Which insurance does a café or restaurant need in Germany?
In short
Which insurance does a café or restaurant need in Germany? Above all business liability insurance, from about EUR 80 a year for a small café and EUR 150 for a restaurant, plus contents and business interruption cover against kitchen fires and water damage. Machines and refrigeration may need extra cover. Your employees are covered by statutory accident insurance through the trade association.
Guide values for hospitality businesses in Germany. Turnover, seats, type of kitchen, terrace and equipment values decide.
Example
Typical range
Business liability, daytime café, around EUR 40,000 turnover, EUR 3 million cover
about EUR 80 to 170 a year
Business liability, small restaurant with two to three employees
about EUR 150 to 400 a year
Contents, café with EUR 60,000 of furnishings and stock
about EUR 200 to 500 a year
Contents, restaurant with EUR 150,000 of kitchen and furnishings
about EUR 500 to 1,200 a year
Business interruption on top, restaurant
about EUR 250 to 700 a year
Electronics for espresso machine, display and till, EUR 30,000
about EUR 200 to 450 a year
Guide values as of October 2026 from published tariff examples and our quoting practice.
Businesses with charcoal grills, fryers or events pay more; we obtain the exact quote for you.
Worked example
Restaurant with 60 seats, four employees, leased premises
What basic cover for a small restaurant can look like.
Business liability, EUR 5 million cover
about EUR 300
Contents insurance, EUR 150,000
about EUR 800
Business interruption, twelve months
about EUR 450
Electronics for combi steamer and cooling
about EUR 350
Around EUR 1,900 a year in total, just over EUR 160 a month. Guide values from our quoting practice; your price depends on kitchen and turnover.
The order of priority for a café or restaurant
The insurance a café or restaurant needs falls into three tiers. At the top is what a single loss could ruin you with: liability towards guests and a fire that closes you for weeks. Next comes what is expensive but survivable. Last comes what only pays off for some businesses.
Insurance
What for
Priority
Business liability (Betriebshaftpflicht)
scalded guests, falls, food poisoning, damage to leased premises
essential
Contents insurance (Inhaltsversicherung)
kitchen, furniture, stock after fire, water, storm, burglary
essential
Business interruption (Betriebsunterbrechung)
rent, wages and profit while closed after material damage
essential for restaurants with staff
Electronics or machinery insurance
espresso machine, combi steamer, cooling after short circuit or operating error
important for expensive equipment
Glass insurance
shop windows, glass doors, display cases
important with large glass areas
Business legal expenses
disputes with landlord, staff or authorities
can wait
Cyber insurance
hacked till system, ordering platform, guest data
can wait, depending on how digital you are
Business liability: the key contract in hospitality
Hospitality is about people. A guest scalds themselves on tea, slips on a wet floor or gets food poisoning. An undeclared allergen can be life-threatening. Business liability insurance checks whether you are liable, pays justified claims and fends off unjustified ones.
For cafés and restaurants, check cover for damage to leased premises, guests' cloakroom items and damage caused by food you serve. Choose at least EUR 3 million cover, more for events and large terraces.
Contents and business interruption: against the kitchen fire
A fire at the extractor hood or a water leak in the cellar destroys more than equipment and stock. It shuts you for weeks while rent, wages and loans keep running. Contents insurance replaces the items, business interruption cover replaces the lost income.
A restaurant with a fryer or grill has a higher fire risk than a café with a cake counter. Insurers therefore ask about hood cleaning and fire protection. Keep cleaning records ready.
What contents insurance does not pay
If the espresso machine simply breaks down without fire, water or burglary involved, contents insurance does not pay. That is what electronics or machinery insurance is for, covering short circuits, power surges or operating errors.
The same goes for cooling: if the refrigeration unit fails and the stock spoils, you need an add-on for spoilage of chilled goods. Ask for it explicitly, it is not automatically included.
What you do not need as a restaurant owner
If serving food and drink is included in your business liability cover, you need no separate product liability insurance. Check this in the contract. A kiosk without seating often gets by with smaller liability cover and simple contents insurance.
Your employees are insured by law against accidents at work and you pay the contributions as employer. Private group accident insurance is an extra benefit, not a duty.
Step by step
List the values of kitchen, furnishings, equipment and stock.
Work out monthly fixed costs: rent, wages, loans.
Take out business liability and contents with business interruption first.
For expensive machines and cooling, check electronics insurance and spoilage cover.
Read your lease for required insurance and proof.
Adjust contracts every year to turnover and inventory.
Checklist
Business liability of at least EUR 3 million
Damage to leased premises included
Contents insured at replacement value
Business interruption with adequate indemnity period
Spoilage of chilled goods covered
Extractor hood cleaning documented
Common mistakes
Taking out only liability and forgetting fire
Believing contents insurance pays for a machine breakdown
Not raising the sum insured after a refit
Not checking the lease for insurance obligations
Questions and answers
Frequently asked
Is business liability insurance compulsory for restaurants?
German law does not usually require it for restaurants,
but landlords and breweries often demand it in the contract.
You should not serve guests without it.
What does insurance cost for a small café?
Liability often EUR 80 to 170 a year, contents another EUR 200 to 500.
Does liability insurance pay for food poisoning?
Yes, personal injury caused by food and drink is part of the insured business risk if you are
liable.
Am I as owner covered by accident insurance?
Your employees are insured by law.
Whether and how you yourself are covered,
clarify with the trade association (Berufsgenossenschaft).
Do I need business closure insurance?
It pays if an authority closes the business because of infection risk.
Read carefully which pathogens and cases the policy lists.
