A QR code for your restaurant menu
Put your menu online, make one code that opens it, and print it on table tents, windows and takeout bags. When dishes or prices change, point the same code at the new menu. Nothing to reprint.
Updated
First, put your menu online
The code opens a web address, so your menu needs one. Any of these works:
- A page on your website. The best choice: it fits a phone screen, loads quickly, and can show up when people search for your restaurant.
- A PDF. Upload it to your website or a file-sharing service such as Google Drive or Dropbox, and make sure the link opens for anyone without signing in. A PDF laid out for phones (one column, large type) reads far better than a scan of the printed menu.
- Your online ordering page, from the service you already use for orders.
Open the link on your own phone, with Wi-Fi off, before you make the code. If it's slow or asks you to sign in, your guests will hit the same wall.
How to make the code
Create a free account
Sign up with your email. No credit card.
Choose "Website link"
Paste your menu's address.
Pick an ending (optional)
Something like makemyqrcodes.com/joes-menu. Print it under the code, so guests whose camera won't scan can type it.
Add a label
A frame that says "Scan for the menu" (or your own words, up to 24 characters), in your colors, with your logo if you like.
Download
A PDF at the printed width for a print shop, or a PNG to drop into Canva, Word or your menu design.
Test it at a table
Print one at the real size and scan it where guests sit, in the restaurant's real light.
Where to put it, and how big
| Place | Scanned from | Print it at least |
|---|---|---|
| Table tent or table sticker | About 1 ft (30 cm) | 1.2 in (3 cm) wide |
| Paper menu, receipt or flyer | In the hand | 0.8 in (2 cm) wide |
| Takeout bag or box | In the hand, often creased | 1.2 in (3 cm) wide |
| Front window or door | 3 to 6 ft (1 to 2 m) | 4 to 8 in (10 to 20 cm) wide |
The rule behind these: print the code at least a tenth of the distance it's read from. More in the printing guide.
When the menu changes
Put the new menu online, open the code here, paste the new address and save. Every printed code opens the new menu straight away. (If your website or file service lets you replace the menu but keep the same address, you don't even need that step.)
Want to know whether people use the window code or the table codes? Make a separate code for each and compare their scans by day.
Tips that save a reprint
- Laminate with a matte finish. Gloss reflects ceiling lights straight into the camera.
- Keep dark squares on a light background. Light-on-dark codes fail on some phones and scanner apps.
- Keep a few paper menus for guests without a phone, or who'd rather not use one.
- If guests can use your Wi-Fi, put a Wi-Fi code beside the menu code: see the Wi-Fi guide.
What it costs
Your first changeable code (a website link or contact card) is free. After that, a plan adds 5 changeable codes for $11.99 a year, plus sales tax where it applies, and renews yearly until you cancel. Wi-Fi, text, email, phone and text-message codes are always free.
If a plan ends, every code you've made keeps working. You just can't edit changeable codes beyond your free allowance, or make new ones, until you renew.