Facebook Marketplace is being used by home cooks in Sydney to sell meals prepared in their own kitchens, offering an alternative to restaurant delivery apps and traditional food stalls.
Customers browse listings, contact sellers directly and collect dishes from private homes. The trend, which has gained popularity in the United States, has expanded to Australia and includes everything from desserts to seafood boils.
Among those using the platform is Abigail Reyel-Enriquez, who runs Hawaiian-inspired food business Get Shrimped with her husband, Stephen. The pair began at physical markets but have turned increasingly to social media after a decade in business.
Get Shrimped was inspired by a trip to Hawaii, where the couple developed a passion for the cuisine. Abigail said they had hoped to progress from pop-up events to a food truck, but that plan had not yet materialised.
The demands of market trading, including long preparation and cleaning periods, had become physically difficult. Selling from home has allowed the couple to prepare and cook meals in one place before cleaning up afterwards.
“It’s easier (at home) because we can just prepare everything and cook it straight away and cleaning up as well,” Stephen said.
Influencers discussing the home-food trend gave the couple the confidence to try Facebook Marketplace. Abigail now also promotes the business on Instagram, with customers travelling from as far away as Wollongong to collect their orders.
“I think Facebook Marketplace and doing a lot of social media advertising is really getting us out there,” she said.
For Stephen, the platform offers a way to test a business without the immediate cost of employing staff or paying rent and other overheads.
Another home food seller, who asked not to be identified, said Marketplace had provided a low-risk way to find out whether there was demand beyond friends and family before committing to markets or pop-ups.
“This was just a safe and simple, low-barrier way to get out and see if there was a genuine response, not just within your own circles,” the seller said.
The seller said the experience had brought “testing, learnings and insights” that would have been difficult to gain without making a much larger commitment. It had also provided the validation and confidence to consider expanding the business in future.
For Get Shrimped, home orders have been fitted around the couple’s regular jobs and family responsibilities. Abigail said school pick-ups and drop-offs were the most difficult part of managing the schedule, requiring her to avoid taking orders at certain times.
She said customers were generally willing to work around the couple’s availability and make arrangements to collect their meals.
Food safety rules for home sellers
The arrangement brings responsibilities as well as flexibility. Abigail said she had initially been nervous about sharing her home address with customers, but only provides it after payment has been made.
“There’s always going to be that risk,” she said. “I do pay ID. If they don’t pay, I don’t give the address.”
Home-based food businesses in New South Wales must meet the same food safety requirements as other retail food businesses. Sellers are required to notify their local council about their business and food activities, appoint a food safety supervisor and comply with the Food Standards Code.
The rules cover the safety, composition, labelling and handling of food sold in Australia and New Zealand. For Get Shrimped, that means monitoring temperatures, maintaining sanitation and ensuring food is stored and prepared safely.
“We’re dealing with high-risk food. We’ve got to make sure that we’re cooking at the right temperatures, even storing it, prepping it,” Stephen said.
Abigail said a food safety certificate and a food safety supervisor were essential, but warned that people entering the sector through Facebook Marketplace could overlook the obligations because the work appeared to be a casual side business.
“They’re like, this is trendy right now. Let me start a food business and put it on Facebook Marketplace but they don’t realise like how much more goes into it,” she said.
She and Stephen urged new sellers to treat their Marketplace operation as a proper business from the outset rather than an informal weekend cooking project.
Abigail believes Facebook Marketplace food businesses will remain part of the changing hospitality landscape, although they will not replace restaurants entirely.
“It’s a good way to build that awareness and build your brand, but I wouldn’t say it’s completely replacing like the hospitality industry,” she said.
She expects the sector to develop into a combination of home-based sales and conventional premises, with customers becoming increasingly accustomed to buying food directly from independent cooks.
