Running a Good Restaurant and Managing Your Insurance Costs Go Hand-and-Hand
If you regularly monitor your restaurant for ways to improve safety and service, it not only enhances the business but it can also lead to big savings on your mass restaurant insurance. Evaluate your business frequently. Look at things such as the building, the equipment, employment practices and even inventory to find ways that you can improve.
Checking your equipment monthly will allow you to notice if something, such as wiring, needs to be replaced or repaired. You’ll also see how well the premises are being maintained by your staff. Proper cleaning procedures can be crucial in avoiding hazards such as fire and workplace injuries. One suggestion is to have regular hood and ventilation cleaning done in the cooking area. This prevents build-up of flammable grease and other residue. Make sure your fire extinguishing system is up to local fire code standards and in good working order as well.
Reviewing employment standards and workplace practices on a monthly basis is also a good idea. Training programs about different aspects of the restaurant may help to lower general liability and workers compensation losses. We strongly suggest having a safety training program in place to teach bartenders and servers how to properly serve alcohol to guests. Obviously training all new service staff before they begin working is essential but re-training current staff is also useful. Training procedures for kitchen staff on the use of meat slicers, deep fryers and other equipment that can cause bodily injury is also essential.
The prevention of customer injuries can cut down the chances of claims. Regular inspections of the dining area, walkway clearances, and furniture can reduce the chances of a patron injury and thus a claim. Maintaining outdoor lighting and security measures will increase the safety rating of your property and can prevent theft and vandalism losses.
Mark, you are doing a great job for your clients and it is obvious. This is great information that can help restaurant clients really improve their bottom line. Keep up the good work.
Will Penny
July 13, 2010 at 12:18 pm
Thanks Will! You guys are doing the same down in the Carolinas. It’s great to be apart of a group like Astonish to share these ideas and eventually provide more value to our clients as an end result.
duffyinsurance
July 13, 2010 at 4:05 pm
Great advice. In the hectic day to day of running a restaurant, many of these things are known but forgotten. Take the time to look at your risk areas and to address them before they become “business threatening” problems. Here’s a link to a video that will show you what happens if you over look these maintenance issues: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3l4rTvzuaG4. In NC and SC you can get help with your restaurant insurance needs at http://www.TheRestaurantInsuranceStore.com.
restaurantanswerguy
July 13, 2010 at 1:46 pm
Thanks for taking the time to view our blog. I appreciate the feedback. Our staff certainly has learned a lot from paying attention to your videoes and blogs since you are an experience restaurant AND insurance guy.
duffyinsurance
July 13, 2010 at 4:04 pm
I know many restaurant owners that have done this very thing to help manage their costs and risk! Great article! Our recent blog on restaurant insurance helps owners get an overview – http://www.insuranceblogflorida.com/
Keep up the good work!
Walter Page
July 13, 2010 at 3:22 pm
Walter, Thank you for the feedback. A lot of the tips in the article are common sense. But, with all that goes on in the daily grind of running a restaurant sometimes the smally details may go overlooked.
duffyinsurance
July 13, 2010 at 4:03 pm
Duffy Insurance, you guys really make some great points. Insurance is SO important, and a lot of times business owners don’t realize this until it’s too late and they have a claim that is excluded from their policy. We just wrote a blog on Employee Dishonesty, check it out if you want some more info Duffy, feel free to share! Keep up the good work & great content! http://www.paradisoinsuranceblog.com/
Paradiso Insurance
July 20, 2010 at 1:50 pm