Florida restaurant dining room used for restaurant insurance renewal planning

Florida restaurant renewal checklist

Florida Restaurant Insurance Renewal Checklist

Before a Florida restaurant renewal, organize the account around the facts carriers actually ask for: general liability, property, liquor liability, workers comp, delivery, lease certificates, sales, payroll, alcohol receipts, loss runs, and current policy wording.

Upload Restaurant Renewal Packet 1-800-252-6885

Florida restaurant insurance renewal checklist at a glance

A clean renewal packet should include current policies, renewal offer, loss runs, lease COI wording, sales, payroll, alcohol receipts, property details, and delivery exposure.
Liquor liability is not the same thing as holding a Florida alcohol license; review the policy wording, contracts, exclusions, and limits separately.
Third-party delivery apps do not automatically remove hired/non-owned auto or employee driving exposure.
Workers comp renewal review should use updated payroll, employee roles, class-code questions, owner/officer details, prior audit basis, and claim notes.
Start earlier when the account has alcohol, delivery, catering, prior claims, property values, wind/flood issues, landlord certificates, or carrier non-renewal pressure.

Renewal offer in hand?

Let our office compare the renewal before you accept it.

Send the current policy, renewal offer, lease COI wording, sales, payroll, alcohol receipts, loss runs, and delivery details so we can review the real quote file.

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Core renewal review

What should a Florida restaurant review before insurance renewal?

Start with the coverage lines and documents that usually create last-minute pain: lease certificates, alcohol receipts, payroll, delivery, property values, spoilage, hood records, loss runs, and whether the renewal quote is based on stale information.

General liability and lease COIs

Review premises liability, products/completed operations, additional insured wording, landlord certificate requests, waiver language, events, catering, vendors, and any lease limits that are due before renewal.

Property, wind, flood, and business income

Update building or tenant improvement values, contents, signs, outdoor property, roof details, wind deductibles, flood questions, business income, extra expense, ordinance or law, and lender or landlord requirements.

Cooking, hood, fire, and equipment exposure

Pull hood suppression records, fire alarm or sprinkler details, cooking type, fryers, grills, walk-in coolers, refrigeration, equipment breakdown, spoilage, maintenance notes, and loss-control recommendations.

Liquor liability and alcohol receipts

If alcohol is sold, separate food sales from alcohol receipts and review liquor liability limits, exclusions, assault/battery wording, training, hours, entertainment, security, and contract requirements.

Workers comp and payroll

Update payroll by role, employee count, owners/officers, class-code questions, tipped employees, kitchen staff, delivery staff, claims, safety procedures, and any audit paperwork from the prior term.

Delivery, catering, and off-premises work

Document delivery apps, employee delivery, catering, food trucks, pop-ups, farmers markets, rentals, private events, personal vehicle use, hired/non-owned auto, and who controls the customer handoff.

Sales, receipts, and audit basis

Gather annual gross sales, projected sales, alcohol receipts, catering receipts, delivery receipts, payroll, owner duties, and any carrier audit worksheets so the renewal is not built on stale estimates.

Commercial auto and hired/non-owned auto

List owned vehicles, employee personal vehicle use, rentals, borrowed vehicles, reimbursed mileage, delivery rules, driver controls, MVR process, and whether the current policy actually covers the exposure.

Quote packet

Restaurant renewal documents that make the file easier to quote

Underwriters do not just want a restaurant name and a premium. They want the story behind the account: how food is prepared, how alcohol is handled, who drives, what changed, why claims happened, and whether the lease or lender is asking for wording the current policy does not support.

Do not wait until renewal week to discover that the lease requires a certificate, the alcohol receipts changed, or a delivery exposure was never disclosed. That is how a simple renewal turns into a fire drill.

Have most of this ready?

Upload what you have now. We can tell you what is missing before the renewal deadline turns into a scramble.

Send Renewal Packet 1-800-252-6885

Policy and renewal packet

Current policies, declarations, endorsements, exclusions, renewal offer, expiring premium, limits, deductibles, and carrier notices
Five years of loss runs when available, open claim notes, repair records, corrective action, and any loss-control recommendations
Lease insurance requirements, certificate wording, additional insured requests, waiver language, lender requirements, and renewal deadline

Restaurant operations

Entity name, DBA, FEIN, location, hours, seating count, square footage, years in business, restaurant type, and seasonal changes
Food service license context, menu type, cooking method, fryers, grills, hood suppression records, refrigeration, walk-in coolers, and equipment list
Events, catering, delivery, third-party apps, employee delivery, food trucks, pop-ups, private events, entertainment, patios, and sidewalk seating

Sales, payroll, and alcohol

Annual gross sales, projected sales, alcohol receipts, catering receipts, delivery receipts, payroll by role, owner duties, and employee count
Liquor license context, alcohol-service training, hours alcohol is served, security, entertainment, age-verification process, and assault/battery wording questions
Workers comp audit worksheets, payroll changes, class-code questions, tipped employees, delivery staff, kitchen staff, prior claims, and safety controls

Property and vehicles

Building or tenant improvements, business personal property, signs, outdoor property, roof age, updates, alarms, sprinklers, wind mitigation details, flood exposure, and values
Spoilage, equipment breakdown, business income, extra expense, ordinance or law, refrigeration maintenance, generators, and utility interruption questions
Owned vehicle schedule, employee personal vehicle use, rentals, borrowed vehicles, delivery rules, driver list, MVR process, and hired/non-owned auto exposure

Three restaurant renewal assumptions that get expensive

Most renewal problems start as one innocent assumption. Then the lease, audit, claim, or carrier question shows up and everyone gets to enjoy paperwork with a side of panic.

"We have a liquor license, so liquor liability is handled."

A license and an insurance policy are different things. Review liquor liability limits, exclusions, assault/battery wording, additional insured requests, alcohol receipts, training, security, and any event or landlord requirements.

"Delivery apps mean we have no auto exposure."

Third-party delivery does not answer every driving question. Employees may still run catering, errands, owner deliveries, bank deposits, supply runs, or backup deliveries in personal or rented vehicles.

"Last year's sales and payroll are close enough."

Stale estimates can distort rating, audits, workers comp classification, liquor liability review, and carrier appetite. Use current sales, payroll, alcohol receipts, delivery receipts, and expected changes before the renewal is quoted.

Watch list

What makes a restaurant renewal harder to quote?

These issues do not always make a restaurant uninsurable. They do make the account harder to explain if they show up late.

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Alcohol receipts are not separated from food, catering, delivery, or total gross sales
The lease requires certificate wording, additional insured status, or limits that no one reviewed until renewal week
Delivery exposure is described only as third-party app delivery even though employees sometimes drive orders, errands, or catering
Payroll, owner duties, class-code questions, tipped employees, and prior audit basis are unclear
Cooking, hood suppression, fire protection, refrigeration, and spoilage details are missing
Loss runs show claims but no explanation, repair documentation, retraining, or corrective action
Liquor liability is treated as the same thing as a Florida liquor license
Property values, roof details, wind deductible, flood exposure, and business income limits still reflect old numbers

Source-backed context for Florida restaurant renewals

These sources ground the page in Florida regulatory and safety context. They do not replace legal advice or carrier-specific underwriting requirements.

Florida CFO workers comp coverage requirements

Florida CFO guidance says non-construction employers with four or more employees generally must have workers compensation coverage.

DBPR Hotels and Restaurants licensing

Florida DBPR licensing context for public food service establishments, inspections, and hotel/restaurant regulatory questions.

DBPR Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco

Florida DBPR context for alcoholic beverage licensing. Insurance review should separate the liquor license from liquor liability coverage.

Florida Statute 768.125

Florida's liability for injury or damage resulting from intoxication statute. Use it for legal context, not as a reason to skip liquor liability review.

OSHA young worker restaurant safety eTool

OSHA restaurant serving safety topics that help frame burns, cuts, slips, falls, strains, and workplace safety controls before workers comp renewal.

Ready to compare?

Send the restaurant renewal packet before the deadline gets ugly.

Greene & Associates can review the current policy, renewal offer, lease requirements, sales, payroll, alcohol receipts, loss runs, property details, delivery exposure, and certificate wording so the quote conversation starts with the right facts.

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Florida restaurant renewal FAQ

What documents should a Florida restaurant gather before insurance renewal?

A Florida restaurant should gather current policies, renewal offers, declarations, endorsements, loss runs, lease and certificate requirements, gross sales, alcohol receipts, catering and delivery receipts, payroll by role, employee count, workers comp audit paperwork, property values, roof and fire protection details, hood suppression records, refrigeration and spoilage details, vehicle or delivery information, and any contract requirements.

Is liquor liability legally required for every Florida restaurant?

Do not assume liquor liability is universally required by Florida law for every restaurant. It is often required by landlords, contracts, carriers, events, lenders, or business partners, and it is important because alcohol-related claims may not fit cleanly under a general liability policy. Confirm the specific legal, lease, license, and carrier context before renewal.

Does third-party delivery remove a restaurant's auto exposure?

Not automatically. A third-party app may reduce some exposure, but restaurants should still review employee delivery, catering, errands, owner driving, rented vehicles, borrowed vehicles, reimbursed mileage, and hired/non-owned auto wording before assuming there is no business auto risk.

How early should a Florida restaurant start renewal review?

Simple restaurants may start 30 to 45 days before renewal, but restaurants with alcohol, delivery, catering, prior claims, workers comp audits, landlord certificate issues, property values, wind or flood concerns, or carrier non-renewal pressure should start 60 to 90 days early when possible.

Why do sales, payroll, and alcohol receipts matter for restaurant insurance?

Sales, payroll, and alcohol receipts often affect rating, underwriting appetite, audit basis, liquor liability review, workers comp classification, and carrier questions. Old or blended estimates can make a quote inaccurate and can create audit or endorsement problems later.