Identifying Common Restaurant Exposures
Restaurant owners run their businesses with a passion for serving time-honored community dishes and tasty cuisine. They invest time, money, and most of their days to operate their restaurant with a built-in risk of closing. In fact, three out of five new restaurants close down within their first year, and 80 percent close up shop after just five years. But if that weren’t enough to worry about, these business owners have to face many common restaurant exposures that could end up presenting costly claims.
The list below provides an overview of some of the most common restaurant risks, helping businesses identify potential blind spots and challenges moving forward.
Slips and Falls
Slip and fall issues are quite common yet still preventable. In fact, slips and falls are the primary cause of accidents in restaurants and other public buildings. And while it’s essential to keep customers safe when they visit, it’s even more critical to keep employees safe from these risks. Whether it’s a puddle in the kitchen or an uneven surface in the break room, slip and fall accidents can haunt a restaurant’s staff.
The best way to prevent these issues from occurring is to keep all areas clean at all times, clear of any obstructions, and tend to wet floors immediately. Performing regular sweeps of prep rooms, kitchen areas, and walkways can prevent staff from slipping and falling. Businesses can also implement a training program for employees to learn about proper protection and ongoing maintenance of floors and walkways.
Fire Safety
Restaurant cooking carries a significant risk of fire at any given time. When a fire does occur, the risks are more significant as kitchens are typically stocked with flammable items, such as cooking oils. Restaurants should train their employees to put out fires and know where to access fire extinguishers to aid in fire safety.
To protect against costly fire-related claims, businesses must invest in local fire coverage. Dayville Restaurant Insurance providers, such as Byrnes, can help to pick up the pieces following a fire, large or small. Having Dayville Restaurant Insurance limits the financial damage that can negatively impact a restaurant’s bottom line.
Petty Lawsuits
Frivolous lawsuits sound almost unrealistic in some cases. But believe us—the more outlandish they sound, the more real they are. Restaurants can be sued for burns by coffee that’s too hot, putting too much ice in an iced coffee, or only making an 11-inch sandwich instead of the advertised 12-inch sandwich. As farfetched as these lawsuits are, they are authentic and can put a dent in a restaurant’s finances and reputation.
Even if a restaurant and its employees are completely free of all wrongdoing, everyone is on the hook for significant legal fees that add up. Adding insult to injury, a restaurant can have to shut down to pay these legal fees, even if they are unfounded. This is another reason why having a Dayville Restaurant Insurance plan in place is vital to daily operations.
Workers’ Compensation
Accidents at restaurants can lead to costly claims. Complicating matters even morre, there are various risks to account for, including slips and trips as noted above, cuts and burns, workplace violence, ergonomic problems, and drive-thru exposures.
Things like improper lifting or carrying techniques, poor knife safety, and inadequate training around proper kitchen operations and food safety measures can cause employees to suffer an injury on the job.
About Byrnes Agency
At Byrnes Agency, we offer insurance solutions that can be tailored to meet your specific needs. Whether you’re looking for personal policies or commercial coverage, we have the right coverage for you. To learn more about our products, contact us today at one of our two locations.
If you’ve enjoyed what you’ve read here and would like to know when we’ve published a new blog post, please “like” us on our Facebook page, and share this with your Connecticut neighbors.
Phone: (860) 774-8549
394 Lake Rd
Dayville, CT 06241
United States
info@byrnesagency.com
Hours of Operation: Monday- Friday 9:00am-5:00pm
Phone: (860) 886-5498
6 Consumers Avenue
Norwich, CT 06360
United States
info@byrnesagency.com
Hours of Operation: Monday- Friday 9:00am-5:00pm