Cheeseburger with Fries (and a Permit)

Why would anyone need a permit to cook a meal in their own home?
Dinner parties, held in private residences, that charge their
guests for eating, could become illegal in many cities in the
U.S. 

This multi-part video series about the “sharing economy” shows
how dinner party services are coping with challenges posed by city
regulators and the mainstream media.

Originally Published on May 13, 2014

Ai is a master chef, and about twice a week, she and her
boyfriend, Matt, host a group of strangers at their home in
Williamsburg, Brooklyn, to enjoy a gourmet Japanese meal. Their
guests find them through a website called EatWith, which makes it
possible for diners to book a reservation, not in a restaurant, but
in the home of a chef. Each guests pays Ai and Matt a fee of $41,
and EatWith takes a 15 percent cut.

EatWith, which is now in 30 countries, won’t divulge its sales
numbers, but the company says it has thousands of open applications
from potential hosts and that its volume is rapidly expanding.

“When you come to a dining experience with EatWith, there’s an
element to the social and human experience that you’re not going to
get anywhere else,” says Hila Katz, EatWith’s New York City
community manager. “Around a table sit strangers and friends
together, great food, a glass of wine, and good conversation,
magical things are going to happen.”

But if these home restaurants become more common, the city may
start issuing fines that would force hosts like Matt and Ai out of
business. New York City Department of Health Spokesperson Veronica
Lewin told Bloomberg Businessweek, “People who offer meals to the
public for money…need permits…The city does not allow meals to
be served to members of the public in someone’s home.”

“If you’re [hosting dinners] every day there should be some sort
of regulation, because you’re closer to becoming a restaurant,”
says EatWith’s co-founder and CEO Guy Michlin.

But why should the government have any say over what people
eat—or charge for—in the privacy of their own dining rooms? Unlike
at a restaurant, EatWith guests get to socialize with the person
cooking their meal, and the kitchen is often wide open for everyone
to see how the food is being handled and prepared.

“The sharing economy is changing paradigms,” says Katz. “I have
no doubt that there’s a real hunger for more human interactions,
and it’s those real connecting experiences that will linger with a
guest for much longer after the dinner is ended.

About 3:40 minutes.

Written, shot, and produced by Jim Epstein.