Restaurant & Hospitality Insurance for Chicago’s North Shore
From fine dining establishments in Winnetka to neighborhood cafes in Wilmette, pizza shops in Northfield, and catering operations in Evanston — restaurants face more insurance exposures per square foot than almost any other business. Grease fires, slip-and-falls, foodborne illness claims, liquor liability, and employee injuries are just the beginning.
Longmeadow Insurance partners with carriers who specialize in restaurant and hospitality coverage, offering programs with built-in features that other insurers charge extra for or simply don’t provide.
Key Coverages for Restaurants & Food Service
- Equipment Breakdown & TechAdvantage: Commercial kitchens run on expensive, specialized equipment — ovens, refrigeration units, walk-in coolers, POS systems, hood ventilation. Equipment breakdown coverage protects against mechanical and electrical failure.
- Ammonia Contamination: Included as standard coverage for restaurants using commercial refrigeration systems. Covers cleanup costs and product loss from ammonia leaks.
- Income Protection – Actual Loss Sustained: If a fire or covered event shuts down your restaurant, income protection covers your lost revenue with no arbitrary time cap — you’re covered until you’re back up and running.
- Refrigerated Products: Covers spoilage of perishable inventory up to your full business personal property limit — not a reduced sub-limit like many policies.
- Data Breach Response: Restaurants process hundreds of credit card transactions daily. This covers notification costs, forensic investigation, and credit monitoring when payment systems are compromised.
- Non-Owned & Hired Auto Liability: Covers liability when employees use their own vehicles or rented vehicles for deliveries or catering — included as standard.
- Liquor Liability: Essential for any establishment serving alcohol. Covers bodily injury and property damage claims arising from the sale or service of alcoholic beverages.
- Food Contamination – Business Income: If a health department closure, contamination event, or foodborne illness outbreak forces you to shut down, this specialized coverage addresses the income loss beyond what standard property policies cover.
- Employment Practices Liability: Restaurants have high employee turnover and face frequent claims of discrimination, harassment, and wage disputes. EPLI coverage handles defense and settlement costs.
Enhancement Options
Three tiers of restaurant enhancement endorsements — Advantage, Plus, and Select — let you build the right program for your operation, from a food truck to a full-service restaurant group.
Who We Insure
- Full-service restaurants and fine dining
- Fast casual and quick-service restaurants
- Cafes, bakeries, and coffee shops
- Bars, taverns, and brewpubs
- Catering companies and food trucks
- Pizza delivery and takeout operations
- Banquet halls and event venues
Keep your kitchen open and your business protected. Get a free restaurant insurance quote from Longmeadow Insurance today.
Serving restaurants and hospitality businesses in Wilmette, Northfield, Winnetka, Glencoe, Kenilworth, Evanston, Northbrook, Highland Park, Glenview, Skokie, and across Chicago’s North Shore.