As the COVID-19 crisis continues to unfold, numerous restaurant, food, beverage and hospitality industry businesses are suffering substantial lost revenue. The question of whether you are insured against significant business interruptions is a complicated but critical question.

On Thursday, April 2, Pryor Cashman held a Zoom discussion of this emergent insurance issue, hosted by Restaurant, Food & Beverage co-leader Rich Frazer and the head of Pryor Cashman's Insurance Recovery + Counseling group, Chris Loeber. 

THIS WEBCAST APPLIES TO:

  • Restaurants and Hotels;
  • Food & Beverage companies;
  • Industry advisors;
  • Industry consultants; and
  • Other industry businesses, particularly those with brick and mortar locations.

KEY TAKEAWAYS AND ACTION ITEMS:

  • Review and understand the insurance policies that you maintain. Key coverages include property damage/clean-up, business interruption, and third-party liability.
  • Compile comprehensive records regarding COVID-19's impact on your business. Be sure to consider and document both the physical and the financial aspects.
  • Tender (or amend) claims under all relevant policies promptly. Word your tenders broadly to preserve all potential coverage options.
  • Limit your press releases and public statements. Remember that all non-privileged communications can be used by your insurance carrier to minimize or even deny your claim.
  • Retain experienced legal counsel. Immediate considerations include insurance coverage, labor and employment issues, mortgage and leasing, loans (including PPP and SBA loans) and financing, and employee benefits, to name a few.

Please click here to view a recording of the webcast.

As discussed on the videoconference, while we hope that our general information will prove useful to everyone, we are unable to offer specific advice unless/until we are retained as counsel. This is due in equal parts to each client's unique circumstances, and the importance of maintaining confidentiality over any substantive communications.

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.