Best Practices for Using QR Codes for Cafe and Restaurant Menus

Worst Practice: Using Free Static QR Code plus PDF Menu

PDF menu example A significant number of cafe & restaurant owners upload a pdf version of their printed menu to a cloud storage and then use a free tool to generate a static QR code (Quick Response Code) that links to the uploaded pdf file. Afterwards they buy table stands and print the QR code on them. If they want the QR code to open a mobile optimized version of their menu, such as a mobile-friendly website or OrderCaptain digital menu, they will need to generate another QR code and may need to buy new table stands.

Bad Practice: Using Dynamic QR Code plus PDF Menu

This generally involves subscribing in a premium QR service which allows you to generate a QR code and update its destination link. This allows you to change the QR code link without having to do any printing. Two drawbacks of this approach are:

  • PDF menus are not optimized for mobile display and require lots of zooming in & out which is far from convenient.
  • Updating the menu generally requires communicating with the designer to do the work which costs time, effort and money that can otherwise be saved.

Best Practices: Using Dynamic QR Code plus Digital Menu

Smart rating page example A good digital menu, such as OrderCaptain, comes with three main advantages:

  • You can easily update the prices and other menu item details.
  • The menu displays very nicely on mobile phones not requiring any zooming.
  • A rating mechanism that allows you to gather feedback from guests and encourage happy customers to give you online reviews.
By combining a proper digital menu with a reliable dynamic QR code service, you are:
  • Providing your customers with a friendly experience.
  • Giving your guests an easy way to give you feedback and online reviews.
  • Saving effort, time and money related to menu changes and printing costs.

Conclusion:

In this article, we provided some common bad practices that are used by cafe & restaurant owners with respect to using QR codes for their menu. In addition, we walked you through some best practices such as using a reliable dynamic QR code service with a good digital menu service; at OrderCaptain, we have been providing both services reliably to numerous happy clients.

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