Catering Van Insurance - Coverage for Caterers - Money Expert

In the UK, food has gone mobile. No longer just the preserve of ice cream vans and coffee stations in work car parks, van catering has gone upscale and grown-up. Now food trucks sling intricate tacos to festival-goers and workers on lunch breaks. They’ve even become a destination for foodies, the place to sample the culinary sensations, from vegan fare to bacon-themed everything.

If you’re considering getting into the mobile food business yourself, you’ll want to ensure your van - your kitchen and your storefront - is properly protected. Here’s all the insurance a mobile food business needs, fromvan insurance that covers all your equipment to product liability.

Insuring your catering van

A catering van isn’t any ordinary van. It’s kitted out with expensive, and heavy, catering equipment and refrigeration - which are as important to your business as the vehicle itself. So a standardvan insurance policy won’t cut the mustard.

You’ll need an insurance policy that covers not only the vehicle itself but also its permanent fittings—all the deep fryers, grills, and refrigerators you’ve installed in the back. After all, an insurance payout for a stolen catering van is useless if it only covers the vehicle itself and not the kitchen that really makes it run.

Furthermore, the risks that catering vans are exposed to are different. You might not log many miles on your catering van or, if you’re behind the wheel of a Mr Whippy, ever drive it very fast. So your van is less at risk of being involved in a collision, or at least a serious one. But electrical appliances aboard and cooking hot food increase the risk of fire. You’ll need an insurance policy that caters to these hazards.

Luckily, insurers offer tailored mobile cateringvan insurance, which covers your van and its equipment both in transit and when it’s used to cook and serve food.

What other insurance does your mobile food business need?

If you’re operating a mobile catering business, you’ll also need business insurance, in addition to and separate from insurance for the vehicle itself.

Business insurance policies have three essential types of cover you can’t live, and cook, without:

Insurance extras for your mobile catering van

You can also explore additional coverage, generally added to your business insurance policy, to further protect your catering business: