Restaurant menu QR codes: install and test them

Generate your QR code right away

If you already have your menu's public address, the free QR-code generator can produce the file in a matter of seconds, in your venue's own colours and with your logo placed at the centre. It works without an account, entirely inside your browser, and the file it produces does not expire.

The rest of this guide deals with what comes after the file itself: which address to point it at, what size to print it, where to place the supports, and how to check that the journey genuinely works in the dining room.

How can you get the QR code for your menu?

Three approaches coexist. A free generator produces a pattern from an address: this is enough as long as that address stays stable, but the QR code is then only ever as good as the page it opens. A PDF file uploaded to any hosting works fine on the first day, then becomes costly to maintain from the very first menu change onward.

The third approach is to use a solution that hosts the menu itself and supplies the matching QR code: the address is managed by the tool, the menu stays editable, and the supports already printed keep pointing to the right place. The digital menu selection guide sets out the criteria for comparing these different approaches.

A menu published with SimplyRestau has its own public address and the matching QR code. Changing a product does not require reprinting the supports already installed in the dining room.

• A standalone QR-code generator gives you an immediate, free pattern, but you then have to host and maintain the landing page yourself.
• A QR code pointing to a PDF file gets you online quickly, but you have to re-edit the file and re-check mobile readability every time something changes.
• A digital menu with a built-in QR code gives you a stable address and a menu that stays editable, in exchange for entering your offer into the tool at the start.

Where should the code point?

Use the menu's stable public address, not the address of an administration screen or a temporary file. A carefully managed redirect can allow you to change the destination without reprinting, but it adds one more intermediary to keep an eye on.

Open the address in a private browsing window before printing. It should require neither a sign-in nor the installation of an application.

SimplyRestau's QR code opens the venue's public menu. Products and sections can change over time without altering this access point.

How should the artwork be prepared?

There is no single universal size that works equally well for a table, a shop window and a poster. Reading distance, code density and the printed material all change the result.

• Keep the clear white margin all the way around the QR code.
• Avoid a light pattern on a light background, or a highly reflective varnish or finish.
• Do not stretch or crop the square shape of the code.
• Export the file at a resolution suited to the printing process being used.
• Add a clear instruction next to it, for example 'Scan to view the menu'.

Where should it be placed in the restaurant?

• Table or menu holder: consulted during service; check for reflections, cleaning residue and readability while seated.
• Entrance or shop window: discovered before coming in; check the distance, outdoor light and mounting height.
• Printed menu: a path towards more detail; check the contrast and the space available.
• Takeaway material: consulted later on; needs a durable URL and clear surrounding context.

What is a useful test protocol?

1. Print at the final size, without any automatic resizing.
2. Scan it with at least two different phones, using their native camera apps.
3. Test it at the distance and under the angle actually expected in use.
4. Open the menu using a mobile data connection, not only the venue's internal Wi-Fi.
5. Check the landing page, the language shown and the navigation through to a product.
6. Run the test again after lamination or once the support has been installed.

How should QR codes be maintained after installation?

Keep the source file and the list of every location where a code is installed. When changing domain or solution, check the redirects carefully before removing the old destination.

Add a check of the printed materials to the regular front-of-house routine: a scratched, covered or peeling code can become unreadable even when the underlying link still works perfectly.

Frequently asked questions