UK Takeaway Insurance Quotes
Takeaway Insurance
Business insurance for takeaways and fast-food outlets, covering your premises, catering equipment and food stock, your products, public and employers’ liability, and your income if a fire or breakdown stops you trading.
Why compare takeaway insurance with us?
- Compare premises, catering equipment, food stock and liability cover
- Suitable for fish and chip shops, pizza, kebab and Indian and Chinese takeaways
What is takeaway insurance?
Takeaway insurance is a package built for food outlets that brings the covers a hot-food business needs into one policy. Because the biggest exposure in a takeaway is fire from deep-fat frying and grilling, it protects the premises, catering equipment and food stock against fire, escape of water, theft and breakdown, and it can pay out when a fridge or freezer failure spoils your chilled and frozen stock. It adds the liabilities that matter most in food: products liability if a customer is made ill by food poisoning, an allergen or a foreign object, public liability for people collecting orders, and employers' liability for your kitchen and counter staff. Business interruption replaces lost income if a fire or flood stops you trading. If your riders or drivers deliver, their vehicles need separate hire and reward motor cover, which sits alongside this policy rather than inside it.
Takeaway insurance covers a wide range of food outlets because the cooking and the trade change the risk so much. A fish and chip shop with open fryers, a pizza takeaway with stone ovens, a kebab house, an Indian, Chinese or Thai takeaway, a burger bar and a delivery-led dark kitchen all sit within takeaway insurance, but each carries a different underwriting picture. Insurer appetite varies by cooking method, opening hours and whether you deliver, which is why specialist broker placement matters more than a mainstream off-the-shelf quote.
Policies are built up from the covers each outlet needs. Buildings where you own the freehold or are responsible under a lease, contents, fixtures and fittings, catering equipment and food stock form the core, then the liabilities are added on top. Every takeaway that serves the public should hold public liability for injury to a customer or damage to their property, commonly at £1m, £2m or £5m, and employers' liability is a legal requirement the moment you take on kitchen or counter staff, usually written at £10m. Products liability then covers the food itself if it causes harm.
Brokers on our panel underwrite catering and hot-food risks every day. They understand why deep-fat frying raises the fire rating, how fire-suppression over the range, extraction cleaning and alarms can bring the price down, why business interruption should reflect the time it would take to reopen a kitchen, and how refrigeration breakdown can wipe out a freezer full of stock overnight. They price the policy against how you actually cook and trade rather than a fixed online figure.
Related takeaway cover
How takeaway insurance works
Tell us about your takeaway
Your cuisine, cooking method, opening hours, stock and equipment values, staff numbers, whether you deliver, location and any past claims. The more accurately you declare these details, the tighter the quotes the specialist underwriting panel can send back.
Compare specialist takeaway quotes
Your details go to brokers who underwrite hot-food and catering risks daily. They price premises, catering equipment and food stock, public, employers' and products liability and business interruption against your specific outlet and cooking.
Choose your cover and keep trading
Pick the policy that fits your outlet. Core premises, equipment, stock and liability cover, with business interruption, stock deterioration, fire-suppression and glass added where you need them, and hire and reward compared separately if you deliver.
What does takeaway insurance cover?
A takeaway policy packages the cover a food outlet needs into one place, from the fryers and fridges in the kitchen to the people you serve and the income you rely on. We group it into three themes below. A standard shop, business or home policy does not reflect commercial-kitchen fire risk or food products liability, so cover built for takeaways matters.
Premises, stock & equipment
- Buildings (freehold or leasehold responsibility)
- Contents, fixtures & fittings
- Catering equipment: fryers, ovens, refrigeration
- Chilled & frozen food stock
- Stock deterioration (fridge or freezer breakdown)
- Shopfront glass & signage
- Money & takings
Liabilities
- Products liability: food poisoning, foreign objects
- Allergens under Natasha's Law
- Public liability for collecting customers (£1m/£2m/£5m)
- Employers' liability, a legal requirement (£5m to £10m)
Income & fire
- Business interruption after an insured event
- Loss of income while you cannot trade
- Fire cover for the premises and kitchen
Fire is the standout risk for takeaways
Deep-fat frying is a leading cause of commercial-kitchen fires, so fire cover and fire suppression sit at the centre of a takeaway policy. It protects the premises, equipment and stock, and works alongside the business interruption cover that keeps income coming in while you rebuild.
If you deliver, riders and drivers need separate hire and reward motor cover, which is not part of the premises policy and can be compared too.
What takeaway insurance does not cover
A takeaway policy is built around the cooking you declare, the value of your equipment and food stock, the fire-safety measures you have in place and the covers you choose to add. Once a loss falls outside those declared terms, the policy stops paying out. Knowing where the cover ends matters as much as knowing what it includes, because unmet fire conditions, delivery use, undeclared changes and optional covers left off the policy are among the most common reasons a takeaway claim is reduced or declined.
Wear, tear and gradual damage
Loss caused by ageing, general deterioration, poor upkeep, grease build-up, slow-acting causes, rot, damp and corrosion falls outside the cover. Takeaway owners are expected to keep the premises, fryers, ovens and refrigeration in good working order. Insurance meets sudden and unforeseen events, not the slow results of neglect.
Money beyond the agreed limit
Cover for cash and card takings is capped, with separate limits for money on the premises in and out of trading hours, in a locked safe and in transit to the bank. Late-night takings above those limits, or cash left in the till overnight rather than secured, are not met. Bank regularly and keep cash within the agreed sums.
Food stock deterioration outside the insured causes
Chilled and frozen stock is covered when a fridge or freezer suffers a sudden breakdown or a power failure at the supply. Spoilage from a unit switched off, a door left open, gradual under-performance or a lack of servicing is not met, and cover is capped. Maintain your refrigeration and keep to the temperature records.
Fire where safety conditions are not met
Fire is the biggest exposure in a takeaway, so cover comes with conditions. A fire claim can be reduced or declined where fryer thermostats and cut-outs are not maintained, extraction ducting and filters are not cleaned to the stated schedule, or a required fire-suppression system is not fitted or serviced. Keep to every fire-safety condition in the wording.
Delivery vehicles and riders
The premises policy does not insure the mopeds, motorbikes, cars or riders used to deliver orders. Any vehicle carrying food for payment needs its own hire and reward motor cover, which is a separate policy. If you deliver in-house or use self-employed riders, arrange that cover as well; it can be compared alongside your takeaway insurance.
Fines and deliberate food-safety breaches
Regulatory fines and penalties, and losses arising from selling food you knew to be unsafe or trading without the required food-hygiene registration, are not covered. Products liability responds to genuine, unintended harm from your food, not to deliberate breaches. Keep your registration current and your hygiene records in order.
How much is excluded differs widely from one insurer to the next and from one takeaway to another. Always check the policy wording carefully on fire-safety conditions, refrigeration and stock limits, money limits and optional covers before buying. For cover against claims from customers injured while collecting an order, see our public liability insurance guide.
Takeaways we cover
Takeaway cover is grouped around how the food reaches the customer, because a counter chip shop, a freshly cooked curry house and an app-only kitchen each carry a different fire, food and liability profile. Find the group that fits your outlet and compare cover built for it.
Collection-led
Counter and walk-in outlets
Order at the counter, cook on site and hand food straight over. Hot ranges, deep-fat fryers and late footfall all shape the cover.
- Fish and chip shops
- Kebab houses
- Burger bars
- Pizza takeaways
- Chicken shops
- Sandwich and coffee shops
Cuisine kitchens
Freshly cooked to order
Full kitchens turning out made-to-order meals across a broad menu, with busy evenings and a mix of collection and delivery.
- Indian takeaways
- Chinese takeaways
- Thai takeaways
- Curry houses
- Noodle and wok bars
Delivery-led
Delivery brands and dark kitchens
Kitchens built around apps and couriers, from ghost brands with no shopfront to dessert outlets trading late by delivery.
- Delivery-only brands
- Dark and ghost kitchens
- Dessert parlours
- Ice cream and waffle bars
- Late-night delivery outlets
Deliver as well as serve? Riders and drivers need separate hire and reward motor cover, which sits outside the premises policy. You can compare that alongside your takeaway insurance.
Compare takeaway insurance quotesWhat affects takeaway insurance costs
Takeaway insurance premiums vary widely from one outlet to the next. A small sandwich bar with a panini grill sits in a very different bracket to a busy fish and chip shop running open fryers late into the night. The figure moves with how you cook, the equipment and food stock you hold, the staff you employ, whether you deliver, where you trade and how well the premises are protected against fire. Understanding which of these factors drives the premium puts you in a better position to ask the right questions before buying.
Declare your cooking method and fire protection accurately at quote stage, and set the sums insured to cover the full cost of replacing catering equipment, fixtures and food stock. Insurer appetite for hot-food risks differs more than most owners expect. Some insurers will not write open deep-fat frying, late-night trading or delivery-led kitchens. Others specialise in exactly those trades. A specialist broker knows which insurer fits which cooking method, which is why the same takeaway can produce quotes far apart across the market. Get the stock and equipment figures right too, because underinsurance triggers the average clause and cuts every claim payout proportionally.
MMC Takeaway Insurance Specialists, FCA-authorised (reg. 916241)
Cuisine and cooking method
How you cook is the biggest single driver of the fire rating. Open deep-fat fryers carry far more risk than a panini press or a microwave, so a chip shop or fried-chicken outlet is rated differently to a sandwich or coffee bar. The more frying and open-flame grilling you do, the more the premium reflects it.
Equipment, stock and turnover
Cover rates on the full cost of replacing your fryers, ovens, refrigeration, fixtures and fittings, plus your chilled and frozen food stock and your annual turnover. The more catering equipment and stock you hold and the higher your takings, the more the policy costs, so set the sums insured to reflect the real figures.
Number of staff
How many people you employ feeds straight into the premium. Employers' liability becomes a legal requirement the moment you take on kitchen or counter staff, and a larger wage roll and more people working around hot oil, blades and ovens lift both the employers' and public liability exposure the policy has to cover.
Location, hours and delivery
Local crime rates, flood risk, how late you trade and whether you deliver all feed into rating. Late-night opening raises the public liability and security picture, and a busy city-centre pitch costs more than a quiet parade. If you deliver, remember the riders need separate hire and reward motor cover on top.
Claims history
Previous fire, theft, flood, food-poisoning or liability claims load the premium and can bring higher excesses or exclusions. A clean claims record over recent years is one of the clearest ways to keep the cost down, so keep good records and report incidents properly when they happen.
Fire protection and security
Fire-suppression over the range, regular extraction and duct cleaning, serviced fryers, fire extinguishers, smoke detection, a monitored alarm and shutters all reduce the premium. Meeting an insurer's minimum fire and security conditions also keeps your fire and theft cover valid at claim time.
Every takeaway is rated on its own cooking method, equipment, stock, location and fire protection. Compare takeaway insurance quotes to see how your cooking, stock and fire safety shape the premium across our specialist broker panel.
How much does takeaway insurance cost?
There is no fixed online price for takeaway insurance. What you pay depends on how you cook and trade, and a specialist prices it against the risk. The table below shows the main factors that move a takeaway premium up or down.
| Factor | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Cooking method | Deep-fat frying and open flame raise the fire rating. |
| Equipment, stock and turnover | More catering kit, food stock and takings means more to insure. |
| Number of staff | More kitchen and counter staff raises employers' liability exposure. |
| Location, hours and delivery | Late-night trading, busier areas and delivering all lift the risk. |
| Fire protection and security | Suppression, extraction cleaning, alarms and shutters can lower the premium. |
| Claims history | Past fire, theft or food claims raise the price. |
The honest answer: there is no fixed online price for a takeaway. Cooking method, equipment and stock values, staff, hours and fire protection all pull the premium in different directions, so the only accurate figure is a quote against your own outlet. Compare takeaway insurance quotes to see your price across our specialist broker panel.
How takeaway insurance works
From the fryer to the counter, sorting cover for your food outlet does not need to eat into your day. Give us a few details about your takeaway and we route you to FCA-regulated specialist brokers, so you can compare and get set up in three steps.
Tell us about your takeaway
Share the essentials: your trade and cuisine, the premises and whether you own or lease them, how you cook (including any deep-fat frying) and whether you deliver. It only takes a few minutes.
Compare specialist quotes
We match you with FCA-regulated brokers who understand food outlets and kitchen fire risk. They price your cover against your real risk, so you can weigh up quotes side by side.
Choose your cover and get set up
Pick the policy that suits your outlet, ask the broker anything you need to and get set up. If you deliver, they can also point you to separate hire and reward cover for your riders and drivers.
MyMoneyComparison does not advise on or sell insurance. Your details are passed to FCA-regulated UK brokers who arrange cover.
Takeaway cover options and legal requirements
Some parts of a takeaway policy are a legal duty and others simply protect the business you have built. This section sets out the main covers a food outlet needs, from employers' and public liability to catering equipment, food stock, deep-fat fryer fire risk and lost income, and shows where the law sets the rules rather than leaving the choice to you. Open any section below to see what each cover does and when it applies.
Employers' liability: a legal requirement
Employers' liability insurance becomes a legal requirement the moment you take on staff, whether they are full time, part time, seasonal or a family member on the payroll. The Employers' Liability Act 1969 sets a minimum of £5m of cover, and most takeaway policies arrange £10m as standard. It pays compensation and legal costs if a member of your kitchen or counter staff is injured or made ill because of the work they do for you.
The duty applies even to a single weekend fryer or delivery packer. Trading without valid cover is an offence, and the certificate has to be available to your staff. See our takeaway insurance guide for how staff cover fits into a food-outlet policy.
Public liability for customers collecting orders
Public liability covers claims from members of the public who are injured, or whose property is damaged, because of your takeaway. A customer slipping on a wet floor in the collection area, or scalded by hot food handed across the counter, is the classic example. Cover is commonly arranged at £1m, £2m or £5m, and a landlord or delivery platform may ask for a set limit.
It is not required by law, but few food outlets trade without it, and landlords and aggregators expect it as a matter of course. The right limit depends on how busy the outlet is and how late into the night you serve.
Food products liability and allergens
Products liability is central to any takeaway, because you sell food for people to eat. It responds if something you serve causes illness or injury, from food poisoning to an allergic reaction or a foreign object in a dish. Under Natasha's Law you must label allergens accurately, and a mistake here can lead to a serious claim.
For most takeaways products liability sits alongside public liability under a single combined limit. Keeping supplier records, allergen matrices and kitchen temperature logs helps defend a claim and trace an ingredient back to its source.
Premises, catering equipment and food stock
This cover protects your premises interior, fixtures and fittings and catering equipment, from fryers and ovens to refrigeration and extraction, against fire, flood, theft, escape of water and accidental damage. If you own the freehold or are responsible under your lease, buildings cover can be added for the structure and shopfront.
It also covers your food stock, including chilled and frozen goods. The sums insured should reflect the full replacement cost of your equipment and stock at their busiest. See our takeaway insurance guide for how equipment and stock limits are set.
Fire cover: the deep-fat frying risk
Fire is the standout risk in a takeaway. Deep-fat frying is one of the leading causes of commercial kitchen fires, and a single fryer fire can gut a unit and stop you trading. Fire cover pays to repair or rebuild and to replace the equipment and stock lost in the blaze.
Insurers pay close attention to how you manage this risk, so a fixed fire-suppression system over the fryers, regular duct and filter cleaning and safe oil handling all matter. Good fire protection can widen the cover available and help reduce the premium.
Stock deterioration from fridge or freezer breakdown
Chilled and frozen food is a large part of a takeaway's stock, and it spoils quickly if the cold chain fails. Stock deterioration cover pays for food lost when a fridge or freezer breaks down, or when the power supply fails, spoiling the goods inside.
Limits and conditions vary, and insurers may ask for evidence that refrigeration units are serviced. This cover is not always included as standard, so it is worth checking it is on the schedule if you hold significant frozen stock.
Business interruption for lost income
Business interruption replaces the income a takeaway loses when it cannot trade after an insured event such as a fire or flood. It covers lost gross profit and the extra costs of getting back to normal, for example hiring temporary equipment or premises, over an agreed indemnity period.
The indemnity period should be long enough to repair the kitchen, replace equipment and rebuild trade, which for many outlets is 12 to 24 months. Setting it too short is one of the most common gaps in a food-outlet policy.
Delivery drivers need separate hire and reward cover
If your takeaway delivers, the riders and drivers carrying orders for payment need hire and reward motor cover on their vehicle. This is separate from the premises policy, because standard car, van or motorbike insurance does not cover carrying goods for reward.
It applies whether you employ drivers directly or they use their own vehicles. You can compare hire and reward cover alongside your premises policy, so both the outlet and the delivery side are protected.
Each cover meets a different need, and some are set by law rather than left to choice. Compare takeaway insurance quotes to see how premises, liability, fire and income cover are arranged for your outlet across the MyMoneyComparison.com broker panel.
Who needs takeaway insurance?
If you run a takeaway or fast-food outlet, a standard shop or home policy will not reflect how your kitchen actually works. Takeaway insurance is built around commercial cooking, food you sell to eat and the staff who prepare it. It suits owners and tenants alike, from a single collection counter to a small chain of delivery-led sites.
You need takeaway insurance if...
- You own the freehold or hold the premises on a lease, or run a managed site
- You employ kitchen or counter staff, even part-time or family members
- You cook with deep-fat fryers, ovens or hot equipment that carry a real fire risk
- You prepare food customers eat, so allergens and food safety are your responsibility
- You hold chilled or frozen food stock that a fridge or freezer breakdown could spoil
- You trade collection-only or delivery-led, from a single site or a small chain
Cover fits how you trade
Takeaway insurance vs a standard shop or home policy
A takeaway is not a quiet retail unit. It is a working commercial kitchen with hot oil, refrigerated food stock and food handed straight to the public. A standard shop, general business or home policy is not built around those risks, so the exposures that matter most to a food outlet are the ones a generic policy tends to leave out. The matrix below shows where the two approaches part company.
| Takeaway-specific risk | Specialist takeaway insuranceFood-outlet package | Standard shop, business or home policyGeneric cover |
|---|---|---|
|
Commercial-kitchen fireDeep-fat frying is a leading cause of fires in food premises, so fire and fire-suppression risk are rated in.
|
Included | Not reflected |
|
Food products liabilityClaims for food poisoning, foreign objects and allergen labelling under Natasha's Law arise from what you sell to eat.
|
Included | Excluded |
|
Chilled and frozen stock deteriorationA fridge or freezer breakdown can spoil a full holding of food stock overnight.
|
Included | Not covered |
|
Catering equipmentFryers, ovens, extraction and refrigeration are the tools that keep the outlet trading if they break down or are damaged.
|
Included | Not rated |
|
Loss of income after a kitchen fireBusiness interruption replaces takings and covers added costs while the kitchen cannot trade after an insured event.
|
Included | Excluded |
If you deliver, riders and drivers need separate cover. A premises policy protects the building, stock and liabilities, but it does not insure mopeds, scooters or cars used on the road. Anyone delivering hot food for the business needs their own hire and reward motor cover, which you can compare separately.
Important: Cover detail shown reflects how UK takeaway and food-outlet policies are typically structured. It is illustrative only and is not a quotation or an offer of insurance. Policy wording, sums insured, indemnity periods and exclusions vary by insurer and individual circumstances. MyMoneyComparison.com Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, FCA registration number 916241.
Specialist Takeaway Insurance
Specialist takeaway insurance comparison since 2013
Since 2013, MyMoneyComparison.com has helped UK food outlets find cover without the runaround. Whether you run a fish and chip shop, a pizza takeaway, a kebab house, an Indian, Chinese or Thai takeaway, a burger bar or a delivery-led kitchen, our specialist broker panel works with fast-food premises every day. Compare specialist takeaway insurance from a panel that understands deep-fat fryer fire risk, food products liability, chilled and frozen stock, public and employers' liability and business interruption across UK takeaways.
Compare takeaway insurance quotes with some of the UK's top providers, including:
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Everything You Need to Know
Detailed answers to help you understand more about takeaway insurance.
What is takeaway insurance?
Takeaway insurance is a business package for food outlets that brings together the cover a takeaway or fast-food shop needs: its premises, catering equipment and food stock, its liabilities to customers and kitchen staff, and its income if a fire or another insured event stops it trading.
Is takeaway insurance a legal requirement?
The package as a whole is not compulsory, but employers’ liability is a legal requirement from the moment you take on your first member of counter or kitchen staff, at £5m minimum and usually arranged at £10m. Public liability is not required by law, though most landlords and customers expect it.
What does takeaway insurance cover?
The core lines are buildings or contents and fixtures, catering equipment such as fryers, ovens and refrigeration, food stock including chilled and frozen items, public liability, employers’ liability, products liability for the food you serve, and business interruption if you cannot trade. Glass, money and other covers are added to suit how the outlet runs.
Do I need public liability for my takeaway?
It is not required by law, but it is one of the most important covers for a takeaway because members of the public collect orders on your premises. It responds if a customer slips on a wet floor, is scalded by hot food, or their property is damaged, with limits commonly £1m, £2m or £5m.
Does takeaway insurance cover food poisoning and allergens?
Yes, through products liability, which is central for any food outlet. It responds to claims that the food you prepared caused illness such as food poisoning, an allergic reaction, or injury from a foreign object. Accurate allergen labelling under Natasha’s Law also matters, as correct information supports both food safety and any defence.
Does it cover my catering equipment and deep-fat fryer?
Yes. Catering equipment cover protects fryers, ovens, grills and refrigeration against fire, breakdown and damage depending on how the policy is arranged. Fire is the standout risk in a takeaway because deep-fat frying is a leading cause of commercial kitchen fires, so fire cover and fire-suppression equipment are important parts of the policy.
Does it cover chilled and frozen stock if a fridge or freezer fails?
Yes, if you add stock deterioration cover. It pays for chilled and frozen food that spoils when a fridge or freezer breaks down or suffers a power failure, which can be a serious loss for an outlet holding meat, fish and other perishable stock. Set the limit to reflect the value you hold at a busy period.
Does it cover the shopfront and glass?
Yes. Glass cover pays to replace broken shopfront windows, doors and signage, which matters for a takeaway at street level and often open late at night. Money cover can also protect cash and takings held on the premises and on the way to the bank.
Does takeaway insurance cover my delivery drivers?
No. A premises policy does not cover riders or drivers out delivering orders. Anyone delivering for the business needs separate hire and reward motor insurance on their scooter, motorbike, car or van, which is a different product. You can compare hire and reward cover as well as the takeaway premises policy.
How much does takeaway insurance cost?
There is no fixed online price. The premium depends on how you cook, particularly whether you use deep-fat frying, along with premises size and rebuild cost, turnover, staff numbers, whether you deliver, opening hours, location, security, fire protection and claims history. A broker prices the risk once these are known.
Can better fire protection or security lower the premium?
Good risk management can help. Fire-suppression systems over the fryers, regular duct and filter cleaning, extinguishers, alarms, shutters and CCTV all cut the chance of a fire or theft claim, so insurers often view a well-protected outlet more favourably, and some cover is conditional on this equipment being fitted and maintained.
Why use a specialist takeaway insurance broker?
Takeaways carry risks a general business policy handles poorly, from commercial-kitchen fire to food products liability and perishable stock. A specialist broker understands how a food outlet trades and can arrange cover that responds at claim time. MyMoneyComparison.com does not advise or sell, and connects you with FCA-regulated UK brokers who arrange the cover.
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