# 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.

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

## 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.

## At a glance

- **Compulsory:** No insurance required by law, but landlords and breweries almost always demand liability and contents cover
- **Biggest risk:** A kitchen fire that closes the business for weeks
- **Basic cover from:** about €150 a year for the public liability policy of a small restaurant
- **Statutory accident insurer:** BGN, the Berufsgenossenschaft for food and hospitality; mandatory for every business with staff
- **Often forgotten:** Spoiled refrigerated stock after a power cut or a broken cooling unit
- **WZ 2025 / NACE:** 56.11 Restaurants, Gaststätten, Imbissstuben, Cafés, Eissalons u. Ä., 56.40 Vermittlungstätigkeiten für gastronomische Dienstleistungen

## What goes wrong in this trade

- **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.
- **Food poisoning:** Salmonella, norovirus or a broken cold chain rarely hit one guest; they hit a whole party.
- **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.
- **Refrigeration fails:** A compressor dies over the weekend and the cold room with a week's meat and fish is spoiled.
- **Break-ins and the till:** Drinks stock, wine, waiting staff's tablets and the day's takings are a target at night.
- **Burns and cuts:** Hot fat, steam and knives: most workplace accidents in hospitality happen in the kitchen.

**Risk radar** (Compared with other trades, 1 low to 5 high.): Liability 4, Fire and water 5, Theft 3, Cyber 2, Downtime 5, Health 4

## The insurance you need

- **Business liability** (Essential): Pays for food poisoning, guests' falls and damaged coats, and fends off unjustified claims. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-liability.php
- **Business contents** (Essential): Replaces kitchen, furnishings and supplies after fire, burst pipes, storm and burglary, with spoiled refrigerated stock included. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-contents.php
- **Business interruption** (Essential): Pays rent, wages and lost profit for as long as no guests can come after a fire. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-interruption.php
- **Business legal expenses** (Strongly advised): For disputes with the landlord, brewery, staff or authorities, for instance over rent reductions or outdoor seating. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-legal-expenses.php
- **Electronic equipment** (Depends on the business): Covers the till system, tablets and combi steamer even after operating errors and power surges. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-electronic-equipment.php
- **Machinery breakdown** (Depends on the business): Helps when the cold room, dishwasher or combi steamer suddenly breaks down for reasons other than fire. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-machinery-breakdown.php
- **Cyber insurance** (Depends on the business): When the till system or booking platform is paralysed and guest data is affected. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-cyber-insurance.php
- **Company pension (bAV)** (Depends on the business): Good chefs and waiting staff are scarce; a company pension helps you keep them. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-company-pension.php

## 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; we obtain the exact quote for you._

- [KVMPLUS: Betriebshaftpflicht für Restaurant und Hotel](https://kvmplus.de/blog/versicherungsblog/beste-betriebshaftpflicht-fuer-restaurant-gastronomie-und-hotelbetriebe-2026/)
- [versipedia: Betriebshaftpflicht Kosten nach Branchen](https://versipedia.de/blog/betriebshaftpflichtversicherung-kosten-sinnvoll)
- [Finanzchef24: Versicherungen für die Gastronomie](https://www.finanzchef24.de/versicherung/gastronomie)

## Our suggestions: three packages

- **Starter** (small pub or bistro with few covers): Business liability, Business contents. Together: about €600 to €1,300 a year
- **Restaurant** (restaurant with a full kitchen, terrace and five to fifteen staff): Business liability, Business contents, Business interruption, Business legal expenses. Together: about €1,500 to €3,500 a year
- **All round** (large venue with events, till system and online booking): Business liability, Business contents, Business interruption, Business legal expenses, Machinery breakdown, Electronic equipment, Cyber insurance. Together: about €3,500 to €7,500 a year

## The worst day in the restaurant

Six claims of the kind restaurants really see, all on one Saturday with a wedding booked. Click through the day and see who pays.

- 07:30: The cold room failed overnight. Meat and fish for the wedding menu go in the bin. (€4,200, Paid by: Business contents)
- 11:45: The dishwasher's control unit shorts out and the machine has to be replaced. (€6,800, Paid by: Machinery breakdown)
- 14:20: A waitress spills red wine sauce over a guest's bridal gown, and the dress is ruined. (€1,900, Paid by: Business liability)
- 17:00: An elderly guest falls on the terrace step and breaks her hip. (€25,000, Paid by: Business liability)
- 21:30: The fryer catches fire and the flames spread to the extractor hood. The kitchen is destroyed. (€120,000, Paid by: Business contents)
- 23:00: The restaurant stays closed for ten weeks. Rent and wages keep running. (€85,000, Paid by: Business interruption)

**Damage so far:** €242,900

## 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 settle 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.

## FAQ

### 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.

## 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-restaurant.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.