QR Code Menus for Restaurants: A Practical Setup Guide

QR menus became common during the pandemic and stayed because they solve real problems: you can change prices or sold-out dishes without reprinting, add photos and allergen details, and translate the menu for visitors. But a badly done QR menu (a slow PDF, a broken link, a code that won't scan in dim light) frustrates guests. Here's how to do it well.

• A menu page on your own website (e.g. yourrestaurant.com/menu): the best option if you have a website you can edit. Fast, searchable by Google, and you control it forever.
• A PDF menu: easy, but PDFs are slow to load and awkward to read on phones. If you use one, keep it small and design it for a phone screen, not an A4 page.
• An online ordering or menu platform: if you already use one, link straight to its menu page.
• Google Business Profile menu: a simple fallback if you have nothing else.

If the code points at a page on your own website that you'll keep updating, a static code is all you need. It never expires, and updating the menu just means updating the page.

If you might switch where the menu lives (from a PDF today to an ordering system next year), use a dynamic code so you can change the destination without reprinting table cards. Before you print, check the provider's terms: some dynamic codes stop working if you stop paying, which is the last thing you want on 40 tables. (QRCraft's dynamic codes keep working even if a plan ends.)

• Say what it is: "Scan for menu" above the code. People scan more when they know what they'll get.
• Size: at least 3 cm (about 1.2 in) for a table card, bigger for wall signs read from a distance.
• Contrast and lighting: dark code on a light background. Test in your actual evening lighting; dim restaurants are where codes fail.
• Matte finish: glossy laminate reflects overhead lights straight into the camera.
• Add the WiFi: a second WiFi QR code on the same card is appreciated, especially by tourists.

• Put categories at the top so guests can jump to drinks or desserts.
• Show prices clearly and mark allergens and dietary options.
• Keep photos compressed so the page loads quickly on weak signal.
• Update sold-out items and specials, since the whole point is that it's current.

Not everyone has a smartphone, a charged battery or a data connection, and some guests simply prefer paper. Keep a few printed menus for anyone who asks. It's good service and, for accessibility, often the right thing to do.

1. The code opens the right menu on both iPhone and Android.
2. The page loads quickly on mobile data, not just your WiFi.
3. The code scans in your real lighting from a seated position.
4. You know how you'll update the menu, and the code won't expire.

Create a menu QR code or a dynamic one you can redirect later.