A menu QR code looks like the easiest print job in the shop: one square on a table tent. In practice, most problems have nothing to do with the square. The link goes somewhere awkward, the menu is hard to read on a phone, or the code is too small for how guests hold their phones.
This guide walks through the decisions in the order you'll face them: what the code points to, how big to print it, where to put it, and how to keep it working.
Decide what the code points to
You have two realistic choices: a web page you control, or a PDF. Either way, the code should hold a plain web address, which is what a standard (static) QR code does best. The QR code generator has a link option for this.
A menu page is a normal web page with your dishes as text. It resizes to a phone screen, loads quickly, and you can edit prices without touching the print. Nielsen Norman Group's QR-code usability guidelines say to assume the visitor is on a mobile device and to link to a page that fits the code's context, not a homepage.
A PDF is fine if you build it as real text and keep it small. A PDF that is only a photo or scan of your printed menu is the weak option: guests have to pinch and pan, and the words are an image, not text.
Whichever you pick, don't put the file's own address in the code. Use an address you control, such as yourrestaurant.com/menu, and have it redirect to the current menu. Then a new menu or a new PDF file name never means a reprint. The guide on whether QR codes expire explains why a permanent address on your own domain matters, and what happens to codes that depend on a third-party redirect service.
Size the code for the table
A QR code read from a few inches away can be small, but a table tent or a window sign is read from further out. Nielsen Norman Group gives a rule of thumb: add 1 cm to the code's width for every 10 cm of distance. It also says the official minimum is 1 × 1 cm and recommends aiming for at least 2 × 2 cm. Treat those as starting points, not guarantees.
Here are some typical menu situations, using that rule:
| Where it's scanned | Typical distance | Code width (rule of thumb) |
|---|---|---|
| Table tent, phone held in hand | about 30 cm (12 in) | about 3 cm (1.2 in) |
| Wall poster by the door | about 1 m (3.3 ft) | about 10 cm (4 in) |
| Window sign for people on the sidewalk | about 2 m (6.5 ft) | about 20 cm (8 in) |
The distances in the table are examples. Measure your own: stand where a guest would stand and see how far away the phone ends up.
Then add the margin. The DENSO WAVE code area page says a QR Code needs a clear margin four modules wide on all sides. A module is one small square of the pattern. For example, a Version 3 code is 29 modules across. At 3 cm wide, each module is about 1.03 mm, so the margin is about 4.1 mm per side and the whole printed block, margin included, is about 3.8 cm. Size the table tent around that block, not around the bare code. The generator's size readout already includes the margin, so for a 3 cm bare code, set the size so the total is about 3.8 cm. The QR code size and error correction guide covers modules, versions and error correction levels in detail. For the print, use the generator's SVG download so the code stays sharp at any size.
Keep it dark, light and flat
Nielsen Norman Group recommends a dark code on a light background, and warns against inverting the colors. In a dim dining room, a light-on-dark code is also harder to scan, so keep it dark on light.
Practical rules for the print:
- Use black (or a very dark color) on plain white or near-white paper or card.
- Choose a matte finish if you laminate, since glare can hide part of the code.
- Keep the code flat. A curve around a bottle or a cup sleeve makes scanning harder.
- Don't put the code under a candle, a salt shaker or a centerpiece. If guests have to move things to scan it, fewer will.
Tell guests what it does
A bare square with no words is easy to ignore. Nielsen Norman Group advises a clear label that is as prominent as the code itself, and says a logo alone isn't enough. For a menu, that means a line such as "Scan to see our menu," plus the short web address printed in readable type.
The printed address is a second way in. It helps guests whose camera won't focus, and it gives them something they can type later. The same guidelines recommend a short, memorable address when people have only a moment to scan, and note that most users will not be able to revisit a site they reached through a code without the code in front of them.
Put the code where guests already look, such as the center of the table or the first spot a server places a card. Tell your servers to point to it, so the sign gets noticed.
Accessibility and printed menus
Not every guest will be able to or want to scan. Some guests have low vision, an older phone, no data signal in the building, or simply prefer paper. Keep at least a few printed menus available, and train your staff to offer one without being asked.
For the digital menu, use real text, not photos of text. The W3C's guidance on images of text explains that people can't change how text looks once it is in an image, while real text can be enlarged and restyled to suit the reader. A menu page also needs good contrast and readable type sizes on a small screen.
The U.S. Department of Justice's web accessibility guidance says its position has long been that the ADA applies to what businesses open to the public offer on the web. The same page describes itself as informal guidance and not legally binding. This is general information, not legal advice. If you have questions about your obligations, ask a lawyer who handles accessibility.
Protect the code and test it
A printed code that someone replaces with their own is a real scam pattern. The FTC's QR code alert says scammers sometimes cover real codes, such as ones on parking meters, with their own. A restaurant table isn't a parking meter, but the idea carries over: if your codes are on stickers or loose cards, someone can swap them.
Cheap protections:
- Print the code directly on the table tent or laminated card, instead of using a removable sticker.
- At opening or closing, scan a few of the codes to check the address they open.
- Print the web address under the code, so guests can notice a mismatch.
Before you print the whole batch, test one proof:
- Print at actual size on the actual stock.
- Scan with a newer phone and an older one, in the dining room's real lighting.
- Scan from the real distance, with the phone held at a normal angle.
- Check that the menu page loads quickly on mobile data, not only on your Wi-Fi.
- Confirm that the margin stayed clear after cutting and laminating.
If it's slow or fails, shorten the address first, then recheck size and margin using the QR code size guide. The phone scanning guide shows how built-in iPhone and Android cameras handle QR codes.
Next step
Choose the permanent address for your menu, such as a /menu page on your own domain, and make it open a text menu that works well on a phone. Then generate a link QR code for that address with the QR code generator, size it for your table, and test one printed proof before you print the rest.
Sources
- Nielsen Norman Group: 13 QR-Code Usability Guidelines (accessed )
- DENSO WAVE: Point for determining the code area (accessed )
- Federal Trade Commission: Scammers hide harmful links in QR codes to steal your information (accessed )
- U.S. Department of Justice (ADA.gov): Guidance on Web Accessibility and the ADA (accessed )
- W3C: Understanding Success Criterion 1.4.5: Images of Text (accessed )