Feastly

Feastly operated as an online marketplace within the sharing economy, positioned to connect chefs directly with diners for unique culinary experiences. The company was founded by Noah Karesh, who was inspired during his travels to create a platform that offered authentic, home-cooked meals. The business model was designed to empower both professional and amateur chefs by providing them with the tools to market, manage, and monetize their skills outside the traditional restaurant structure. Chefs could host a variety of events, including pop-up dinners, supper clubs, and cooking classes, in diverse settings like their own homes or other local venues.

Feastly's revenue was generated through a commission-based model, taking a transaction fee from the ticket price of each dining event booked through its platform. This approach aimed to lower the significant barriers to entry for culinary professionals, such as rent and overhead, allowing them to focus on their craft. For consumers, the platform served as a discovery tool for finding adventurous and social dining options, connecting them with local food communities in a more personal setting. The company launched around April 2013 and participated in the Boost VC accelerator program, securing angel funding from several investors. By 2018, the platform had facilitated over 200,000 meals served across cities including San Francisco, Los Angeles, Portland, Chicago, and New York.

In December 2018, Feastly was acquired by ChefsFeed, a food media company, with the goal of combining digital media with real-life culinary experiences. The acquisition was intended to provide Feastly's network of chefs with more opportunities, such as brand partnerships and paid media campaigns, while offering ChefsFeed's audience access to bookable dining events. Despite the acquisition and integration, analysis from late 2018 and a follow-up in 2023 suggested that the business model did not achieve significant scale, with a limited number of events posted weekly.

Keywords: culinary marketplace, social dining, peer-to-peer dining, pop-up dinners, supper clubs, chef platform, sharing economy food, home-cooked meals, experiential dining, food experiences, chef empowerment, dining platform, Noah Karesh, ChefsFeed, food tech, online food booking, private dining, cooking classes, culinary events, gig economy for chefs