Why It's Actually HARDER to Cook for Less People Than Larger Groups (Plot Twist!)

Okay besties, can we talk about something that literally nobody tells you when you're starting out as a chef? Everyone assumes cooking for 2-4 people is SO much easier than cooking for like 20+ people, right? WRONG! Like, so incredibly wrong that I need to spill ALL the tea about this! ☕

Grab your favorite snack because I'm about to blow your mind with some serious kitchen truth bombs! 💣

Chef Jojo Plating a Private Dining Experience alone for a group of 8 people in Santa Rosa Beach, FL.

The Big Lie Everyone Believes 🙄

So picture this: People hear I'm cooking for a family of 25 for their reunion and they're like "OMG that sounds SO stressful!" But then when I tell them I'm doing an intimate dinner for 2, suddenly it's all "Oh that must be so easy and relaxing!"

EXCUSE ME?! Easy?! RELAXING?!

Honey, let me tell you why cooking for smaller groups is actually like playing cooking on expert mode while blindfolded!

The Pressure is REAL (And It's Personal!) 😰

When You Cook for 25 People:

If one person doesn't love the chicken, whatever! There are 24 other people having a great time, laughing, talking, creating chaos in the best way. That one person probably won't even mention it because they're caught up in the party vibe. I can’t stress to you how much easier it is for me to cook for this amount of people as opposed to 4. The social pressure cooker is really working, and I can tell that they can tell that I can tell they are really watching. Are you following?! 25 people usually have ordered something that can please most of the group, and these are dishes that most chefs know like the back of their hand. My recipes are all tucked away in my brain. Getting them out on paper is hard to do, so when cooking for more when working with a team, it’s important to have your recipes accessible so anyone who is there to assist can actually contribute more than just washing dishes and peeling carrots.

When You Cook for 2 People:

If ONE person doesn't love something, that's literally 50% of your audience! And trust me, you WILL know about it because there's nowhere to hide! It's just you, them, and that awkward silence when they're clearly not enjoying their meal.

The intimacy that makes small dinners special also means every single bite matters SO much more!

The Math Just Doesn't Math! 🧮

Here's something wild that took me forever to figure out:

Large groups = economies of scale (fancy words for "buying in bulk is cheaper")

Need 10 pounds of chicken? Great, I'll get the family pack and save money!
Making salad for 30? I can buy those huge restaurant-size containers!
Cooking rice for 20? One big pot, one timer, done!

Small groups = paying premium prices for tiny amounts

Need 1.2 pounds of really good fish? That's gonna cost you per pound!
Want to make a fancy appetizer for 4? You're buying full containers of ingredients you'll barely use
Making one beautiful dessert? Still need to buy entire packages of specialty ingredients

I swear, sometimes cooking for 4 people costs almost as much as cooking for 12!

The Timing Nightmare is REAL ⏰

Large Group Cooking:

Start the main course, it takes 45 minutes? Cool, people are mingling, having cocktails, nobody's watching the clock
Something takes a little longer? No biggie, everyone's chatting and having fun
You've got natural buffer time built in because people expect big group meals to be more relaxed

Small Group Cooking:

Everything has to be timed to PERFECTION because people are actually paying attention!
There's no background noise or distraction to cover up if something's running late
Four people sitting at a table in silence while you frantically try to finish the sauce? AWKWARD CITY, population: you!

The Leftover Situation is Bananas 🍌

This one makes me want to scream sometimes!

Cooking for 25: Make too much food? Everyone takes leftovers home and you're the hero who sent them with lunch for tomorrow! It stinks to lose money, but at the same time it’s not really a loss because you are going to leave them something to enjoy again. Make it easy on yourself and bring the Tupperware with you so that you aren’t praying that the house you’re in has it!

Cooking for 4: Make too much food? Now the family has to deal with leftovers for the next week, or it goes bad, and either way you look like you don't know how to portion properly! They will be thinking you spent their money poorly, and not happy with the mass amounts in the fridge. Do yourself a favor and only have leftovers on the dessert but also make sure you do not skimp on the proteins, as that can be a major complaint.

But here's the kicker – recipes are NOT designed for small groups! Everything is written for 6-8 people minimum, so you're constantly trying to do weird math:

"Okay so if this serves 8 and I need it to serve 3... carry the one... divide by... WHY IS THERE A FRACTION OF AN EGG?!"

This is where being a good chef comes into play, and just seeing the consistency of the recipe and knowing what it should look and feel like, when doing it for less amounts and changing the original recipe to meet your guest count.

Every Detail Gets MAGNIFIED 🔍

In a large group:

The garnish on the appetizer is cute, but people are too busy socializing to really analyze your plating, go with something simple, but elegant.
Someone might notice the sauce is a little thick, but they'll probably just eat around it, but that doesn’t mean you should lessen your standards just because you are cooking for more people. This isn’t a cafeteria or banquet food people! Take your time plating but remember that each plate can only have so much time taken as it’s going to add up and cause for multiple people to have cold food.
Which brings us to the next point, which is having a way to have the plates heated, or use heating lamps for your plating setup. There are several ways to go about it. Heat Lamps, Plate Warmers, Table Warmers, Using the oven, keeping food hot in warming stations or in the oven until serving, but at the end of the day making sure the food is not compromised, the guest not burned by the plate, and the food staying warm is a symphony of parts all moving together to create a masterpiece
The lighting, music, and conversation create this amazing atmosphere where small imperfections disappear, so the main thing is to keep the party going and not take away from the fun, JOIN IT!

In a small group:

They WILL notice that the microgreens aren't perfectly placed, so take your time plating, using a heat lamp would really add a “wow” factor. Taking time to bring that inside and setup makes the client feel like they are really getting something special, and they are! This is a big deal, so make sure the food is hot.
They WILL taste that the seasoning is slightly off, so you better be trying your food! I know we can get into the habit of not tasting the food when we cook the same dishes over and over again. I know that we all think we are the best chefs and can do no wrong, but we can forget things. And you can mistake the salt and the sugar for each other. Trust the process and taste your food. The client will thank you and hopefully tip too!
There's no crowd energy to distract from little mistakes, and this can get intense!
Every element of the meal becomes part of their focused experience

It's like the difference between performing at a loud concert versus singing a solo in a quiet room – every note matters more when people can actually hear everything!

The Expectation Game is INTENSE 🎯

This is probably the biggest mind-bender of all!

Large groups come with built-in expectations:

"Oh wow, feeding 30 people, this is going to be impressive but probably not restaurant-perfect"
People are generally just grateful someone else is handling the massive logistics
The social aspect is often more important than food perfection

Small groups come with sky-high expectations:

"It's just 4 people, so this should be absolutely perfect and personalized!"
Every dish should be restaurant-quality because you "had time to focus"
People expect more creativity, more attention to detail, more everything!

The Equipment Struggle is SO Real! 🍳

Large group cooking:

Break out the big pots, industrial-size pans, everything makes sense
Your equipment is designed for this!
Efficiency is key, and big equipment is efficient

Small group cooking:

Try to make a beautiful risotto for 3 people in a huge pot? Good luck with even cooking!
Want to sear 2 steaks perfectly? Hope you have the right size pan!
Making a small batch of sauce? It's either going to burn in a big pot or look ridiculous in a tiny one

I swear I have more equipment for cooking small amounts perfectly than I do for cooking large amounts!

The Creative Pressure is UNMATCHED 🎨

Big groups: Keep it simple, make it good, focus on crowd-pleasers Small groups: Time to be a CULINARY ARTIST!

When you're cooking for 4 people, suddenly everyone expects you to be innovative and creative and make each dish a masterpiece. There's this assumption that since you have "more time per person," every plate should be a work of art.

But here's the thing – sometimes simple crowd-pleasers are simple for a REASON! They work! When you're trying to be creative and innovative for every single course, the chances of something not landing perfectly go way up!

Chef Jojo’s Famous Gulf Coast Crab Cakes in 30A, FL.

My Honest Take After Years of This Madness 💭

Look, I LOVE cooking for small groups! There's something magical about creating an intimate dining experience where you can really focus on the details and make everything special. BUT (and this is a big but!) it requires a completely different skill set than large group cooking.

Small group cooking requires:

Precision timing skills
Perfect portion control
Flawless execution (because mistakes are obvious)
Creative menu planning that works in small quantities
The ability to handle pressure when every single bite matters

Large group cooking requires:

Logistics management
Efficiency and speed
Consistency across many portions
The ability to handle chaos and keep multiple things going

They're both challenging, just in totally different ways!

Shaka Sushi Dinner paired with Chef Jojo Signature Key Lime Pie, Crab Rangoons, & Strawberry Burrata Salad in 30A, FL.

My Small Group Survival Tips 🚨

Plan portions like a mathematician – I literally use a scale for everything now!

Always have a backup element ready – extra sauce, backup garnish, something to save the day if needed

Embrace simple perfection over complex disasters – a perfectly cooked piece of fish beats an over-complicated sauce that's just okay

Charge appropriately – don't let people think small groups are "easier" so they should pay less!

Practice your timing obsessively – there's no hiding behind party chaos with small groups

Accept that some recipes just don't scale down – and that's okay!

Chef Jojo’s Plated Dining Experience 30A, FL.

The Plot Twist Ending 🌟

Here's what I've learned: both small and large group cooking have their challenges, but they're completely different games! The sooner you accept that cooking for 4 people perfectly is just as much of an art form as feeding 40 people efficiently, the better your small group meals will become.

And honestly? Some of my most rewarding cooking experiences have been those intimate dinners where everything came together perfectly for just a few people. There's nothing quite like seeing 4 people completely blown away by a meal you crafted specifically for them.

Just don't let anyone tell you it's the "easy" option! 😂

What's your take, friends? Do you find it harder to cook for small groups or large ones? Have you ever had that awkward moment when your intimate dinner party timing went completely sideways? Drop your stories in the comments because I KNOW I'm not alone in this struggle! 💕

Keep cooking (whatever the size!), Chef Jojo 🍳✨💕

The Secret Challenge: Less Plates, More Chaos