Why restaurants switch to a QR code menu
Printed menus get out of date fast. Suppliers raise prices, a dish stops selling, a new season starts, and suddenly you're crossing things out with a pen or paying for another print run. A QR code menu moves the menu itself online, while the code on the table stays the same.
- Change prices and dishes in minutes, without reprinting anything.
- Show photos of your best dishes, which paper menus rarely have room for.
- Offer the menu in Arabic, English or both.
- Cut down on handling and wiping laminated menus between guests.
- Let guests browse while they wait, so orders are faster when the waiter arrives.
Keep a few printed menus anyway. Some guests prefer paper, and a phone with a flat battery shouldn't stop anyone from ordering.
PDF menu or a built menu page?
There are two ways to put a menu behind a QR code. You can upload the PDF your designer already made, or build a menu page with sections and dishes. Both work. They suit different restaurants.
| PDF menu | Built menu page | |
|---|---|---|
| Setup | Upload your existing file | Add sections, dishes and prices once |
| Reading on a phone | Guests pinch and zoom an A4 page | Made for phone screens, easy to scroll |
| Changing one price | Edit the design, export, upload again | Edit the price and save |
| Dish photos | Only if they're in the PDF | A photo for each dish you choose |
| File limits | Up to 5 MB on Free, 25 MB on Pro | No file to manage |
If your menu changes once a year and the design matters a lot, a PDF is fine. If prices move every few months, or you run daily specials, a built menu page saves you real time.
How to create a restaurant menu QR code, step by step
- In QRaft, choose the Restaurant menu type.
- Add your sections in the order guests read them, for example Breakfast, Starters, Mains, Drinks, Desserts.
- Add each dish with its name, a one-line description and the price, and set the currency your guests pay in.
- Add photos for your best sellers and signature dishes. Five good photos do more than forty average ones.
- Design the code: add your logo, use your brand colors, and pick a frame with a short call to action such as "Scan for the menu".
- Check the scannability score in the editor. It warns you if the contrast is too low or the logo is too big.
- Download SVG or the print-ready PDF for your printer, and PNG if you also want to share it online.
- Scan the printed proof with an iPhone and an Android phone before printing the full batch.
Arabic, English, or both?
A hosted menu page follows the language you write it in: Arabic menus read right to left, English menus read left to right. In the Gulf and in tourist areas of Egypt, many restaurants need both.
The simple way is two menu pages and two codes, side by side on the table tent, labeled "العربية" and "English". The neater way, on the Pro plan, is one code with smart routing by phone language: a phone set to Arabic opens the Arabic menu, every other phone opens the English one. A café in Riyadh or Dubai with a mixed crowd gets one clean code per table and no confusion.
Keep your QR menu up to date without reprinting
This is where a dynamic code pays for itself. The code on the table only holds a short link, and the menu behind it is yours to change.
- A supplier raises the price of beef: change the price and save. Every table shows the new price on the next scan.
- A dish is sold out for the week: remove it, or edit its description, and add it back later.
- Ramadan starts: add an iftar section at the top of the menu, then remove it after Eid.
- You serve breakfast and dinner: on Pro, route the same code by time of day, so it opens the breakfast menu until noon and the main menu after that.
Update the menu before you change prices at the till. Guests who scanned at the table and see a different total at the till lose trust fast.
Table tent and sticker sizes for a menu QR code
A useful rule: a code can be scanned from about 10 times its width. A 4 cm code works from around 40 cm, which is the distance between a seated guest and the table.
| Placement | Code size | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Table sticker | 4 × 4 cm | Stick it where plates and glasses won't cover it |
| Table tent (A6 or A5) | 5–6 cm | Code on both sides, so every seat can see one |
| Window or entrance poster | 10–15 cm | Lets people read the menu before they walk in |
| Takeaway bag or flyer | At least 3 cm | Brings back customers for the next order |
Leave a clear white margin around the code, and choose matte lamination. Glossy lamination under restaurant lights causes glare, and glare is the most common reason a menu code won't scan.
See which tables and spots get scanned
Because menu pages sit behind a dynamic code, every scan is counted. You see scans per day, unique visitors, devices, and a heatmap of time of day by weekday, which shows your real lunch and dinner peaks.
To compare placements, use one code for the tables and another for the window poster or the delivery bags. The Free plan includes 3 dynamic codes, which is enough for a small café to start. Pro gives you 100, full analytics history and the smart routing described above. A weekly email report keeps you informed without logging in.
Questions
Do guests need an app to scan a QR code menu?+
No. The camera on modern iPhones and most Android phones reads QR codes directly. Guests point the camera at the code and tap the link that appears.
Can I make a QR code menu for free?+
Yes. The Free plan includes 3 dynamic codes, and a menu page can be one of them. Hosted pages on Free show a small "Made with QRaft" line at the bottom.
Can I change the menu after printing the QR code?+
Yes. Edit dishes, prices and photos anytime. The printed code stays the same and opens the updated menu on the next scan.
What happens to my menu code if I stop paying?+
Every code keeps working for 3 more months after a paid plan ends. After that, dynamic codes beyond the 3 that Free keeps are paused, never deleted, and work again when you resubscribe.