What Insurance Do Mobile Caterers Need?

Mobile caterers, which includes traditional caterers, food trucks and pop-up food stalls, have been gaining popularity for their inventive menu items and flexible schedules.

As a mobile caterer, you are most likely passionate about producing delicious, creative dishes for customers in both conventional and unexpected locales. However, operating out of a mobile kitchen can expose your business to hazards that are unique to your culinary environment. Therefore, to better protect your business, you may want to consider purchasing mobile catering insurance.

The General Risks of Mobile Catering

The hazards that are present in a traditional culinary environment tend to be magnified when space for food preparation and cooking is shrunk down in a mobile catering environment. The potential risks can be divided into three distinct categories:

Employee Risks

• Improper training in knife handling, manual handling and cooking can result in injuries.
• Failing to provide safeguards against slips, trips and falls—such as non-slip mats or footwear—can result in injuries.

Motor Risks

• Infrequent maintenance of gas and electrical systems could result in electrical shortages, fires or explosions.
• Inclement weather and constant travel could expose your truck, trailer or stall to damage.

Customer Risks

• Ineffective storage, labelling or handling of storage containers could result in contamination or spoilage of ingredients.
• Inadequate employee hygiene practices could cause illness or contamination. While this is not an exhaustive list of all the potential risks that a mobile caterer may encounter, it does represent those that are most common.

 

Recommended Mobile Catering Policies

As a travelling kitchen, mobile caterers are a particular brand of restaurateurs and their insurance should reflect those needs. Mobile catering insurance is a blanket term and is comprised of three legally required core pieces of cover:

1. Product liability provides your business with cover that protects you in the event that a customer becomes ill or is injured by one of your products.
2. Public liability provides your business with cover that protects you in the event that customers or their property is damaged as a result of your business.
3. Employers’ liability is compulsory and provides your business with cover in the event that one of your employees is injured during his or her shift. While not required, it is suggested that you purchase cover for your truck, trailer or pop-up food stall.

 

 

Mobile Catering Insurance Extensions

Each mobile catering service is unique—distinguished by what form its mobile kitchen takes, its menu and its route. With a varied spectrum of needs, mobile caterers are able to customise the recommended boilerplate policy to fit their specific needs. Consider purchasing these three common types of mobile catering insurance to customise your cover:

1. Event insurance provides your business with cover that protects you in the event that an individual (or customer) or his or her property is damaged as the result of your business at an event.
2. Equipment insurance provides your business with cover that protects your equipment (including generators) in the event of loss, theft or damage.
3. Business interruption insurance provides your business with cover that protects you in the event that your truck, trailer or pop-up food stall is stolen or damaged.

 

Click here to read our full, in-depth document about Mobile Catering Insurance