Though companies like Uber, Lyft, Airbnb and Homeaway grab most of the headlines, the sharing economy is constantly expanding into new areas of daily life. At least four websites (EatWith, CookApp, Feastly , and Meal Sharing) are taking the sharing economy into the realm of dining, offering users the opportunity to engage in “meal-sharing” — paying to enjoy a home-cooked-meal in the form of a dinner party arranged by the sites. The companies aim to harness a new avenue of economic potential — but in standard sharing economy style, they largely ignore conventional regulatory frameworks on their way to carving out a market share.
Multiple regulatory issues could face individual hosts or the websites that facilitate these transactions. Pop-up restaurants of the sort these sites functionally create will likely violate local zoning regulations in many instances, creating commercial activity in residential zones. Beyond that, operating a de facto restaurant likely requires individual hosts to obtain a business license, and may also subject the hosts to Health Department regulations.
The legality of these sites, which are all relatively new yet expanding, depends on local regulations, which will vary. Yet, users of these sites are signing up to eat food prepared in an unlicensed kitchen by a host with no food safety training requirements in a home that is likely zoned only for residential use. The potential problems these sites could create are clear. How various local governments will respond to the challenges of the burgeoning “meal sharing” economy remains to be seen — yet another underground market is forming that regulators may want to keep an eye on.
- See more at: http://www.bbknowledge.com/public-safety/meal-sharing-websites-may-create-issues-for-local-governments/#sthash.hAxJZYuZ.dpuf
Though companies like Uber, Lyft, Airbnb and Homeaway grab most of the headlines, the sharing economy is constantly expanding into new areas of daily life. At least four websites (EatWith, CookApp, Feastly , and Meal Sharing) are taking the sharing economy into the realm of dining, offering users the opportunity to engage in “meal-sharing” — paying to enjoy a home-cooked-meal in the form of a dinner party arranged by the sites. The companies aim to harness a new avenue of economic potential — but in standard sharing economy style, they largely ignore conventional regulatory frameworks on their way to carving out a market share.
Multiple regulatory issues could face individual hosts or the websites that facilitate these transactions. Pop-up restaurants of the sort these sites functionally create will likely violate local zoning regulations in many instances, creating commercial activity in residential zones. Beyond that, operating a de facto restaurant likely requires individual hosts to obtain a business license, and may also subject the hosts to Health Department regulations.
The legality of these sites, which are all relatively new yet expanding, depends on local regulations, which will vary. Yet, users of these sites are signing up to eat food prepared in an unlicensed kitchen by a host with no food safety training requirements in a home that is likely zoned only for residential use. The potential problems these sites could create are clear. How various local governments will respond to the challenges of the burgeoning “meal sharing” economy remains to be seen — yet another underground market is forming that regulators may want to keep an eye on.
