Coffee Cart Insurance: The COI Your Venue Will Ask For

Somewhere between booking and the event, a venue coordinator asks for our COI. Here is what that is and what ours says, so nobody has to scramble the week of.

What a COI is

A certificate of insurance is a one-page summary from the insurance company that says a business is covered, for how much, and through when. Venues ask every outside vendor for one: the caterer, the band, the florist, the coffee cart. It protects the venue if something goes wrong on their property, and it protects you from booking a vendor who isn't covered.

What venues ask for

Most venues in Colorado want to see general liability coverage, and many want to be named on the certificate as an additional insured for the day of the event. Hotels, country clubs and the bigger wedding venues almost always ask. Backyards and offices usually don't, but office buildings sometimes do through the property manager.

What we carry

Zado is insured through Next Insurance: general liability with a $2 million umbrella. When a venue asks, we send the certificate, with the venue named on it if they need that.

When to ask

Send us the venue's requirements as soon as you have them, or put us in touch with the coordinator and we'll handle it directly. The week before the event is plenty of time. The day before is tight.

The other things venues ask about

While the COI is the paperwork question, the practical ones are about the space:

• A 6 by 6 foot spot for each cart.
• One dedicated standard outlet per cart. We can't bring our own power.
• A route in without stairs, since the cart rolls in.
• About an hour to set up before service and an hour to tear down after.

If a venue has a vendor packet, send it over and we'll fill it in. We've done it for venues around Denver and up in the mountains, and the answers are the same every time.