In a restaurant the largest item is in the kitchen, and that is also where the two most common losses occur: a grease fire in the extraction and failure of the refrigeration.
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In brief
The business contents of a restaurant consists of the range, the combi steamer, the fryer, the extraction hood with ducting, the dishwasher, chill and freezer rooms, work benches and the complete fit-out of the dining room, plus the till system. The goods are the food stock and the wine and drink stock. The kitchen usually represents the largest part of the sum insured.
The extraction above the cooking line is the main cause of fire in hospitality. Insurers therefore work with a clause prescribing how often the hood, filters and duct up to the roof outlet are cleaned by a specialist firm, and whether there is a suppression system above the fryer. Keep the cleaning reports with the date: after a fire they are the first thing requested.
Outside the cover remain: spoilage of stock without the spoilage section, the gradual effects of grease and steam on the fittings, guests' and staff property, money in the till, and wear and tear of equipment. Deferred maintenance of the extraction can also be treated as material fault, with the result that Article 7:952 of the Dutch Civil Code attaches to it.
What does business contents insurance cover for restaurants?
The structure of the cover in three parts, with an overview per situation below.
Your business assets
Business contents
Machinery, equipment, furniture and fixed fittings.
At replacement value as new
Fire, water and burglary
Tenant's improvements separately
Stock
Goods
Trading stock, raw materials and finished products.
Purchase value or cost price
Declare seasonal peaks
Spoilage as an extension
Optional
Extensions
What is excluded as standard.
Third-party property
Money and securities
Business interruption
What is covered
Situation
Business contents
Goods
Fire and smoke damage
Yes
Yes
Burglary with signs of forced entry
Yes
Yes
Water damage from a burst pipe
Yes
Yes
Customers' property being worked on
No
No
Spoilage due to refrigeration failure
Sometimes
Sometimes
Wear and deferred maintenance
No
No
This overview is general in nature and is not personal advice. What is actually covered, including exclusions, limits and the excess, is set out in the policy conditions and the insurance card (verzekeringskaart) of the insurer; you receive both before you take out cover. Taking out cover without advice? Then read what execution only means for you.
Where things go wrong in practice
Four points that make the difference between a policy that pays out and one that does not.
The grease extraction is the clause that counts
Grease settles in the hood, in the filters and in the whole duct up to above the roof. If the fryer flares up, the fire follows that layer of grease to the roof edge. The clause on your policy therefore prescribes a cleaning frequency, carried out by a specialist firm and recorded in a report. Have the whole duct cleaned and not just the filters; it is precisely the top section that gets skipped and precisely there that the risk lies.
Chill and freezer room: spoilage is a separate section
If a compressor fails or the power goes off, the contents of a full freezer room are lost within a day. Property cover pays for the broken installation where the peril is covered, but for the spoiled contents only with the spoilage section. It sets requirements about a temperature alarm, minimum duration of failure and records, and often distinguishes between a fault in your own installation and a failure of the public supply.
Gas, water and the wash-up
Besides fire, water is the second source of loss in a restaurant: a leaking dishwasher, an overflowing sink or a burst connection does its work overnight in an empty building. Sudden leakage is covered, slowly seeping damp is not. Also keep the gas installation inspection and the maintenance of the grease trap up to date; both are checked when a claim is investigated.
What is not included
Guests' and staff coats, bags and phones are not your property. Money in the till remains outside the cover, as do the gradual effects of grease and steam on walls and fittings, spoilage without the section and wear and tear of equipment. The turnover that stops while the kitchen is repaired is not covered either; for that business interruption is needed with a suitable indemnity period.
What does your premium depend on?
Type of kitchen. Deep-frying, wok cooking or working with a wood oven presents a different fire risk from a cold kitchen.
Cleaning and suppression above the cooking line. Frequency of duct cleaning and the presence of a suppression system above the fryer.
Value of the kitchen equipment. Combi steamers, chill and freezer capacity and the fit-out of the wash-up.
Stock, including wine. The goods item including any wine stock and where it is kept.
Construction type and flats above. Compartmentation, adjoining premises and flats above the business weigh in acceptance.
Spoilage section, business interruption and excess. The extensions chosen and the level of the excess per event.
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
How we arrange it
You request a quoteWe take stock of your situation, your risk and your wishes.
We compareseveral insurers, on premium as well as conditions.
You receive a proposalWith an explanation of the differences and the exclusions.
We arrange the switchIncluding cancellation, so there is no gap in cover.
Customers rate our service on four aspects: personal service, service delivery, availability and the outcome. The reviews are collected and published by NH1816 and come from customers who have actually taken out a policy with Finass Advies B.V. or reported a claim.
That is stated as a clause on your policy and depends on the type of kitchen: a frying or grill kitchen calls for a higher frequency than a kitchen without grease. Have the work done by a specialist firm, over the whole duct up to the roof outlet, and keep the report with the date. Without demonstrable cleaning, the insurer will rely on that clause after a fire.
Is spoilage in the chill and freezer room covered?
Only with the spoilage section. It sets requirements about a temperature alarm, about the minimum duration of the failure and about records, and often distinguishes between a fault in your own installation and an external power cut. Without that section the policy may pay for the broken refrigeration plant, but not for the stock thrown away as a result.
The fryer caught fire. Is the equipment itself paid for?
The fire damage in the kitchen is covered, including what the fire did to the fryer and the surrounding equipment. The defect that caused the fire is not: a worn thermostat or a burnt-out cut-out is inherent defect. And if the extraction had not been cleaned for a long time, the clause and possibly material fault come into play.
What if the restaurant is closed for weeks after a fire?
This policy pays for repair or replacement of business contents and stock, not for the turnover you lose. That is business interruption. When choosing the indemnity period, work with the real repair time for a kitchen: soot remediation, structural repairs, equipment delivery times and a new inspection. Continuing fixed costs and wage costs also belong in that calculation.
Finass Verzekert is a trading name of Finass Advies B.V. We advise on and arrange non-life insurance on the basis of an objective analysis of several insurers, and receive commission for this from the insurer, which is included in the premium. You pay no separate advice fee. Before you take out cover, we establish your wishes and needs.
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