Hospitality Insurance Group is excited to announce that we’ve recently partnered with Xpress-pay, a leading ePayment solution provider, to provide our policyholders with a faster, more convenient way of making premium payments. We’re confident this will be a great addition to the service we provide you!
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Frequently Asked Questions About Our Online Payments
For policyholders in Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Pennsylvania & Vermont
What payments are accepted?
We now accept payment by Electronic Check, Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and American Express.
Am I able to set up an account to save my payment information?
Yes, when you make payment, you are asked if you would like to set up an Xpress pay account. If you check yes, it will allow you to create a password and your credit card or check information will be saved to your account.
Am I able to set up recurring payments?
Yes. Once an Xpress pay account is set up you can also set up recurring payments as well.
What if I don’t have my recent billing statement or have questions about your online payment system?
Just in time for St. Patrick’s Day, one of the busiest days in the bar industry here in Massachusetts. In this month’s blog post three Massachusetts restaurant managers share their advice on how to prevent a fight from happening at your bar.
Damien Fuller, General Manager at SouthSide Tavern Restaurant in Braintree, says, “Usually I would just engage the parties involved and go over to them, calmly, and simply ask “is everything ok?” or “how is everyone doing tonight?”
“Using words like “please, thank you, I’m sorry, help put parties at ease.” Says Keith Gleason, former General Manager at Finn McCool’s. He recommends using a calm approach while keeping a safe distance from the aggressor, and to have your doormen around as you try to diffuse the situation, just in case it escalates. Avoid getting into verbal altercation/sparring despite any insults/threats from aggressive parties. Keith recommends using the involved party’s name if you can, so they believe you when you tell them your only goal is for everyone to get home safe and that you would hate for them to have any issues with police if things get out of hand. “Sometimes mentioning possible consequences snaps them back to reality and distracts them from what set them off before.”
Todd Smith, former co-owner of Bushwood Cocktail Club recommends keeping the hiring of your security staff internal. “In my opinion, you should never hire a third party as your doorman always use your own employees. You never know how someone else runs their business, how well they’ve screened their employees. I would also encourage having parties leave via separate exits so there is no arguing or fighting outside the establishment.”
Hospitality Insurance Group is an admitted insurance company, located in Southborough, MA, that provides insurance coverage to businesses in the hospitality industry. We offer commercial property, general liability, liquor liability and excess liability insurance coverage to businesses that serve or sell liquor in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont.
To encourage Hospitality Insurance Group policyholders to provide their employees with security training, Hospitality Insurance Group has approved a rate discount of 50% percent off the cost of the assault-and-battery endorsement for insureds when 100% of management and at least 75% of non-management staff obtain certification in an approved security training program. This discount will not be applied to the minimum earned premium for the policy.
Bar Room Brawls: 3 Assault & Battery Situations That Could Happen At Any Bar
For any establishment that serves alcoholic beverages, a fight possibly breaking out is always in the back of any owner’s mind.
According to Insurance Magazine, about 30% of losses at bars, taverns, and nightclubs arise from assault and battery claims.
Out of the thousands and thousands of claims filed, here are three situations we’ve worked with our policyholders when an assault and battery occurred at their establishment.
Case #1
A patron alleged that he was repeatedly assaulted while exiting the establishment after the last call.
The policyholder had purchased an assault and battery endorsement as part of their liquor liability policy issued by Hospitality Insurance Group.
The defense attorney, hired by Hospitality to defend the establishment against this plaintiff’s lawsuit, obtained a defense verdict on behalf of the policyholder.
Case #2
This establishment was not the type of bar that you would think would have an altercation of any sort.
A gentleman entered our insured’s establishment and was served a single drink.
During the night, the gentlemen casually conversed with other patrons until he randomly started violently attacking patrons with weapons concealed underneath his sweatshirt.
None of the injured customers could recall any signs that would have forewarned them of the assailant’s violent propensity.
This incident was a sudden and unforeseen violent crime that occurred on the insured’s premise and was covered by the assault and battery endorsement on their liquor liability policy, issued by Hospitality Insurance Group.
Case #3
A patron appeared to have entered our policyholder’s establishment already intoxicated.
While inside, the man was said to have disturbed three different groups of patrons and was later struck by a patron inside the bar, causing him to fall and suffer a head trauma.
This policyholder had purchased an assault and battery endorsement as part of their liquor liability policy issued by Hospitality Insurance Group. The defense attorney, hired by Hospitality to defend the establishment against the plaintiff’s lawsuit, obtained a defense verdict on the policyholder’s behalf.
As also advised by Nightclub & Bar, general liability insurance with assault and battery and liquor liability coverage is usually the best way for restaurant owners to protect themselves in the event of a fight at their business.
When examining your insurance policy, it’s important to ask if you have assault and battery coverage. It’s not uncommon for an insurance carrier to apply a specialized exclusion for assault & battery exposure as we explain in our blog, “Assault & Battery: Where’s the coverage?” Exclusions may occur, and in the event of a bar fight breaking out, a restaurant owner could be denied coverage if an incident like one of these occurs.
Tis the season for holiday parties, eggnog and late nights. We attend the ugly sweater parties, the family traditions, and most common, attending the annual work party. Many companies spend weeks, even months, planning their holiday party. They plan everything from where the event will take place down to the type of silverware placed on the table. However, one aspect of the event planning people tend to forget is liquor liability insurance.
Most would like to think their guests are mature, responsible adults who know their limit.
During the holidays that thought process tends to escape the mind of most people. 20% of survey respondents in a 2010 survey by Forbes have said they had too much to drink at a holiday party. We see results of this every year on the news of that one person who made the mistake of getting behind the wheel after a holiday party and taking the life of another driver in fatal car accident. Many think the only person responsible for this accident is the driver, but in many cases, attorneys will sue anyone who may have been responsible including the host, owners, event planners, bartenders, and servers.
Issues arising from the company holiday party could be extreme and some could be just plain embarrassing.
Three possible extreme scenarios include:
Your guests get in an automobile accident on the way home, injuring a family of three.
You or one of your guests is injured during the festivities like this scenario in an article by National Public Radio, “At an office party four years ago, a fellow co-worker brought eggnog that contained whiskey, Scotch, as well as bourbon. … It was delicious and the booze was nigh-undetectable. Everyone became incredibly sloshed. … As the night progressed, someone made a makeshift slip-and-slide in the warehouse that was quite fun until the IT guy of the office broke his collarbone going face first and 911 was called. We still talk about this office party to this day.”
Damage to the property from someone allegedly being overserved.
So how do you keep things under control? Here are 10 ways to help prevent a lawsuit from arising from your company holiday party.
Hold your function earlier in the afternoon when people tend to drink less.
There is a reason Fenway park stops serving alcohol after the seventh inning stretch. They are thinking about the safety of their guests and you should too. Stop serving alcohol a few hours before the party is expected to end. Cut off drinks during dinner or dessert to give people a rest from consuming.
Offer Uber gift cards or recommend overnight accommodations to guests.
Offer entertainment like dancing, a photo booth, team games or a comedian so people have something to do other than drink.
Invite families. People are less likely to go a little crazy with the spouse or kids at a company holiday party.
Encourage guests to use transportation such as Uber, Lyft or a taxi to and from the party.
Serve food at the event.
Don’t let people serve themselves, hire a trained staff to serve and monitor guests alcohol consumption.
Without liquor liability insurance, you can be held responsible and sued for allowing them to become intoxicated and proceeding to operate a vehicle.
Do you still think liquor liability isn’t a necessity?
Laws regarding liquor licenses and liquor liability coverage vary by state, so it is important to be aware of the laws in your state before planning an event where alcohol is going to be served.If you are an Independent Insurance Agent, click here to learn more about working with Hospitality Insurance Group to provide liquor liability insurance to your customers. If you are a business owner looking for liquor liability insurance coverage, click here to contact one of our preferred Independent Insurance Agents or find answers to some of your frequently asked questions about our insurance coverage here.
See how Hospitality Insurance Group provided the protection our policyholder needed to remain in business! Just another example of how Hospitality Insurance Group Serves You; Allowing You to Serve Others. Learn more about doing business with us and request a quote for coverage.
Why Bars Should Keep Surveillance Footage For Insurance Claims
Every bar owner wants to prevent a liquor liability claim from occurring which is why having surveillance footage is invaluable should an incident be alleged.
Fights, theft, and vandalism are all unfortunate responsibilities of a restaurant owner. In addition to security and staff training, having a surveillance system installed is one thing that can protect you from a possible lawsuit that could potentially shut down your entire operation.
Many will agree that when surveillance is installed and noticeable by patrons, behavior amongst patrons tends to change. Some cities have even passed ordinances that require new alcohol licensees to install surveillance cameras before the restaurant can officially open for business.
At Hospitality Insurance Group, once a claim is filed, one of the first questions our Claims Examiner will ask is if there is any surveillance footage on the date of the incident. So if the inevitable does happen, having proper surveillance footage can make your life, and your insurer’s life, a lot easier.
We even send a claim acknowledgment letter to policyholders once a claim is reported instructing them to preserve tapes and other evidence relating to the case because around 70% – 75% of policyholders do not preserve their tapes.
If something happens at the bar, the insured should review and safeguard the tape until the statute of limitations runs out, which is usually around three years.
But what happens if you’re a small operation? One common objection we hear from our bar and restaurant policyholders is, “My restaurant is tiny! I don’t have that kind of money to spend on surveillance!”
You’re in luck.
Thanks to the wonderful world of online shopping, surveillance footage is even easier and more affordable than ever. We took a look at Amazon.com and found surveillance equipment, many of which can be monitored right from your smartphone.
Whichever system that you may find is the best fit for your bar, restaurants and bar owners should take note of the loop setting as some systems preserve footage for 5 days, 7 days or 30-day loop prior to footage being taped over.
Fights, theft, and vandalism are all unfortunate responsibilities of a business owner. In addition to security and staff training, having a surveillance system installed is one thing that can protect you from a possible lawsuit that could potentially shut down your entire operation.
Some cities have passed ordinances that require new alcohol licensees to install surveillance cameras before the establishment can officially open for business.
Be sure to preserve surveillance tapes for at least three years and store the footage on a thumb drive, hard drive or back up to the cloud.
Even if you’re a small operation, there are various surveillance systems on Amazon starting at $35 that would help keep you from going out of business!
Roughly 75% of our policyholders do not preserve their surveillance tapes after the claim has been reported to our team. Failure to save video can increase the payout of a claim up to $200,000 per claim.
IF something happens at your establishment, you should review and safeguard the surveillance tapes until the statute of limitations runs out, which is usually around three years.
IF you are aware of any incidents such as the police were called, a fight happened in the establishment, or a drunk driving incident – these are situations where we look to you to provide us that surveillance footage during the claims process.
We recommend testing your surveillance system regularly to ensure that your system is functioning and working correctly.
Surveillance footage is evidence.Policyholders can face harsh penalties if evidence is lost, destroyed or erased following an incident.
Download our “What You Need To Know About Keeping Your Surveillance Footage For Insurance Claims Against Your Business” flyer here.
Please be advised that the views expressed are of the author alone and shall not constitute a legal opinion.
In the United States, it is illegal to serve alcohol to someone under the age of 21.But what if you asked for identification and were provided with a fake id without knowing?
Steps to take upon discovery:
Ask the person to leave.
Ensure management is notified immediately.
Document the incident and include the person’s information (if it’s available)
Call your independent insurance agency or insurance company.
While every situation is different, consequences can be severe. If found to be in violation of the law, the establishment’s liquor license could be suspended, modified or revoked. Apcalis 20 mg
Here are a few questions we ask our policyholders when a situation like this is reported that may be useful to include in your internal documentation.
Did you ask for proper identification upon entry?
Had the person already consumed alcohol prior to entry?
How many drinks was the minor served at your bar?
How long was the minor in the bar?
What kind of behavior did the minor display at the establishment?
Is there surveillance of the minor at the bar?
To encourage Hospitality Insurance Group policyholders to provide their staff with effective alcohol-awareness training, we have an approved rate discount of 10% for insureds when 100% of management and at least 75% of non-management alcoholic beverage servers obtain certification in an approved alcohol-awareness program. Cheap Xanax online
Please be advised that the opinions expressed are the views of the author alone and should not be attributed to any other individual or entity and shall not constitute a legal opinion.
Liquor Liability Insurance Now A Mandatory Law in Rhode Island
Effective August 1, 2017
Do you insure liquor stores, restaurants or bars situated in the State of Rhode Island?
Effective August 1st, liquor liability insurance in the state of Rhode Island will become mandatory.
The Rhode Island House and Senate recently passed legislation that will require any applicant or holder of a liquor license to maintain liquor liability and commercial general liability insurance as a condition of renewing a liquor license or applying for a new liquor license. Insurance coverage shall be no less than $300,000.
Obtaining Liquor Liability Insurance Coverage In Rhode Island
If you are an Independent Insurance Agent, click here to learn more about working with Hospitality Insurance Group to provide liquor liability insurance to your customers or fill out this form to request more information.
Serving drinks may seem glamorous and fun, but it’s also serious business. When alcohol is involved, people — and situations — can sometimes get out of hand.
That’s where alcohol-awareness training programs come in. These programs educate servers about responsible alcohol consumption and offer strategies for protecting guests, employees and the servers themselves.
Alcohol service involves many risks. Failure to act responsibly could result in fines, imprisonment, losing your liquor license, increased insurance costs, or losing your business.
An alcohol certification program is designed to prevent intoxication, underage drinking, and drunk driving by enhancing the fundamental “people skills” of servers, employees, and consumers of alcohol. Alcohol awareness programs provide individuals with the knowledge and confidence they need to recognize potential alcohol-related problems and intervene to prevent alcohol-related tragedies.
WHO SHOULD BE CERTIFIED?
Anyone who serves alcohol in a licensed establishment should participate in a training course and receive their certification – Bartenders, Bar Backs, Servers, and Managers.
Alcohol awareness training is often used by establishments to get lower insurance rates and as a sound defense in the face of any legal action taken against them. But it has also become increasingly important for servers to protect themselves. Due to dram-shop liability laws, servers themselves can be held responsible for any harm that intoxicated or underage guests perpetrate on themselves or others. So, it is important for bartenders to be aware of their liability and to protect themselves professionally and personally through this training.
Alcoholic Certification is now mandatory in many states. Every state has its own laws regarding the serving of alcohol, so you’ll need to check with your local liquor control board to find out what training is required. Listed below are the states that HIG writes liquor liability insurance and their laws regarding alcohol awareness training.
CT – Not state mandated
MA – Not state mandated but cities/counties may make mandatory
RI – Mandatory
PA – Mandatory
NC – Not state mandated
VT – Mandatory
NH – Mandatory for new licensees
You will find that many of the state restaurant associations offer alcohol awareness training programs. These classes may be available online, in a classroom or on premises.
As a business owner, you need to be knowledgeable about the laws for alcohol awareness training along with understanding your liquor liability insurance policy. Does your policy have an endorsement/exclusion that requires the servers to be certified or coverage will be denied?
Just in time for St. Patrick’s Day, one of the busiest days in the bar industry here in Massachusetts. In this month’s blog post three Massachusetts restaurant managers share their advice on how to prevent a fight from happening at your bar.
For any establishment that serves alcoholic beverages, a fight possibly breaking out is always in the back of any owner’s mind. 
