Seafood Restaurant insurance in Memphis
Build a Memphis quote around the menu, equipment, service model, people, property, and off-premises work your seafood restaurant actually has.
For fish restaurants, oyster bars with food-forward sales, crab houses, and seafood counters.
Prefer to talk? Call (929) 594-5450
What seafood restaurant insurance costs in Memphis
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. Our lowest bind for a Mexican seafood restaurant was $3,278/yr (general liability). Liability and property together start at $1,153/yr on a bound businessowners policy. A seafood restaurant lands above or near those depending on cooking, alcohol, sales, payroll, property, and claims.
In Tennessee, our lowest restaurant quote so far is $2,747 a year for liability + property.
A useful seafood restaurant quote starts with the real operation: raw or cooked seafood, shucking, frying or grilling, cold storage, takeout, and alcohol if offered. Refrigeration, freezer stock, spoilage, cooking equipment, shellfish handling, and tenant improvements should be valued and described.
| 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. |
| Tennessee restaurant quote (quote, not bound) | from $2,747/yr | Our lowest Tennessee restaurant quote, for liability + property, out of 6 we have written there as of 2026-09-26. |
| General liability for this concept (bound) | from $3,278/yr | Our lowest bind for a Mexican seafood restaurant. |
| 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
- ✓Raw shellfish and seafood sourcing controls
- ✓Refrigeration, freezer, and spoilage values
- ✓Frying, grilling, alcohol, and waterfront exposure
- ✓Building or tenant-property values, refrigeration, equipment, spoilage, and requested deductibles
The coverage a Memphis seafood restaurant needs
Raw oysters and clams carry a Vibrio and contamination exposure, and the FDA Food Code consumer advisory applies. Shellfish tags and supplier records are the evidence carriers want.
Fried seafood means heavy fryer use: Hood and duct cleaning on the schedule NFPA 96 sets for your cooking volume, a UL 300 wet-chemical suppression system over the line, and a Class K extinguisher near the fryers.
Lobster tanks and seafood cases are valuable, perishable stock, so spoilage and equipment-breakdown coverage matter.
Document approved suppliers, shellfish records, refrigeration, temperature controls, preparation, and response to a suspected foodborne-illness event.
List refrigerated stock values and ask how equipment breakdown, power interruption, contamination, and spoilage are treated.
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 Memphis
State resources checked . Confirm current requirements with the linked agencies.
Who permits restaurants in Memphis
Shelby County permits Memphis restaurants after plan and menu review; the annual permit fee is lower for restaurants with 50 seats or fewer than for larger dining rooms.
Shelby County Health Department: environmental health and food safety →Opening or renewing in Memphis
Submit two sets of plans and the proposed menu before construction starts, then notify the health department a week before opening to book the inspection. The annual permit fee is tiered by seat count, with a lower fee for 50 seats or fewer.
Shelby County Health Department: environmental health and food safety →What an underwriter will ask a seafood restaurant in Memphis
Raw bar or raw shellfish? How many fryers? Live tanks and value of seafood stock? Waterfront or outdoor deck seating? Alcohol share of sales?
Tennessee rules that also apply
Workers' comp, liquor licensing and the state food code are set at the Tennessee level. See the Tennessee seafood restaurant insurance page for those, and for what we've quoted restaurants across Tennessee.
Prefer to talk? Call (929) 594-5450
Frequently asked questions
Who issues restaurant permits in Memphis?
Shelby County permits Memphis restaurants after plan and menu review; the annual permit fee is lower for restaurants with 50 seats or fewer than for larger dining rooms.
How much does seafood restaurant insurance cost in Memphis?
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. Our lowest bind for a Mexican seafood restaurant was $3,278/yr (general liability). Liability and property together start at $1,153/yr on a bound businessowners policy. A seafood restaurant lands above or near those depending on cooking, alcohol, sales, payroll, property, and claims.
Does a raw oyster bar affect insurance?
It adds product-liability exposure. Keeping shellfish tags, buying from certified sources and posting the consumer advisory make it a routine risk for carriers that write seafood restaurants.
Does serving raw shellfish affect seafood restaurant insurance?
It can. Insurers may review supplier records, tags, refrigeration, temperature controls, training, and loss history. Describe raw and cooked sales rather than reporting only total seafood revenue.
What information should a seafood 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 →