Let's get specific-restaurant liability exposures

We have addressed property and liability risk management in broad, general terms in previous posts. In this post let's take a look at the liability exposures in a specific industry, namely restaurants. The restaurant owner has a plethora of risk exposures that that they need to keep track of. In addressing general liability exposures they have the following that are probably on the top of the list- poorly lighted exits signs; inadequate railings on stairways; broken furniture; burns to customer's from hot plates or liquids; cuts from broken or chipped tableware; worn floor coverings sticking up, along with spills from soda, coffee etc; and poorly maintained parking lots. Another important area of concern would be the products liability hazards they face, namely - foreign materials in food served; food poisoning as a result of improperly prepared, stored or purchased food; expired shelf life of products; improper temperature of foods stored, and many others too numerous for this post's purpose. The previous entries don't take into account other liability issues faced by restaurants that serve alcohol and the crime exposures they all face. This post isn't to pick on the poor restaurant owner, merely to show the numerous issues that business owners face, and restaurant owners in particular in this instance, and how important it is to pay attention to not just the bottom line, but to be aware of these issues as they pertain to your specific industry/business.

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