Italian Restaurant insurance in South Carolina
Build a South Carolina quote around the menu, equipment, service model, people, property, and off-premises work your Italian restaurant actually has.
For trattorias, pasta restaurants, Italian cafés, and food-forward wine restaurants.
Prefer to talk? Call (929) 594-5450
How an Italian restaurant quote is built in South Carolina
The lowest food-service general liability policy we have bound is $597/yr, a policy we wrote for a caterer in New York, and our lowest restaurant workers' comp policy is $509/yr. Liability and property together start at $1,153/yr on a bound businessowners policy. An Italian restaurant lands above or near those depending on cooking, alcohol, sales, payroll, property, and claims.
In South Carolina, our lowest restaurant quote so far is $1,639 a year for liability + property.
A useful Italian restaurant quote starts with the real operation: ranges, ovens, sauté, pasta preparation, table service, takeout, catering, and wine or cocktails if offered. Kitchen equipment, hood and suppression, wine inventory, tenant improvements, and refrigeration should be valued accurately.
| Coverage | Typical cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| General liability (bound) | from $597/yr | Our lowest bound food-service liability policy, for a caterer in New York. Cooking, alcohol, sales, and claims move it up from there. |
| Workers' compensation (bound) | from $509/yr | Our lowest bound restaurant workers' comp policy, for a sandwich shop. Priced on payroll, so staff size drives it. |
| South Carolina restaurant quote (quote, not bound) | from $1,639/yr | Our lowest South Carolina restaurant quote, for liability + property, out of 3 we have written there as of 2026-09-26. |
| Liability + property BOP (bound) | from $1,153/yr | Our lowest bound businessowners policy, for a full-service restaurant in New York. Building, equipment and contents values set this one. |
| Liquor, auto, and umbrella | As applicable | Each is priced on its own exposure; a restaurant package does not automatically include every line. |
These are the lowest premiums we have actually bound for restaurants, as of 2026-09-26, plus the lowest instant quotes a carrier issued ready to bind (marked "instant quote, bindable"; those are real quotes, not bound policies) and, where marked "quote", an ordinary carrier quote. Each is labelled by line of business. Your price depends on your menu, cooking, alcohol, sales, payroll, property, location, and claims. They are not an offer of insurance.
What moves your price
- ✓Annual sales, payroll, seating, square footage, hours, years in business, and loss history
- ✓Menu, cooking equipment, fuel, hood and suppression, cleaning, and fire inspection details
- ✓Cooking line, oven type, and fire protection
- ✓Table service, catering, and takeout
- ✓Wine and liquor receipts, storage, and hours
- ✓Building or tenant-property values, refrigeration, equipment, spoilage, and requested deductibles
Coverage questions for a South Carolina Italian restaurant
Wood-fired ovens and grills are solid-fuel cooking with their own NFPA 96 venting rules. Gas-only kitchens are rated differently.
Italian restaurants often carry a real wine list. Alcohol share of sales, bar seating and service hours set the liquor liability price.
Boiling water and hot pans make scald burns a leading staff injury. Workers' comp pricing follows kitchen payroll.
List ovens, ranges, fryers, refrigeration, hood and suppression, tenant improvements, wine inventory, and business-income exposure.
Report alcohol receipts and hours and compare liquor liability, assault or battery wording, and server-training controls.
Customer injury, foodborne illness, allergens, premises, delivery and catering, checked against what you actually do.
Equipment, contents, stock, improvements and lost income after a covered loss. Compare valuation, deductibles, spoilage and restoration time.
What to check in South Carolina
State food resources checked . Confirm current requirements with the linked agencies.
What we've quoted restaurants in South Carolina
Our lowest South Carolina restaurant quote is $1,639 a year for liability + property, out of 3 South Carolina restaurant quotes we have written. It's a quote, not a bound policy, and your number depends on your own menu, sales, payroll and property.
Confirm the food-establishment route in South Carolina
South Carolina's retail food program is now at the Department of Agriculture. Use SCDA's current permit and plan-review resources rather than an old DHEC application link.
SCDA Retail Food Safety →Italian Restaurant details to send with the request
For a South Carolina quote, describe ranges, ovens, sauté, pasta preparation, table service, takeout, catering, and wine or cocktails if offered. Include the menu, equipment and fuel, sales split, protection records, property values, staffing, claims, and requested effective date.
What an underwriter will ask an Italian restaurant in South Carolina
Wood-fired oven or gas only? Alcohol share of sales, and is there a bar? Private events or catering? Seating, hours, and sales? Do you own the building?
Check the employee rule in South Carolina
South Carolina generally requires workers' compensation once you have 4 or more employees. Confirm how owners, officers, part-time employees, and any separately organized catering or delivery operation are counted.
SC requires $1M liquor liability for late-night service
South Carolina requires businesses licensed to sell alcohol for on-premises consumption after 5 p.m. to carry at least $1 million in liquor liability (SC Code 61-2-145). Courts also recognize dram-shop-style claims. If you serve alcohol in SC, the coverage is a license requirement, not a choice, and SC liquor pricing has risen sharply because of it.
Prefer to talk? Call (929) 594-5450
Frequently asked questions
What information is needed for Italian restaurant insurance in South Carolina?
Prepare the current policy if handy, loss runs, menu, cooking and refrigeration equipment, South Carolina location, sales and payroll, seating and hours, alcohol and delivery details, property values, protection records, lease requirements, and requested effective date.
How much does Italian restaurant insurance cost?
The lowest food-service general liability policy we have bound is $597/yr, a policy we wrote for a caterer in New York, and our lowest restaurant workers' comp policy is $509/yr. Liability and property together start at $1,153/yr on a bound businessowners policy. An Italian restaurant lands above or near those depending on cooking, alcohol, sales, payroll, property, and claims.
Does a wine list mean I need liquor liability?
Yes, if you serve alcohol. Most leases require it, and in states with dram shop laws a single over-service claim can exceed a restaurant's general liability limit. For a restaurant where wine is a modest share of sales, it's usually an affordable add-on.
Does a wine-heavy Italian restaurant need separate liquor liability?
Yes. General liability ordinarily does not replace liquor liability for a business selling alcohol. Report wine, beer, and liquor receipts and compare the liquor form, limits, exclusions, and state requirements.
What information should an Italian restaurant gather for a quote?
Start with the current policy if handy, loss runs, menu, equipment list, sales split, payroll, hours, seating, square footage, alcohol and delivery details, property values, hood and suppression records, lease requirements, and requested effective date. Estimates are fine when labeled as estimates.
Will the policy meet my landlord's lease requirements?
Usually, for the most common request: $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate in general liability, the landlord named as an additional insured, and a certificate of insurance. Send the insurance section of your lease with the quote request so the limits, additional insured wording, damage to rented premises, liquor and umbrella limits can be checked against it before you buy.
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Opening a restaurant?
Plan the steps before your first service, from the opening budget to approvals and lease requirements.
Read the restaurant opening guide →What your landlord's lease will ask for, with real examples →