A QR Code menu is a code printed on the table, the counter or the window that customers scan with their phone camera: your venue’s menu opens, with no app to download. For a restaurant, bar or pizzeria it means no more printing a new menu every time a price or a dish changes.
This guide takes you from the paper menu to a QR Code ready to print. It takes about 20 minutes.
What you need before you start
- Your current menu: a photo or a PDF works fine, or just the list of dishes with prices.
- The name of your venue and, if you like, the logo and a few photos of the dishes.
- For each dish, the allergens to declare.
How to create the QR Code menu, step by step
- Choose the “Menu” type. From the QR Code generator for menus start from the ready-made template: it is already set up as a digital menu, with sections (starters, mains, drinks…) and dishes.
- Upload the menu you already have. You can photograph or upload the PDF of your paper menu: DenQr reads sections, dishes and prices and enters them for you. Or you can type the dishes in by hand.
- Check every item. An automatic reading can get a price or a word wrong: recheck names, prices and descriptions before publishing. Add the allergens to each dish: customers must be able to find that information.
- Pick the style. Layout, colors, fonts and photos of your venue. The menu has to stay readable on a phone: a few well-chosen photos, clear text, prices that stand out.
- Add languages. If you have foreign customers you can have the menu translated: whoever opens it picks the language they prefer, with the same QR Code.
- Generate the QR Code and download the file. For printing choose the high-quality format (SVG or PDF): it stays sharp even on a large display stand.
Why a dynamic QR Code is worth it
A static QR Code holds the address written inside the pattern: if the address changes, you have to reprint everything. A dynamic QR Code points to a short address managed by DenQr: the pattern never changes, and you edit the menu whenever you like, even from your phone. Change a price at 6:00 pm and at 6:01 pm customers already see it updated, with the same QR Code already printed on your tables. For a menu it is almost always the right choice.
On top of that, the statistics show how many times the menu is opened, on which days and at what time: a concrete picture of your venue’s busiest moments.
How to print it and where to put it
- Size: at least 4 × 4 cm on tables; on a window or poster larger, from 8 cm up, so it can be scanned from a step away.
- Contrast: dark code on a light background. Avoid similar colors for code and background and do not place the QR Code over images or textures.
- Margin: leave white space around the code, with no text touching it.
- A line next to it: “Scan to see the menu”. Many people do not know that the camera is enough.
- Material: matte laminate or a rigid stand: glare on glossy paper makes scanning difficult.
- Where: on every table, at the counter, in the window and on the receipt or coaster.
Before printing copies, test the code with two different phones, a recent one and an old one, and in low light.
The most common mistakes
- Printing a static QR Code that points to a PDF: at the first price change you have to reprint everything.
- A huge PDF menu that loads slowly: with a weak connection the customer gives up.
- Forgetting allergens, or having no alternative for people who do not want to use a phone.
- Not testing the printed code before handing it out.
How much it costs
The digital menu is included in the Starter plan (from €5.99 a month) and the Pro plan (from €9.99 a month). You can see what each plan includes on the Pricing page.