What is a QR menu and how does it work?

What is a QR menu?

A QR menu, also called a QR code menu or digital menu, is a web page with your dishes, prices and photos. You print a small QR code on a card, sticker or table tent; guests point their phone camera at it and the menu opens.

The menu lives online, not on paper. When a price changes, you edit it in your account instead of going to a print shop. The printed code stays the same; only the page behind it changes.

A PDF behind a QR code is different: it is a picture of a paper menu, hard to read on a phone, and you have to remake it after every change. We compare the two in QR menu vs PDF menu.

How guests use a QR code menu

1. The guest points the phone camera at the QR code on the table.
2. A link appears on the screen; one tap opens the menu in the browser.
3. They browse categories and photos, search for a dish and switch the language if needed.
4. They put dishes in a cart and either send the order themselves, where the venue takes table orders, or show the cart to the waiter.

There is no app to download: on iPhone and Android, the camera opens the menu straight in the browser.

See for yourself: scan the QR code of Nar Kafe, our live demo venue, below.

Nar Kafe: live demo

Scan the code with your phone camera or press the button: this is the demo venue’s real menu.

Open the demo menu

What a good QR menu should have

A QR code that opens a long list with no photos is not much better than paper. Look for these:

• Photos. A clear photo of each dish helps guests choose, especially when the cuisine is new to them.
• Several languages. Locals and visitors do not always read the same language. The menu should open in the phone's language, with a language switch.
• Sold-out marks. When a dish runs out, the menu says so, and guests do not have to ask the waiter.
• Allergen and diet tags. Guests with an allergy or on a diet can choose without asking about every dish.
• Search and filters. Soup or a kids' dish should be easy to find without scrolling through the whole menu.
• Sizes and options. Small or large, with or without extras, each with its own price.

In Moymenyu, all of this is in the free Basic QR package (one photo per dish). The menu comes in English, Russian and Azerbaijani, and prices show in your own currency, for example dollars, euros, pounds or manat. You also get 16 menu designs, your logo and a cover photo. Basic QR also gives guests a cart to show the waiter and table games.

On languages: you fill in the dish names for each language yourself. One name and a price are enough to start; the other languages are optional, and where a translation is empty, guests see the main name. Nothing is translated automatically, with one exception: the AI scan of a paper menu fills in the other two languages.

What the venue gains

• No reprinting. A new price or dish does not mean new paper menus. You change it in your account, and guests see it the next time they open or refresh the menu. The QR code on the table stays the same.
• Guests who speak other languages. If a guest's phone is set to English, Russian or Azerbaijani, the menu opens in that language (if you filled in the translations); on a phone set to any other language, it opens in English. Guests can always switch.
• Easy updates. You add a seasonal dish, change a photo or mark a dish as sold out yourself, without waiting for a designer or a print shop.

Common worries, answered honestly

Owners usually ask the same questions before switching.

What about older guests?

Some guests will always prefer paper, and that is fine. Keep a few printed menus for them and a QR code on every table for everyone else. With only a few copies, updating them after a price change is easy.

What if a guest's phone has no internet?

A QR menu is a web page, so the phone needs mobile internet or Wi-Fi. If you have Wi-Fi, put the network name and password on a small sign next to the QR code. For a guest with no connection, a paper copy is the answer.

Is it hard to set up?

All you need is your list of dishes and prices. In Moymenyu you can type the menu, paste a list or photograph your paper menu. The AI reads the dishes and prices, adds the other two languages and a short description, and you check everything before saving. The first scan per restaurant is free; later scans cost 1 credit each (credits are paid). Step by step: how to make a QR code menu.

One QR code per table or one for the whole venue?

There are two common setups, and you can use both.

Moymenyu gives you a separate QR code for every table and one QR code for the whole venue. For printing there are 16 card templates in three sizes: an A4 sticker sheet with 6 codes, an A5 folding table tent and an A6 card. You can put your logo in the middle of the QR code.

A cart for the waiter, or orders straight to the kitchen?

A QR menu can do one of two jobs.

• A cart for the waiter. Guests put dishes in a cart on their phone and show it to the waiter, who takes the order. Nothing changes for your kitchen and staff. This is what the free Basic QR package does, and it is available in any country.
• Orders straight to the kitchen. Guests choose dishes and send the order from the table, and it goes to a kitchen screen or a thermal printer. This needs the paid Growth package.

Growth costs $7 per restaurant per month. The paid packages are available to venues in any country and invoiced in manat (11.90 ₼ a month for Growth). Besides table ordering, Growth adds the kitchen screen, 58/80 mm thermal printer tickets, the Moymenyu Desk POS for Windows, sales reports and the bill-split view. Table games come with every package, Basic QR included. Basic QR has one account, for the owner; Growth lets you add accounts for all your staff.

Not sure? Start with Basic QR: guests use the cart and show it to the waiter. Any venue can move to Growth when it wants orders to go straight to the kitchen.

Basic QR is free in every country. The paid packages are available to venues in any country too; they are invoiced in manat (1 USD = 1.70 ₼).

Start with a free QR menu

To see how a QR menu works in your own venue, wherever it is, start with a free QR menu. Basic QR is always free, with no time limit. Sign-up is free, no card needed.

To sign up, you need the restaurant name, its city, your name and a phone number with its country code; the venue can be in any country. Then you add the menu, print the table cards and put them on the tables. Questions? Call +994 51 555 55 34.

Create a free QR menuSign-up is free, no card needed.