EatWith is a new startup that allow users with cooking skills to earn some cash while sharing a social experience with other food lovers.
Airbnb is the popular site that allows hosts to rent out parts of their homes to travelers looking for a place to stay that isn't a hotel. Launched 10 months ago, EatWith founders Guy Michlin and Shemer Schwarz used this idea to create a one-of-a-kind social experience where people get to know each other around a good meal.
The site allows hosts to open up their homes to make some money and new friends while sharing stories and their favorite recipes. EatWith evaluates all hosts to make sure that they have the appealing personality to serve strangers, as well as making sure their culinary skills are up to par. The menu must be reviewed before a meal is added to the site.
The company looks for three main "ingredients" a host must have: the ability to communicate, cook, and the atmosphere of their home. According to Michlin, about four percent of potential cooks make it onto the platform.
EatWith has over 500 hosts in 160 cities and 30 countries around the world, making it the Airbnb for people who want to try local foods that are authentic. But the company also caters to locals who are just looking to share good food and conversation while meeting new people.
Guests get to enjoy the meal with other like-minded visitors, and rate the host cooks to ensure that they provided a high-quality experience.
The company launched as part of TechCrunch Disrupt's Startup Battlefield, and has raised $8 million in funding led by Greylock Partners.
Sharing stories over meals at the dinner table is what Grelock Partners' marketplace expert Simon Rothman calls the original social network.
"With technology and being so plugged in, there's something about that but it feels like there's something missing," Rothman, who joined EatWith's board, says. "When it comes to personal relationships, efficiency isn't efficacy. We're digitizing all our interactions, but that has virtualized our relationships."
The platform links technology to personal communication between people, making it more of an experience than a meal.
EatWith is not the only startup that is delivering a unique dinning experience. Dinner Lab connects foodies with menus created by rising culinary stars. Members pay to reserve a seat at an undisclosed restaurant based off of their city's calendar. The foodies are sent an email of an exotic location to enjoy their meal one day in advance. The guests are asked to fill out feedback cards for the chefs to ensure a high-quality experience.
"I don't need a New York Times restaurant critic to tell me what's good or what's bad," says CEO Brian Bordainick. "Anything we put our name to is going to come from the world of experimentation or iteration. We're not afraid to roll out a chef after a couple of months or completely throw out a menu."
Dinner Lab is now planning to open a permanent restaurant with menus chosen by the crowd of its 1,000 to 2,000 members in each city. The location has yet to be decided.
If these two startups are any indication, it looks like meals and technology will be crossing paths a lot more often in the future,
