Platforms offering market place for home-restaurants have been evolving over the past years, attracting more and more ‘hosts’ of home restaurants.
HOTREC, the European umbrella association of hotels, restaurants and cafes conducted, together with Toposophy, published a study on the phenomenon of meal-sharing and in particular ‘home restaurants’. The current operational system of this increasing issue should give grounds for concerns for policy makers across Europe, especially following the lessons learnt from the recent development of tourist short term rentals. Home restaurants are another territory of the so-called ‘collaborative’ economy, where action is required to protect both consumers as well as formal businesses. HOTREC puts forward proposals for the possible way forward.
Platforms offering market place for home-restaurants have been evolving over the past years, attracting more and more ‘hosts’ of home restaurants. The phenomenon also starts to attract the attention of policy makers in different countries, as this activity raises several concerns related to, inter alia:
- Food safety
- Licencing on serving alcohol
- Liability
- Taxation
- Enforcement
With this study HOTREC proposes five key pillars to fostering a responsible and fair ‘collaborative’ economy in the home restaurant sector. The document developed also provides for some background on the market and the emerging concerns.
“HOTREC considers, that policy makers shall assess and address the rising issue of home restaurants, reacting to the market developments more timely than in the case of short term rentals”, said Ramon Estalella, Chair of HOTREC’s ‘Sharing’ Economy Task Force.
“The 5 key pillars put forward by HOTREC are intended to serve as a constructive basis for discussion channelling this area of the ‘collaborative’ economy into a fair and sustainable direction”, concluded Christian de Barrin, CEO of HOTREC.
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales.
She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
