Is assault and battery covered by restaurant insurance?

Often only partially. Many general liability policies for bars and restaurants sublimit or exclude assault and battery claims, meaning a fight or attack on the premises may be covered only up to a small amount or not at all. Venues with alcohol and late hours should confirm their A&B limit specifically.

Does insurance cover slip-and-fall in a restaurant?

Slip-and-fall is the most frequent restaurant claim and is generally covered by general liability. But sublimits, deductibles, and conditions such as maintaining safe premises and warning signage can reduce or jeopardize a payout, so it is not unlimited or guaranteed.

Am I covered if an employee delivers food in their own car?

Usually not without the right coverage. The employee's personal auto policy often excludes business use, and your policy may not respond unless you carry hired and non-owned auto coverage. If you deliver, this gap needs to be closed.

Why was my restaurant insurance claim denied?

Common reasons include an exclusion such as liquor liability or assault and battery, a sublimit that caps the payout, a delivery accident in a personal vehicle with no non-owned auto coverage, or an unmet policy condition. Reading your exclusions before a loss is the best protection.

Common Restaurant Insurance Exclusions (Assault, Slip-and-Fall, Delivery)

By Tamir Lerner · Updated July 2026 · Restaurant Insurance Quote

Quick answer: The exclusions that catch restaurants most are assault and battery (often sublimited or excluded, especially for bars), liquor liability (carved out of standard general liability), and employee delivery in personal cars (excluded unless you carry hired and non-owned auto). Slip-and-fall is usually covered but subject to sublimits, deductibles, and safe-premises conditions. Knowing these before a loss is what separates a paid claim from a denied one.

An insurance policy is defined as much by what it excludes as by what it covers. Restaurants and bars have a handful of predictable blind spots, and they tend to surface at the worst possible moment — after a fight, a fall, or a delivery crash. Here are the exclusions and sublimits worth checking on your own policy today.

Assault and battery: the bar and nightclub trap

When alcohol and late hours mix, altercations happen — and this is one of the most commonly restricted coverages. Many general liability policies written for restaurants and bars sublimit or exclude assault and battery (A&B). A sublimit means that even if your policy limit is $1 million, A&B claims might be capped at a much smaller figure. An outright exclusion means a fight on your premises, or an injury caused by a bouncer, is not covered at all.

This matters most for bars, nightclubs, and late-night venues, but any restaurant that serves alcohol should confirm its A&B position in writing. If your venue has real crowd risk, you may want to negotiate a higher A&B sublimit or a separate layer of coverage — and pair it with staff training and security practices that reduce the exposure in the first place.

Liquor liability: excluded from standard general liability

We cover this in depth elsewhere, but it belongs on any exclusion list. A standard general liability policy typically contains a liquor liability exclusion for businesses that sell, serve, or furnish alcohol. If you serve alcohol and rely on GL alone, an alcohol-related claim will likely be denied. You generally need a separate liquor liability policy or endorsement. Your state's Alcoholic Beverage Control authority — for example California's at abc.ca.gov — may also require proof of the coverage.

Employee delivery in personal cars

Delivery has exploded, and with it a serious, common gap. When an employee delivers food in their own vehicle and causes an accident, two things often go wrong at once: the employee's personal auto insurer denies the claim because the driving was for business, and the restaurant's policy does not respond because it lacks the right auto coverage. The fix is hired and non-owned auto coverage, which extends liability protection to vehicles the business does not own but uses for its operations — including employee cars used for delivery. If delivery is any part of your model, this is not optional.

Exposure	Standard treatment	How to close the gap
Assault & battery	Often sublimited or excluded	Raise the A&B sublimit or add a separate layer
Liquor liability	Excluded from standard GL	Separate liquor liability policy or endorsement
Employee delivery, personal car	Not covered by GL; personal auto excludes business use	Hired & non-owned auto coverage
Slip-and-fall	Usually covered by GL	Confirm limits, meet safe-premises conditions

Slip-and-fall: covered, but with conditions

Here is the nuance: slip-and-fall is the most frequent restaurant liability claim, and it is generally covered by general liability. But "covered" is not the same as "unlimited" or "guaranteed." Watch for:

Sublimits and deductibles that reduce what you actually collect.
Policy conditions requiring you to keep premises reasonably safe — wet-floor signage, prompt spill cleanup, and maintained walkways. Neglect can be used to dispute a claim.
Frequency effects. A run of slip-and-fall claims raises your premium at renewal even when each is paid.

Because these are so common, prevention is a direct cost saver: non-slip mats, a documented cleaning routine, prompt hazard response, and staff training all reduce both claims and premiums.

Other exclusions worth a look

Spoilage and equipment breakdown — internal mechanical failure is excluded from standard property; add these back.
Communicable disease and certain closures — frequently excluded from business interruption without physical damage.
Employment practices — wrongful termination or harassment claims need separate EPLI, not GL.
Flood and earthquake — commonly excluded from standard property and bought separately.

The Insurance Services Office develops many of the standardized forms your policy is built from, which means exclusions tend to appear in predictable places — and can often be bought back with endorsements once you know to ask.

Find your gaps before a claim does

Send us your current policy and we will map your exclusions and sublimits — assault and battery, liquor, delivery, slip-and-fall — and quote the endorsements to close them. Nationwide.

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Or call (818) 356-8150.

The takeaway

Most denied restaurant claims are not bad luck — they are known exclusions that were never addressed. Read your policy's exclusions and sublimits now, while nothing is on fire. Confirm your assault-and-battery limit, your liquor liability coverage, your non-owned auto for delivery, and your slip-and-fall conditions. Each gap has a straightforward fix, and closing them is far cheaper than discovering them after a loss.

This article is general information, not legal advice or a policy. Exclusions, sublimits, and conditions vary by carrier, state, and individual policy. Read your policy and consult a licensed agent before relying on any coverage. Restaurant Insurance Quote is a division of Thrive Risk Management.