Some of the products on this page come from partners who may compensate us when you click on their links or take specific actions. This helps us keep our content free. That said, our opinions are our own and based on independent analysis.
There are various risks that come with having a public house. However, worry no more. Insurance for public house offers the most useful policies that your pub needs to adequately cover the lawsuits from third parties, protect employees, and comply with the insurance requirements.
This article guides you on pub insurance, the functions of policies including the cost of premiums, and the best companies.
General liability, product liability, and liquor liability policies are considered as pub public liability insurance.
Accidents involving customers can be very costly. You’ll spend thousands or millions depending on the severity of the customer’s injury or the priciness of the damaged property. Your pub can operate without worrying about the cost of claims for bodily injuries or property damage with the help of general liability insurance.
Here the insurance company offers the best general liability policy in its pub and restaurant insurance package.
| CoverWallet | NEXT (Best) | Thimble | FLIP | Hiscox | |
| Per occurrence limit | $1,000,000 | $300,000/$1,000,000 | $1,000,000/$2,000,000 | $1,000,000/$2,000,000 | $1,000,000/$2,000,000 |
| Aggregate limit | $2,000,000 | $1,000,000/$2,000,000 | $1,000,000/$2,000,000 | $1,000,000/$2,000,000 | $1,000,000/$2,000,000 |
| Products and completed operations aggregate limit | $2,000,000 | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Advertising injury coverage aggregate limit | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Tenant’s legal liability coverage limit | $100,000 | $100,000 | $5,000 | $100,000 | $100,000 |
| Waiver of subrogation included? | Yes | No | Included | Excluded | Can be included |
| Hired/non-owned auto liability coverage included? | Yes | No | Excluded | Excluded | Can be included |
| Food-borne illness endorsement included? | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Can be included |
| Can you get a certificate of insurance online? | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Name additional insureds? | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Deductible | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Include a liquor liability policy to a commercial pub insurance if some of your pub’s sales come from beer, wine, spirits, and other types of liquor.
The liquor liability insurance limits available will be determined by your pub’s sales from alcohol. But for starters, expect insurance companies to sell $500,000-$1 million liquor liability insurance.
A product liability policy is the pub business insurance that will take care of costs if a guest files a claim after experiencing nausea, allergic reactions, breathing difficulties, headaches, dizziness, and other conditions after consuming your beverages and dishes.
A commercial property policy in bar and tavern insurance protects your physical location against fire, theft, vandalism, weather, lightning, and other covered perils. Use the table above to see which insurance company offers the best commercial property insurance for pubs.
| CoverWallet | NEXT (Best) | Thimble | Hiscox | |
| Building coverage limit (minimum) | $50,000 | $25,000 | $25,000/$500,000 | $25,000 |
| Contents coverage limit (minimum) | $50,000 | $25,000 | $25,000/$500,000 | $15,000 |
| Outdoor signs | Excluded | $2,500 | Excluded | Included |
| Accounts receivable | Excluded | Excluded | $5,000/$10,000 | Included |
| Money and securities | Excluded | $2,500 | $1,000 | Included |
| Lock and keys | Excluded | $2,500 | Excluded | Included |
| Business interruption floater | Excluded | Included | Included | Included |
| Equipment breakdown floater | Excluded | Included | Excluded | Included |
| Inland marine insurance floater | Excluded | Excluded | $10,000 | Excluded |
| Employee dishonesty floater | Excluded | $5,000 | $2,500 | Excluded |
Pub contents insurance is an automatic add-on to the commercial property policy of brew pub insurance bundles.
This grants coverage if the covered exposures in the language of commercial property insurance cause the damage or destruction of lighting, furniture, utensils, cooking equipment, and other valuables inside your pub.
Get all the best quotes from leading providers in a click of a button!
A business owner’s policy allows you to enjoy a discount on premiums. Moreover, it fuses your general liability policy and commercial property insurance into one policy document. And this makes things easier.
| CoverWallet | NEXT (Best) | Hiscox | Thimble | |
| General liability aggregate limit | $2,000,000 | $1,000,000/$2,000,000 | $1,000,000/$2,000,000 | $1,000,000/$2,000,000 |
| Commercial property coverage limit | $50,000 | $300,000 | $25,000 | $25,000/$500,000 |
| Optional policies can be added? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Name additional insureds for free? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| BOP discount? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Tools and equipment insurance solely covers the valuables that are integral for the operations of your pub such as sound systems, cooking equipment, lighting, beverage dispensers, point of sale machines, and telephone.
| NEXT | Thimble | Hiscox | |
| Aggregate limit | $3,000/$10,000 | $2,500/$5,000 | $15,000/$25,000 |
| Covers hired and borrowed equipment? | $3,000/$10,000 | $2,500/$5,000 | No |
| Miscellaneous equipment also covered? | $5,000/$10,000 | No | Yes |
| Offered as an endorsement to general liability insurance? | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Deductible | $500 | $500 | $0 |
One of the requirements for operating a pub legally is purchasing workers’ compensation insurance. Workers’ compensation insurance will take care of medical treatment, lost wages, medication, and even death benefits if a part-time or full-time employee sustains a work-related injury or disease.
The following are endorsements and additional insurance policies that might be offered in your pub business insurance package.
Cargo insurance is coverage for incoming stocks and equipment. If the stocks and equipment you’re about to receive get damaged or lost during transit due to fire, theft, vandalism, or mysterious disappearance, cargo insurance will reimburse your losses.
The average cost of pub insurance is $85 per month or $1,020 per year for a $1 million general liability coverage. This pub insurance cost estimate is based on the following factors:
| Cost per Month | Cost per Year | Deductible | |
| Liquor liability insurance | $115 | $1,380 | $500-$1,000 |
| Commercial property insurance | $105 | $1,260 | $1,000-$2,500 |
| Business owner’s policy | $180 | $2,160 | $500-$1,000 |
| Workers compensation insurance | $200 | $2,400 | $2,000-$5,000 |
| Employee dishonesty insurance | $90 | $1,080 | $1,000 |
| Cargo insurance | Depends on the value of cargo | Depends on the value of cargo | $500-$1,000 |
Get all the best quotes from leading providers in a click of a button!
NEXT doesn’t have a pub insurance package. However, it can cover you through its restaurant insurance.
Average cost: $25 per month
CoverWallet covers pubs through its food and accommodation insurance package. Since this company is an insurance broker, the policies that comprise the insurance bundle provided will come from partners.
Average cost: $39 per month
Tivly® is sure to grant coverage even if no other carrier is willing to help you out. It doesn’t sell a pre-made pub and bar tavern insurance package. Instead, your policy bundle is created based on the characteristics of your business.
Average cost: $40 per month
Thimble doesn’t have a pub insurance package and will cover you through Tivly®’s help. However, Thimble’s restaurant insurance program is available for public houses.
Average cost: $40 per month
Hiscox covers pubs through its restaurant insurance program. Hiscox allows you to customize your limits and even include upgrades. As for its ultimate perk, Hiscox is good because your coverage renews automatically every year.
Average cost: $45 per month
Do you have U.S. insurance expertise/experience? Would you like to become a voice at Insuranks, help businesses and individuals, and showcase your authority online? Write us!
Not all those who wander are lost.
Disclosure: Insuranks.com is an independent educational comparison service and an advertising-supported publisher. Some of the companies/offers that appear on the website are from our partners which we may receive compensation from. This may influence which companies/offers we write about and where and how it appears on the site. However, this does not impact our assessments. We solely highlight companies, products, and offers that can help you make smarter insurance decisions.
