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I think the concept has real potential but right now I think the first impression (what people see, the design, the explanation, etc) is really sub-par. As someone else posted, I went there to work out what the deal was, saw some photos of food (some uncooked/unprepared) and couldn't work out what was going on, so I bailed. And I think I could be a potential customer or host - I love travel, food, I've used AirBnB a few times, etc.

I think starting with photo-sharing is a bad idea, or at least it should not be a focus. Rather, hand-pick people (even with key dishes in mind) to feature on your front page. Have a pilot dinner or two, even if you have to find random tourists and offer to cook them dinner, and get a case study/testimonial or two up there with photos of the guests with their hosts. Just don't call them case studies/testimonials but something more natural and homely.

Ditch "food porn" - people don't want to eat at someone's house because it's fancy or the photos are pro, they'll eat there because they want the local experience. They want authentic homely French in a village cottage. They want Chinese with a multi-generational family in the hutongs. Ditch "airbnb" until you can better explain what you're doing.

There is a risk that people will not see your site as a meal-booking thing. They will see it as it is now and then never bother with it again. You're right to try and get feedback early and keep things moving, but I reckon your MVP needs to be closer to your eventual concept even if your withhold actual bookings for a while.

I'm a web designer in Australia who works remotely with a few people in addition to my local clients. If you want some cheap help with your design and/or to bounce off for feedback /ideas for free, email me (email in profile).

First impression: WTH is this? Waste of time. After realising what the deal is: Could see this going international and being awesome.

Yes to everything prawn says. Tell us what the site does and please take down that food porn reference. It gave me a strong negative reaction, and I'm guessing you don't mean to associate your service with an industry that requires regular disease testing for participants....

Strategically, one option for bootstrapping might be looking for specialty food-related experiences. Perhaps launch in one or two specific markets (around SF?) and call some wineries and other food-oriented travel destinations and offer to market their products. Offering trips+experiences will justify higher prices and gives you a viral hook by encouraging users to get discounts for group travel. I'm much more likely to invite friends to a weekend outing than to the house of a stranger.

My reaction to "food porn" wasn't for the same reason as you, but just because I don't think the final product here is food porn. Food porn is slick photography of stunning meals. There might be a few home cooks that can manage that, but I don't know if the majority will and it creates a huge expectation otherwise.

Your second point made me think - Housefed Pro could even be in-kitchen dining experiences offered by winery kitchens, restaurants, etc?

The concept could be awesome in Asia, but when scams like the tea-house scam (China) are rife, it would have to be heavily policed/vetted or very much reliant on honest reviews.

Great idea, and congratulations on the launch.

Here's a suggestion: ask at least ten friends to "register" so that the front page isn't dominated by just you.

Also, here's a crazy idea, but awesome if you could pull it off somehow: remember the Brazil episode where Bourdain visits a lady who cooks for tourists in her home?

You need to find her and get her registered on your site.

"Opentable for your kitchen" is a much better X for Y than "Airbnb for food".

Yes x1000. I had no idea what Airbnb for food meant. Although I know what Airbnb is, when I saw the phrase for some reason I thought air delivery of food.

Excellent!!

"I love to cook, and love to try new foods. After watching Anthony Bourdain eat with families all over the world, I thought - I want to do that!"

You should take that quote and put it on your main page.

Abstract advice: I would consider that, unlike in accommodation, the main decision making factor for choosing a meal is going to be the skill and personality of the host. To repeat, people will care more about who is making the food than what the food is. Building your site to encourage a personal connection to the hosts will help you immensely.

Concrete advice: De-emphasise food pics on the homepage. Get portrait photos of your hosts holding their favourite dish. Use those photos to make a 'hosts' gallery that shows off each host, where they are, how many positive reviews etc.

Look at this page (and its sub-articles) until you see an after-image of it when you close your eyes: http://www.etsy.com/storque/search/title/featured-seller/

I am a very active host on airbnb (holson farm in Mountain View) and have been talking very seriously with my wife about branching out into restaurant-ing a few nights a month, so I am very interested in your start up. However in order to convince me to join I would have to believe that the number of people you would refer to me (and the added convenience of you handling the money) would be more important than the added risk of being shut down because my name is out there. (I'm not saying that you don't provide that value, I'm just saying that I would worry about it).

Also, are you thinking of this more like a dinner party (you eat with the hosts and all the other guests that night) or a underground restaurant (hosts have a few tables set up at their house for private parties) or both?

I'd be happy to share with you my thoughts on this as someone who was going to do this anyway, before your service existed if you are interested. (benjie@anybots.com)

(Sidebar: your place sounds cool! Will definitely consider it the next time I'm down there from Portland.)

I am completely ignorant about the legal hoops involved w/food prep/selling, though I feel it's implicit in the open-ness and formality of sites like Housefed/Munchery/Mealtik that they consider themselves legal, at least by some interpretation (like room & board? like school bake sales? Like farmer's markets with prepared food? I am legally clueless... yet can think of many places in life where I'm paying for food in non-traditional environments.)

Just as AirBnB has come under fire from "real" hotels in NYC, I'm sure this will food-at-home will come under bureacratic heat... if it gets traction.

(Even in Portland, which I think just passed 600(!!) food carts in 2011, "real" restaurants decided (years too late) to start complaining that food carts weren't legit (though they do have health inspections, business licenses. http://www.portlandfoodanddrink.com/2010/09/are-food-carts-g... ))

If it's not too troublesome, can you go into where you think the hard line is for in-home food selling?

I think the issue is with prepared food (especially hot food) and I have to imagine that there are licenses, health inspections, etc that restaurants need to have, and if I could start a restaurant without one, then wouldn't everyone?

However I've been doing more research and found this quote:

Ken Sato, principal environmental health inspector for the San Francisco Health Department, says an underground restaurant would only be investigated in case of a complaint.

"We'd issue a notice to cease and desist operation," he says. "

from this article: http://www.metroactive.com/papers/sonoma/04.06.05/dining-051...

So: I guess green light?

Thanks for posting this. Portland + Seattle also have underground restaurants (which got so trendy they bore a legit manifestation, "Family Supper" ah, Portland...)

I did some research about this since yesterday and found mostly information for selling food you make in your house, but sell outside your house. They call it "cottage food," (i knew the expression, but not what i meant legally). I found out that "cottage food acts" are enacted state by state, and that Oregon (where I live) has a permissive one.

As for serving food right in your house, i haven't found much info yet.

I think the local health-code issues you'll need to deal with are a deal-killer.

Renting a room in a house is accepted and legal just about everywhere. Selling food often requires a permit and health inspections.

I remember hearing about some people in Oakland who were GIVING away food to homeless people, and they got shut down because it was not being prepared in a commercial kitchen.

And my sister was considering making cakes professionally in a Denver suburb; similarly, she was told she needed to be using a commercial kitchen.

After I discovered AirBnB I was hoping someone would implement a food-based version. Well done!

I like the photosharing idea and your home page setup has that minimalist feel that's trendy right now. I'd get rid of the uninspired "Most Likes" sidebar title/tab title though. Something more snappy like "Top Chefs" would pop out more and be less confusing IMO.

Great concept! I try look for local (as close to home-cooked) food when visiting other countries and this is fantastic.

I recommend reaching out to http://www.try2cook.com/ and having her sign up on your site. She has a great cooking class near Buenos Aires that I took that would be perfect for this app (and helping it grow).

I remember your original post. It was the day before I actually registered here (your blog title may have influenced my own self-deprecating choice of username :-) ).

Although what you have at the moment is more a teaser than an MVP, I love the concept.

To make it useful to travellers you're going to need to add in cities and maps. I'd love to try a real pad see ew with a Thai family, but preferable one in the part of Thailand I'm actually staying in.

A veggie filter might be a good idea too as I'm not sure your food porn is so appealing to them

I love it. I can't cook, at all, but I wouldn't mind having an occasional dinner-with-strangers.

I'm forwarding this on to a chef friend I know.

I like the idea. Hope it works out. May i ask though where you found the 200 people to start with?