QR Codes
QR code menus for restaurants and cafés: a practical setup guide
How to put your menu behind a QR code that guests can scan easily, where to place the codes, and how to keep the menu up to date without reprinting.
By Lumara Links Team
5 min read
A QR code menu lets guests open your menu on their own phone, and lets you change prices or dishes without reprinting anything. Done well, it is quicker for everyone. Done badly, it is a frustration at every table. Most of the difference comes down to the page the code opens and where the code is placed.
Start with the menu page, not the code
The code is only a doorway. What guests really use is the page behind it, so make that page work well on a phone:
- A web page is better than a PDF. PDFs are slow to open on mobile data and hard to read on a small screen.
- Put the sections first (starters, mains, drinks) so guests can jump to what they want.
- Show prices, allergens and dietary labels clearly, in text rather than inside images.
- Keep it fast. Large photos make guests wait at the table.
Host the menu on a page you control and keep its address the same. Then you can update dishes and prices whenever you like, and every printed code keeps working.
Make the code
- Copy the address of your menu page.
- If it is long, shorten it with a readable alias such as your restaurant's name or menu. A short link makes a simpler code, and guests can type it if a scan fails.
- Open the QR code generator, paste the link and download the SVG for printing.
- Print one table card first and test it in the restaurant, under your actual lighting.
Where to put the codes
- On every table, on a stand or sticker at least 3 centimetres wide, where guests can scan without moving plates.
- In the window and by the door, so people can read the menu before they come in.
- On takeaway bags and receipts, linking to the menu or your ordering page.
- Next to each code, a short line such as “Scan to see our menu”.
Avoid placing codes where reflections hit them, such as under glass tabletops or on glossy laminate under bright lights. A matte finish scans more reliably.
Look after every guest
Not everyone wants to use their phone at the table, and some guests will not have a working camera, battery or data connection. Keep a few printed menus available and offer them without fuss.
If you also offer free Wi-Fi, a Wi-Fi QR code on the same card saves guests from typing the password, and helps those without mobile data open the menu.
See how often it is used
If the code contains a short link, its click count shows how many times the menu was opened, by day. Create a separate short link for the window code and the table codes, and you can see which one people use.
Try it yourself
Generate a QR code