What is Customer Injury Liability?

Customer Injury Liability refers to your legal responsibility for injuries that customers sustain while on your restaurant premises or as a result of your operations. This includes slip-and-fall accidents, burns from hot food or beverages, cuts from broken glassware, food poisoning, allergic reactions, injuries from falling objects, and any other bodily harm a customer might suffer. Under premises liability law, restaurant owners have a duty to maintain reasonably safe conditions and to warn customers of known hazards. If you breach this duty and a customer is injured as a result, you can be held liable for their medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other damages. Your general liability insurance is specifically designed to protect you from customer injury liability claims by covering your legal defense costs and any settlements or judgments.

What you need to know

Your legal duty to customers

Premises liability imposes specific obligations:

• Maintain safe conditions—repair hazards promptly
• Warn of known dangers—use signs for wet floors, uneven surfaces, hot plates
• Inspect regularly—identify hazards before they cause injury
• Reasonable care standard—what a prudent restaurant owner would do

Common customer injury scenarios

Most frequent liability claims:

• Slip-and-fall accidents (wet floors, uneven surfaces, debris)
• Burns from hot food, beverages, or cooking equipment
• Food poisoning and allergic reactions
• Cuts from broken glassware or sharp objects
• Falling objects (ceiling fixtures, wall decorations, items from shelves)
• Furniture failures (collapsing chairs, unstable tables)

What damages you’re liable for

Successful injury claims can include:

• Medical expenses (emergency care, surgery, ongoing treatment)
• Lost wages (time off work during recovery)
• Pain and suffering (often 2-5x medical costs)
• Permanent disability (can reach $500K-$2M+)
• Punitive damages (if gross negligence proven)

Critical warning: A single serious customer injury—broken hip from a slip-and-fall, permanent disability, severe burns—can generate $150,000-$1,000,000+ in damages. Without adequate general liability insurance, you face personal bankruptcy and loss of your business and personal assets.

Why it matters for Restaurant Owners

Customer injury liability is one of the most common and potentially expensive risks you face as a restaurant owner. Every day, customers walk through your doors, sit in your chairs, eat your food, and use your restrooms—each activity creates an opportunity for injury. Slip-and-fall accidents alone account for a significant percentage of restaurant liability claims, and a serious fall can result in broken bones, head injuries, or permanent disabilities that lead to lawsuits seeking hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars in damages.

The financial impact

Without adequate coverage:

• $50,000-$200,000 for typical slip-and-fall with broken bones
• $200,000-$500,000 for severe injuries requiring surgery and extended recovery
• $500,000-$2,000,000+ for permanent disability or catastrophic injury
• Legal defense costs of $30,000-$100,000+ even if you win
• Personal asset exposure if judgment exceeds insurance limits

Essential protection practices

• Maintain $1M-$2M general liability coverage minimum
• Implement slip-and-fall prevention protocols (immediate spill cleanup, warning signs, slip-resistant flooring)
• Regular safety inspections of furniture, flooring, lighting, and equipment
• Staff training on hazard identification and customer safety
• Prompt hazard correction—never delay fixing known dangers
• Document all incidents thoroughly to support insurance claims and defenses

Customer injury liability coverage is not optional—it’s an essential protection that every restaurant must have from the day it opens.