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A restaurant-menu QR is the most common commercial use of QR codes today. Guests scan, the phone opens your menu (usually a PDF or a hosted page), and you stop reprinting menus every time a price changes.
This page generates one for free. No subscription, no signup, no per-table fee — and no expiry on the QR. The code you print today still works in ten years.
Two ways to host the menu behind the QR
Most restaurants use one of two patterns. First: host a single PDF in cloud storage (Google Drive, Dropbox, or your website) and point the QR at the PDF URL. Pros: easy to update, no website needed. Cons: PDFs load slowly on slow connections; some PDFs render badly on phones.
Second: host the menu as a mobile-friendly web page on your existing site (e.g. yourrestaurant.com/menu). Pros: fast load, looks native on mobile, integrates with your brand. Cons: requires the page to exist and stay current.
If you already have a website, choice two is almost always better.
Design tips that actually matter
Print at 3 cm × 3 cm minimum on the table. Below 2.5 cm and phones at arm's length start struggling.
Use dark dots on a light background. Reversed (light on dark) reads on most modern phones but fails on some older Android cameras.
Don't print the QR on a glossy laminate that reflects ceiling lights into the camera lens. Matte finish scans more reliably.
If you're branding the QR with your logo in the center, keep the logo under 25% of the QR area. Our generator bumps error correction automatically when a logo is present.
Common mistakes
Pointing the QR at a redirect service you don't control (Bitly, free QR-generator dynamic links). When that service changes pricing or shuts down, every menu QR you printed goes dead. Use a URL you control.
Hosting the menu on Facebook or Instagram. Both require login to view many posts, which means guests sign in instead of seeing the menu. Use a public web page.
Forgetting to update the file after a price change but reusing the same QR. The QR works fine; the displayed prices are wrong. Set a recurring weekly check.
Recommended QR types for this use case
- Menu URL — The standard case. Encode a link to the hosted menu page. (URL)
- WiFi for guests — Print alongside the menu so guests join the network in one scan. (WiFi)
- Restaurant phone for reservations — Scanning opens the dialer with your number — frictionless 'call to book'. (Phone)
Frequently asked questions
- Will it expire?
- No. Our QR codes are static — the URL is encoded directly into the dot pattern. There is no redirect server to switch off. As long as your menu URL works, the QR works.
- Can I change the menu after printing the QR?
- Yes — as long as the URL stays the same. Update the PDF or the page contents at that URL; the QR keeps working.
- Do I need an app to scan it?
- No. Every modern iPhone and Android camera scans QR codes natively without an app.