A QR code menu for your restaurant, no commission

The QR code menu caught on during Covid and it stuck around, because it solves a real problem: the menu changes, prices change, and reprinting costs money. This guide explains how to do it properly, what to put behind the code, and how to avoid the mistakes that send customers away.

What your customers should find behind the code

A page that reads with one hand, standing up, on an average connection. Not an 8 MB PDF you have to pinch to zoom into. Scanolo generates this page for you: sections (starters, mains, desserts, drinks), a price aligned to the right, a short description and allergen icons.

Dishes that are out get crossed off with one tap from your phone, without touching the rest of the menu. They're back the same evening.

• Sections with anchors to jump straight to desserts
• Price, description, vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, nut, dairy, spicy tags
• Daily specials and "sold out" items editable live
• Your logo and your color, a font of your choice
• A footer for wifi, opening hours or phone number

What size to print, and where

A table tent is read from 30 or 40 cm away: 3 cm per side is enough. On the shop window, plan for 10 cm so it can be scanned from the sidewalk. On a paper place mat, put it in a corner, never under the plate.

Why a dynamic code beats a static PDF

A static code encodes the address of a file. The day you switch hosting or rename the file, all your table tents are dead. A dynamic code points to Scanolo, which redirects to your menu: you change the content, the destination or even the page type, and the printed code doesn't move.

And you can see how many times the menu was viewed each service, which helps you decide whether the code in the window is actually doing anything.

How much it costs, compared to booking platforms

Booking and table-payment platforms sell the QR menu inside a subscription that runs over €100 a month. If all you want is a clean, editable, measured menu, Scanolo's Starter plan is €7 excl. VAT a month, and the Free plan already gives you three dynamic codes, so three menus or three locations.

The mistakes that cost you a reprint

• Printing a static code with an address that's going to change: you'll have to reprint everything. Use a dynamic code as soon as the destination might evolve.
• Inverting the colors (light modules on a dark background): a good share of phones fail to read it. Keep dark modules on a light background.
• Removing the white margin around the code to save space: this quiet zone is needed for the scanner to work at all.
• Placing the code over a busy photo background or a heavy gradient: contrast drops and the scan becomes hit or miss.
• Putting too large a logo in the center: past 30% of the width, even maximum error correction isn't enough.
• Linking to a page that isn't built for mobile: the scan succeeds but the person leaves right away.
• Forgetting to test with two different phones (iPhone and Android) before printing in bulk.
• Not saying what people will find behind the code: a "Scan for the menu" doubles the scan rate compared to a bare code.

Frequently asked questions