QR code for a restaurant menu: the practical guide
· 10 min read
A bakery prints its table tents in January. In March, the price of the brunch changes. Does everything need reprinting? Not necessarily.
This guide takes you from printing to updating: what customers see when they scan, how to print a code that reads first time, where to place it, and how to change the menu without redoing your materials. The advice applies whatever tool you use.
What customers should see when they scan: PDF or web page?
The PDF: simple, but often hard to read on a phone
A PDF is the quickest option. Your menu already exists as a file; you just need to put it online.
But a menu designed for an A4 or A3 sheet becomes tiny on a phone screen.
If you choose a PDF, prepare a special version for phones:
- a single column that reads from top to bottom;
- text that is readable without zooming;
- a light file that opens quickly even with a weak signal, on the terrace or in a basement.
Avoid heavy full-page photos, which slow down opening.
The mobile-friendly web page
A web page adapts to the screen: customers scroll through the menu like any other page. At the top, you can add links to each section: starters, mains, desserts, drinks.
In return, you need somewhere to create and edit that page: your website, or a tool for building online pages or menus. Setting it up takes a little more time at the start.
How to choose
There is no single right answer. Three questions will help.
- How often does the menu change? A café that changes a few prices a year can make do with a PDF; a daily menu needs a page that is easy to edit.
- How many languages? Plan how customers pick theirs: one PDF per language, or a page with a language choice at the top.
- Who will make the changes? Choose the solution you can update yourself, without waiting for someone else.
Printing a QR code that scans first time
A badly printed code wastes your customers' time and your staff's. Four things matter.
Size: large enough to be read from the customer's seat
There is no size that works everywhere: it depends on the reading distance, on how much information the code contains, and on the lighting. Two principles: the further away the customer, the larger the code must be; the longer the encoded address, the more small squares the code contains, and the larger it must be. Only a test in your own room, with real phones, settles it (see below).
Contrast and colours
A phone looks for dark squares on a light background. Stick to that logic:
- dark code on a light background: black, charcoal, navy or burgundy on white or cream;
- no pale colours that blend into the background;
- no photo or pattern behind the code;
- no inversion (light code on a dark background): some phones read it poorly;
- a logo in the centre must stay small, or it hides part of the code.
Keep your brand colours for the frame, the call-to-action text and the table tent.
The quiet zone
Leave an empty margin around the code, in the background colour: the "quiet zone". It lets the phone find where the code starts and where it ends.
A mistake to avoid: pushing the code against an edge, a frame or a block of text to save space. If your tool already adds a white margin, do not crop it in the layout.
Material and finish
A restaurant table has a busy life: glasses, sauce, cleaning, sunlight.
- Prefer a matte finish, lamination included: a glossy surface reflects the light from the lamps and can prevent reading.
- Replace a code that is stained, scratched or faded. A damaged corner can be enough to make it unreadable.
Testing before printing
This step is easy to forget, yet very useful. A few minutes of testing save you a batch of table tents to redo.
Several phones
Test with an iPhone and an Android phone, recent and older, using the camera: that is what customers try first. On some older models, the camera does not read QR codes and a scanning app is needed. One more reason to keep a paper menu.
A proof at the right size, in real conditions
Print a proof at the final size, on paper close to the final material, and scan it where it will be placed, from the customer's seat. If you serve in the evening, test in the evening too.
Checklist
☐ The code opens first time with the camera of every phone tested: iPhone and Android, recent and older.
☐ It reads from the customer's seat, at the real distance, in midday and evening lighting.
☐ The quiet zone is intact on all four sides.
☐ The code leads to the right menu: the current version, in the right language.
☐ The menu opens quickly and reads without zooming, even with a weak signal.
☐ The material does not reflect the lamps in the room.
Where to place the QR code on the table and in the venue
On the table
Table tent, menu holder, sticker or placemat: anything works if the code is visible from every seat and well lit.
Avoid spots that service will cover: under a glass, under the napkin holder, under a plate. On a placemat, put the code in a corner, away from where the plate goes.
On a terrace, choose a stable holder that will not blow away at the first gust of wind.
At the counter, in the window, at the entrance
In a bakery or café where people order at the counter, place the code where customers wait: near the till or on the wall along the queue.
In the window or at the entrance, the code shows passers-by the menu, even outside opening hours. It is scanned from further away, through glass: test it on site.
The call-to-action text
A code on its own does not say what it contains. Add a short sentence right next to it:
- "Scan to see the menu"
- "Today's menu, here"
- "Drinks and desserts menu"
If your customers speak several languages, add a short translation, and mention the paper menu available on request.
Updating the menu without reprinting
The problem with fixed QR codes
A QR code contains an address. If it leads to a specific file, for example "menu-january.pdf", and you publish the new menu under a different name, the printed code still leads to the old one, or to an error page. Customers see the wrong prices, or nothing at all.
Back to the bakery: if its code leads to the January file, it has to reprint all its table tents in March, or make sure the printed address shows the new menu.
Two approaches
Replace the file at the same address. You always keep the same address, for example a "/menu" page on your website or a PDF with a fixed name such as "menu.pdf", and replace its content. The printed code does not change.
- Advantage: no extra tool if you already have a website.
- Watch out for: the file name must stay exactly the same. Some browsers or servers keep the old version in memory for a while: check on a phone after each change. And if you change website or hosting provider, the address must be kept.
Use a dynamic QR code. The printed code leads to a short address, managed by an online service, which redirects to the destination of your choice. You change the destination in that service; the printed code stays the same.
- Advantage: you can change the file, the page, or even the type of content, without touching the printed material.
- Watch out for: the code depends on the service. Before printing, check what happens to your codes at the end of a free trial or if you stop paying.
Neither approach is better in itself. Choose the one you will actually keep up to date.
Daily menu, season, prices: check before and after publishing
An up-to-date menu is mostly a habit.
- Read the new version on a phone before publishing it: prices, dishes removed, typos.
- After publishing, scan a code in the room to check that customers really see the new menu.
- Keep the paper menu, the board and the online version identical: a customer who sees two different prices will point it out.
What about customers without a smartphone?
A fallback
Not everyone has a smartphone, enough battery, or the wish to take out their phone at the table. Always provide another way to see the menu:
- a few paper menus on request;
- a board on the wall or at the counter;
- staff who present the menu out loud.
The QR code complements the menu. It does not replace a warm welcome.
Accessibility
An online menu can be easier to read than a paper one, if the text is large enough, has good contrast, and customers can zoom in. Ask an older or visually impaired person you know for their opinion: they will immediately see what you no longer notice.
Allergens: who to ask about your obligations
To find out what allergen information you must give your customers, and in what form, check with the FSVO in Switzerland, or with your national food safety authority elsewhere.
Creating and editing your menu QR code with Scanoa
Scanoa creates dynamic QR codes you can edit after printing: the printed code stays the same, and you change its destination when your menu changes. You can even switch from a PDF to a web page without reprinting.
You see how many people scan the code, without tracking: no cookie when scanning, IP addresses never stored. Data is hosted in Europe.
If you stop paying, nothing is deleted: your workspace returns to the Free plan, your oldest dynamic QR codes stay active within its limit, and the others are paused until you subscribe again. Static codes always work.
Frequently asked questions
PDF or web page: which is best for a menu?
Both work: a PDF if the menu rarely changes and you prepare a version that reads well on a phone, a web page if it changes often or exists in several languages.
What size should a menu QR code be?
There is no single size: print a proof at the final size and test it from the customer's seat, with several phones.
Can you change the menu without reprinting the QR code?
Yes, if the code always leads to the same address. Either you replace the file or the page at that address, or you use a dynamic QR code and change its destination.
Can a menu QR code be free?
Yes. A static QR code, which always leads to the same address, can be created for free with many tools. With Scanoa, static QR codes are free and unlimited, and never expire, even without a subscription. To change the destination after printing, the Free plan includes 3 dynamic QR codes, no card needed. To go further, see the pricing.
What about customers without a smartphone?
Keep a few paper menus on request, a board on the wall or at the counter, and staff who present the menu out loud.
What are the rules for allergens on a QR code menu?
This guide is not legal advice. Check with the FSVO in Switzerland, or with your national food safety authority elsewhere.
A good menu QR code is one that scans first time, a menu that reads well on a phone, and an address that does not change when the menu does.
Create your first menu QR code and change it whenever you like, without reprinting. Free plan with 3 dynamic QR codes. No card needed.