# Insurance for caterers, party services and event catering in Germany

> A caterer hardly ever works on home ground: you cook in a production kitchen, drive hot boxes across town and set up the buffet in a castle, a company lobby or a marquee. The expensive claims arise precisely where nothing belongs to you, and food poisoning affects 150 guests at once. This page shows what you must cover and what it costs.

Quelle/Source: https://www.nammert.com/en/business-insurance-catering.php  
Updated: 2026-09-18

## Am I covered if I damage something at the venue?

Only if your public liability includes damage to rented and borrowed property. Without that, the hall counts as someone else's property in your care, and many basic tariffs exclude exactly this kind of damage. Scorch marks on parquet from a chafing dish burner, red wine on the carpet in a castle and a dent in the lift while unloading are among the most common catering claims.

## At a glance

- **Compulsory:** Motor liability for delivery vans and refrigerated trailers; catering itself has no compulsory insurance
- **Biggest risk:** Food poisoning at a large event
- **Basic cover from:** about €60 a year for the public liability policy of a small party service
- **Statutory accident insurer:** BGN, the Berufsgenossenschaft for food and hospitality; mandatory for every business with staff
- **Often forgotten:** Damage to rented venues and borrowed tableware is not covered automatically
- **WZ 2025 / NACE:** 56.21 Event-Caterer, 56.22 Sonstige Caterer und Erbringung sonstiger Verpflegungsdienstleistungen

## What goes wrong in this trade

- **Many guests, one mistake:** A sauce left lukewarm too long affects dozens of people at a wedding or company party.
- **Other people's premises:** Parquet, carpets, walls and lifts at venues are expensive. Burners, trolleys and crates of drinks leave marks.
- **On the road with food:** On the way to the client a load of buffet platters slides, or an accident destroys food and equipment.
- **Borrowed equipment:** Marquees, tableware, refrigerated trailers and poseur tables are often hired. If they break or disappear, you pay.
- **Gas burners and chafing dishes:** Open flames on buffet tables, gas cookers in a marquee: small fires and burns happen regularly.
- **Last minute cancellation:** If the chef falls ill or the kitchen burns, booked events collapse and clients demand compensation.

**Risk radar** (Compared with other trades, 1 low to 5 high.): Liability 5, Fire and water 3, Theft 3, Cyber 2, Downtime 3, Health 3

## The insurance you need

- **Business liability** (Essential): Pays for food poisoning, guests' burns and damage to venues, provided damage to rented property is included. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-liability.php
- **Car insurance** (Essential): Motor liability for vans and trailers is compulsory; with several vehicles a fleet policy pays off. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-car-insurance.php
- **Business contents** (Strongly advised): Replaces kitchen, tableware, warming equipment and supplies after fire, water, storm and burglary. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-contents.php
- **Cargo insurance** (Strongly advised): Covers food and equipment on the way to the client and at the venue. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-cargo-insurance.php
- **Business interruption** (Depends on the business): Pays fixed costs and lost profit if the production kitchen is out of action after a fire. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-interruption.php
- **Machinery breakdown** (Depends on the business): Covers the combi steamer, cold room and dishwashing line against sudden breakdown. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-machinery-breakdown.php
- **Business legal expenses** (Depends on the business): For disputes with clients over cancellations, cancellation fees and complaints. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-legal-expenses.php

## What it costs: example prices

Liability cover for a party service is affordable while turnover is small. With large events, marquees, gas and many staff the premium rises, and vehicles come on top.

| Insurance | Example | Typical range |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Business liability | Party service, sole trader, around €50,000 turnover, €3 million cover | about €60 to €220 a year |
| Business liability | Caterer with staff and large events, damage to rented property included | about €300 to €900 a year |
| Business contents | Kitchen, tableware and equipment worth €70,000 | about €250 to €600 a year |
| Cargo insurance | Own trips with food and equipment, annual flat rate | about €150 to €400 a year |
| Car insurance | Refrigerated van up to 3.5 tonnes, liability and fully comprehensive | about €900 to €2,000 a year |

For comparison: Basic cover of public liability and contents insurance costs about as much a year as the buffet for ten wedding guests.

_Guide prices as of September 2026, based on published tariff examples and on our own quoting practice. Motor premiums depend heavily on the vehicle and no claims history; we obtain the exact quote for you._

- [finanzchecks.de: Betriebshaftpflicht für Catering](https://www.finanzchecks.de/betriebshaftpflichtversicherung/catering-eventservice-hostess)
- [Finanzchef24: Versicherungen für die Gastronomie](https://www.finanzchef24.de/versicherung/gastronomie)

## Our suggestions: three packages

- **Starter** (party service from your own kitchen, small celebrations, one vehicle): Business liability, Car insurance. Together: about €1,000 to €2,200 a year
- **Catering** (caterer with a production kitchen, staff and events at outside venues): Business liability, Car insurance, Business contents, Cargo insurance. Together: about €1,800 to €3,800 a year
- **All round** (event catering with marquees, several vehicles and large contracts): Business liability, Car insurance, Business contents, Cargo insurance, Business interruption, Machinery breakdown, Business legal expenses. Together: about €3,500 to €8,000 a year

## The worst day in catering

Six claims of the kind caterers really see, all on a single wedding Saturday. Click through the day and see who pays.

- 09:20: Loading up, the van reverses into the neighbouring firm's roller door. (€3,200, Paid by: Car insurance)
- 11:10: On a bend the crates of china and glasses tip over; a third is broken. (€2,100, Paid by: Cargo insurance)
- 13:30: A chafing dish burner leaves a scorch mark on the oak parquet of the castle hall. (€7,500, Paid by: Business liability)
- 16:45: A waiter knocks over a gas burner and a guest suffers burns to the leg. (€9,000, Paid by: Business liability)
- 20:00: The next day 40 guests report vomiting and diarrhoea. The health authority finds salmonella in the mousse. (€45,000, Paid by: Business liability)
- 23:30: Back in the production kitchen, the combi steamer fails with a control fault. (€11,000, Paid by: Machinery breakdown)

**Damage so far:** €77,800

## Practical tips from your broker

- Have damage to rented venues and to borrowed equipment included expressly, with a sufficiently high limit.
- Choose at least €5 million cover if you supply events with more than a hundred guests.
- Record the cold chain and temperatures during transport: it helps in a dispute over food poisoning.
- Insure equipment and food on the road with transit insurance, because contents insurance applies only in the kitchen.
- Check that marquees, gas burners and open flames are described in the policy.
- Check whether your kitchen policy also covers takeaway sales and delivery if you offer them on the side.

## Why NAMMERT for your business

- **We think about the outside venue:** As a broker we compare several insurers and look first at the clauses on rented property and property in your care, where catering claims most often fail.
- **We know how adjusters think:** In boat insurance we settle claims ourselves. When forty claims arrive after food poisoning, we know how to put them in order.
- **Kitchen, vehicles and private cover with us:** Public liability, vans, transit cover and your own protection are handled by one contact.
- **Family business since 1989:** Our advice costs you nothing, as the insurer pays our commission. You deal with people who know your business.

## FAQ

### What insurance does a party service in Germany need?

Public liability that includes damage to rented property matters most, plus motor insurance for the delivery vehicle. With your own kitchen add contents insurance, and with valuable equipment transit insurance.

### How much does insurance for a caterer cost?

Public liability for small party services starts at about €60 a year; caterers with staff and large events usually pay €300 to €900. Vehicles come on top.

### Am I liable for hired tableware and marquees?

Yes, towards the hire company. Whether your insurer pays depends on whether damage to borrowed property is included; many tariffs set their own limits for it.

### Who pays for food poisoning at a party?

Your public liability, if the food was the cause. It pays medical costs, lost earnings and compensation for everyone affected, up to the sum insured.

### Are goods insured on the way to the client?

Not by motor insurance. Food and equipment in the vehicle need transit insurance, or cover for carrying your own goods (Werkverkehr).

### Are casual event staff insured?

At work through the BGN, the statutory accident insurer for food and hospitality, including students and mini jobbers on single evenings.

## Request quotes

We obtain quotes and come back with a comparison. Free of charge and without obligation: the insurer pays our commission. You can write in English. https://www.nammert.com/en/business-insurance-catering.php#anfrage

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NAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH, insurance broker licensed under section 34d(1) of the German Trade Regulation Act, broker register no. D-C08Q-TOSD4-37. For boat and yacht insurance we act as underwriting agency, not as broker.

NAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH, Karl-Marx-Straße 4, 15711 Königs Wusterhausen, +49 3375 29 12 77, info@nammert.com. Wikidata: Q141141479.