Title reads $870 Million, while article says $870k… What could one do with $870 million in funding to “Allow [people] to find [food] around the world”, I wonder…
870 million or thousand? Fast posting does have its pitfalls.
I had a similar experience about 10 years ago traveling around Japan and staying in traditional ryokans. The food was exceptional and most offered some kind of regional dish using local ingredients. One of the best experiences I’ve had in my life.
Sorry guys what’s a little zero among friends. Fixed. $870K
I’ll call it right now. Restaurant health inspectors will go after this service with a vengeance. In many (most?) US jurisdictions, one cannot sell food unless it is prepared in an inspected, commercial kitchen.
How do they get around the “not a licensed kitchen” issue that made underground restaurants illegal?
Even more so than underground restaurants, which often only asked for a bottle of wine when you come for a meal, here you are explicit handing over money for prepared for, aren’t you?
(I assume that the libertarian “disruptor” consensus is that food and restaurant safety laws are a joke, of course.)
Edit: ah, I see now that it’s only offered in a few countries, almost all in Asia. That makes sense. I assume there are many countries it will never be offered it, for legal reasons. (That is, until they open it up to real restaurants for $$$, like Uber Taxis and AirBnB hotels, and the whole thing becomes pointless.)
Same thing I was thinking, can’t imagine this getting any joy in the UK in terms of health inspectors or similar. My friends who do cupcakes or other baking from home have to have their kitchens certified (or something similar to that, not 100% sure what it’s called). That’s just to sell stuff away from the house, can’t imagine what it would be like if this is meant to be eat in.
It generally involves getting an Environmental Health officer round. They are actually pretty good to deal with and are generally very helpful if you have your act together. You’d need a simple hazard plan (HACCP) and take simple food hygiene exam- usually combined with a day of training.
Individual establishments are ranked on a star system- you can view all the ratings on the web.
Then you get in to the fun stuff of now being self employed and dealing with HMRC 
Right, so in addition to the health and safety aspect, what about ADA compliance? It’s just de-regulation with a smile emoji.
It’d be fine if it were some kind of restaurant where “home style” chefs could schedule to prepare meals (that sounds pretty cool actually)… But if its serving food for money in a home, you are running a commercial business and that means regs.
Something like this should stay small-scale and non-profit IMO. Tips only.
This will work real well in America.
RE: Cupcakes - in the US, in at least some states, that might be covered under “cottage food” laws, where you can sell packaged food products made at home, like at a farmer’s market for example, as long as it’s under some dollar value per year
“It’s like Uber/AirBnb for X” is the new “it’s like Amazon for X”. Different bubble, same story.
Calling this “like AirBnB” is kind of a stretch. Okay, so they’re both apps that bring together providers of a product/service with consumers seeking that product/service. They could just as well say “it’s like the Yellow Pages for home-cooked meals.” Not as effective an elevator pitch though.
That’s why you’re not my first choice for the task of selling hype to gullible investors, Mr/Ms reality check.
I’m sure the cooks and customers appreciate you telling them what they should be allowed to exchange.
I spent two years in France and two years in Taiwan in my twenties, and some of the best memories I have of those times are of being invited for home-cooked meals.
In Taiwan it was also common to be invited to group meals at restaurants when someone’s home wasn’t large enough for entertaining guests. These were also quite memorable, going to restaurants and eating foods that I might never have discovered on my own, with friends saying “You’ve got to try this, and this, and this!”
I hope this project works out well for the people who try it.
Oh please, don’t be a jerk on the internet. What I meant was for their own good, they shouldn’t turn this into an investor-funded for-profit enterprise. Rather, the cooks should just ask for a ‘tip’ or ‘suggested donation’ to avoid looking like a commercial service. Because the second you make this into a commercial enterprise, you get regulated (and you should if that’s the case).
Imagine for a second you are in a wheelchair. You’d like to patronize this service- a commercial business open to the public- a restaurant by any other name… The problem is you can’t access any of these peoples’ homes because they don’t have wheelchair ramps… That’s illegal, not to mention unfair when traditional restaurants must provide equal access (at least in CA). Or at least it requires some level of adjustment to the regulations.
So for their own good, services like this should not be businesses, but more like a craigslist that allows the hosts to offer their hospitality at a suggested donation.
And as I said: “In my opinion.” Maybe you feel differently? Next time, please add something of substance and not just snark.
Yes. I would love to cook for money for people, but I have no ramps, my kitchen isn’t nut free, and I have no way of accommodating people with different physical structures than me.
And I think that is important. So did Congress.
It sucks to be excluded from a service industry you want to join. It sucks more to be excluded from service because of who you are.
No shit. 
