A hot dog vendor is an individual, or group of individuals, that cooks and sells
hot dogs with a variety of condiments from a mobile hot dog cart. The cart has wheels
underneath, and is therefore mobile so that it can be easily moved by the owner
of the cart, either by pushing the cart or with assistance from a motor vehicle
or modified golf cart. Hot dog carts typically do business on busy streets in downtown
city areas that get a lot of foot traffic. According to the US Hot Dog Council,
nearly 10 billion hot dogs are consumed each year in the US, and about 15% of those
hot dogs are sold from a hot dog vendor. Hot dog vendors have a variety of associated
risks that require them to have sufficient insurance coverage, such as litigation
from customer injury while at the cart, equipment damage, health code regulation
citations, employee injury, and a number of others. For these reasons, it’s imperative
that hot dog vendors protect their business assets from such risk exposures with
adequate hot dog vendor insurance.
Hot Dog Vendor General Liability Insurance
Hot dog vendors are advised to obtain a comprehensive insurance policy, including
a general liability insurance to protect against probable risks of running their
mobile food truck business. General liability insurance is one of the most common
policies for a hot dog vendor to get as it covers common risk exposures like lawsuits
and litigations and costs associated with property damage to the premises the hot
dog cart is on.
- Products /Completed Operations Coverage – Completed operations coverage also
helps cover legal costs and associated medical bills from a customer being harmed
by your hot dog cart or products; however it is reserved for injuries that happen
after the transaction has been completed. If you sell a hot dog to a customer that
later bites into it and burns their mouth because it was cooked at too high a temperature,
they can file a lawsuit against you for damages. Completed operations coverages
protect your business assets against these types of lawsuits. - Premises Liability Coverage – Additional types of bodily harm can occur when
a customer is visiting your hot dog stand, which occur on the premises. If they
slip and fall on the street just outside your cart, they may turn around and sue
you for the damages. If this occurs, premises liability coverage can help pay the
legal costs and medical bills so that your business doesn’t have the handle these
costs.
Hot Dog Vendor Business Owners Policy
A business owners policy, also known as a BOP, is a comprehensive insurance policy
that combines general liability coverage with optional small business coverages
that you can choose to include in the policy. A BOP is customized to fit your hot
dog vendor insurance needs according to the probably risks you might face as a hot
dog vendor. Some of the risks that a BOP can offer coverage for include employee
dishonesty, cart and its contents, business income, electronic data, and newly constructed
buildings. For example, if you have an employee that has stolen cash from your hot
dog cart during their shift, the BOP can cover your lost income to avoid financial
hardship.
Hot Dog Vendor Commercial Umbrella Insurance
Commercial umbrella insurance exists as a part of hot dog vendor insurance to fill
in the gaps that your other insurance policies are unable to fill. Most insurance
policies have a coverage limit and in the case of an accident or event cause you
to max out your limit, such as a customer having an accident that required very
expensive medical bills; you would need to cover the additional costs. In this case,
the commercial umbrella insurance can help you pay for additional legal costs, medical
bills, or assist with income loss.
Hot Dog Vendor Business Auto Insurance
As a hot dog vendor, you may use a vehicle for towing your cart to various locations,
or to pick up supplies for your cart. If you use a vehicle for business purposes,
you need business auto insurance to protect your company from financial burden if
an accident or other risk occurs while operating the motor vehicle.
Hot Dog Vendor Workers Compensation Insurance
Any company with at least one employee is required to carry workers compensation
insurance in most states and hot dog vendors are no exception. If you have hired
another employee to handle some of your shifts, they will need this protection in
the case of an injury on the premises. Your employee may get burned from the heating
equipment during their shift, and can be protected with workers compensation insurance.
Hot dog vendors that obtain adequate insurance coverage from associated risk exposures
can protect their business and financial assets from legal costs, medical bills,
lack of income, and equipment breakdown.
