Success Stories

• Fast legal response from Claim Counsel for restaurant

  A restaurant client was concerned about two very serious liquor liability claims. The insurance carrier had informed Lockton of their intentions to place $1,000,000 in reserves on each claim. This would have a drastic impact on the loss experience and future premiums for this client.
  
  A Lockton Claim Counsel was called in to review the claims and the applicable statutes. Lockton was able to present the carrier's senior adjuster with sufficient arguments based on that information to take a position of no liability.
  
  The insurance carrier reserved both claims at $0.00. This was a critical issue impacting the future success of the program. It was Lockton's access and ability to provide a quick legal perspective regarding the claims that made this a victory.

• Quick response helps new franchisee

  A restaurant owner working to complete a transaction to become a new franchisee learned late in the buying process that one location did not meet flood certification requirements. The potential delay could have cost the buyer three weeks and untold additional cost.
  
  The Lockton team tapped into its network, dispatching a survey team to the Iowa location at 6 a.m. on closing day. A flood certificate was issued by 10 a.m., and the transaction closed on time, at noon the same day.

• Foodservice expertise comes in handy for private equity firm

  A large national franchisee owned by a New York private equity fund had depended on the fund's insurance broker who did not have a foodservice background. The franchisee turned to Lockton for a second opinion, and Lockton's foodservice experts developed a program that reduced fixed premiums costs by nearly 50%. And Lockton delivered it without major upheaval in company's insurance markets.

• Program redesign delivers safer workplace and lower costs

  A national full-service restaurant company asked Lockton to survey its insurance program. While Lockton's experts found that its worker's compensation losses were in line with industry averages, its general liability claims frequency and loss costs were twice the national average.
  
  Lockton altered the structure of its small liability claims, and designed a loss cost allocation system. Within one year, accountability increased, the restaurants were safer and overall liability costs fell back in line.

• Improved Safety Management Reduces Claims

  An international casual dining restaurant struggled with poor management participation in proactive risk control which contributed to increasing claims. Managers had little incentive to reduce accident frequency because bottom line P&L determined performance evaluations. Lockton promoted proactive risk control by designing a claims cost allocation process and leading indicator program for local restaurants. By integrating the cost of accidents into a manager’s performance they learned to create a safer, lower cost operation. Results led to a 15% reduction in accident frequency in the first year through a heightened awareness of managers’ safety responsibilities.

• Benefit Enrollment Process Saves Time and Money

  An upscale family dining restaurant’s small benefits staff struggled to communicate benefits to employees throughout their 120 locations. By initiating an on-line enrollment process Lockton eliminated the need for paper and assisted managers in consistently communicating benefits to employees. The Lockton team provided customized benefit guides, established electronic feeds to insurance carriers and reduced printing costs The chain also spends about 10% less overall time working on enrollment and eligibility related issues. Lockton’s benefits team cut the open enrollment process by half and saved about 200 man hours on the project compared to the prior year.

• When Bankruptcy is on the Menu

   

  A large restaurant company needed directors and officers, employee liability and fiduciary coverage during its bankruptcy, but received an unsatisfactory quote for the coverage from its insurer and sought Lockton’s help. Lockton conducted an in-depth program review that led to several solutions. Lockton provided the company with a 40 percent reduction on its six-year D&O, employee liability and fiduciary run-off program, it negotiated a six-week guaranteed cost workers compensation program in just 10 days and it and it reduced the company’s collateral by almost $500,000.

• Handling Injury Repercussions

  A professional food service company headquartered in Louisiana suffered from an increase in frequency and severity of workers' compensation claims. This caused the company's experience mod rating, a three year calculation of class codes, payroll and claims experience, to increase. After seeing the work of Lockton's Claims Cost Control at a seminar, the client asked for a personalized plan. Lockton's Claims and Claims Cost Control teams implemented an annual supervisor training program on worker's compensation. The customized program successfully reduced the client's experience mod rating for two consecutive years. The client benefitted from an experience mod reduction of 2.25 to 1.41, reducing premiums and benefitting from a customized process to handle injuries.