QR codes by use case → QR codes for restaurant menus
QR codes for restaurant menus
Menus change. Table tents, window decals and laminated inserts don't. That mismatch is the whole problem with putting a static QR code on a menu, and it's worth understanding before you print fifty of them.
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What most restaurants get wrong
The usual approach is to generate a free static code pointing straight at a PDF, print it on table tents, and move on. It works until the PDF moves, the seasonal menu changes, prices go up, or the hosting link expires — and then every table tent in the room is dead.
A dynamic code fixes this by pointing at a short link you own. The printed image never changes; where it sends people does. Swap the summer menu for the winter one at 9am and the tables are current by opening.
Point it at a web page, not a PDF
A PDF menu on a phone is a pinch-and-zoom nightmare: text renders tiny, it downloads before it displays, and it's unreadable one-handed at a table. A plain HTML page with real text beats a beautifully typeset PDF every time on a 6-inch screen.
If a PDF is genuinely all you have, that's fine — put it behind a dynamic code so you can upgrade to a real page later without reprinting.
Where the code physically goes
Table tents get knocked over and greasy. Window decals get scanned from outside, often at night, sometimes through glare. Menu-corner printing survives longest but competes with the menu itself.
Whichever you pick, scan it yourself from where a customer actually sits — arm's length, indoor lighting, at an angle. A code that scans on your monitor may not scan on a candlelit table.
Printing checklist
- Print at least 2cm × 2cm (¾ inch) for table tents; larger for window decals.
- Leave the quiet zone — the blank margin around the code. Crowding it is the single most common reason a printed code won't scan.
- Dark code on a light background. Inverted codes fail on many phone cameras.
- Don't put it under a gloss laminate that catches overhead light.
- Add a line of text: 'Scan for menu'. People don't scan unlabelled squares.
- Test it on both an iPhone and an Android phone before the print run.
Want to change it after it's printed?
That's what a dynamic code is for. The printed image never changes; where it sends people does — and every scan gets counted so you know whether it's working.
Start free — 2 editable codes See pricingQuestions
Can I change the menu link without reprinting?
With a dynamic code, yes — that's the entire point of one. With a static code the destination is baked into the printed image, so changing it means reprinting everything.
Do QR code menus expire?
A static code never expires; it's just an encoded URL. What expires is the page it points at. Dynamic codes keep working as long as the redirect service does, which is why it's worth checking who runs it.
How do I know if anyone actually scans it?
A static code tells you nothing. A dynamic code counts every scan, so you can compare table tents against the window decal and stop printing the one nobody uses.
Related
- Dynamic vs static QR codes — A static QR code has the destination baked into the image. A dynamic one points at a link you control. Here's when each is the right call.
- Why isn't my QR code scanning? — Printed QR code won't scan? It's almost always size, contrast, quiet zone or finish. Work through these in order.
- QR codes for flyers and posters — Find out which posters actually get scanned. Free QR generator, plus trackable codes you can re-point mid-campaign.