Commercial Insurance · Windsor-Essex
Restaurant Insurance
Restaurants in Windsor–Essex combine busy dining rooms, commercial kitchens, and — for many operators — AGCO-licensed alcohol service. Insurance needs to reflect those overlapping exposures: guest injury on your premises, property loss affecting kitchen equipment and inventory, food-related illness claims, and (where you serve alcohol) liability that standard general liability often excludes or limits. Ontario food service premises must also meet public health rules under O. Reg. 493/17, including having a certified food handler on site during operating hours — a regulatory requirement separate from what your insurance policy covers. A broker can help align property, liability, and optional endorsements to how your restaurant actually operates.
What's covered
Coverage options commonly reviewed for restaurants — from premises liability and property to liquor liability and spoilage — depend on your licence status, kitchen equipment, delivery model, and lease requirements.
When a busy dining room becomes a liability claim: Restaurants concentrate people in high-traffic areas — dining rooms, patios, washrooms, and parking lots — where spills, crowded aisles, and seasonal ice create slip-and-fall exposure. General liability may respond to certain third-party injury or property-damage claims arising from these premises and from day-to-day operations, but scope depends on how your policy defines your premises, operations, and any off-premises catering or delivery activities.
When a busy dining room becomes a liability claim
Restaurants concentrate people in high-traffic areas — dining rooms, patios, washrooms, and parking lots — where spills, crowded aisles, and seasonal ice create slip-and-fall exposure. General liability may respond to certain third-party injury or property-damage claims arising from these premises and from day-to-day operations, but scope depends on how your policy defines your premises, operations, and any off-premises catering or delivery activities.
Practical considerations
The Premium difference
Why a broker?
One relationship. Multiple markets. Coverage explained in plain language.
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Your operation
Your industry, locations, and how the business actually runs day to day.
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Multiple insurance markets
Independent access to commercial carriers — options compared side by side.
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Premium broker
Windsor-Essex guidance that translates policy wording into decisions.
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Right-fit coverage
Protection aligned to your operations — not generic off-the-shelf limits.
A lot to protect? Good thing we have options.
One policy is rarely the whole picture. Explore other commercial coverage from Premium.
Restaurant insurance FAQ
Straight answers to common questions for this industry.
If you sell or serve alcohol under an AGCO Liquor Sales Licence, liquor liability is commonly purchased because general liability often excludes or limits liquor-related claims. That is an insurance gap question — not the same as a provincial licensing rule. The Liquor Licence and Control Act does not mandate liquor liability insurance as a statutory condition of holding a licence. AGCO's licensing guidance confirms licensees may face civil liability for harm caused by someone served liquor at the business — separate from administrative penalties such as suspension or revocation — and recommends consulting an insurance professional. Separately, a landlord, lender, franchise, or other counterparty may require proof under a lease, franchise, or lender agreement — those are contractual documentation requirements; they do not change the fact that the Act itself does not prescribe a named insurance product. If you also cater off-site events with alcohol under a Caterer's Endorsement or Special Occasion Permit, the same insurance-versus-regulation distinction applies: LCBO's Special Occasion Permit FAQ states provincial regulations do not require permit holders to carry party liability insurance, though a venue may require it — confirm what each contract actually asks for.
Ready when you are
Ready to cover your restaurant?
Tell us about your kitchen, seating, and liquor service — we'll compare options that fit.