The short answer
A restaurant menu QR code should be dynamic, printed at least 2.5 cm (1 inch) wide for a table, and point at a mobile-friendly page rather than a PDF. Dynamic matters because menus change: prices, specials, a dish that sold out. With a dynamic code you update the link and every table tent you already printed follows along.
Here is the setup from start to finish, including the mistakes that make guests give up and ask for a paper menu.
Step 1: put the menu somewhere a phone can read it
The code only opens a link, so the link has to be good. A page on your website that lists dishes and prices in plain text works best: it loads fast, it zooms, and search engines can read it. A PDF is the common shortcut and the most common complaint, because it opens tiny and needs pinching. If a PDF is all you have, make sure it is a single column and under a few megabytes.
If you use an ordering platform, use the menu page it gives you. The code can point at it, and you can change your mind later.
Step 2: make the code dynamic
Create a dynamic code in HueQR and paste the menu link. The printed code will contain a short link, not the menu address, so when the menu moves or the platform changes, you change it in the dashboard and the print stays valid. Name the code after where it will sit, like Table tents or Window, so the scan numbers tell you something later.
If you only ever want a free static code, you can, but accept that a menu change means a reprint.
Step 3: design it so it still scans
In the design studio:
- Keep strong contrast. Dark squares on a light background. If you use your brand colours, check the live scan meter stays green.
- Add your logo if you like. HueQR raises error correction automatically so the logo can cover part of the code.
- Add a frame with a label. A code that says Scan for menu gets scanned. A bare code gets ignored.
- Leave the quiet zone on. The empty border around the code is what lets a camera find it.
Step 4: print it at the right size
For a table tent that people scan from arm's length, 2.5 to 4 cm (1 to 1.5 inches) wide is comfortable. For a window or an A-board that people scan from a metre away, go to 10 cm (4 inches) or more. A simple rule of thumb: the code should be about one tenth of the distance it will be scanned from.
Download an SVG or PDF for anything that goes to a printer. They stay sharp at any size. A PNG is fine for a laminated tent printed in the office.
Step 5: test it on a real table
Stand it up, sit down, and scan it with two different phones. Check the page opens, that prices are readable without zooming, and that it works in evening lighting. Then scan it once more a week later. Codes fail in boring ways: the page moved, the hosting lapsed, the laminate glared.
What you get from a dynamic menu code
Beyond being able to change the link:
- Scans by hour and weekday, so you know when the menu is being read.
- Scans by placement, if you make a separate code for the window, the tents and the bill folder.
- A schedule: switch to the brunch menu at 10:00 on Sundays and back at 15:00, automatically.
- Your own domain, so the short link reads scan.yourrestaurant.com instead of hueqr.com.
Questions
A web page. It loads faster, fits the screen and zooms properly. A PDF works but most guests have to pinch and scroll. If a PDF is unavoidable, keep it single column.
Next step
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