Host your menu as a PDF or webpage, paste the URL here, print the QR. That's the whole pipeline. No third-party menu app subscription, no commission cuts, no "powered by" badge.
A web page is best — it renders fast on every phone and you can update prices without reprinting. A PDF works too, but mobile PDF viewers are slower and you lose layout responsiveness. Whatever you choose, host it on a stable URL you control: a Google Drive PDF link can break if you re-upload the file.
Print the QR at 3cm × 3cm minimum so guests don't have to lean in. Laminate it — restaurant tables are a hostile environment. Stick a quiet-zone margin of at least 1cm of pure background around the QR. Avoid trendy colored backgrounds: high contrast (black on white, or your brand color on white) scans far more reliably than yellow on cream.
Half of QR menu scans come from older phones with narrow screens. Single-column layout, large readable text (16px+), no tiny clickable price-info popovers. Test the menu page on a 5-inch Android in the back row of your restaurant before launching — that's the realistic worst-case device.
Some guests don't use smartphones, some run out of battery, some just prefer paper. A QR-only menu policy is a usability fail. Print a few paper menus for the table that wants them — the QR is for the customers who already have phones out.
A page on your restaurant website is ideal. PDF works but mobile PDFs are slow. Avoid file-hosting services where re-uploading changes the URL.
Use the URL form. Keep the URL short — yourcafe.com/menu beats yourcafe.com/files/menu-v3-final-FINAL.pdf for both QR density and reliability.
Set foreground to your brand color, leave background white for max contrast. Generate at 1024 px or higher for sharp printing at table-tent size.
3 cm × 3 cm is the practical minimum for guests not having to lean in. Laminate — restaurant tables are a hostile environment.
Some guests don't have smartphones, some run out of battery. A QR-only menu is a usability fail; print a few paper menus too.
Update prices on the website without reprinting menus. The QR keeps working through every menu change.
Drink menu, seasonal specials, allergens — all live, all current, all behind one QR.
Wine lists update often. Print once, refresh online whenever a vintage runs out.
Tiny physical surface area, big menu — the QR offloads the menu to the customer's phone.
Turn any URL into a QR code. Free, no signup, no tracking redirects. Perfect for posters, packaging, business cards, and offline-to-online campaigns.
Generate a WiFi QR code so guests join your network instantly. Free, works on iOS and Android, no app required.
Practical guide to QR codes in business: payments, signage, packaging, events, marketing. Free generator, no signup, no tracking.
Create QR codes for URLs, WiFi, vCards, email, SMS and more. Free, no signup, no watermark, no tracking. Download as PNG or SVG.
Host your menu as a PDF or webpage, paste the URL here, print the QR. That's the whole pipeline. No third-party menu app subscription, no commission cuts, no "powered by" badge.