How to make a QR code menu for your restaurant
Put your menu online, make a QR code that never expires, and print it so it scans first time. A step-by-step guide for restaurants and cafés, using free tools.
· 3 min read
A QR code menu is two things: your menu on a web page, and a printed code that opens it. You don't need an app, a subscription or a designer. Here's how to set one up in an afternoon, and the mistakes that make customers give up and ask for paper.
Step 1: put your menu online
The code only opens a link, so your menu needs a home first. The usual options:
| Where the menu lives | Good | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| A PDF of your printed menu | Quick, because you already have the file | Hard to read on a phone: customers pinch and zoom, and big files load slowly on a weak signal |
| A page on your own website | You control it, and it reads well on a phone | Someone has to update it when prices change |
| A menu page from a QR menu service | Made for phones, often with photos and quick edits | What happens to your printed codes if you stop paying (more below) |
Whichever you choose, open it on your own phone and check three things: the text is readable without zooming, every dish has its price next to it, and allergen information is easy to find, or there's a clear line telling customers to ask staff.
Step 2: make the QR code
If your menu lives at an address you control, such as yourrestaurant.com/menu, make a static code for that address. A static code holds the link itself, so it works for as long as the page exists. You can change the page whenever you like without reprinting anything.
- Open our free QR code generator and choose Website link.
- Paste your menu's address. Keep it short:
yourrestaurant.com/menumakes a simpler code that scans more easily than a long link with tracking on the end. - Download the SVG for the printer, because it stays sharp at any size, or the PNG for your own documents.
If your menu is a PDF, put it on your website behind a stable address rather than a file name like menu-final-v3.pdf. When the menu changes, replace the file behind the same address and the printed codes carry on working.
Using a code from a menu service? Scan it and look at the address before you print. If it's the service's own short link, your printed code depends on that company, and some switch codes off when a trial or subscription ends. Read static vs dynamic QR codes before you print a few hundred.
Step 3: print it so it scans first time
- Size: at least 3 cm (1.2 in) wide on a printed menu and 4 to 5 cm (1.6 to 2 in) on a table tent. The QR code size guide covers posters and windows too.
- Margin: leave a plain border around the code. Don't crop it or put text right against it.
- Contrast and finish: dark squares on a light background, on matte paper. Glossy lamination reflects ceiling lights into the camera.
- A line of text: "Scan for our menu" next to the code, with the address in small print for anyone whose camera won't cooperate.
Step 4: test it where customers sit
- Print one copy at the real size, on the real paper.
- Scan it with an iPhone and an Android phone from a seat, at the dimmest table you have.
- Turn off Wi-Fi and scan again on mobile data. Your own Wi-Fi hides slow pages and sites that only work on your network.
- Check it opens the right page, then print the rest.
Keep paper menus for anyone who wants one
Not everyone has a phone with them, a working camera or eyes that enjoy small screens. Keep a few printed menus at the counter and have staff offer them. A QR menu should be a convenience, not the only way to order.
Check your codes once a week
Codes on tables are an easy target for fake stickers that send customers to a scam payment page. A quick weekly walk round catches them: our guide to fake QR code stickers shows what to look for, and the QR code checker tells you where any code really goes.
Where Qrunto fits
We're building Qrunto for exactly this. Photograph your printed menu and it becomes a phone-friendly menu that you check and publish, with a numbered code for every table, a free print-ready PDF, and price changes that show up the moment you make them. Codes you print keep working on the free plan, even if you stop paying for Pro. The app is coming soon to iPhone and Android; the free tools work now.