Although the pandemic may be long past, its effects on the restaurant industry are still being felt today. Between a greater interest in permanent outdoor seating, a tight labor market, and a continued interest in contactless dining options, both customers and restaurant owners have shifted their behavior to match this new world.
The rise of QR code menus has been one of the most pervasive changes to the restaurant industry. Whereas before restaurant owners were reliant on costly, cumbersome, and potentially germ-carrying physical menus, this new generation of digital menus offers a variety of advantages to the savvy restaurateur and diners alike.
In this guide, we’ll go over some of the top ways that a QR code menu can help your restaurant succeed. Then, we’ll dive into the nitty-gritty details about how contactless menus work before finishing off with a few helpful implementation tips.
QR code menus offer a variety of advantages over traditional paper menus. But the best part is, the benefits to using a QR code menu aren’t just for the restaurant owner. Diners also have an interest in going to restaurants that use the technology to enhance the customer experience.
The advantages include:
Cost: Since QR code menus consist of a webpage, PNG, or PDF file, they’re significantly cheaper to make compared to paper menus, which require costly printing runs.
Easier menu updates: You can update your online menu in real time. This means you can more easily add or subtract menu items. By contrast, paper menus are less dynamic and need a time-consuming reprinting every time you change your menu.
Social media sharing: It’s easy to stick a custom QR code on your restaurant’s Facebook or Instagram page. This can give your brand an even greater reach.
Enhanced functionality: QR code menus have significantly greater functionality compared to traditional paper menus. For example, you can add additional information such as an FAQ section without worrying that your menu will be too long. You can also integrate extra functions in the menu link, like the ability to place orders electronically.
Efficiency: Without stacks of paper menus, it’s one less thing for your front-of-house staff to manage.
Reduced physical contact: Masks might not be as common a sight in most restaurants anymore, but sanitation is still at the forefront of many people’s minds. Digital menus are safer than physical menus because there’s less chance for germs to spread from person to person. With a QR code menu, customers can use their phone cameras to access a digital menu from the comfort of their personal smartphone. Keeping physical contact to a minimum for both workers and customers.
You can think of QR codes as URLs in picture format. Each QR code is a unique assortment of white and black shapes that tell your phone which website to visit. QR code menus are really just landing pages with a snazzy navigation method.
A typical phone camera is capable of reading a QR code, usually with the help of a special app (although this may differ depending on whether you have an Android or Apple device). Once your phone camera reads the QR code, it will render the information on it into a URL. You can then tap on the website address to get to a specific webpage.
The best way to think of how QR code menus work is to simply imagine your QR code as a gateway that takes the person scanning it directly to your website.
If you already have a restaurant menu, you’re halfway to creating a QR code menu of your very own. First, you need to upload your restaurant’s menu online. If you don’t already have a website, you can hire a professional to create one for you.
However, with the advent of Squarespace, Wix, and other drag-and-drop website-building platforms, it’s entirely possible to make a high-quality website yourself with no prior experience. Simply choose from one of the many website templates, and create a page with your online menu. Remember to keep the URL for that webpage short and neat since you’ll be sending customers to it via QR code later on.
It’s possible to create a custom QR code, which is really just a type of barcode, using any number of online or app-based QR code generators. You may have to pay a small fee to use a QR code generator, although some are available for free.
Once you’ve created your QR code, make sure to make a copy of the code in a reliable and high-quality format. That means saving it as a PNG or PDF file for best results. Keep in mind that you don’t want to introduce any fuzziness into your QR code when putting it online or printing it out on table tents and signage, as that can interfere with its ability to work.
Remember that your QR code is a handy way for your customers to access your menu or website by using their phone’s camera. Since a QR code is just a barcode, it can be printed off and put onto stickers, paper sheets, table tents, and more.
So you’re sold on the idea of saying goodbye to physical menus, but you’re not sure if a QR code menu is the right solution. There are other ways to embrace digital menus. For one, you can still include your menu on your restaurant’s website, so customers can look at your menu before they arrive at your restaurant or while they’re waiting.
You can also set up self-service kiosks on tablets. By placing tablets with a kiosk app like KioskBuddy at your checkout area or at individual tables, your customer can view a digital version of your menu. But it takes the digital menu a step further by also allowing for a contactless ordering process.
Customers can select and customize menu items as well as pay for their order right from the tablet — whether they’re ordering takeout or dining in. The order is then sent right to the back of the house via a kitchen display system. No need for paper menus or paper tickets!
QR code menus offer a variety of advantages over traditional physical menus. They’re significantly cheaper and easier to maintain. Since you can change them on the spot, you can update your digital menu with daily special or seasonal menu items without having to reprint or change your QR code.
Contactless menus are also more hygienic compared to paper menus. Adopting an online menu can help reduce the spread of germs. Finally, QR code menus can help you increase efficiency and cut labor costs.
Plus, implementation is relatively easy given the large number of online templates and QR code generators available for free or at low prices.
Another digital menu option is to set up a self-serve kiosk. KioskBuddy is a self-service kiosk app that lets your customers browse your menu, place their order, and pay directly from a tablet at their table or at the counter.
You can still make quick and easy updates to your menu whenever you need to. Plus, it makes contactless ordering a breeze.
Get started with KioskBuddy today and enjoy a 30-day free trial!