QR code menus are a trend with some serious staying power, in fact, this technology could help smooth out your operations for less! Convenient AND cost-effective for restaurants? We’re in!
Although they were popular pre-pandemic, many restaurants turned to using QR, or quick response, code menus after being temporarily closed due to COVID-19. This decreased the number of germs transferring from customer to customer with physical menus and allowed patrons to look up the most current offerings from their smartphones.
All you need to add a QR code menu is a website that features your offerings (including the ability to change it!) and a QR code containing a link to that site (make a free one here)- that’s it! If you haven’t taken advantage of this convenient technology in your restaurant yet, read on because QR code menus are here to stay.
Easy to Use!
The QR code menu is the product of restaurants forced into adaptability during the COVID-19 pandemic. When restaurants were able to reopen, the lack of touchpoints with a QR code menu helped customers and staff feel more comfortable than when presented with a sanitized menu that was held 15 minutes before by the table who left. With these types of menus being used elsewhere and wide smartphone usage across the population, QR codes can be integrated easier than you might think. All customers need to do is open their camera application and focus it on the QR code, from there the link will pop up and they’ve got the hang of it! Just be sure to have some physical menus on hand for those that don’t have a smartphone or refuse.
Straightforward and Cheap Way to Update Your Menu!
Convenient and cost-effective don’t align themselves too often, so when they do, it’s important to take a look! QR codes are essentially images of links, which take customers directly to your online menu where they can peruse their choice, the same way they would with a physical menu. There’s no downtime when customers are waiting on menus or requesting them again, it’s all right there on their device. If you’ve changed menu items or what you’re offering, all you have to do is edit the online menu, and that QR code remains the same, presenting the correct information. A physical menu change means that all menus have incorrect information, and at some point, you’ll have to bite the bullet and update them, so customers stop asking about that dish you’ve been out of for months. Printing additional QR code menus versus physical menus are two very different expenses!
Save Your Staff Time!
At a point where most establishments are doing their best to stay afloat while understaffed, save your employees time with a QR code menu. Having these on the table already negates the time your staff would have to spend wiping down menus, dividing them up into clean and dirty piles, until someone gets the chance to sanitize more. When your staff are clearing tables, make sure they get in the habit of checking to make sure the QR code has remained (whether that be a sign or on the table) so that it’s ready to go for the next customers. Keep extra on hand that can be passed out and thrown away after they’re used.
Using QR code menus in your restaurant isn’t just a cost-cutting measure, it’s just good business. Be ready to have physical menus for customers who can’t use a QR code, but using this technology is an easy and effective way to serve most of your customer base and improve operations at the same time.
Not sure how your customers will respond? Try dipping your toe in with a QR draft list and give it a go!
