In the catering industry, promoting "side dishes" and "half dishes" has become a new trend. This trend is largely driven by the demand of consumers, who prefer to choose small portions or half portions, so that they can try more dishes, control their food intake and save money. Although this trend is attractive to consumers, will it increase the time, manpower and material costs of catering enterprises? The following is my view on this issue. First of all, for catering enterprises, promoting small portions or half portions may increase the time cost. Because this means that they need to make dishes more frequently and control the quantity more carefully to ensure the quality and taste of dishes. If the chef in a restaurant is not skilled enough, or there are many kinds of dishes, this may lead to overtime and longer production time, thus increasing the time cost. Secondly, promoting small or half portions may increase labor costs. Catering enterprises need more employees, including chefs, waiters and cleaners, to cope with more frequent cooking and more service demands. If catering enterprises are not controlled, it may increase the labor costs such as wages and benefits, thus affecting the profitability of enterprises. Third, promoting small or half portions may increase the cost of materials. Making small plates or half plates means that more utensils and tableware are needed, such as saucers, spoons, forks and so on. If a restaurant's inventory management is improper, it may lead to higher procurement costs and greater demand for storage space, thus increasing material costs. However, although the promotion of small or half portions will increase the cost of time, manpower and material resources, this trend will also bring some potential benefits to catering enterprises. First of all, it can attract more consumers, especially those who like to taste various flavors. Secondly, it can improve the brand value of restaurants, provide more choices for consumers and increase customer satisfaction. Finally, it can also improve the profitability of restaurants, especially in the highly competitive catering market, and increase market share through continuous innovation and adaptation to consumer demand.