Insurance for restaurants, inns and pubs in Germany
In a restaurant kitchen, open flames burn every day next to hot fat, and out front your team carries plates across wet tiles. The most expensive claims are the grease fire in the extractor hood that closes you for weeks and the salmonella in the tiramisu that hits an entire wedding party. This page shows what needs to be insured and what it costs.
Will my insurer pay if guests fall ill after eating?
Yes. Public liability pays medical bills, lost earnings and compensation for pain and suffering if your food was the cause. It also fights claims that are not justified, for instance if the guest picked up the bug elsewhere. Not covered are fines from the local health authority (Gesundheitsamt) and the takings you lose if it closes you down; for that there is business closure insurance as an add-on.
What goes wrong in this trade
01
Grease fire in the kitchen
Deep fat fryers, woks and greasy extractor hoods are the most common cause of fire in hospitality. A fire often closes the business for months.
02
Food poisoning
Salmonella, norovirus or a broken cold chain rarely hit one guest; they hit a whole party.
03
Falls in the dining room
Wet tiles, steps to the terrace, badly lit corridors to the toilets: guests fall, and with older people it gets expensive.
04
Refrigeration fails
A compressor dies over the weekend and the cold room with a week's meat and fish is spoiled.
05
Break-ins and the till
Drinks stock, wine, waiting staff's tablets and the day's takings are a target at night.
06
Burns and cuts
Hot fat, steam and knives: most workplace accidents in hospitality happen in the kitchen.
Good chefs and waiting staff are scarce; a company pension helps you keep them.
What it costs: example prices
Restaurants pay more than shops because fires and injuries are more frequent. What counts is turnover, number of covers, type of kitchen (fryer, charcoal, wok), terrace and events.
Insurance
Example
Typical range
Business liability
Small restaurant, two to three staff, €3 million cover
about €150 to €400 a year
Business liability
Restaurant with €400,000 to €600,000 turnover
about €600 to €1,500 a year
Business contents
Kitchen, furnishings and supplies worth €150,000
about €500 to €1,200 a year
Business interruption
Loss of income for up to twelve months, added to the contents policy
about €250 to €700 a year on top
Business legal expenses
Restaurant with a lease and employees
about €150 to €450 a year
For comparison: Basic cover of public liability and contents insurance costs about as much a year as 40 main courses at €20 each.
Guide prices as of September 2026,
based on published tariff examples and on our own quoting practice.
Businesses with a charcoal grill, deep frying or dance events pay more;
Six claims of the kind restaurants really see, all on one Saturday with a wedding booked. Click through the day and see who pays.
Damage so far€242,900
The cold room failed overnight. Meat and fish for the wedding menu go in the bin.
€4,200 · Paid by: Business contents
The dishwasher's control unit shorts out and the machine has to be replaced.
€6,800 · Paid by: Machinery breakdown
A waitress spills red wine sauce over a guest's bridal gown, and the dress is ruined.
€1,900 · Paid by: Business liability
An elderly guest falls on the terrace step and breaks her hip.
€25,000 · Paid by: Business liability
The fryer catches fire and the flames spread to the extractor hood. The kitchen is destroyed.
€120,000 · Paid by: Business contents
The restaurant stays closed for ten weeks. Rent and wages keep running.
€85,000 · Paid by: Business interruption
Which package would you have had?
Paid by insurance: €0
Out of your own pocket: €242,900
Illustrative amounts before any excess.
What is paid depends on the policy terms.
Practical tips from your broker
Have extractor hoods and grease filters cleaned regularly by a specialist firm and keep the records: many policies make this a condition.
Include spoiled refrigerated stock expressly, ideally also when the power cut comes from the grid.
Plan loss of income cover for at least twelve months, because rebuilding a kitchen after a fire often takes that long.
Check whether guests' coats and damage to rented premises are covered.
Ask about business closure insurance if you worry about the authorities closing you because of germs; read closely which pathogens are included.
Tell the insurer about events, music and outside catering, otherwise they are missing from the policy.
Why NAMMERT for your business
We look at your kitchen
As a broker we compare several insurers and pay attention to the fryer and extraction conditions on which a fire payout depends.
We know claims from the inside
In boat insurance we handle claims ourselves. That knowledge helps when replacement value, deductions and loss of income are negotiated after a kitchen fire.
One contact for business and private cover
Restaurant, delivery van, your team's pensions and your private cover are handled together, even if you can only call once the kitchen has closed.
Family business since 1989
Our work is free for you because the insurer pays our commission. The person on the phone already knows your business.
Frequently asked questions
Questions and answers
What insurance does a restaurant in Germany need?
Public liability, contents insurance for kitchen and furnishings, and loss of income cover.
None of them is required by law,
but for many businesses a kitchen fire without loss of income cover is the end.
How much does insurance for a restaurant cost?
Public liability for a small restaurant starts at about €150 a year.
A package of liability, contents,
loss of income and legal expenses usually costs between €1,500 and €3,500.
Is spoiled stock covered after a power cut?
Only if spoiled refrigerated stock is included.
Depending on the policy it can matter whether the failure was in the grid or in your own
equipment, so it is worth checking closely.
Am I liable for my guests' coats?
If you run a supervised cloakroom or staff take coats, yes.
This damage to property in your care has to be included expressly in public liability.
Who pays if the health authority closes us?
Standard loss of income cover pays only after physical damage.
For an official closure because of pathogens you need business closure insurance.
Are my staff insured at work?
Yes, through the BGN, the statutory accident insurer for food and hospitality.
A company pension and group accident cover are useful voluntary extras.
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