QR codes for a restaurant menu and your business

A QR code is a small square a customer's phone reads with its camera, opening a link without typing anything. For a small business it is the cheapest way to move people from something printed, such as a table, a shop window or a card, to something they can use: a menu, a chat, a booking page. But a poor code wastes half the benefit: printed too small, in a faint colour, or pointing at a link that no longer works. This article walks through what to do before you print.

What goes behind the code?

A code is just a link, so choose the link that suits the customer's moment:

• A restaurant menu: the link to your menu page on your site. If the menu lives in the product catalogue, customers see dishes with photos, prices and options on their phone, and when you change a price once it updates for everyone who scans afterwards. More in product catalogue with WhatsApp orders.
• A WhatsApp chat: write the link as https://wa.me/ followed by your number in international format, with no leading zero or plus sign. The code opens a chat with you directly, and you can set up automatic replies for the first message so nobody waits. Read WhatsApp auto-replies.
• Your website: for business cards, shop windows and printed invoices, so the customer reaches your website from the paper itself.
• Your reviews page: the link to where customers rate your business. Ask politely at payment or after the service rather than hanging it up with no words.

One code for one purpose. Someone scanning a code labelled "Menu" knows what they will get; someone scanning an unlabelled one may hesitate.

Where to put it

The rule: put it where the customer has time and a free hand.

1. On the table for menus: in a small stand or a fixed sticker, not a loose sheet.
2. At the till or reception for reviews and WhatsApp, where people wait.
3. On the shop window at eye height, so passers-by can scan it even when you're closed.
4. On packaging and cards for people who want to reorder or learn more.

Avoid curved glossy surfaces that reflect light, and spots where a customer's phone struggles to get a signal.

Size and contrast for print

A camera needs clear contrast between the dark squares and the light background:

• Dark on white is the safest choice. Light colours, or a colour on a similar colour, make reading hard.
• One colour for the whole code. You can use your brand colour if it is dark enough.
• A blank margin around the code, about four small squares wide, so don't push text or a picture against its edge.
• A sensible size: about 3 to 4 cm is enough for a table; for a sticker scanned from further away, make the code bigger in proportion to the distance. The longer the link, the denser the code and the bigger it needs to be, so use a short link where you can.
• Don't stretch the code or invert its colours, and don't put a logo over it unless you test it afterwards.

For print choose SVG, which stays sharp at any size and doesn't blur when enlarged. PNG is fine for screens and messages.

Test before you print

This takes a minute and can save you printing hundreds of copies:

1. Scan the code with your phone's camera and check that the right link opens.
2. Try another phone, ideally an older one, and a different operating system if you can.
3. Open the page on mobile data rather than home wifi, to see whether it loads quickly.
4. Print a trial copy at final size and scan it from the distance a customer will.

Why a direct code keeps working

Some code makers don't put your link in the code. They put a link that passes through their service and then forwards to yours. That lets them count scans, but it ties your code to them: if the service stops, your subscription ends or its policy changes, your printed code stops working and you may not know.

A direct code carries your own link inside it. There is no middle service, no tracking and no expiry, so it works as long as your link works. That is what Tansik's free QR code tool makes: you type a link or text, pick one colour and download the code as SVG or PNG, with no sign-up. The trade-off is that it doesn't count scans. You can still see your site's visitors in analytics.

The only condition for the code to stay alive is that its link stays alive. So point it at a page you own, and don't change its address without a redirect.

For restaurants in particular

A paper menu is reprinted with every change in price or dish; a code stays the same while the menu behind it updates. Try it with the restaurants setup: a menu in the catalogue, a code on every table, and an order-on-WhatsApp button. Keep a small paper copy for guests who prefer not to scan.

Try it now

Open the QR code tool, paste the link to your menu or chat, download the code, and test it with your phone before you print.

Questions