How much does restaurant insurance cost in South Dakota? (2026)

Recent rate-filing activity — 2 state filings across 1 commercial line

Commercial carriers can't charge whatever they want — each state's Department of Insurance must approve loss-cost filings before they take effect. These are primary-source, government-held records available on SERFF Filing Access. Cited below: the most-recent active filings affecting restaurant operations, each cited to the regulator or bureau filing it came from.

Source: SERFF Filing Access (filingaccess.serff.com) — the official public-records interface for state Department of Insurance filings. Loss-cost changes shown are the overall bureau-wide change in each state; the actual impact on your quote depends on your class code, payroll, experience modifier, and carrier-specific loss-cost multiplier (LCM). Get a quote for your exact numbers.

Scope note: the filings tabulated above reflect NCCI class 9586 (Barber/Beauty Services) as an illustrative example of WC filing structure. Restaurant's actual WC class is NCCI 9079 (Restaurant NOC) — full-service restaurants typically map to 9079; limited-service / counter-service / fast-food typically map to 9083. Restaurant-specific advisory loss costs vary by state filing; the per-state ranges shown reflect the cross-class WC mechanics rather than 9079 rates specifically. Confirm your specific class-code mapping at quote with your underwriter.

National context — Restaurant insurance overview

Restaurant insurance pricing is driven by your seating capacity, alcohol service, delivery operations, employee count, and state-specific dram-shop / wage-hour exposure. Combined, this drives wide ranges — typically $3,500-$8,000/year for a single-location restaurant with 5-15 employees and beer/wine service.

Every number on this page is sourced from a named external publication (NCCI, III, NRA, FDA). Use the calculator below to estimate your range, then get a real quote in 5 minutes from 10+ carriers.

National benchmark figures

Published cost ranges for Restaurant insurance — useful as a national baseline against which the South Dakota filings above signal local direction.

Industry-typical market ranges (national)

Sourced from III, NCCI, ISO, NAIC, BLS, FMCSA, FDA, NRA — government and bureau publications, not from our quote form

Market ranges from published industry sources:

• General Liability + BOP bundle: typically $1,500-$3,500/year for a single-location restaurant (carrier benchmark data, 2024)
• Workers Comp: typically $0.40-$1.20/$100 of payroll for restaurant workers under NCCI class 9082 (Restaurant & Food Services)
• Liquor liability: typically $400-$1,500/year for beer/wine service; $1,500-$5,000/year for full bar (III dram-shop research)
• Commercial Property + Equipment Breakdown: typically $500-$2,000/year depending on kitchen equipment value (III + NRA)
• Hired & Non-Owned Auto endorsement (if delivery): typically adds $50-$300/year (IRMI)

State variation: California, New York, New Jersey, and Illinois are typically the most expensive due to higher dram-shop liability + wage-hour exposure. Texas, Florida, and most Midwest states are typically the least.

For South Dakota-specific direction, see the filed-rate table above.

Industry context — what published research says about Restaurant coverage

• Restaurant industry sales 2024: $1.1 trillion projected; restaurant industry employs ~10% of the US workforce. National Restaurant Association — State of the Industry.
• Dram-shop liability: 43 US states impose dram-shop liability on businesses serving alcohol; statutory and case-law caps vary widely. III: Social host & dram-shop liability.
• FDA Food Code 2022: federal model food-safety code adopted by most state + local restaurant regulators. Required reading before opening. FDA Food Code 2022.
• Workers Compensation thresholds: WC is required from the first non-owner employee in most states. TX is opt-in (the only state where WC is not mandatory), TN requires WC at 5+ employees, GA at 3+. NAIC Workers Comp topic.
• Liquor licensing: liquor liability is typically required for any business holding a state liquor license; some states require it by statute. Verify state ABC requirements before binding GL alone. III.

How to lower your restaurant insurance cost

General levers that apply nationally — South Dakota operators may also have state-specific levers (e.g. non-subscriber WC, multi-jurisdiction permit consolidation).

Get your actual South Dakota quote in 5 minutes

The data above is regulator-filed direction. Your actual South Dakota quote depends on class code, payroll, experience modifier, and the LCM each carrier files.

More South Dakota rate-filing detail

• All South Dakota commercial rate filings (every line, every recent filing) — the broader rate-data view for South Dakota
• Rate filings by state — directory of all 47+ states with active filings
• National Rate Change Tracker — every filing across every state, sortable

Get a real South Dakota quote for restaurant

The data above shows the regulator-filed direction for South Dakota. For your actual quote — based on payroll, experience modifier, and the LCM each carrier files — request a free quote in under 90 seconds.

Related guides

• Restaurant Insurance — full coverage guide
• General Liability glossary entry
• Business Owner's Policy glossary entry
• Liquor Liability glossary entry
• GL vs BOP

Sources cited (national context above)

1. Restaurant insurance cost guide — Insurance Information Institute (III), 2024
2. Small Business Insurance Basics — Insurance Information Institute (III), 2024
3. NCCI Scopes Manual Class Code 9082 — Restaurant & Food Services — National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI), 2024
4. Restaurant Industry — State of the Industry — National Restaurant Association (NRA), 2024
5. Social Host & Dram Shop Liability — Insurance Information Institute (III), 2024
6. FDA Food Code 2022 — US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), 2022