
Covers
Machinery breakdown insurance for pubs and bars
Machinery breakdown insurance is for when equipment your pub relies on, like a cool room, glass washer or generator, breaks down.
01
The machines a pub can't do without
Grace Insurance, whose brokers handle every Pub Insurance quote, names these kinds of equipment when it explains this cover.
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Cool rooms
The cool room in the cellar where the kegs are kept, and the walk-in cool room off the kitchen.
- 2
Glass and dish washers
The under-bar glass washer and the kitchen dishwasher.
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Ovens
The combi oven, which cooks with steam as well as dry heat, or the wood-fired pizza oven.
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Fridges and freezers
The bottle fridges along the back bar, and the fridges and freezers in the kitchen.
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Coffee machines
The espresso machine in the bistro or behind the bar.
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Generators
Backup power for when the grid goes down.
02
Fix it or replace it
According to business.gov.au, this insurance covers both getting a broken machine going again and putting a new one in.
Repair
A refrigeration mechanic replaces the compressor, the motor that keeps a cool room cold, and the room chills down again.
Replace
The technician says the oven can't be fixed, so a new one is bought and installed.

03
Tills come under a different cover
business.gov.au puts point of sale systems, meaning your tills and order screens, under electronic equipment cover. That cover doesn't pay for theft.
Grace lists point of sale systems among the things theft, money and glass cover can help with, and we arrange that cover. Your broker can find out whether insurers will add electronic equipment cover to your quotes.

04
Spoiled food is separate again
Machinery breakdown pays for the machine itself. The food that spoils before it's fixed comes under stock deterioration cover, so tell your broker you want that priced too.
05
Machinery by venue
The equipment that matters most depends on what the venue does.
Tell your broker about any boilers or tanks that work under pressure, and whether they're registered with a safety regulator. Queensland requires registration for the riskier ones.
List the refrigeration that cools the tanks, any bottling line, and the tasting room's fridges and glass washer.
Include machines outside the clubhouse too, such as the pumps that water a bowls green or playing field.
Tell your broker about the sound and lighting gear, and ask how each insurer treats electronic equipment.
Breakdown cover questions
Each quote's written terms say how it treats a machine that has worn out with age and use. Your broker will take you through that part of every quote in plain words before you pick one.
Tell your broker which equipment you own and which the brewery supplies, and check your supply agreement for who insures it.
While it lasts, the maker's warranty may already pay for some faults. Tell your broker which machines are under warranty and when each warranty runs out.
You can ask for that. Send your broker a list of those machines with a rough replacement price for each. They'll check which insurers offer cover for a few machines rather than all of them.