Running any hospitality business comes with its own set of unique challenges. If you deal directly with the public, you have to provide a safe, secure environment – not just for your customers but for your staff, too. In this age of litigation, it’s important to ensure you have the right kind of bar insurance to protect yourself against financial problems, even if the root cause isn’t your fault. That’s where we can help.
At Park Insurance we’ve been working with the businesses of Bristol and the surrounding area for over 30 years, providing premium quality, affordable and tailor-made insurance packages. We specialise in creating bespoke insurance policies for niche sectors. Thanks to our extensive experience and close association with local catering and hospitality businesses, we understand the challenges modern bars and clubs face.
We combine our expertise in the insurance and hospitality industries to identify what kind of coverage your business might need. We then use our position as preferred brokers to the UK’s largest and best-known insurance providers to source affordable cover that fits your exact criteria. And all at a price that you can afford.
A specialist broker for the community
For over three decades, we’ve built strong relationships with the businesses of Bristol and developed a detailed understanding of the local community, its needs and aspirations. We know how central pubs, clubs and bars are to the area. Whether you’re a brand-new bar or you’re running an inn that has been operating in the same spot for centuries, we’re familiar with the challenges you face daily.
With slim profit margins and high overheads, running a bar comes at a high cost. Any interruption to your business can devastate your bottom-line figures, so we make sure you have the right bar insurance to protect you financially and to give you complete peace of mind.
What bar insurance do you need?
Bar insurance is slightly different to regular insurance as it takes into account the fact that you’re operating a licensed premise. Any insurance cover you buy will need to reflect this. The only legally required form of insurance is Employer’s Liability insurance, which is mandatory if you employ anyone within your operation – whether that’s full-time, part-time or as a subcontractor.
However, your licence may depend on having other types of insurance in place, most importantly Public Liability insurance. This provides financial protection should the worst happen and a member of the public suffers an injury while on the premises.
Your licence may also require you to have specialist Buildings and Contents insurance specifically designed to cover licensed businesses such as bars and clubs.
Here is a quick rundown of what you may want your policy to include:
Public Liability Insurance – Protects you should a member of the public have an accident and harm themselves on your business premises. For instance, if a customer slips on a wet patch and hurts themselves, they could seek damages. As it’s your responsibility to keep the premises safe, you may have to pay out. Public Liability insurance covers the legal fees and compensation involved in a case like this.
Employers’ Liability Insurance – If a member of staff gets ill because of their work or is injured at work, they could also seek compensation. Employers’ Liability insurance protects you against this eventuality. It’s required by law when you employ anyone who is not an immediate family member.
Buildings Insurance – Buildings insurance covers damage to the business premises itself. Whether you require buildings insurance or not will largely depend on your status. If you’re a tenant, the responsibility to insure the property usually falls on the landlord. However, it’s always worth checking whether this is the case with your specific premises. If you own the pub or bar outright, you’ll likely want to insure the premises for the amount it would take to rebuild it. It’s important to note that this is different from its market value.
Contents Insurance – Contents insurance covers all the items within the pub or bar, such as glasses, furniture and entertainment items. While all business owners likely want some level of contents cover, it’s particularly important if your bar depends on certain items to attract customers. For instance, a sports bar that relies on a large number of television screens or a pool-hall-style bar that features several pool tables.
Stock Insurance – Pubs and bars tend to keep a large amount of stock onsite. The total value for all the beer, wine, spirits, snacks and food is often a considerable amount and can be a significant loss if it’s stolen or damaged in a flood or fire. Stock insurance protects against that financial hit.
Other insurance cover you should consider:
Door supervisor cover – if you employ door staff then taking out extra cover is advisable to protect you and your business financially against any compensation claims from members of the public.
Interruption of business cover – keeps the finances flowing if your bar has to stop operating for any length of time due to unforeseen circumstances such as fires, flooding or other natural disasters.
Legal protection – an essential for any business.
Bar insurance FAQs
How much does bar insurance cost?
All of our policies are built to meet the specific needs of individual businesses. Some pubs need a high level of contents insurance, while others don’t. This means insurance policy prices can vary significantly. However, as we’re an independent broker, we’re not tied to specific providers and always shop around to get you the best deal. You can rest assured that you’ll always receive a fair, cost-effective quote from Park Insurance.
What happens if I need to claim?
Just let the Park Insurance team know. We’re always available and strive to resolve claims as quickly and efficiently as possible, minimising stress and enabling you to focus on your business. Typically, we’ll have a short phone call to establish the details of your claim, then we handle all the processing. The aim is to involve you as little as possible in the process.
What if I own more than one bar or pub?
It’s not unusual for business owners to have more than one premises and we work with several landlords who manage multiple pubs and bars. We’re happy to provide policies for businesses of all sizes and the number of premises you need to insure will not affect our ability to offer cover or find you a fantastic deal.
Do you only insure pubs and bars in Bristol?
While we have strong links to pubs and bars in Bristol and the surrounding area, we do insure businesses further afield as well. If you’re interested in receiving a quote from Park Insurance but manage businesses in other areas, the best thing to do is give the team a call to discuss your particular circumstances. This will allow us to get a better insight into the bigger picture and enable us to determine whether we’re the right choice for you and your business.
Hassle-free claims
At Park Insurance, we pride ourselves on making things as easy as possible for our customers. That extends to making a claim, too. If you need to claim against your policy, just get in touch with our expert team, fill them in on the details and we’ll take it from there. We do all the leg work, so you can get on with the important work of running your business.
Find out more from Park Insurance
To find out more about bar insurance packages at Park Insurance and to get your free, no-obligation instant quote, contact us today using our online contact form. You can also call us directly to speak to one of our expert independent advisers.