STEP-BY-STEP GUIDEFebruary 26, 20268 min readDine With Me

How to Create a Cooking Competition on Dine With Me

A complete walkthrough for setting up your first competition — from naming it to setting dates and inviting friends.

Key Takeaways

Creating a competition takes just a few minutes and follows a simple 5-step wizard
You don’t need to be a chef — anyone can host and participate
Competitions can be free or have an entry fee (you decide)
Choose from public (open to everyone) or private (invite only) formats
The platform handles scoring, rankings, and prize distribution automatically

So you want to host your first dinner competition? Great news: it’s easier than you think, and you definitely don’t need any culinary credentials. Whether you’re a kitchen veteran or someone who just mastered scrambled eggs, Dine With Me makes it simple to bring people together over food.

Here’s everything you need to know, step by step.

Before You Start

All you need is a free Dine With Me account. Once you’re in, head to your Dashboard and click “Create Competition”. The creation wizard will guide you through five clear steps.

Tip

If you’re unsure about any field, look for the help icons next to labels. They explain exactly what each option does.

Step 1: The Basics

1Name, Description & Categories

Start by giving your competition a name and a short description. This is what participants (and the public, if it’s a public competition) will see first, so make it inviting.

Next, choose your rating categories. Every competition includes three required categories:

Taste — How does the food taste?
Presentation — How does it look on the plate?
Creativity — How original and creative is the dish?

You can add up to 7 more optional categories like Aroma, Texture, Technique, Authenticity, or even Costume for themed nights. Mix and match to fit your party’s vibe.

Want to know more about how each category affects scoring? Read our guide on how dishes are scored.

Step 2: Image & Dates

2Cover Image & Schedule

Add a cover image for your competition. You can search from a library of free photos or upload your own. Then set your start and end dates.

The dates tell participants when cooking begins and when the competition closes, so everyone knows the timeline.

Step 3: Location

3Where's the Dinner?

Type in the location where the dinner will take place. The platform uses location autocomplete to help you find the address quickly. This helps participants know where to go and makes your public competition discoverable by location.

Step 4: People

4Visibility & Participants

This is where you decide the format:

Private — Invite specific friends by name. Perfect for close groups and family dinners.
Public — Open to the community. Anyone can request to join, and you can approve participants.

You also choose the competition type: Singles (individual cooks), Couples (pairs cook together), or Mixed (both welcome). As the host, you can also decide whether you want to participate as a competitor or just organize and judge.

Ready to try it yourself?

Create Your First Competition

Curious about the differences between public and private? We wrote a full comparison: Public vs Private Competitions.

Step 5: Prize & Pricing

5Entry Fee & Prize Pool

Set the cost per participant using the slider (from 0 to 150 in your chosen currency — EUR, USD, GBP, or BRL). The total prize is calculated automatically based on the entry fee times the number of participants.

You have two options for the prize:

Winner Takes All — The top scorer receives the prize money
Charity Donation — The prize goes to a charity of the winner’s choice

Some of the best competitions we’ve seen are completely free. It’s not about the money — it’s about the bragging rights.

How Much Does It Cost?

Creating a competition is free. The Dine With Me platform doesn’t charge you anything to host. Here’s how the money works when there’s an entry fee:

100% of the prize pool goes directly to the winner
A 25% platform fee is applied to participants at the time of payment
Winners receive their prize automatically via Stripe

If you set the entry fee to zero, it’s a completely free competition — just fun, food, and friendly rivalry.

Good to Know

All payments are processed securely through Stripe with bank-level encryption. You never have to handle money directly.

What's Next?

Once you hit Create, your competition goes live (or is saved as a draft if you want to finalize details later). Participants get notified, the countdown begins, and your dinner party is officially on the calendar.

After the competition, Dine With Me automatically calculates scores, applies tiebreaker rules if needed, and distributes prizes. You don’t have to manage any of it.

All that’s left is to cook, eat, laugh, and enjoy the evening. That’s what it’s really about.

EXPLAINER