The home restaurant market - Italy

1.1 Definition and scope of study

By Home Restaurant we mean the recent phenomenon linked to the sharing economy through which a private individual, turns his/her home into a "sui generis" restaurant for a meeting occasion, also with economic implications. Social Eating is a phenomenon that has been steadily spreading in Italy in recent years and is considered a gastronomic branch of the sharing economy. If the phenomenon in other countries has more varied nuances in Italy it practically coincides with the experience of the Home Restaurant.

The phenomenon of social eating began simply as a way to share meals in 2013 and in just a few short years it has become a real business opportunity. Social eating becomes a home restaurant when the business surpasses earnings of 5,000 euros a year.

The first Home Restaurant in Florence opened in June 2015 and the number of these enterprises has been growing ever since to reach more than 10.000 opened home restaurants in Italy. The number of cooks active on Gnammo, the most popular home restaurant community in Italy, has increased by 62% between 2014 and 2019 exemplifying the impressive increasing popularity of the format in this country.

Home Restaurants represent an opportunity for individuals to reinvent themselves and follow their passion for cooking without having to face excessive costs. The latest trend in this industry in Italy is the introduction of many apps and social media/online communities and platforms to organize, book and share the Home Restaurant experience with the objective of promoting social eating. 

This industry therefore represents an interesting and growing investment opportunity both for individuals passionate about cooking and for entrepreneurs interested in managing and giving more structure to the whole home restaurant system.