Coffee shop and cafe insurance in Spokane
One of the more affordable food-service classes to insure, with two exposures that do not look like much until they happen: hot liquid, and the espresso machine everything depends on.
Why cafes insure cheaply, and where that stops
No deep fryer, usually no alcohol and a small kitchen footprint puts coffee shops among the lower-rated food-service classes. The rating changes if you add a full kitchen, start serving beer and wine, open late, or add a drive-through — each of those moves you toward restaurant rating. Tell your agent when the operation changes rather than at the next renewal, because the policy should follow the business.
The espresso machine is your single point of failure
A two-group machine down on a Monday is not an inconvenience, it is a closed business. Standard property forms exclude mechanical breakdown, so the machine, the grinder and the under-counter fridge all need equipment breakdown coverage — which pays the repair, the spoiled product and the income lost while you wait for a part. For a cafe with one machine, this is the endorsement that matters most and costs least.
Hot liquid claims and the drive-through
Burn claims from hot drinks are the classic cafe liability exposure, and they are usually modest but persistent. Lids, sleeves, cup quality and a stable handoff matter. If you run a drive-through, the handoff happens through a car window at an awkward height, which is where the more serious burn claims come from — worth mentioning at application, because it is also a rating factor.
Biggest exposures for coffee shops
- Burns from hot drinks, steam wands and milk jugs
- Espresso machine and grinder breakdown stopping trade entirely
- Slip-and-fall on wet or icy floors
- Spoilage of milk, pastry and prepared food
Pre-filled for your trade. Two minutes.
Coverage
What coffee shops usually carry
Business Owner's Policy (BOP)
General liability and commercial property bundled into one policy, usually for less than buying them separately.
Read moreGeneral Liability
The baseline policy.
Read moreCommercial Property
Covers your building, equipment, inventory and improvements against fire, theft, water and storm damage.
Read moreWorkers' Compensation
Required in Washington for nearly every employer.
Read moreQuestions
Coffee Shops insurance FAQs
Cafes sit at the more affordable end of food service because there is no fryer and usually no alcohol. The main inputs are your sales, square footage, payroll, whether you have a full kitchen or a drive-through, and your claims history. Adding beer and wine, or a kitchen, moves you toward restaurant rating.
Yes. Your landlord insures the building shell; your equipment, fixtures, the build-out you paid for and your liability to customers are all yours. Your lease will almost certainly specify liability limits and require you to name the landlord as additional insured.
Not under a standard property policy, which excludes mechanical breakdown. Equipment breakdown coverage handles the repair, the product you lose and the income lost while it is down. For a single-machine cafe it is the highest-value endorsement on the policy.
Other trades
We write these too
General Contractors
Registration, a bond, liability and workers’ comp — general contractors carry more moving parts than any trade we write, and the most contract-driven requirements.
Read moreRoofers
The hardest trade in construction to insure, and the one where carrier appetite narrows fastest.
Read moreElectricians
Low claim frequency, high claim severity.
Read morePlumbers
Every job you touch carries water, and water finds its way into places that cost far more to repair than the work you were paid for.
Read moreStart with your trade. We will take it from there.
Tell us what the business does and we will pre-select the coverage it normally needs, then compare carriers for you. About two minutes, no obligation.
Prefer to talk it through? Call (509) 944-0847.