Which code where
| Job | Code type | Static or dynamic | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Menu | URL | Dynamic | Table, window, counter |
| Order and pay | URL | Dynamic | Table |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi | Static | Table tent, wall |
| Reviews | URL | Static or dynamic | Bill folder, receipt, door on the way out |
| Reservations | URL | Dynamic | Window, website, business card |
| Loyalty sign-up | URL | Dynamic | Counter |
Getting the table code right
The table is the hardest place a QR code lives. It gets wiped, splashed, tilted and scanned in candlelight.
- Level H so a smear or a chip does not kill it.
- 3 to 4 cm (1.6 in) wide. Scan distance is about 30 cm (12 in).
- Laminate or acrylic stand, not paper. Paper curls and stains within a week.
- One line of instruction: “Scan for the menu”. Not a paragraph.
- The restaurant name near the code, so a customer who scans a fake sticker notices the mismatch.
Do this
A 4 cm (1.6 in) level H code on a wipeable acrylic stand, dark brown on cream, with 'Scan for menu' beneath, linking to a mobile-friendly page that loads in a second.
Not this
A 2 cm (0.8 in) level L code printed on a paper card, in the brand's light orange, pointing at a 12 MB PDF that needs pinch-zooming.
What to put behind the code
A mobile web page, not a PDF. A PDF menu forces zooming and scrolling and takes seconds to load on café Wi-Fi. If the menu must be a PDF, keep it under 1 MB and one column.
The other codes in the table above follow the same rule: open the exact action, not your home page. A review code on the bill folder should open the write-a-review box, and the Google review QR code page shows how to find that link. A takeaway or reservations code can open a WhatsApp chat with your number and a pre-filled message.
In practice
Check the page on a three-year-old phone in the actual dining room light, on the actual Wi-Fi. That is what your customers have.
Fake-sticker risk
Restaurants are a target for sticker-over-the-code scams: someone places a fake payment code over yours. Mitigations: codes behind laminate or acrylic rather than stuck on, a quick glance at tables each shift, and your name and logo printed as part of the code design so a plain replacement stands out. More in the security explainer.
Tracking without being creepy
A dynamic menu code records scans, so you learn that table 6 by the window is scanned three times as often as table 14 by the toilets, and that Friday 7 to 8 pm is your peak. That is all it records: time, country and device type, not who. The QR code analytics explainer sets out what a scan can and cannot reveal. Use it to time staffing and specials.
Try it yourself
Paste “table-1, your-menu-link” for each table into the batch generator, or use QR Studio to make a dynamic code per table with your design applied.