Digital Menus
How to Create a QR Code Menu for a Restaurant
To create a QR code menu: put your menu online at a link that will not change, make a QR code that opens that link, print it where guests sit with a few words saying what it is, test it on several phones, and keep the menu behind it up to date. The code is the easy part — what it opens is what guests judge you by.
Step 1: Decide what the code should open
A QR code only stores a link. Before you make one, decide what is at the other end. There are two common choices.
| PDF of your printed menu | Web menu | |
|---|---|---|
| Reading on a phone | Guests zoom and scroll sideways across a page made for paper | Text reflows to the screen; sections can be tapped |
| Changing a price | Edit the file and upload it again — and hope the link stays the same | Change it once; the next guest sees it |
| Sold-out items | Usually not shown | Can be hidden or marked as sold out |
| Languages | One file per language, or one long file | Can switch language on the same page |
| Ordering from the table | Not possible | Possible if your menu system supports it |
A PDF is quick if you already have one, but it carries every limitation of paper onto a small screen. A web menu takes a little longer to set up and is far easier to keep accurate.
Step 2: Put the menu online at a stable link
Wherever the menu lives — a page on your own website, a menu platform, or a file host — the link the QR code opens must keep working for as long as the code is printed. If you ever change that link, every printed code stops working.
- Use a link you control (your own domain) or one from a service you intend to keep.
- If the menu sits on a service, check what happens to the link if you stop using that service.
- Include what guests look for: prices, a short description where the name is not obvious, and dietary and allergen information.
In the European Union, allergen information must be made available for food that is not prepacked, which includes restaurant dishes (Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Article 44). A digital menu is a convenient place to show it next to each dish.
Step 3: Make the QR code — static or dynamic
A static QR code contains your menu link itself. A dynamic QR code contains a short link that forwards to your menu, so the destination can be changed later without reprinting.
- Static is fine when the link it contains will never change — for example a page on your own domain.
- Dynamic is safer when you are not sure the menu link is permanent, or when you want different codes for different tables.
- Either way, the code must open a page that loads quickly on mobile data.
If you only need a code for an existing link, a browser-based QR code generator makes one without an account.
Step 4: Print it where guests can scan it
- Put a code on every table, at eye level or flat where a seated guest naturally looks — not only by the door.
- Print dark on a light background and leave a clear empty margin around the code; busy backgrounds and low contrast make some phones fail.
- Add a few words such as "Scan for the menu" so guests know what the code does.
- Print a short web address next to the code for anyone whose camera does not read it.
- Use a material that survives wiping — laminated cards, stickers made for tables, or acrylic stands.
Step 5: Test before service
- Scan each code with at least one iPhone and one Android phone, using the built-in camera.
- Try it from where a guest sits, in the lighting you have in the evening.
- Check that the page opens quickly and that prices and sections are readable without zooming.
- Turn off Wi-Fi once and test on mobile data — that is what many guests use.
Step 6: Keep the menu behind the code current
The advantage of a QR menu disappears if what it shows is wrong. Make changing the menu part of the routine: update prices when they change, mark dishes as sold out during service, and check seasonal items at the start of each season.
Keep a printed menu available as well. Some guests prefer paper or have no phone with them, and a QR menu works best as an addition, not a requirement.
Common mistakes
- Linking the code to a temporary or personal file link that later expires.
- Printing one code for the whole room when you intend to take orders per table.
- Uploading a scanned image of the paper menu — slow to load and impossible to read on a phone.
- Forgetting to update the online menu after changing the printed one.
Doing it with Thmenu
Thmenu is one way to do all of the above in one place. You build or import the menu, add your tables, and download a print-ready file with one QR code per table. Each code opens your live menu in the guest's own language; changing a price or marking a dish sold out does not require reprinting, and the codes keep working if you later rename the menu's link.
See how a Thmenu QR menu works for the details.