QR code menus: what works for restaurants, cafés and bars

• A mobile web page beats a PDF: it loads faster and reads without zooming.
• Point the code at an address you control so price changes don't mean reprinting.
• Table tents: 4 to 5 cm, matte, labelled, away from candles and condiment glare.
• Keep paper menus available. Not everyone wants to use a phone at dinner.

QR menus went from novelty to normal almost overnight, and plenty of guests now have opinions about them. The good news is that the complaints are specific: menus that are slow to load, PDFs that need zooming, codes that won't scan in candlelight, and nowhere to get a paper menu. Fix those four and a code on the table is genuinely useful.

Start with the page, not the code

The code is just the door. What matters is what opens:

• A mobile web page, not a PDF. PDFs are laid out for A4 or Letter paper and need pinching to read. A plain web page with a heading per section (starters, mains, drinks) loads in a second and fits a phone.
• Prices and allergens visible. Put dietary marks next to dishes and a short allergen note at the top. Guests shouldn't need to ask a server to decode the menu.
• Big tap targets and readable type. At least 16 px text, generous spacing between items.
• Fast on poor signal. Restaurants often sit in signal shadows. Avoid huge photos; compress them.

You can build a simple link page with the square page builder (food menu, drinks list, booking link, phone) and host it anywhere, or use your existing website's menu page.

Point at an address you control

Prices change, dishes come and go, a supplier lets you down. If the printed code holds the address of a page you own, you change the page and every table tent keeps working. If it points at a file name like menu-autumn-final2.pdf, you'll be tempted to keep that name forever or reprint.

A good pattern is one stable address, such as yourcafe.com/menu, that always shows the current menu. The dynamic vs static guide explains the trade-offs of using a redirect service instead.

Table tents and stickers

Diners scan from their seat, 40 to 80 cm away, often in low light. That leads to a few rules:

• 4 to 5 cm wide for a table tent; larger for a wall poster by the counter.
• Matte card, no glossy laminate. Pendant lights and candles reflect off gloss.
• Dark on light, with the quiet zone intact. Don't print the code over the restaurant's wood-grain background.
• Label it. "Menu, allergens and today's specials" is more inviting than a bare code.
• Check the corners. Sticky codes on tables get scuffed and wiped. Error correction Q or H gives them more life, and replace them when they look worn.

The print templates page has a 4 by 6 inch table tent layout with the code already placed at a good size.

Wi-Fi on the same tent

Many cafés put two codes on the table: the menu and the guest Wi-Fi. That works if both are clearly labelled and separated by a few centimetres, so the phone doesn't pick the wrong one. Use a Wi-Fi QR code for a guest network rather than the one your till runs on.

Keep paper menus

Some guests don't carry smartphones, some have flat batteries, some find screens hard to read, and some simply don't want a phone on the table during dinner. Keep a few printed menus, large print if you can, and make it obvious that guests can ask. Your QR code should be a convenience, not the only way to see what you serve.

Watch for tampering

A code stuck on a table is easy for someone else to cover with their own sticker. Check your codes when you set tables, especially in places open to the street. Our QR code security guide covers what criminals do and what both venues and guests can watch for.

Questions

PDF or web page for the menu?

A web page. A PDF designed for paper needs pinching and zooming on a phone, and a large one is slow on weak signal. A simple HTML page with headings for each section reads instantly.

Can I track how many people scan the menu code?

Static codes don't count scans by themselves. Add UTM tags to the menu link and use your website analytics, or your host's own stats, to see visits. Per-table tags show which tables scan most.

Do I need a separate code for each table?

Only if you use table numbers for ordering or want per-table numbers. For a plain menu, one code everywhere is simpler.