Personal and private chefs cook food basing on their client’s needs. The demand for personal chefs is increasing rapidly, with more people seeking their services. As a practicing private or personal chef, it is important to protect your business against possible lawsuits. The only way you can do so is through personal chef insurance.
To help you understand the importance of chef insurance, we will discuss what it covers in detail and why you should get it. We will also discuss the average cost of private chef insurance and the factors that determine its cost.
Personal Chef Liability Insurance
You cook up unique, delicious, and creative meals for your clients with your private chef business. This business is lucrative because you don’t have to serve hundreds of guests and stick to a boring menu. Instead, you are free to explore a wide range of choices and put your culinary skills to use. This makes your job easier and exciting. Most chefs dream of becoming private or personal chefs due to the many benefits the role offers.
As much as this role is exciting, it is not free of potential pitfalls and challenges. Being a personal chef can be tough, with lots of pressure to create unique dishes from scratch. Besides, the risk isn’t just about ensuring the foods are delicious — there are many other things to worry about. For instance, you need to beware of your client’s nutritional goals, dietary restrictions, and possible allergies. In simple terms, there are high chances of error when running a personal chef business. This is why it is necessary to get private chef insurance.
If you are always worried about the liabilities that come with your job, you won’t be confident in your cooking. Whether it is kitchen fires or food poisoning, there are many factors you need to account for. Without insurance for chefs, you don’t have the necessary protection to cover your private chef business from claims. This means you will spend a lot of money to replace damaged property and cover medical bills.
What Private Chef Insurance Covers
A personal chef insurance policy covers many claims. This section breaks down what private chef insurance covers;
Third-Party Property Damage
You are cooking in the kitchen while doing other tasks, then a fire starts. You struggle with it and manage to put it out, but the expensive custom-made cabinets sustain extensive damage. Infuriated, the client requests that you pay for repairs by filing a claim against your chef business. In that case, personal chef insurance will cover the costs of repairs. This helps prevent unnecessary expenses that lead to losses.
Third-Party Bodily Injury
While busy preparing lunch in the kitchen, your client’s young son comes rushing through the kitchen. While you handle the beef stew, he runs into the table you placed the knife after chopping groceries. Then, the knife falls and cuts his foot. The cut is not deep, but his overcautious parents decide to rush him to ER. Given that the cut resulted from your “careless” handling of the knife, they ask you to cover the medical costs. A personal chef insurance policy covers against such claims.
Errors and Omissions
A popular model hires you to prepare her nutritious meals to achieve a perfect body shape. She also needs you to help her with meal prep because it is a requirement in the upcoming competition. You prepare a detailed plan that you believe will help her attain her goals.
However, due to several errors and omissions in the plan, she fails her project and misses out on the lucrative deal. Devastated, she files a claim against your chef business. In this case, personal chef insurance covers you.
Defense Costs
A professional boxer hires you to help him eat nutritiously so that he gains weight in a short time. Despite applying your skills and experience, he barely gains any weight to make the fight. So he is ruled out of that weight class, and off goes his paycheck. Counting his losses, he decides to take you to court for failing to deliver expected results. Private chef insurance will cover you in such cases, hiring a legal team to represent you.
Personal Chef Insurance Cost
The average personal chef liability insurance cost is $450 per month. However, the cost varies from one private chef business to another. You should budget for around $500 monthly for this insurance policy. You can also purchase it annually for a few thousand dollars. If you are an established private chef business, you could pay up to $10,000 per year.
Factors that Determine the Cost of Your Insurance Policy
When looking to purchase private chef insurance cover, several factors will determine its cost. Here are some of those factors;
Location
The state your private chef business is located in could influence the cost of your insurance cover. Some states demand that you have an insurance policy costing above a specific amount of money. For instance, the limit could be $500 per month, meaning you must buy a policy above this amount. Therefore, it is important to confirm the laws in your state before purchasing a personal chef insurance policy.
Number of Employees
Like any other type of insurance, the cost of personal chef business insurance is influenced by the number of employees. If your business has a significant number of employees, your policy will cost more. This is because the insurance policy covers your employees as well. Those with very few employees could pay as little as $250 per month for private chef insurance.
Per-Occurrence Limit
Some businesses are prone to claims due to high risk. If your chef business is prone to risks, you will pay more for your insurance cover. The claims history also plays an important role in determining the insurance cost. If your industry faces a lot of lawsuits or claims, the insurance cost will also increase. This is important because you need to get a comprehensive insurance cover that protects you against a wide range of claims.
