Business insurance
Takeaway Insurance
cover for the kitchen, the counter, the customers and the staff of a UK takeaway
A package for a takeaway: the kitchen equipment and stock, liability to customers and staff, and options such as lost income and spoiled stock. Kitchen fire conditions can decide a claim.
- Pizza, kebab, curry, chicken and more
- Kitchen, stock and liability together
- Late-night and delivery trade
- FCA authorised and regulated
Quick answerTakeaway insurance is a package of cover for a UK hot food takeaway. It can bring together contents and stock, public and products liability, and employers’ liability if you have staff, with options such as business interruption, deterioration of stock, money and glass. The kitchen, the opening hours and any delivery shape the terms. Tell MyMoneyComparison.com about your takeaway once, and specialist UK brokers can come back with quotes.
This page is about the takeaway business. Drivers delivering food need their own vehicle cover, on our food delivery insurance page. Chip shops have their own fish and chip shop insurance page, and a building with flats above a takeaway is on mixed-use property insurance.
At a glance
Takeaway Cover, in Brief
Six things that decide how takeaway insurance behaves, before any of the detail.
- The kitchen is the risk
- Fryers, grills and ducts shape the fire terms
- Customers and staff
- Public, products and employers’ liability
- Chilled and frozen stock
- Spoilage needs its own section
- Late opening
- Hours and location feed the rate
- Delivery is separate
- Drivers need their own vehicle cover
- Lost trading
- Business interruption after insured damage
The basics
What Is Takeaway Insurance?
A combined policy for a hot food takeaway. Instead of buying each cover on its own, a takeaway policy puts the sections a takeaway is likely to need on one schedule, each with its own limit.
Contents and equipment
Fryers, ovens, fridges, counters and fit-out, against fire, theft, flood and other insured events.
Public liability
Injury or damage to customers and others arising from your business.
Products liability
Claims that food you sold made someone ill.
Employers’ liability
For staff who are injured or fall ill because of their work.
Deterioration of stock
Food spoiled when a fridge or freezer fails, where included.
Business interruption
Lost income while insured damage stops or slows trading.
How it works
How Does Takeaway Insurance Work?
You describe the takeaway, the kitchen and how it trades, choose the sections and limits, and the insurer sets terms. Changes during the year are reported so the cover keeps up.
You describe the takeaway
The food you cook, the premises, the turnover, the staff and the opening hours.
You describe the kitchen
The cooking methods, the fryers, the extraction and any fire suppression.
The insurer sets terms
The schedule lists the sections, the limits and any kitchen or security conditions.
Changes are reported during the year
New equipment, later hours, a change of menu or starting delivery can change the cover.
What it covers
What Does Takeaway Insurance Cover?
Contents, equipment and stock, liability to customers and staff, and a choice of extra sections such as deterioration of stock, business interruption, glass and money.
| Section | Where it sits | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Contents and equipment | Core | Fryers, ovens, fridges and fit-out |
| Stock | Core | Food, drink and packaging |
| Public and products liability | Core | The limit is set on your schedule |
| Employers’ liability | If you employ anyone | Covers injury or illness to staff |
| Deterioration of stock | Optional on some policies | Stock spoiled when cooling fails |
| Business interruption | Optional on some policies | Income lost after insured damage |
| Glass and money | Optional | The shopfront and the takings |
| Buildings | If you are responsible | Owners insure it; tenants check the lease |
A takeaway below flats? The landlord’s building policy has to expect a takeaway. Tell your landlord what you cook, as it can matter to their insurer too.
Exclusions
What Takeaway Insurance Does Not Include
Delivery vehicles, fire claims where kitchen conditions were not met, gradual damage, and losses beyond the limits on the schedule.
Delivery vehicles
Cars, vans and scooters need their own motor cover.
Unmet kitchen conditions
A fire claim can be affected if duct cleaning conditions were not met.
Wear, tear and breakdown
Ageing equipment and mechanical failure.
Stock spoilage
Unless a deterioration of stock section is included.
Cash above the limits
Takings beyond the money limit, or left outside a safe overnight.
Theft without forced entry
Some policies pay theft only after forcible entry or exit.
Types
Which Takeaways Can Be Covered?
A wide range of hot food takeaways. The cooking method, and especially deep frying, shapes the kitchen terms more than the cuisine.
Pizza takeaways
Ovens, and sometimes delivery.
Kebab and grill shops
Grills, fryers and late hours.
Curry and Chinese takeaways
Woks, tandoors and fryers.
Chicken and burger shops
High fryer use.
Cafés with takeaway
Hot food to go alongside seating.
Delivery-only kitchens
Cooking for delivery apps, with no counter.
A chip shop? See our fish and chip shop insurance page.
Who it is for
Who Needs Takeaway Insurance
Anyone running a hot food takeaway, whether they rent or own the premises, trade alone or employ staff.
Sole traders
Running a takeaway in their own name.
Limited companies
Insured in the company’s name.
Tenants
Insuring contents and liability, with the lease in mind.
Owners of their premises
Adding buildings cover to the same policy.
Franchisees
Where the franchise agreement may set cover levels.
New takeaways
Opening for the first time.
Takeaway or delivery
Takeaway Insurance vs Delivery Driver Cover
A takeaway policy covers the business on its premises. Anyone delivering food by car, van, scooter or bike for payment needs their own delivery cover.
| Takeaway policy | Delivery driver cover | |
|---|---|---|
| The kitchen and equipment | Covered | Not covered |
| Customers in the shop | Covered | Not covered |
| Food on the road | Not covered | Depends on the policy |
| The vehicle and other road users | Not covered | Covered |
Two kinds of liability. Public liability is for customers and the public; employers’ liability is for staff. Our guide to public vs employers’ liability sets them side by side.
Cost
What Takeaway Insurance Is Priced On
The cooking methods, the turnover, the staff, the opening hours, the location, the security and the claims history. We do not print average premiums.
Why the kitchen leads
Deep frying and open flames carry a higher fire risk, so the cooking methods and the fire protection drive the property side of the price.
Why the hours matter too
Late-night trading and the location feed the theft and liability side of the rate.
What the quote is rated on
The main factors
- The kitchenCooking methods and fire protectionBase
- Turnover and staffFor the liability sectionsRate
- Hours and locationLate opening, crime and floodRate
- SecurityAlarm, shutters, CCTVRate
- HistoryPast claimsAdjust
Flood exposure
Flood Re is for homes, not takeaways, so flood terms are set by the insurer.
Staff numbers
The employers’ liability section is rated on the staff you employ.
Cash handling
Higher money limits and more cash on site can change the price.
Kitchen conditions
The Kitchen Conditions That Decide a Takeaway Claim
Takeaway fire claims can turn on whether the kitchen conditions on the schedule were met. Four come up again and again.
Keep the extraction ducts cleaned
Some policies require the extraction system to be cleaned by a specialist at set intervals, with a certificate or records kept.
Look after the fryers
Thermostats working, fryers never left unattended while on, and turned off at close.
Keep fire kit serviced
Fire blankets, extinguishers and any suppression system over the range, maintained and in date.
Lock up and set the alarm
Where the schedule names an alarm, shutters or cash limits, a theft while they were not followed may not be paid in full.
Quote checklist
What You Will Be Asked for a Takeaway Insurance Quote
Six things shape the quote: the food and cooking, the kitchen protection, the premises, the turnover and staff, the hours, and the claims history.
Food and cooking
What you cook and how, including deep frying.
Kitchen protection
Extraction, duct cleaning and any suppression system.
The premises
Address, and whether there are flats above.
Turnover and staff
Annual turnover and the people you employ.
Opening hours
Including late-night trading.
Claims history
Recent claims and any past refusals of cover.
Comparing
Checking Takeaway Insurance Quotes Side by Side
Four areas decide whether a policy suits the takeaway: kitchen terms, contents and stock, business interruption, and liability. None of them is the price.
Kitchen terms
- Duct cleaning conditions
- Fryer and suppression requirements
- Closing-down checks
Contents and stock
- The equipment limit
- Deterioration of stock
- Glass and money
Business interruption
- The indemnity period
- How lost income is worked out
- Cover if access is blocked
Liability
- The public and products liability limit
- Employers’ liability
- Legal expenses
Read the kitchen conditions before you buy. They can matter more to a fire claim than the limit. Unfamiliar terms are explained in our plain English jargon guide.
Cutting costs
How to Reduce the Cost of Takeaway Insurance
The levers are kitchen fire protection, good records, security, and the excess. We publish no savings figures.
Fit fire suppression
An automatic system over the range can help the terms.
Keep duct cleaning records
Certificates from each specialist clean.
Improve the security
Shutters, an alarm and CCTV can help the terms.
Bank takings often
Less cash on site can mean lower money limits.
Declare accurate figures
Turnover and equipment values that match reality.
Choose the excess deliberately
A higher excess is a lever, worth using only at a level the business could absorb.
Glossary
Takeaway Insurance Terms Explained
The words that come up most on a takeaway schedule.
- Duct cleaning
- Specialist cleaning of the kitchen extraction system.
- Fire suppression
- An automatic system that puts out a fire over the range.
- Products liability
- Liability for illness or injury caused by food you sell.
- Deterioration of stock
- Cover for food spoiled when cooling fails.
- Contents
- Equipment, furniture and fit-out.
- Business interruption
- Cover for income lost after insured damage.
- Indemnity period
- How long business interruption cover pays for.
- Hire and reward
- Delivering goods for payment, which needs its own motor cover.
- Average
- A reduction in a claim when the sum insured is too low.
- Excess
- The part of each claim you pay yourself.
Why MyMoneyComparison.com
Why Compare Takeaway Insurance with MyMoneyComparison.com?
MyMoneyComparison.com is an FCA-authorised UK comparison service that introduces takeaway owners to specialist brokers. We do not sell insurance and we do not give advice: the broker you choose arranges the policy. Using us is free.
One form, one takeaway
Describe your takeaway once, instead of repeating yourself to each broker.
Advice given
We are an introducer, not a broker. We do not sell policies and we do not recommend one insurer or product over another. Read our editorial policy.
Authorised and regulated
MyMoneyComparison.com Ltd appears on the FCA register under FRN 916241.
Incorporated
A UK company since 2013. FCA authorisation is separate and later; the register carries its date.
FAQs
Takeaway Insurance FAQs
Answers on the kitchen, delivery, stock, hours and lost trading.
What is takeaway insurance?
A combined policy for a hot food takeaway. It can bring together contents and stock, public and products liability, and employers’ liability if you have staff, with optional sections such as business interruption, deterioration of stock, money and glass.
Do I need takeaway insurance?
A full takeaway package is not a legal requirement, but employing staff usually brings a duty to hold employers’ liability cover, with some exceptions. Landlords and franchise agreements can ask for other cover too.
Why do insurers ask about deep frying?
Deep fat fryers are a common cause of kitchen fires, so insurers ask about them and about the fire protection in place. Some set conditions on thermostats, supervision and suppression systems.
Why does my insurer ask about duct cleaning?
Grease builds up in extraction ducts and can spread a fire. Some insurers require the ducts to be cleaned by a specialist at set intervals, and a fire claim can be affected if that condition was not met.
Does takeaway insurance cover food poisoning claims?
Products liability covers claims that food you sold made someone ill, up to the limit on the schedule. Check it appears alongside public liability on your policy.
Are my delivery drivers covered?
Not by the takeaway policy. Anyone delivering food by car, van, scooter or bike for payment needs motor cover that includes delivery, whether they are staff or self-employed.
Is my stock covered if the freezer fails?
Only if the policy includes a deterioration of stock section, which some insurers offer as an option. It covers food spoiled when cooling equipment breaks down or the power fails.
Does late-night opening affect my insurance?
It can. Late-night trading can change the theft and liability risk, so insurers ask about your hours. Declaring them accurately keeps the cover sound if you need to claim.
What if there are flats above my takeaway?
Tell your insurer and your landlord. A takeaway beneath homes is a trade insurers look at closely, and the building policy needs to expect it as well as your own.
Is my equipment covered if it breaks down?
Mechanical or electrical breakdown is not an insured event on a standard contents section. Some insurers offer an equipment breakdown section as an option for kitchens.
What is business interruption cover?
It pays for income lost while insured damage stops or slows trading, for up to the indemnity period you choose. It generally follows damage that the policy covers, so it will not pay for a quiet month.
Do I need buildings cover if I rent the takeaway?
It depends on the lease: some landlords insure the building and recover the cost through the rent. Some leases pass that duty to the tenant, so the lease decides.
Does takeaway insurance cover the takings?
Where money cover is included, it pays up to set limits, which differ for cash in a locked safe, cash on the premises during opening hours, and cash on the way to the bank.
Is my shopfront glass covered?
Only if the policy includes glass cover, which some insurers offer as a separate section. Some leases make the tenant responsible for the shopfront glass, so read the lease first.
Can a takeaway with a previous claim get cover?
It depends on the insurer, and past claims can affect the price and terms. Declaring claims history accurately keeps the cover sound, as undeclared claims can affect a later claim.
How do I compare takeaway insurance quotes?
Look beyond the price to the kitchen conditions, the equipment and stock limits, deterioration of stock, the business interruption period, the liability limits and the excess.
Ready when you are
Get Quotes for Your Takeaway
Tell us what you need to insure. If you picked it at the top of this page it is already on the button below. Specialist UK brokers can then come back with quotes for your takeaway. Free to use, with no obligation to buy.
- Kitchen, stock and liability together
- Free to use, no obligation
- FCA authorised and regulated
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About this page
This page explains UK takeaway insurance: what it covers, what it leaves out, and how kitchen conditions shape a claim. It is general information rather than advice. Policies differ between insurers, so read your own documents and put the questions raised here to your insurer or broker.
How we approached this page
- Published UK takeaway and hospitality policies
- HSE guidance on employers’ liability cover
- The Flood Re eligibility criteria
Legal & Regulatory Information:
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