We tried a variant of this with Mise very early on but we've since pivoted to a much more stable model with massively improved results & proper regulation.

There are some highlights from what we learned trying "Airbnb for food."

1. Our target was not home chefs, but instead professional chefs. We worked in the industry for several months and identified how difficult being a chef. Lack of progression, opportunity, and a chance to showcase your skill.

2. We rented out a commercial kitchen for chefs, let them work their own hours, and cook the things that they wanted. We took on amateur chefs as an experiment, using their passion and food samples as determinant/predictor of success.

3. We wrote stories for every chef and dish. We'd even take photos of the chefs and edit those to make sure that they looked just as respectable as they sounded.

The Findings:

1. Food quality was inconsistent, ranging from inedible to passable. Because most professional chefs (professional doesn't mean much) and home cooks don't have any experience running a business of their own, their ability to scale and cost-control is poor.

2. That resulted in not only inconsistent food, but insanely overpriced meals ($15 for a bowl of chili, $16 for shrimp & pesto pasta).

3. The amateur chefs we worked with did not understand how to cook outside of recipes and/or they'd cut corners in production. Resulting in some shockingly bad food or overpriced mediocre meals.

4. Because there is no one checking over the food during production, you can't catch people cutting corners. If any of our chefs woke up on the wrong side of the bed that day, one of these things would happen (shitty food, tiny portions, unfulfilled orders).

5. No rational user is going to stick around and experiment their way around a Wild West marketplace that has such a wide range of quality and price. And no amount of "humanization" with stories, photos is going to save the fact that the food sucks.

6. Chefs are really good at pumping up their own food. "Best in the Bay Area", "everyone tells me they love it", "people ask me to open my own restaurant all the time", "there's so much love in this", or "I cooked for X person for Y years". (None of this means anything.)

7. Poor retention (and deservedly so from shitty product) and declining sales. With small orders, our chefs earned minimum wage or worse, which either drove them away ("I quit, fuck you!") or encouraged them to cut even more corners (smaller portions, terrible inedible quality).

8. We experienced ridiculous turnover (someone would quit every week, mad rush to find someone else to replace, unconsciously lowering standards in desperation).

9. At the end of the day, if the food sucks, it sucks. Doesn't matter if it's coming from your "neighbors" or "supporting the local chef down the street".

We've now partner with the best Bay Area mobile food businesses and sell their most popular items. Mise is now sustainable, food quality is consistent/high, customers are really happy (feels awesome whenever we have power users). And we've been able to offer more affordable and better-tasting meals week over week.

Ben (my awesome cofounder) and I take a lot of pride in what we do now, because we know it's awesome food going out to awesome people at affordable prices.

Order for the week ahead, get it all delivered to your door on Saturday, and enjoy a meal on your own schedule. :)

www.eatmise.com