You expect to leave a restaurant with a full stomach, not a catastrophic injury. But due to the nature of restaurant operations, you may be subject to inherent slip-and-fall risks around their premises. Some common hazards include wet and greasy surfaces, slippery substances, loose wires and uneven parking lot walkways.
Therefore, restaurant owners owe you a duty of care to act like any reasonable person would in protecting you against potential dangers. For example, you fall and hit your head due to a deep step that is barely recognizable with poor lighting. In this scenario, the restaurant owner breaches their duty of care if they are aware of this foreseeable hazard and fails to address it appropriately. In effect, you sustain a traumatic brain injury, miss days at work and endure incredible pain and suffering.
Now, you might ask yourself, what duties does a restaurant owner owe you to keep you safe?
Restaurant duties
Florida restaurant owners must adhere to specific state regulations to ensure their patrons’ safety. One of their primary responsibilities is to maintain the sanitary conditions of their restaurants. This measure extends across their facilities and equipment, especially in high-risk areas, such as restrooms or toilets.
Aside from preserving cleanliness, every restaurant must:
- Have an updated license to operate and only serve food or drinks suitable for human consumption
- Administer a state-approved training program for their employees, who must receive certification within 60 days of their hiring date
- Remove any “undesirable guest” – or someone drunk, drugged, spewing profanity, not paying for their order or anyone wreaking havoc and causing harm to other guests – from the premises
If you are not a customer but a restaurant worker, you might be equally anxious about how to go about your situation. Before dealing with legal considerations, you must also seek medical attention. If you require surgery or any serious medical procedure, you might not be able to return to work soon to focus on your physical recovery.
Per Florida law, you may be eligible for your employer’s workers’ compensation insurance. To receive benefits, you must immediately notify your supervisor or any human resource representative about the incident. Then, you must also establish that the incident happened within the premises of your workplace while performing work-related tasks.
A safe restaurant visit
It’s tragic when all you want is to have a good meal at your favorite restaurant but end up suffering severe injuries. When this happens, you must have sufficient proof to support your claim to receive the compensation you urgently need to cover your medical bills during these difficult times.