Who insures it · 4 named markets · read 2026-10-28

Who insures pop-up restaurants and caterers?

Pop-up restaurants and caterers is a risk most standard carriers decline on sight. The markets below say in their own published appetite or program pages that they write it; each line links to that page with the date it was read.

4 markets publicly write pop-up restaurants and caterers: FLIP (Food Liability Insurance Program, Veracity Insurance), Progressive Commercial, NEXT (ERGO NEXT), K&K Insurance Group. 2 admitted carriers, 1 program administrator, 1 MGA.

By Sam Alishahi, independent insurance broker

The markets

Who says they write it

From each market's own appetite, product or program page (or a trade article quoting it), read on the date shown. Appetites change: the linked page controls. A market listed here isn't necessarily one this agency is appointed with; a licensed broker reaches most of them directly or through a wholesaler.

Market	What they say they write	Where	Paper	Source
FLIP (Food Liability Insurance Program, Veracity Insurance) Program administrator	Catering insurance: year-round coverage for event caterers and mobile catering, wedding caterers, caterers who serve alcohol (event liquor liability), chefs and caterers; product liability for food poisoning/allergic reactions; no pop-up restaurant page found “FLIP offers year-round coverage for event caterers,”	nationwide ('FLIP Is Licensed Nationwide')	not stated	fliprogram.com · read 2026-10-28
Progressive Commercial Admitted carrier	Customized catering business insurance; separate concession and food vendor page for mobile food vendors “Progressive Commercial can help protect your catering business so you can focus on good food and happy clients.”	not stated	not stated	progressivecommercial.com · read 2026-10-28
NEXT (ERGO NEXT) Admitted carrier	Insurance for caterers and catering companies; NEXT is part of the ERGO Group (Munich Re); sold through Next Insurance, Inc., an insurance agency; issuing carrier not named on page “ERGO NEXT's insurance for caterers could help protect your business from a variety of risks.”	not available in all states	not stated	nextinsurance.com · read 2026-10-28
K&K Insurance Group MGA	Short-term vendor/concessionaire/exhibitor liability; eligibility list includes Caterers (single-event coverage only) and food, drink or produce sales “Caterers (single-event coverage only)”	coverage may not be available to all applicants in all states	not stated	kandkinsurance.com · read 2026-10-28

No fetched page names pop-up restaurants specifically; entries are caterer appetite. Thimble returned HTTP 403; Hiscox, biBERK and Society were not checked (search budget exhausted).

How pop-up restaurants and caterers gets placed

Standard markets first where any will look at it; when they won't, the placement goes through surplus lines, where a licensed surplus lines broker places it with an eligible non-admitted insurer and files the state's surplus lines tax and stamping forms. In California, risks on the Department of Insurance export list can go to surplus lines without the usual diligent search of admitted carriers. Surplus lines policies aren't backed by a state guaranty fund, so the insurer's financial rating matters more.

What an underwriter will want before quoting: a full description of the operation, years in business and the owners' experience, revenue or payroll, loss runs (five years where available, currently valued), the contracts or venue requirements that set the limits, and photos or safety plans where the hazard is physical.

I'm licensed in 49 states and Washington, DC and your request stays with my agency, not passed to another agent. In Florida, where my licenses are still being issued, a partner agency in your state helps in the meantime.

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