QR code menu ideas for restaurants and cafés

A QR code menu saves reprinting every time a price changes, lets you mark dishes sold out in seconds, and gives guests something to look at while they wait. But the code only helps if people notice it, can scan it, and find a menu that's easy to use on a phone. Here are practical ideas for restaurants, cafés, bars and food trucks, using what you can do with QR Crab today.

Where to put your menu QR code

• Table tents or stickers on every table. The classic spot. Place the code facing the guest, not flat in a corner under the salt shaker.
• The front window or door. Passers-by can check your menu and prices before they come in.
• The counter and the queue. For counter service, put it where people wait, so they've chosen by the time they reach the till.
• Takeout bags, boxes and flyers. The same code works for ordering again next time.
• Your Google Business Profile and social media. The menu page has its own link, so you can share it online as well.

Use the Menu frame (“SCAN FOR MENU”) so people know what the code is for, and print it big enough to scan from a seated position. The editor's scan check warns you before printing if your colors make the code hard to read; How to download and print your QR code covers sizes and formats.

Make the menu easy to use on a phone

• Build it rather than uploading a PDF, if you can. A built menu fits any screen, has a search box and section shortcuts, and is easy to update. A PDF works too, but guests have to zoom and scroll.
• Use short, clear sections like Breakfast, Mains, Drinks and Desserts, in the order people order.
• Add photos to your best sellers, not necessarily every dish. Tapping a photo opens it bigger.
• Use tags (Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten-free, Spicy, New, Popular) so guests can spot what suits them.
• Group sizes under one dish. Instead of “Latte small” and “Latte large” as separate lines, add sizes and options (Small / Large, “+ oat milk”) with their own prices to a single dish.
• Put allergens and key ingredients in the description. There's no separate allergen field, so write them where guests will read them, and keep your staff ready to answer questions.
• Use the note at the top for opening hours, the address, or “Ask us about today's specials”.

Step-by-step instructions are in How to make a QR code menu for your restaurant.

Keep it current

The big advantage of a digital menu is that it can change during service. Some habits that help:

• Mark dishes as sold out instead of deleting them. They stay on the menu, greyed out with a “Sold out” badge, so guests aren't disappointed after ordering.
• Keep a “Today's specials” section at the top and update it each morning.
• Update prices once, everywhere. Every printed code shows the new menu as soon as you save.
• Check it on your own phone after big changes.

More QR codes for your tables

A table tent has room for more than one code. Give each code one clear job and label it with a frame:

• Wi-Fi: guests join without asking for the password. A static Wi-Fi code works even without a mobile connection. See How to make a Wi-Fi QR code.
• Google reviews: best on the bill or check presenter, at the end of the meal. QR Crab asks every guest for a rating and offers your Google page to all of them. See How to make a Google review QR code and How to get more Google reviews (without breaking the rules).
• A coupon for next time: on takeout bags or receipts, to bring people back. Keep it separate from the review request: offering a discount for a review breaks Google's rules. See How to make a coupon QR code (with one-time codes).
• Feedback: a short form for comments and complaints that go only to you.

Trackable codes (menu, reviews, coupons, feedback) count toward your plan's limit. The Free plan includes 3; static codes such as Wi-Fi are unlimited. Compare plans on the pricing page.

Learn from your scans

Each trackable code has a Stats tab. If you want to know whether the window code or the table codes get used more, make a separate menu code for each place and compare. Scans are counted without storing IP addresses; see What does QR Crab record when someone scans a code?.

For a quick overview of what QR Crab offers restaurants, see QR Crab for restaurants.

Common questions

Should I get rid of paper menus?

Not entirely. Some guests don't have a phone with them, have no signal, find small screens hard to read, or simply prefer paper. Keep a few printed menus for anyone who asks, and let the QR code be the quick option for everyone else.

Can I change prices without reprinting the QR codes?

Yes. A QR Crab menu is a trackable code: the printed code always opens the latest version. Edit the menu in the dashboard (Edit & design) and click Save changes; the codes on the tables show the new prices right away.

Do guests need an app to open the menu?

No. The phone camera opens the menu as a web page. Guests do need a mobile connection or your Wi-Fi to load it, so a Wi-Fi code on the table helps.

How do I know if people use the menu code?

Open the code's Stats tab to see scans per day. Premium and Pro add countries, cities, devices and recent scans.

Can I show the menu in two languages?

The menu shows the text exactly as you type it, and the buttons on the page (like search and “Sold out”) follow each guest's phone language, English or Spanish. For a full menu in a second language, a common approach is to write dish descriptions in both languages, or make a second menu code and label each code clearly.