Bartenders like you need dependable coverage to shield themselves from the cost of unexpected accidents. Still, it’s easy for insurance to feel like yet another expense to add to a never-ending list.
Here’s the truth: getting the right coverage costs money, but can save you thousands of dollars if you get hit with a claim. That’s why affordable bartender insurance from Food Liability Insurance Program (FLIP) covers your bases without breaking the bank.
1. Identify Which Coverages You Need
Essential Coverages
All bartenders need two types of insurance: general liability and liquor liability.
General liability insurance covers the most common claims businesses face, including:
- Third-party bodily injury (injuries to people other than yourself or your employees)
- Third-party property damage (damage to property not owned by you or your employees)
- Personal and advertising injury (advertising errors or mistakes, including slander, libel, and defamation)
However, this coverage alone is insufficient for bartenders because it does not cover alcohol-related claims. Liquor liability insurance is the only way to get coverage for:
- Third-party bodily injury claims caused by consuming alcohol
- Third-party property damage claims caused by consuming alcohol
Bartenders can be held liable for the injuries and damages caused by their intoxicated patrons, such as drunk driving incidents. These claims are often quite expensive, sometimes costing hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars.
General liability and liquor liability insurance form the foundation for bartender insurance, which is why FLIP’s coverage bundles the two. It’s also common for venue managers, clients, and local governments to require bartenders to carry both policies.
Recommended Additional Coverages
You may need more than general and liquor liability insurance to properly protect yourself from your liability risks. Many bartenders also carry the following types of insurance:
- Tools and equipment (inland marine): Can cover the cost of the business equipment and gear you take with you from gig to gig if it is stolen or damaged (including rented gear)
- Cost: As low as $8.25 per month
- Cyber liability: Designed to cover the expenses you face if your business becomes the victim of a cybercrime, such as a data breach, ransomware, or security failure
- Cost: $8.25 per month
- Assault and battery: Made to cover costs stemming from bodily injury or property damage claims arising from assault and battery on a liquor liability policy
- Cost: $106 per year
- Professional liability: Can cover claims associated with your professional services (e.g., a wedding bartender sued by their client for showing up an hour late to the reception)
- Cost: $10.42 per month
FLIP offers these as optional add-ons you can include your annual coverage for an additional fee so you only pay for the coverage you need.
2. Choose Between Annual and Event Insurance
FLIP offers two options for bartender insurance: a long-term annual policy and a short-term event policy. Both policies include general and liquor liability coverage, but only the annual policy includes the option to add optional coverages like assault and battery. tools and equipment, or cyber liability.
The annual policy offers 365 days of coverage and is ideal if you bartend frequently throughout the year. Monthly insurance for bartenders starts at $37.75 a month, or you can pay $453 upfront for the year.
If you only bartend once or twice a year, an event policy might be a better fit. The event policy provides up to three consecutive days of coverage and starts at $150 per event.
3. Understand Which Factors Affect the Cost of Bartender Insurance
Your Location
All but eight states have dram shop laws, which determine the amount of liability bartenders face for their patrons’ actions. These laws also grade your liability on a scale of 0 to 10, with 10 meaning you have the highest amount of legal liability.
The higher your state’s grade, the higher the cost of liquor liability insurance because it’s more likely you will be held legally responsible for injuries and/or damages caused by someone you served.
Your Gross Annual Revenue
Bartenders who make more money per year tend to carry more risks because they sell more alcohol and interact with more customers than lower-earning bartenders. Generally speaking, insurance for a part-time bartender will cost less than it does for a full-time bartender.
Your Coverage Needs
4. Mitigate Risks to Keep Your Premium Low
While FLIP strives to offer the lowest possible rates for bartender insurance, your rates can increase if you have to file expensive claims. The most effective strategy for getting affordable bartender insurance is incorporating risk mitigation strategies into your business practices.
Even if you live in a state that does not have dram shop laws, you can still be sued over drunk driving incidents or accidentally selling alcohol to a minor. Use these tips to minimize your chance of a claim:
- Know the signs of intoxication and cut off service to drunk patrons
- Take a safe service training course like TiPS Alcohol Safety Training
- Offer free non-alcoholic beverages to designated drivers
- Keep snacks and water available
- Check IDs before serving alcohol using a scanner like this one from IDVisor
- Display the numbers of local taxi services on your bar and offer to help patrons book a ride home through apps like Uber and Lyft
5. Get Affordable Insurance for Bartenders Online From FLIP
Whether you need affordable coverage for weddings or corporate parties, FLIP has your back.
Beyond competitively low prices, our liquor liability coverage is rated A+ by AM Best, so you know you’re not sacrificing quality for cost. U.S.-based, non-commissioned customer support is just a phone call away if you have questions or concerns about your coverage.
Plus, you never need to worry about paying for coverage you won’t use — we only include the essentials and let you choose what you need from there.
Get the most bang for your buck with bartender insurance from FLIP and invest in your business’ future today!
Alex Hastings
Seattle-based copywriter and (WA) licensed insurance agent Alex Hastings leverages her experience as a lover of fast-casual food, baked goods, and iced oat milk lattes. She holds a B.A. in Creative Writing from Western Washington University. Before working at Veracity, she was a retail copywriter at Zulily and an English language teacher in South Korea. Alex is fully trained on FLIP insurance coverages and writes content that connects food and beverage business owners with the policies they need.
Seattle-based copywriter and (WA) licensed insurance agent Alex Hastings leverages her experience as a lover of fast-casual food, baked goods, and iced oat milk lattes. She holds a B.A. in Creative Writing from Western Washington University. Before working at Veracity, she was a retail copywriter at Zulily and an English language teacher in South Korea. Alex is fully trained on FLIP insurance coverages and writes content that connects food and beverage business owners with the policies they need.
Kyle Jude
Kyle Jude is the Program Manager for Food Liability Insurance Program (FLIP). As a dedicated program manager with 10+ years of experience in the insurance industry, Kyle offers insight into different coverages for food and beverage business professionals who are looking to navigate business liability insurance.
Kyle Jude is the Program Manager for Food Liability Insurance Program (FLIP). As a dedicated program manager with 10+ years of experience in the insurance industry, Kyle offers insight into different coverages for food and beverage business professionals who are looking to navigate business liability insurance.
