Understanding Equipment Coverage and Preventing Breakdowns for Your Restaurant

Running a restaurant requires a lot of hard work. To keep the doors open, you have to serve up a top-rate product. But, food service is an extremely risky business. You also have follow multiple health, sanitation and safety practices. 

To keep your food safe, you must store and prepare it properly. That requires the use of various equipment, most of which comes with a considerable price tag. If your equipment breaks down, you need to get it fixed to get back to business. If you have equipment breakdown insurance, you might get help making the repairs.

Understanding Equipment Breakdown Insurance

The machinery in your restaurant likely costs a lot to own and maintain. If you have to get it fixed, you don’t want that price to be a loss to your profit margins. That’s where equipment breakdown insurance can come in handy.

An effective policy can cover various forms of equipment that is critical to running your restaurant. It might extend protection to:

• Grills, stoves, ovens and other food preparation equipment
• Refrigeration systems
• Cash registers
• Air conditionings
• Boilers and water heaters

And more. The coverage can contain protection for a variety of breakdowns, such as electrical failures, mechanical failures and operational errors. Ask your insurance agent how best to structure this protection for your restaurant. It is never a good idea to go without strong coverage.

Preventing Equipment Failures

Having equipment breakdown insurance will likely be a very comforting feeling. However, you still don’t want to experience a breakdown scenario. If it happens, it will likely be a huge inconvenience. Therefore, take proactive steps to prevent these damages.

• Have sanitation and equipment inspection by your local restaurant authorities, as needed. Many states require restaurants to have mechanical inspections.
• Make sure your equipment receives regular maintenance from a professional repairman.
• Don’t forget to maintain systems that support your machinery. For example, electrical, plumbing and ventilation systems might feed into your equipment. Therefore, if something happens to them, the damage might expand to your machinery.
• Clean out your systems regularly to prevent grime buildup and contamination.
• Train employees to only use machinery professionally and correctly. Only use the machinery according to manufacturer directions.

Should you suspect problems with your machinery, immediately shut down the affected items. Contact a professional to diagnose the problem in the system. If you need to file a claim on your insurance policy, contact one of our agents at 708.423.2350. We will be glad to help.

Additional Resources:

Minimizing General Liability Claims for Food Poisoning

What to do When Burns Occur in Your Restaurant