A caterer in Coconut Grove books a wedding at a waterfront club. Two weeks later the club’s events office emails a page titled “Vendor Insurance Requirements.” It lists a general liability limit and aggregate, liquor liability, an umbrella, workers’ compensation, commercial auto, the club and its management company as additional insureds, primary and noncontributory wording, a waiver of subrogation, and a deadline for the certificate fourteen days before the event. The caterer forwards it to the agency with a one-line note asking for a certificate.
That is how most caterers handle it, and it is how some of them learn at the loading dock that the certificate they sent does not satisfy the list. Venue requirement sheets are written by people who read them closely, and every line on them means something specific.
What the Limits on the Sheet Mean
The general liability per-occurrence limit is the most the policy pays for one incident, and the aggregate is the most it pays in a policy year. Venues usually specify both, and a busy caterer should remember that claims from other events reduce the aggregate available for the next one. If a venue’s number is higher than what the caterer carries, the usual answer is an umbrella rather than a higher primary limit.
Liquor liability is separate from general liability, which excludes alcohol claims for businesses in the business of serving. If staff will pour, the venue will want to see it. An umbrella or excess layer sits above the primary limits, but it only helps if it follows form over the underlying policies, including liquor. An umbrella that excludes liquor liability adds a number to the certificate without adding protection where the venue is most worried.
Workers’ Compensation and Auto
The caterer’s servers, cooks and bartenders are the caterer’s employees at the venue, not the venue’s. Florida generally requires workers’ compensation once a non-construction business has four or more employees, including part-time workers, and venues ask for proof because an injured worker on their property can lead to a claim against them. Commercial auto shows up on the list because the vans and trucks delivering food and equipment use the venue’s service drives and loading docks, where accidents happen.
Additional Insured, Primary and Waiver of Subrogation
Three lines on the sheet come from endorsements on the caterer’s policy. Additional insured status means the venue, and often its owner and management company, is covered under the caterer’s policy for claims arising from the caterer’s work. Primary and noncontributory wording means the caterer’s policy responds first and does not ask the venue’s insurer to share the loss. A waiver of subrogation means the caterer’s insurer gives up the right to pursue the venue to recover what it paid.
These three items are where most certificate problems come from, because they cannot be created by typing a name onto a certificate. They exist only if the endorsements are attached to the policy.
A Certificate Is Not an Endorsement
A certificate of insurance is a summary. It lists policies, limits and dates, and it can show the venue’s name in the certificate holder box. It does not make the venue an additional insured, it does not make the coverage primary and it does not waive subrogation. An agency can only show on a certificate the coverage the policy actually has.
Sophisticated events offices know this, which is why many of them ask for copies of the endorsements along with the certificate. The time to find out whether a policy carries them is when the program is bought, not two weeks before a wedding. Our article on insurance requirements in a Florida commercial lease explains the same endorsements from a tenant’s side, and the logic is identical.
Blanket Endorsements Save the Scramble
A caterer working dozens of events a year may need additional insured status for dozens of venues, owners and planners. A blanket additional insured endorsement extends that status automatically to any party the caterer is required by written contract to include, without a new endorsement for each event. Many carriers also offer blanket primary and noncontributory and blanket waiver of subrogation wording.
For a caterer with steady volume, blanket endorsements are the difference between a same-day certificate and a week of back-and-forth before every booking. The written-contract condition matters, so the caterer should make sure each venue agreement actually states the requirement.
Liquor Depends on Who Supplies the Alcohol
When the caterer holds a license and sells, liquor liability is required and the venue will expect to see it. When the client provides the alcohol and the caterer’s staff pours, the exposure does not disappear. The bartenders still control service, including whether an impaired guest is cut off, and host liquor coverage included in some general liability policies is not a substitute for full liquor liability. When a separate bar company serves, that company’s certificate should name the caterer and the venue as additional insureds by endorsement. Venues ask about this directly, and the answer changes what the certificate needs to show. We cover the arrangements in more detail in catering and off-premises alcohol service.
Damage to the Venue
A caterer that scorches a ballroom floor, stains a carpet or gouges a wall during setup is damaging property in its care at the time, and general liability policies often limit or exclude that. Some catering programs add coverage for damage to premises rented or property in the caterer’s care, custody or control. Venue agreements frequently expect it without naming it, so it is worth confirming before working somewhere with expensive finishes.
Read the Indemnity Clause
Most venue agreements include a hold harmless or indemnity clause, and some reach further than the caterer’s policy. A broad clause can require the caterer to indemnify the venue even for claims caused partly by the venue’s own negligence. Policies generally cover some contractual liability assumed in a written agreement, but the scope varies. A caterer should read the clause before signing and send it to the agency along with the insurance requirements, because changing a clause before signature is much easier than discovering it after a claim.
Worth Confirming With Your Agent
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Whether your limits, including the aggregate, meet the venue’s stated minimums
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Whether your umbrella follows form over liquor liability
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Whether your policy carries blanket additional insured, primary and noncontributory, and waiver of subrogation endorsements
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Whether liquor liability applies when clients supply the alcohol and your staff serves it
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Whether damage to the venue’s property is covered
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Whether the indemnity clause in the venue agreement goes beyond what your policy covers
This article is general information and is not legal advice.
Talk to Prestige Insurance Group
Prestige Insurance Group insures caterers throughout Florida and builds programs with the endorsements venues ask for, so certificates can go out the same day. If a requirement sheet has landed in your inbox and you are not sure your policy meets it, send it to us with your current declarations and we will tell you where you stand.
Call the office nearest you. Se habla español.
Orlando: 407-993-2331
Miami: 305-969-8776
Stuart: 772-247-3788
Prestige Insurance Group, License L057894
