There’s nothing like a home-cooked meal, but what about when it takes place in someone else’s home? I’m not talking about a family member or a friend. I’m talking about eating in a complete stranger’s home. Does that appeal to you? If so, you might want to check out mealsharing.com. The site bills itself as something of an AirBnB for home-cooked meals and offers the option to dine for free or for a pre-determined “chip-in” price in cities all over the world. You can search for meals in 450+ cities and invite yourself over for dinner.

While the idea of meeting new people in foreign cities is appealing, I don’t know how excited I would be to sign up for this. I worry about my safety while traveling and there’s something about going into someone’s home that feels unsafe — both for the host and the guest. I think I’d rather just stick to trying new restaurants and street food. Would you use this service? Tell me your thoughts in the comments.

Here’s the press release:

MEALSHARING.COM NOW AVAILABLE IN MORE THAN 450 CITIES WORLDWIDE

Unique “Sharing Economy†Platform Offering Home-Cooked Meals to Travelers and Locals Alike

(CHICAGO)- MealSharing.com, a website connecting travelers and locals over home cooked meals, is now available in more than 450 cities across the world, including Berlin, Chicago, San Francisco, Budapest, Madrid, São Paulo and more. Dubbed the “Airbnb of Home-Cooked Meals,†MealSharing.com offers more places to eat than any other website. Chuck Templeton, founder of Open Table, whose mobile apps and website help people find and make reservations in more than 30,000 restaurants around the world, invested in MealSharing.com and offers expertise to the company after recognizing the platform’s unique approach to home-cooked meals.

 

“We are thrilled to have reached into people’s homes and hearts in more than 450 cities worldwide including destinations across the globe such as San Paulo, Paris, Munich and many more,†says MealSharing.com Founder Jay Savsani, “We currently have more places to eat in homes than any other website, validating our efforts to help us reach our goal to offer travelers the ability to go anywhere in the world and have an amazing home-cooked meal experience.â€

 

Features of MealSharing.com include:

• Easy Navigation: Users simply enter the desired city for the meal and can see a list of upcoming meals including information about available seats, menu details and host profiles.
• Affordable Dining Options: While many meals are free, hosts have the option to set a “chip-in†price for their meals (average $7) or can ask guests contribute something to the meal.
• Verified MealSharers: Hosts and attendees are able to rate and review everyone at the meal to ensure safety and are also able to verify their MealSharing.com profiles with Facebook.

 

To host an event, potential hosts simply create a meal on MealSharing.com specifying what they are making, how many people can come to their table and the optional “chip-in†price per person to help offset the cost of ingredients. Then, guests from around the world can easily search for hosts nearby, see upcoming menus and check past reviews of the host. Not only do MealSharing.com events offer an approachable shared meal, attendees walk away with new experiences after sharing stories, experiences and new cuisines.  For more information, please visit www.MealSharing.com.

 

ABOUT MEALSHARING.COM

A global leader in the new “sharing economy†trend, MealSharing.com is a website that connects travelers and locals over home cooked meals with the goal to build more connected communities through approachable, home cooking. Founder Jay Savsani created MealSharing.com after experiencing an unforgettable, home cooked meal experience while traveling in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Available in more than 450 cities worldwide, MealSharing.com has the more places to eat in homes than any other website. Anyone can host or attend a meal by visiting www.mealsharing.com and hosting or requesting a meal. Hosts can accommodate one or many guests per meal and an optional “chip in†is available to help offset the price of ingredients. Afterwards, guests and hosts review their experience for trust and safety. For more information, please visit www.mealsharing.com.