Richmond restaurant insurance often comes down to one question: who insures what. A lot of Richmond food businesses work out of shared commissary space, multi-tenant buildings or waterfront locations at Marina Bay, and the line between the landlord's policy and yours is where claims get stuck.
We sort that out before binding — reading the lease, confirming whose property coverage responds to the build-out, and making sure your business income limit reflects the time it would actually take to get cooking again somewhere else.
What restaurant insurance actually needs to cover
A restaurant program is really four or five policies working together. General liability answers for a guest who slips on a wet floor or gets sick after a meal. Property covers your build-out, hood system, walk-in and small wares — usually at replacement cost, because a used fryer settlement rarely reopens a kitchen. Business income keeps payroll and rent moving while repairs happen, and that limit is the one owners most often set too low.
Workers' compensation is mandatory in California from your first employee, and in food service it is usually the largest single line on the invoice. Burns, knife cuts, back strains and slips drive most claims, and your experience modification follows you for three years.
Liquor liability and why the limit matters
California's dram shop rules are narrower than in many states, but a restaurant that serves an obviously intoxicated guest — or anyone under 21 — can still end up defending a serious injury claim. Host liquor coverage bundled into a package policy is not the same as a real liquor liability limit. If alcohol is more than a small share of sales, we quote it as its own line and document your server training.
Food spoilage, equipment breakdown and outages
A compressor failure or a PG&E outage overnight can empty a walk-in of several thousand dollars of product before anyone opens the door. Equipment breakdown and spoilage coverage is inexpensive relative to the loss, but the trigger language varies widely between carriers — some require a mechanical failure, others pay for a utility interruption off-premises. We read that wording before you sign.
Delivery, catering and vehicles
The moment an employee runs an order in their own car, your business can be pulled into the claim. Hired and non-owned auto coverage handles that, and it belongs on nearly every restaurant policy now — including ones that only 'occasionally' deliver or drop off catering.
What we see in Richmond
In shared kitchens, your equipment and product are yours to insure even when the building is not. A fire, water loss or refrigeration failure in a commissary can shut down several businesses at once, and a landlord's master policy will not replace your mixer, your inventory or your lost sales.
Macdonald Avenue and the surrounding corridors also see enough break-in and vandalism activity that crime coverage and a realistic property deductible are worth discussing rather than defaulting.
Questions Richmond owners ask us
I rent space in a commissary. What do I actually need?
At minimum, general liability, coverage for your own equipment and product, business income, and workers' compensation if you have employees. The commissary's policy covers the building and their operations, not your losses.
Does my policy cover me at farmers markets and events?
Usually yes under general liability, but organizers typically require a certificate naming them as additional insured. Send us the event paperwork and we will issue it to their specifications.
Is theft of equipment covered?
Business personal property covers theft subject to your deductible, and crime coverage can be added for money and employee dishonesty. Where a location has repeat incidents, we look at the deductible structure so small losses don't drive a non-renewal.
Get a restaurant quote for your Richmond business
Send over your declarations pages and last year's payroll and we'll tell you honestly whether your current program is priced right. We are an independent brokerage based in Antioch, serving Contra Costa County and the wider Bay Area. CA License #0D90958.
Other cities we write this coverage in
See our full Restaurant & Food Service Insurance overview.