss a client suffers through a professional mistake, oversight or wrong advice, with no injury or property damage involved. Think of work a client claims was unfit for purpose and cost them money.
- Choose your cover: from €125,000 up to €1.25 million per claim, and up to twice that per insurance year
- Excess from €0, depending on your turnover
- Most relevant when clients pay you for advice, programmes and plans
What's covered
Restaurant operations and food service
Takeaway food service
Sales of food and beverages (like groceries, fresh produce, bakery goods, sweets, dairy products, frozen items, and convenience-store assortments)
Sales of speciality fresh foods (like meat, charcuterie, fish, cheese, delicatessen, and organic products)
Use of land, buildings or premises for the insured activity
Optional Third-party objects and sites (up to €5,000 per claim)
Optional Employers' Liability (€13 million per claim) if you have staff
Dark kitchen (a place where food is prepared exclusively for online ordering and/or home delivery, without seating)
Cover and exclusions shown are indicative and non-contractual. Only the terms of your policy apply.
Some examples
A customer slipped on a freshly mopped restaurant floor and broke her wrist. Public liability covered the compensation and legal costs.
Several guests were made ill by an undercooked dish and claimed against the restaurant. Public liability responded to the injury claims and the legal costs.
A bartender knocked a tray of drinks over a customer's laptop and phone. The damage to third-party property was covered.
A customer slipped on a freshly mopped restaurant floor and broke her wrist. Public liability covered the compensation and legal costs.
Several guests were made ill by an undercooked dish and claimed against the restaurant. Public liability responded to the injury claims and the legal costs.
A bartender knocked a tray of drinks over a customer's laptop and phone. The damage to third-party property was covered.
Examples are for illustrative purposes only. Compensation depends on the exact circumstances of the claim. No rights can be derived from these examples.
Your business insurance with Insify SmartGuide
Taking out insurance can be quick. Making sure you have the right cover is another matter. With Insify SmartGuide, you don't sign a contract blindly. You ask all your questions, and get clear, immediate and personalised answers, before you take out a policy.
Are you covered if you accidentally damage a client's equipment while working?
What excess should you choose?
Are you protected in the event of a dispute with a client?
Insify SmartGuide guides you step by step to understand what's covered, what isn't, and why. In just a few clicks, you build insurance that's truly tailored to your business, with complete confidence. Try Insify SmartGuide. Understand your insurance before you need it.
More than 40,000 entrepreneurs trust us
When I had to make a claim, I was amazed how quickly and efficiently it was handled. Within a few days I had a resolution.
Very friendly, quick and thorough. It gives me real confidence in taking out the cover. The company feels genuinely transparent, exactly what I look for. You don't find that often.
Very friendly, quick and thorough. It gives me real confidence in taking out the cover. The company feels genuinely transparent, exactly what I look for. You don't find that often.
When I had to make a claim, I was amazed how quickly and efficiently it was handled. Within a few days I had a resolution.
The cover itself was sorted quickly, and when I later needed support I got that fast too.
Very friendly, quick and thorough. It gives me real confidence in taking out the cover. The company feels genuinely transparent, exactly what I look for. You don't find that often.
When I had to make a claim, I was amazed how quickly and efficiently it was handled. Within a few days I had a resolution.
The cover itself was sorted quickly, and when I later needed support I got that fast too.
Frequently Asked Questions
It covers injury to other people and damage to their property caused by your business: a guest slipping on a wet floor, a customer made ill by a meal, or a spilled tray damaging someone's belongings.
Yes. Your premium and cover are based on your business's real profile: the actual premium depends on your activity, turnover, cover amount and excess. That means a small café is not priced like a large restaurant. Declare your turnover accurately at sign-up so your cover matches reality, and review it as your business grows.
Public liability isn't required by law in Ireland. In practice, though, landlords, food markets, event organisers, and local authorities often ask for proof of cover before you can trade.
Public liability cover starts from €7.55 per month including taxes. The actual premium depends on your activity, turnover, cover amount and excess, so a food truck and a full-service restaurant will not pay the same. You see your price online in minutes, with no obligation. Start a quote, describe your activity fully, and compare options to fit your budget.
Slips, trips and burns are among the most common claims in food and hospitality. If a customer is injured and holds your business responsible, public liability cover responds to the claim where you are found legally liable. Report the incident as soon as possible so the claim can be handled quickly. Good incident records (what happened, when, who witnessed it) make the process far smoother.
Serving food and drink is your insured activity: restaurant operations and food service, takeaway service and the sale of food and beverages are all named in your cover. So if a customer is made ill by something you served and your business is found legally liable, public liability responds to their injury claim up to your chosen limit and after your excess.