I think that's a French thing yeah. Here in Spain if people make dinner it's really a special occasion and you'd tell them they are coming for 'dinner'. Usually you do something really simple like finger food, get takeout or just grab some beers and snacks at the cafe downstairs.
The idea is to spend the most time with your friends, not in the kitchen. But I know in France food is a bigger thing.
The thing is also that here dinner is usually an afternoon thing.
My experience in south of Spain is that nobody invite people at home but the migrants. Spanish just like to meet outside.
But maybe that is a particularity of my area where houses / appartments are small, food is relatively inexpensive outside and weather is almost always good enough to go out.
Also preparing dinner doesn't mean you can't spend time with friends. As a French if I am invited to dinner and someone is cooking, I usually offer my help in the preparation. It is a nice occupation alongside a beer or a glass of wine and a great way to share an activity while having a chat with your host. Actually there are some other cultures where preparing the food is an integral part of the whole "spending time together thing". For example in latin america women would chat for hours preparing stuff in the kitchen while men would typically doing the same around the BBQ.
Same here in Catalonia, inviting people to your house is not really done. We just meet outside.
And the menu deals during lunchtime are amazing. 12 euro for 3 courses. Add some drinks and you have passed hours for cheap.
And yeah I have seen that latin thing, my ex was a latina and I saw them often socialising while making food. But in that culture preparing food seems to be very much a "women-only" thing where the men hang on the couch with a beer :P Whereas our roles here in europe are much less traditional. So it's not quite as mixed for them in terms of the pre-dinner socialisation. I tried to go into the kitchen to help/chat at one point but I didn't think I was very welcome there.
However I only know that one latino family well. Perhaps they are an outlier.
The idea is to spend the most time with your friends, not in the kitchen. But I know in France food is a bigger thing.
The thing is also that here dinner is usually an afternoon thing.