Blog

Questions operators actually ask, answered in the first paragraph.

Short, dated, one question each. Written to be the answer, not an introduction to one — by someone who ran restaurants for twenty years and now places their insurance. The longer, evergreen versions are in the operator guides.

• Should a restaurant group have one renewal date?

  Usually, yes: why the dates scatter, what one date changes, how they get lined up, and the two exceptions. 2026-10-18

• Is my restaurant's property limit still enough?

  If it is still the number from opening day, maybe not: construction costs, the coinsurance clause, and why 2026 is the year to fix it. 2026-10-18

• Why did my restaurant get a premium audit bill?

  The policy was charged on estimates and the year came in higher: how the audit works, why this year's is bigger, and how to plan for it. 2026-10-18

• What is a good experience mod for a restaurant?

  Below 1.00. What the workers' comp experience mod measures, why a group gets one number for every store, and what moves it. 2026-10-18

• When should a restaurant group shop its insurance?

  Start ninety days before the expiration date, and take the program to other carriers every two or three years, not every year. What the ninety days are for. 2026-10-14

• Who buys builder's risk on a restaurant build-out?

  There is no default. The lease, the construction contract and the industry forms each put it somewhere different. Three things to settle before the crew mobilizes. 2026-10-14

• Are tips included in workers' comp payroll?

  Usually not. Tips come out of the payroll the premium is built on, if the payroll records show them separately. What to do before the next premium audit. 2026-10-14

• Is a new LLC covered by my restaurant's policy?

  No. Until the new company is named on the policy, it is not on the policy, and the ninety-day clause for a new location does not reach a new LLC. The one-page check. 2026-10-14

• Why did my restaurant insurance go up this year?

  Most lines went down in 2026. If yours came in higher, it came from one of five places, and one line usually explains the whole increase. 2026-10-13