You own a great establishment with good food, but the bulk of revenue comes from Alcohol sales. That's why you stay open until 1:30 a.m. or maybe even maintain a 3:00 a.m. liquor license.
You need to make certain you have Assault and Battery (A&B) Coverage for your business. Due to the industry you are in (higher potential to fight exposure), there is a very good chance coverage is excluded by your current General Liability policy.
The premium difference is typically not too significant, but enough to give pause. So a common retort is, "I train my staff well."
The simple answer to that is anybody can lose their cool if they have to get involved with a belligerent patron.
But let's go even deeper - the Assault and Battery exclusion is so broad that it does not provide coverage for any type of Assault and Battery. Here's a few examples:
- A patron hits your doorman, your employee strikes back in self defense and you are sued for the actions of your employee . You win the suit, but the defense costs are significant as is the time away from your business - No Coverage
- Two patrons get into a fight over a girl. One patron ends up in the hospital. His Attorney sues you since the patron that beat him up doesn't have a nickel to his name. The Attorney alleges that your establishment didn't provide a safe environment for his client - No Coverage
These are just a couple examples. If you are a Bar Owner, you can probably give me 20 more scenarios.
Make certain you have A&B Coverage for your Restaurant/Bar - you've built or are building a great business that could get shutdown by an Uninsured Claim. let the Insurance Company handle the exposure for you.
Just in our agency we've seen quite a few A&B related claims. Tragically, one fight resulted in a death when one of the combatants fell to the ground, got kicked in the neck and his carotid artery got ruptured.
Which leads me to my next point - if you want to fight, do it in a controlled environment with 2 inch foam pad beneath your feet and other protective gear. If you're a tough guy you shouldn't be out looking for a fight in the first place. Or maybe you're the average guy out for a fun night and some guy really pisses you off. It may be hard, but just walk away. Street fights have a huge potential to end disastrously - even if you win.
posted by: Dan@hebbeln-ins.com