Why Insurance Protects You (Not Just Your Bartending Company)

While you compare bartending companies, insurance probably is not the first thing you check. It should be near the top of the list. If something goes wrong at your event (a guest slips, a glass breaks, someone drives home after too many, or your venue gets damaged), who pays depends entirely on who is insured. You want that to be your bartending company, not you.

The Two Types of Insurance That Protect You

1. General Liability Insurance

This covers property damage and bodily injury that happens during service. If a bartender drops a bottle and a guest steps on the glass, general liability covers the medical costs. If our equipment marks up your venue floor, general liability covers the repair, so it does not come out of your pocket or your deposit.

Coverage to look for: $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate. That is the standard professional event companies carry.

2. Liquor Liability Insurance

This is the big one for you. Liquor liability covers incidents tied to alcohol service, mainly a guest who is served and later causes harm such as a DUI accident, a fight, or property damage.

Oklahoma follows "dram shop" liability principles. In certain situations, the party that served the alcohol can be held partly responsible for damage caused by an intoxicated person. If your bartending company does not carry liquor liability insurance and something happens, that responsibility can land on you as the host. Proper coverage keeps it off your shoulders.

Coverage to look for: $1,000,000 per occurrence. Some venues ask for higher limits.

What to Ask Before You Book

1. "Do you carry general liability and liquor liability insurance?" If the answer is no, or sounds unsure, keep looking.
2. "Can you provide a certificate of insurance (COI)?" Any legitimate company can send one within 24 hours, and many venues require it anyway.
3. "Can you add my venue as an additional insured?" This extends the coverage to your venue, which most venues require before they let a bar set up.
4. "Are your bartenders employees or independent contractors?" This affects who carries the coverage. Employees are covered by the company's policy. Independent contractors may or may not carry their own, which can leave a gap.

What Your Venue Will Expect

Most professional venues require proof of insurance from every vendor, including your bartending company. A typical venue asks for:

• A certificate of insurance on file before the event
• The venue named as additional insured
• $1M or more in general liability
• Liquor liability, often listed separately on the COI

If your bartending company cannot provide this, the venue can turn them away, and then you are scrambling for a replacement close to your date. Checking early saves you that headache.

What You Get With Boomtown

Every Boomtown event is fully insured:

• $2,000,000 general liability
• $1,000,000 liquor liability
• ABLE licensing current and verifiable

We send your COI within 24 hours of booking and add your venue as additional insured at no extra charge. Insurance is never an add-on with us. It is the baseline.

Our Coverage, Your Peace of Mind

"Venue portals give easy access to our licensing and insurance," says Bar-Key founder Patrick Wilson. When you book Boomtown, your venue coordinator does not have to chase down our COI. It is right there in the portal before your event. General liability and liquor liability, all current, all documented, all easy to see.

"We are partners in planning," Patrick explains. That partnership includes making sure your venue is protected and your event is covered, so you can focus on your guests instead of paperwork.