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HOTREC ‘MEAL-SHARING’ PLATFORM POLICY PAPER – MAY 2018
Dear Reader,
Two and a half years ago, HOTREC released an in-depth
report analysing the boom of the short-term accommodation
rentals market on peer-to-peer platforms. Now, HOTREC is
releasing a new report on a distinct, but quickly growing,
segment of the peer-to-peer platform economy: the offer
of restaurant-like services by ‘home restaurants’ on peer-to-
peer platforms.
While this market may appear to some to be in its early
development stage, its growth is nonetheless remarkable,
with thousands of hosts registered on a handful of platforms,
ready to offer meals in all major touristic cities in Europe.
Like short-term accommodation rentals, this phenomenon
is here to stay.
As a major stakeholder representing 1 million restaurants,
pubs and cafes offering meals to consumers all over
Europe, HOTREC is particularly well-positioned to analyse
this new phenomenon, which is often developing outside
of the regulated framework applying to food and beverage
providers.
Foreword
Chief Executive Officer
Christian de Barrin
Chair of the “Sharing”
Economy task Force
Chair of the Restaurant
& Pub Task Force
Chair of the
Distribution Task Force
Ramón Estalella
Adrian Cummins
Markus Luthe
Like the short-term accommodation rental sector in the
collaborative economy, the home restaurant sector will
not deliver a sustainable and responsible model on
its own. Public authorities should therefore take their
responsibilities seriously to ensure that home restaurants
respect the rules on food safety and public health, just as
the restaurant and pub sector in Europe does.
We believe this report will help all policymakers and
stakeholders involved to grasp the key issues to be tackled
to design and enforce a regulatory framework which fosters
a responsible and fair ‘collaborative’ economy in the home
restaurant sector.
We would like to express our warmest thanks to our
member associations for their contribution and valuable
input and we hope you enjoy reading this paper.