Coffee shop insurance
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Rated 4.7/5
Based on 39,282 reviews
Claims paid in 24 hours
For 80% of settled claims
Why do you need coffee shop insurance?
You’re passionate about great coffee and giving your customers a great coffee shop experience – but the industry is not without its risks. From burns to spillages to valuable espresso machines that you can’t do without, unexpected costs can be a shock to the system. Coffee shop insurance helps you worry less about how you and your business would cope with the consequences.
- Peace of mind that you’re covered against mistakes and accidents, including injury, food poisoning and allergic reactions
- Help to cope with big disruptions, such as a fire or flood at your premises
- Protection against expensive damage to your coffee machines, fixtures and fittings and raw materials
What does coffee shop insurance cover?
You can tailor your insurance to suit the way you operate your coffee shop business. If you employ people, you’re required by law to have employee liability cover, and public liability insurance is an important one to consider too. There are several other types of cover that could be vital for your business – the choice is yours.
Public and product liability insurance for coffee shops
In case you or your team accidentally injure someone or damage their property.
Employers’ liability insurance
In case your employee is involved in an accident or mistake while they’re working for you.
Contents insurance
In case something happens to the equipment or fixtures and fittings in your coffee shop.
Stock insurance
In case something happens to the items you sell at your coffee shop.
Legal expenses insurance
In case you’re faced with legal costs from running your business.
Personal accident insurance
In case anyone you’ve covered is accidentally injured, inside or outside of work.
Business interruption insurance
In case your coffee shop is unable to trade for a period of time.
Building insurance
In case something happens to your business premises.
Public and product liability insurance for coffee shops
In case you or your team accidentally injure someone or damage their property.
What’s typically covered by public liability insurance?
Claims against your business for:
- damage that you or your employee cause to someone else’s belongings at your coffee shop (remember, if you have staff working for you, you’re legally required to have employers’ liability insurance)
- injury that you or your employee cause to someone else while working, or as a result of your work
For example:
- a customer slips on a spillage on the floor and sprains their wrist
- your barista accidentally knocks a cup of hot coffee onto a child, who then has to be treated for first degree burns
- a customer sues you for an allergic reaction because they ordered a cappuccino with oat milk but you served them a cappuccino made with cow’s milk
Read more about public liability insurance
Employers’ liability insurance
In case your employee is involved in an accident or mistake while they’re working for you.
What’s typically covered by employers’ liability insurance?
Claims against your business for:
- employees who fall ill or are injured due to their work for you
**Employers’ liability insurance is required by law if you have people working for you. Without it, you could be fined up to £2,500 a day for each employee.**
For example:
- one of your trainee baristas bangs her head walking into a glass door makes a claim against you for providing an unsafe work environment
- a waiter sues you after he gets first-degree burns from spilling a hot drink
Contents insurance
In case something happens to the equipment or fixtures and fittings in your coffee shop.
What’s typically covered by contents insurance?
- accidental damage to the business equipment or fixtures and fittings you use in the running of your coffee shop
- loss or theft of your business equipment or fixtures and fittings
- flood and fire damage to your business equipment or fixtures and fittings
For example:
- a customer stumbles into your display unit and smashes the glass
- your business tablet, moka pot, cake display and toaster are stolen from your coffee shop overnight
- a new employee operates the espresso machine incorrectly and breaks the unit, so it needs to be repaired
Read more about contents insurance
Stock insurance
In case something happens to the items you sell at your coffee shop.
What’s typically covered by stock insurance?
- the cost of replacing your products and raw materials if they’re lost, stolen or damaged
For example:
- your sandwiches go off because of a faulty fridge, so you have to throw them all away
- a pipe bursts in your building and the water destroys the ingredients you keep behind the counter
- your employee accidentally drops a large box of cupcakes as they’re unloading it from the delivery van
Read more about stock insurance
Legal expenses insurance
In case you’re faced with legal costs from running your business.
What’s typically covered by legal expenses insurance?
- legal costs that you face as a result of your day-to-day business activities, such as resolving disputes with your employees
- legal claims and compensation payouts to do with trespass, nuisance or property damage
- investigations by HMRC, as well as tax and compliance disputes
- access to a tax advice helpline, a confidential 24/7 legal helpline, and crisis PR support to help safeguard your brand’s reputation
For example:
- you’re investigated by HMRC or your company is selected at random by audit, and you need help dealing with the tax enquiries – either for business itself, or for you personally and any other directors
- you have to defend your legal rights after a member of staff was dismissed
Read more about legal expenses insurance
Personal accident insurance
In case anyone you’ve covered is accidentally injured, inside or outside of work.
What’s typically covered by personal accident insurance?
- injury or death, whether at work or elsewhere, for anyone covered on the policy
- lost income, medical costs and hospitalisation benefit
For example:
- you trip over a chair that a customer has left out and break your arm
- your employee drops a kettle and gets boiling water all over their hand
- you suffer a slipped disc on a jog at the weekend
Read more about personal accident insurance
Business interruption insurance
In case your coffee shop is unable to trade for a period of time.
What’s typically covered by business interruption insurance
- loss of income if your coffee shop is out of action following a fire, flood, theft or accidental damage
For example:
- your coffee machine and your custom-roasted coffee beans are destroyed by flooding, so you have to close up for a week while you source replacements
Read more about business interruption insurance
Building insurance
In case something happens to your business premises.
What’s typically covered by building insurance?
- the cost of repairing damage to the structure of your coffee shop (or rebuilding it from scratch)
- damage to fixtures and fittings in or on your premises
- damage to underground pipes and cables you’re responsible for
For example:
- there’s a flood at your coffee shop and the water ruins the floorboards, so they have to be replaced
- your shopfront is vandalised by graffiti, which needs to be removed by a specialist cleaner
What you’ll need additional cover for
- tenants' improvements – these are changes to the structure of the property that you've organised and paid for yourself, such as partition walls or wooden flooring
Read more about buildings insurance
How much does coffee shop insurance cost?
Find out how much you’ll pay by comparing prices from a range of trusted insurers. You choose what goes into your policy, so you only pay for what you need.
Prices start from £6.77 per month
Get your quotes in 7 minutes – prices are guaranteed for 30 days.
Get your tailored quotes in 7 minutes
How we work out example prices We take the highest price from the bottom 10 per cent of all our customers paying in monthly instalments (based on data from 1 Jan 2021 - 31st August 2021). Most customers pay more than this but some pay less.
Example coffee shop insurance quotes, real prices
£20.20 /month
£179.54 /year
A small independent coffee shop on the high street which has 1 employee
- 1-2 years' experience
- Limited company
- 1 employee
- Based in Northampton
Public liability insurance
£2,000,000
Employers’ liability insurance
£10,000,000
Contents/business equipment
Not included
£50.31 /month
£447.23 /year
A small coffee shop on a shopping centre which has 3 employees and offers a small catering service
- 5+ years' experience
- Limited company
- 3 employees
- Based in Edinburgh
Public liability insurance
£2,000,000
Employers’ liability insurance
£10,000,000
Contents/business equipment
£10,000
How we work out example quotes These examples are real quotes from our online system (created 10/09/2020). They’re based on a range of factors, like employees and location. Your own quote will be based on what you tell us about your business. Prices may go up or down from day to day, so the prices you’re quoted may differ to the ones you see here.
What kind of excess should I expect?
An excess is an amount you pay towards any claim you make on your insurance. For example, if your excess is £250 and you make a claim worth £1000, your payout will be a maximum of £750.
| Insurance cover | Lowest excess | Highest excess |
|---|---|---|
| Public liability | £100 | £2500 |
| Employers' liability | No excess | No excess |
| Tools | £60 | £500 |
| Stock | £100 | £500 |
| Contents | £50 | £750 |
The figures above are for guidance only and any excess applying to your quote may differ. You’ll get a breakdown of the excesses for each quote when you compare with us.
How it works
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We handle claims, so you can get on with business
How do I choose insurance?
Making sure you have the right type and level of business insurance can be the difference between getting a claim paid and having to cover the cost of an expensive accident yourself. Read our tips for guidance on what to consider when buying a policy.
Is public liability enough for third party property damage?
Which type of workers do I need insurance for?
Does coffee shop insurance cover my work correctly?
Do I need cover for other types of work?
Which public liability cover limit should I choose?
Is public liability enough for third party property damage?
In some situations you may need more than public liability to cover certain kinds of property damage. Learn about buildings and contents.
Which type of workers do I need insurance for?
Employers’ liability insurance is a legal requirement if you employ people.
If you have people working for you, including bona fide subcontractors (BFSC), labour-only subcontractors (LOSC), part-timers, or full-time staff, employers’ liability insurance is required by law.
Read on for our simplified guide to the difference between labour-only subcontractors and bona fide subcontractors.
Does coffee shop insurance cover my work correctly?
Make sure you're picking the right cover to protect you properly. It's important to know that if you have another trade or job, you'll need additional cover. For example, do you need to consider Web marketing or Private chef insurance?
Do I need cover for other types of work?
If you provide these services alongside building work, make sure you’re covered:
Which public liability cover limit should I choose?
Think about the maximum possible loss your business could face in the event of a claim, and make sure you take legal fees and damages into consideration. You can choose from three levels of coverage – £1 million, £2 million, or up to £5 million.
Talk to an expert
Our team of UK-based insurance experts are here to help, Mon 09.00am - 05.30pm, Tues 09.00am - 05.30pm, Weds 09.00am - 05.30pm, Thurs 09.30am - 05.30pm, Fri 09.00am - 05.30pm, Sat 09.00am - 02.00pm
Call our team
How do claims work?
Unlike price comparison websites, we take the hassle out of claims for you. We know how important it is to get your business back on track quickly – and with a minimum of fuss. That’s why you get access to your dedicated claims any time, day or night. Call them on 0333 207 0560 or claim online. They’ll do their best to be fair and supportive. The figure below is rounded across our range of products. Our claims process may vary for different products and operates on a ‘claim by claim’ basis.
£30 million in claims paid out in 2019
Paying 80% of settled claims within 24 hours in 2019
Example claim
Having coffee shop insurance through Simply Business has saved coffee shop businesses thousands of pounds when the unexpected happened.
Amber saved more than £27,500
One day at her coffee shop, Amber (name changed for privacy) was surprised when the 3x5m glass panel on the shop front smashed without any warning. The broken glass had been taken down, and the space was boarded up. Fortunately her insurance stepped in to cover the expense.
Insurance payout
£27,636.00
Covering the cost of the damage
Amber’s costs
£100
The excess amount stated in Amber’s policy terms
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Coffee shop insurance FAQs
Whether you’re new to buying business insurance or you’ve been trading for a while, here are the answers to some commonly asked questions about coffee shop insurance. You can also check out our business insurance FAQs.
Yes, coffee shop insurance could help you protect your valuable coffee equipment.
Specifically, the type of cover you’d need is contents insurance. This typically covers your coffee machines against fire, flood and theft. It could also cover you against accidental damage – for example, if a trainee barista breaks the pressure gauge by using the machine the wrong way.
It’s important to note that contents insurance wouldn’t cover you in the case of breakdown due to a mechanical fault of the machine. This may be covered under your product warranty instead.
Yes. It’s important to make sure you have the right type and level of insurance for the different types of work you do. For example, if you’re a plumber, you may also do building work on certain jobs – you’ll need additional cover for this, but you can have it all on the one policy. When you start your quote, you’ll have the option to add another trade or profession to your policy. If you need to add a third trade, give us a call on 0333 0146 683 and one of our insurance experts will help you set up your policy in minutes.
Yes. You may start offering additional services that require you to use different skills or carry out different tasks. If you find yourself in this situation, it’s important to give us a call on 0333 0146 683 to update your policy before you take on this new work. If you don’t have the correct type of cover in place for the work you do, you may be unable to claim on your policy if something goes wrong.
Each insurer looks at CCJs and IVAs differently – some apply stricter rules than others, but having a CCJ or IVA doesn’t necessarily mean you won’t be able to buy insurance.
You can choose the payment type that suits your business and cash flow best. Some customers prefer to pay in one go, while others prefer to pay a regular monthly amount, like you do with lots of other bills. Simply Business offer three ways to pay for your policy:
- one-off credit or debit card payment
- BACS payment
- Direct Debit If you choose to pay by Direct Debit, our credit provider, Premium Credit, pays Simply Business the full amount for your policy up front. You then repay Premium Credit in 10 monthly installments.
If you change your business legal structure from sole trader to limited company mid-way through your policy, give us a call straight away on 0333 0146 683. It’ll only take us a few minutes to cancel your existing policy and replace it with one that correctly covers your new legal structure. It’s worth bearing in mind that your insurer and premium amount may need to change.
This will depend on whether you have employers’ liability insurance in place. Public liability insurance is designed to protect your business against the consequences of legal action brought by members of the public for injuries or damage to their belongings. But when it comes to your employees causing injury or damage, this protection only activates if you also have employers’ liability insurance.
If you employ people, you’re required by law to have employers’ liability insurance.
There’s one exception here. Family businesses that aren’t incorporated as a limited company are not legally required to have employers’ liability insurance. The government defines a “family business” as one where all your employees are closely related to you (as a spouse, civil partner, sibling, child, parent, grandparent, grandchild, step-parent, stepchild or half-sibling). So if you run an unincorporated family business and you choose not to get employers’ liability insurance, it’s important to know that your public liability insurance wouldn’t cover you against damage or injury caused by your team.
We create this content for general information purposes and it should not be taken as advice. Always check policy documentation for details and seek professional advice. Read our full Terms and Conditions
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