How to Make a QR Code for a Restaurant Menu

Two ways to put your menu behind a QR code

You can build a digital menu right in the generator, with sections, dishes, prices and photos. Guests see a clean mobile page, easy to read on a small screen. This is the best choice if your menu changes often or you do not have a designed menu file.

If you already have a designed menu as a PDF, you can use a PDF QR code instead. Guests then open your file. It keeps your design, but it is harder to read on a phone because people have to zoom in, and every price change means uploading a new file.

Both are dynamic: you can change the menu at any time and the printed code keeps working.

Digital menu or PDF: a quick comparison

How to create a digital menu QR code

1. Open the menu QR code generator and choose Menu.
2. Enter your restaurant name, add a cover image or your logo, a short description and the currency of your prices.
3. Add sections such as Breakfast, Starters, Mains, Desserts and Drinks. Up to 30 sections, each with its own description.
4. Add dishes to each section with a name, price, short description and a photo if you have one.
5. Choose the colors of the code and add a frame with a call to action, such as "Scan for the menu".
6. Sign in, download the code as PNG, SVG or JPG and send it to print.

Write a menu that works on a phone

• Keep dish descriptions to one or two short lines. Guests scan, they do not read essays.
• Put the sections in the order guests order: drinks and starters first if that is how your service works.
• Add photos to your signature dishes. A few good photos sell more than many poor ones.
• Mention allergens and dietary tags such as vegan or gluten-free in the description, so guests do not have to ask.
• Keep prices in one format, with the currency set once for the whole menu.

Change prices without reprinting

This is where a digital menu pays for itself. When a price changes, a dish sells out or you add a seasonal special, edit the menu in your dashboard and every table card shows the new version as soon as it is saved. No crossed-out prices and no reprinted menus.

If you serve different menus at different times, a Smart Redirect code can open your lunch menu at noon and your dinner menu in the evening from the same table card.

Printing table cards that get scanned

• Size: print the code at least 3 cm (1.2 in) wide on table cards. Codes on a wall or a window need to be larger, roughly one tenth of the distance people scan from.
• Contrast: dark code on a light background scans best. Avoid light colors on white and codes printed on glossy surfaces that reflect ceiling lights.
• Margin: leave empty space around the code. Do not let a frame or text touch it.
• Call to action: a short line such as "Scan for the menu" tells guests what they get.
• Placement: one code on every table, plus one by the entrance and at the counter for takeaway.
• Test: scan the printed proof with an iPhone and an Android phone in the restaurant's own lighting before printing the whole batch.

See how guests use the menu

Every menu code has its own statistics: how many times the menu was opened each day, on which devices and from which countries. If you have tourists, the countries show where they come from.

Use a different code for the terrace, the bar and the takeaway counter and give each a name. After a week you will see where the menu is used most. When a code is scanned for the first time you also get an email, so you know the table cards are working. More on this in how to track QR code scans.

Other codes restaurants use

• Wi-Fi QR code so guests join your network without asking for the password.
• Review QR code on the bill to collect more reviews.
• Instagram QR code to grow your followers from the table.
• Booking QR code on takeaway bags so guests can reserve their next visit.

On launch day

Tell your staff that the menu is now on the table cards, so they can point guests to it and help anyone who struggles with scanning. Check the statistics at the end of the first service: if scans are far below the number of tables served, the cards may be hard to see or the code too small.

Look at the menu on your own phone once a week. Remove dishes you no longer serve and update prices before guests notice the difference at the till.

Keep a few paper menus

Some guests have no data, a flat battery or simply prefer paper. Keep a few printed menus for them. A QR menu works best as the main menu, not the only one.

Questions