[ccollins]

Thanks for the mention (I'm Chris from http://www.gusta.com and previously Airbnb). I do think a distinction should be drawn between "an Airbnb for food" (where regular people are cooking for strangers) and the established "pop-up" movement, often hosted by professional chefs. The first is a social site with a payment layer and the second is a ticketing site with a social layer.

Longer term, I think both models can coexist as they are approaching the industry from opposite ends. "Legality" is going to be an issue for any disruption in the food market - dealing with that is the cost of doing business. Personally, I hope Gusta gets to a point where people care enough to want to regulate us :)

[ig1]

In the UK pop-up restaurants are usually run by regular people and not professionals:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/food_and_dri...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/may/26/pop-up-re...

[ccollins]

From the first article, "Some of the highest-profile pop-ups involve established chefs relocating to summer quarters." - Agree there is a movement of DIY'ers starting these. I just acknowledge that there are two separate entrance points into the market. One, established chefs who create the highest quality food. And Two, DIY'ers where you don't know what you're going to get. From the article, "food at these instant restaurants ranges from quasi-student to haute cuisine."

There is a similar difference between Vacation Rentals & Hotels, but I expect both establishments to make money for a long time.