What delivery platforms require of restaurants: merchant agreement insurance terms and how a restaurant proves it meets them

What a delivery platform requires of a restaurant merchant

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A delivery platform's merchant agreement typically requires a restaurant to carry general liability of $1M per occurrence and $2M aggregate including products coverage with the platform as additional insured, statutory workers' compensation, and commercial or hired and non-owned auto of $1M where the restaurant delivers with its own staff; the platform's own policy covers its couriers while they carry orders, and the restaurant remains responsible for the food itself.

Reviewed by Michael LaBarbera, Licensed property & casualty agent, Provident Financial Group · Reviewed Oct 11, 2026 Updated Oct 14, 2026

Typical requirements and how to check them
Requirement	What they usually ask for	How to check what you have
Commercial general liability with products coverage	$1M each occurrence / $2M aggregate including products-completed operations, with the platform and its affiliates as additional insureds for claims arising from the food and the pickup area; some platforms require $2M per occurrence for alcohol delivery	Dec page limits, the products-completed operations aggregate and the additional insured form; foodborne illness is a products claim and the aggregate is what the platform reads.
Liquor liability where alcohol is delivered	$1M each common cause / $2M aggregate with the platform as additional insured, where state law allows alcohol delivery and the restaurant participates	A liquor liability coverage part or policy; standard general liability excludes it for sellers of alcohol.
Workers' compensation and employers' liability	Statutory plus employers' liability of $500K or $1M for the restaurant's own staff; platform couriers are the platform's responsibility under its own arrangements	Information page of the policy, Part Two limits.
Auto where the restaurant delivers itself	Commercial auto of $1M combined single limit on restaurant-owned vehicles, or hired and non-owned auto where staff deliver in their own cars; platform couriers are covered by the platform's policy while carrying an order	Auto dec page or the hired and non-owned endorsement; personal auto policies exclude delivery, which leaves the restaurant exposed for staff deliveries.
Food safety and packaging conditions	Tamper-evident packaging, allergen labelling, temperature control and compliance with the health code, with the platform's right to delist a merchant after complaints	Not insurance: the operating conditions in the agreement. Products liability pays the claim; the conditions keep the merchant listed.
Indemnification	The restaurant indemnifies the platform for claims arising from the food, the pickup premises and the restaurant's own deliveries	The general liability policy's contractual liability coverage supports the indemnity; confirm no endorsement limits it.
Certificates	A certificate uploaded to the merchant portal at onboarding and at each renewal, with the platform named as additional insured	The portal's certificate page; a live certificate link satisfies platforms that accept a URL.

Requirement

What they usually ask for

How to check what you have

Commercial general liability with products coverage

$1M each occurrence / $2M aggregate including products-completed operations, with the platform and its affiliates as additional insureds for claims arising from the food and the pickup area; some platforms require $2M per occurrence for alcohol delivery

Dec page limits, the products-completed operations aggregate and the additional insured form; foodborne illness is a products claim and the aggregate is what the platform reads.

Liquor liability where alcohol is delivered

$1M each common cause / $2M aggregate with the platform as additional insured, where state law allows alcohol delivery and the restaurant participates

A liquor liability coverage part or policy; standard general liability excludes it for sellers of alcohol.

Workers' compensation and employers' liability

Statutory plus employers' liability of $500K or $1M for the restaurant's own staff; platform couriers are the platform's responsibility under its own arrangements

Information page of the policy, Part Two limits.

Auto where the restaurant delivers itself

Commercial auto of $1M combined single limit on restaurant-owned vehicles, or hired and non-owned auto where staff deliver in their own cars; platform couriers are covered by the platform's policy while carrying an order

Auto dec page or the hired and non-owned endorsement; personal auto policies exclude delivery, which leaves the restaurant exposed for staff deliveries.

Food safety and packaging conditions

Tamper-evident packaging, allergen labelling, temperature control and compliance with the health code, with the platform's right to delist a merchant after complaints

Not insurance: the operating conditions in the agreement. Products liability pays the claim; the conditions keep the merchant listed.

Indemnification

The restaurant indemnifies the platform for claims arising from the food, the pickup premises and the restaurant's own deliveries

The general liability policy's contractual liability coverage supports the indemnity; confirm no endorsement limits it.

Certificates

A certificate uploaded to the merchant portal at onboarding and at each renewal, with the platform named as additional insured

The portal's certificate page; a live certificate link satisfies platforms that accept a URL.

What the platform is protecting

A delivery platform sits between the restaurant and the customer and gets named in claims about the food, the pickup area and any delivery that started on its app. Its merchant agreement protects it with additional insured status on the restaurant's products coverage, liquor liability where alcohol moves, auto coverage for the restaurant's own deliveries, and operating conditions that keep food safe. The platform's own policy covers its couriers while they drive and carry orders.

The lines a merchant agreement names

General liability with products coverage and the platform added. Liquor liability where alcohol is delivered. Workers' compensation for the restaurant's staff. Commercial or hired and non-owned auto for the restaurant's own deliveries. Packaging and food safety conditions. An indemnity supported by contractual liability coverage. A certificate in the merchant portal.

How to check your policies against the agreement

Match the general liability limits and the products aggregate and confirm the additional insured form by number. Confirm liquor liability where you deliver alcohol. Check the workers' compensation information page. Confirm hired and non-owned or commercial auto for any deliveries by your own staff. Read the packaging conditions and keep the health permit current. Upload the certificate to the portal with the platform's entity name.

Keep the certificate current

Platforms expire certificates at renewal and can pause a merchant until a new one is uploaded. A live certificate link stays current as policies renew and shows the products and liquor lines, with the official PDF attached, so the storefront never goes dark over paperwork.

Questions people actually ask

Does the platform's insurance cover my food once the courier picks it up?

The platform's policy covers its couriers' driving and, in most agreements, the order while it is in the courier's possession. Illness or injury from the food itself is a products claim against the restaurant, which is why the agreement requires products coverage with the platform added.

Our staff deliver on our own too. Does the platform care?

The agreement requires auto coverage for your own deliveries because a crash during a delivery that started on the platform can name the platform. Hired and non-owned auto covers staff in their own cars; commercial auto covers restaurant vehicles.

We deliver beer and wine through the platform. What changes?

Liquor liability becomes a requirement, with the platform as additional insured, and the agreement adds age-verification conditions on the courier's side. Check that your liquor coverage extends to off-premises sales.

Why does the platform want to be an additional insured for a slip in my pickup area?

Because a courier or customer injured waiting for an order can name the platform. Additional insured status puts your general liability in front of the platform's.