As an independent food vendor at craft shows and festivals, you probably already know a lot of the ins and outs of selling food to hundreds or thousands of people in a day. You know how to order your stock, to create your product, to set up your booth, to collect money, and to balance your books. However, not knowing the right information about your insurance could ruin your entire business with a single bout of food sickness, even if it isn’t strictly your fault.
Just like anyone else, you need health insurance to cover yourself and your family. You can buy individual health insurance plans quite easily now, though they can be rather expensive. Just be sure to look over the plan thoroughly to be sure that you aren’t paying for services that you don’t need. Do, however, be sure that you will be covered in the event of a major medical emergency.
As a vendor, one of the most important forms of insurance you’ll need is liability insurance. You may think that you’re too safe in your food handling procedures to need this type of insurance, but there are really a thousand things that could go wrong. What happens if a customer gets cut on a loose screw on your booth? What happens if one of your employees trips or burns herself with hot oil? What happens if one of your vendors sells you a bad product and you have to deal with the liability fall-out?
Now you probably have another fifty scenarios running through your mind. Liability insurance, though, can set you at ease. It will ensure that after you take all the necessary precautions you don’t get sued for all you own when the worst happens. Just be sure that you have plenty of liability insurance to cover lawyer and settlement costs, and you’ll be fine.
Lastly, you certainly need property insurance. Even if you have only one food booth, you’ve still got quite a bit of money invested in it, and to see that money go down the drain when something bad happens would be terrible. You can get a separate business property insurance policy through just about any insurance agency, or you can possibly save money by buying it through the same company who insures your home.
Oftentimes a business insurance policy will roll two or three of these types of insurance into one, and this could be a good way to go. Just be sure that you know exactly what you’re getting before you sign on the dotted line.
