Restaurant in your house or selling your homegrown or made produce?

Sarahwx

Apparently there is a growing trend for people to make money by setting up restaurants in their own homes called 'pop' restaurants'. A new TV series called Restaurant in our living room has mixed this into a reality style TV show where families battle to see who makes the most money.
BUT..here comes the bit for this forum... they have made an interactive map where people can register there interest in selling their own home grown or home made produce to these 'pop' restaurants in their area. Likewise people can register that they have or are setting up a pop restaurant and also for those that just want to eat can register as a diner. The idea then seems to be that people get in touch to trade , exchange or whatever. Genius!

I may not have explained it well but you can get the information and guides on how to set up your own pop restaurant etc.. on the facebook page as well as links to the actual map and other information on selling etc..

http://www.facebook.com/restaurantinourlivingroom



what do you think? ( I love facebook )

HappyVirago

I've never heard of this kind of thing before but it sounds really interesting! Don't think it's something I would do - I can't trust my cooking to turn out well enough for paying guests - but I'll definitely watch the programme.

Sarahwx

ah but the good thing is you can look for pop restaurants to buy your homemade or grown things. no good for me as I have nothing growing but my friend has an allotment so she has registered.

scotsbob

HappyVirago wrote: »

I've never heard of this kind of thing before but it sounds really interesting! Don't think it's something I would do - I can't trust my cooking to turn out well enough for paying guests - but I'll definitely watch the programme.

Doesn't seem the kind of thing many want to do.

When you look at their map of the UK there are less than 100 people involved.

All the hype about a growing trend seems really to be just an attempt to boost the ratings for yet another reality tv show.

yummyhoney

there's a catch,,people only pay what they think the meal was worth,,so if you ended up wit a house full of cheap scates,,then could be a costly evening!!!

anguk

Apparently it's quite popular in America but they're called "underground restaurants".

Jamie Oliver featured a few when he was in New York on his "American Road Trip". It was a way of having a restaurant and making some money without being registered and having to pay taxes, follow health & safety etc.

Gingernutmeg

I wonder how it works in terms of insurance, food hygiene etc. It staggers me a bit that people are willing to go into someone's house and pay for a meal, when you've no idea whether it's clean, whether they've got cats climbing on the kitchen counters, whether they're smoking away whilst they cook your food ... I also think it's a bit unfair to small businesses - if they have to adhere to food hygiene rules, have to undertake training, have to pay taxes etc, then I don't see why someone else who's selling food as a business (and presumably making a profit) shouldn't have to adhere to the same rules too. It always annoys me a bit when I read of things like this, having spent a fair bit of my working life in catering. It almost seems a little dishonest, in a way - not to mention risky for both the 'business' and the customer.

radiohelen

I think these "restaurants" are popular in the US because proper restaurants are mean to customers. They get a strict hour and a half to eat before the tables get "turned" and you are booted out with no thanks for you eating their overpriced food and giving a 20 per cent "optional" (yeah right) tip!
I guess they are like dinner parties but where money changes hands.
Can't see it taking off here because people are too tight for the most part, too distrustful and there's that whole my home is my castle thing to get over. Oh and it tends to be immigrant homestyle cooking at these pop restaurants - now I'd be up for a Somali dinner or Lithuanian dinner but I think I'm a minority!

ceridwen

radiohelen wrote: »

I think these "restaurants" are popular in the US because proper restaurants are mean to customers. They get a strict hour and a half to eat before the tables get "turned" and you are booted out with no thanks for you eating their overpriced food and giving a 20 per cent "optional" (yeah right) tip!
I guess they are like dinner parties but where money changes hands.
Can't see it taking off here because people are too tight for the most part, too distrustful and there's that whole my home is my castle thing to get over. Oh and it tends to be immigrant homestyle cooking at these pop restaurants - now I'd be up for a Somali dinner or Lithuanian dinner but I think I'm a minority!

I'd also be up for a Somali dinner or Lithuanian dinner - as long 'tis vegetarian in my case...

I think it sounds like quite a "fun" idea myself and, as for the dreaded "Mr 'Elf and Safety" - frankly I think a lot of peoples kitchens are probably at least as hygienic as some restaurant kitchens I have read about and they would certainly be on the same "hygiene scale" as the kitchens in ones friends homes (where we all happily go for meals when invited) - so I dont see this as a problem.

I recall reading the other day about some sorta "salon" in France - whereby a load of total strangers congregate to eat once/twice? a week regularly and this "salon" is internationally-known and a very nice idea is is too (though must cost them a fortune to run:eek:) - as I believe they give the food away free.

Sarahwx

ceridwen wrote: »

I'd also be up for a Somali dinner or Lithuanian dinner - as long 'tis vegetarian in my case...

I think it sounds like quite a "fun" idea myself and, as for the dreaded "Mr 'Elf and Safety" - frankly I think a lot of peoples kitchens are probably at least as hygienic as some restaurant kitchens I have read about and they would certainly be on the same "hygiene scale" as the kitchens in ones friends homes (where we all happily go for meals when invited) - so I dont see this as a problem.

I recall reading the other day about some sorta "salon" in France - whereby a load of total strangers congregate to eat once/twice? a week regularly and this "salon" is internationally-known and a very nice idea is is too (though must cost them a fortune to run:eek:) - as I believe they give the food away free.

I agree with what you say about the kitchen hygiene being the same standard as most restaurants and certainly friends. I think its a nice idea for people who are really passionate about cuisine, it doesn't always have to be so many guests either, I know a lot of the undergrounds in London sometimes cater for as little as 10 people, so it really is more like a dinner party in that sense.

Looking forward to tonight's episode, noticed that they have put both teams recipes from last week up on the facebook - http://www.facebook.com/RestaurantInOurLivingRoom?ref=nf#/RestaurantInOurLivingRoom?v=app_2347471856&ref=nf - so might give those aubergines a go this weekend!

Chuzzle

I've signed up to this on the selling my veg oint of view - can't imagine feeding strangers in my house! We always have surplus fruit and veg from our allotment (DH is somewhat heavy handed when sowing seeds!) so I figure this is a good thing to do. Will wait and see what happens if anything. Never watched the programe tho cos it clashes with something DH likes to watch!