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/ Home restaurants an increasing phenomenon and concern for the food market

Wednesday, 30 May 2018
digital food press-releases collaborative_economy

Home restaurants an increasing phenomenon and concern for the food market

Brussels, 30 May 2018 - HOTREC, the European umbrella association of hotels, restaurants and cafés, 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 Ramón 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.

 
WHAT IS HOTREC?
HOTREC represents the hotel, restaurant and café industry at European level. The sector counts in total around 1.9 million businesses, being 99,5% small and medium sized enterprises (90% are micro enterprises, i.e. employing less than 10 people). These businesses make up some 60% of value added. The industry provides some 11.1 million jobs in the EU alone. Together with the other tourism industries, the sector is the 3rd largest industry in Europe. HOTREC brings together 43 national associations representing the interest of this industry in 30 different European countries.