Last Updated: February 24, 2021
As restaurants reopen, a major concern for them is limiting the spread of the Coronavirus through surfaces, such as physical menus. Switching to contactless options like QR Code menus is the next normal for restaurants of all sizes. CDC in its guidelines clearly stated the use of disposable or digital menus.
Provide disposable menus to guests and make menus available digitally
so that customers can view on a personal electronic device, if possible. If
disposable menus cannot be provided, properly disinfect menus before
and after customer use. Consider options for customers to order ahead of
time.
California Department of Public Health
Since printing disposable menus aren’t ideal given the rising costs, contactless QR Code menus are a viable option.
It takes less than a minute to upload a menu in the PDF format and convert it into a QR Code but it goes a long way in keeping customers engaged and safe.
QR Code menus are digital versions of physical menu cards at restaurants. Diners scan these QR Code menus to access the restaurant menu on their mobile phones. Using these touchless menus limits the spread of the Coronavirus through physical objects that go through multiple hand exchanges.
The short answer is no. While you can use an app to deliver your digital menu, it is cumbersome for consumers to have multiple QR Code menu apps for each restaurant they intend to visit. QR Code menus are universal and easily accessible.
Making a QR Code for restaurant menu is a 5-step process –
If you are just starting off, refer to our guide on how to make a QR Code menu from the scratch.
As restaurants reopen with restrictions, the owner and the staff have plenty of operational and financial things to take care of. To keep simple things simple, Beaconstac has made the QR Code menu creation process absolutely easy and quick. We bet it won't take longer than your coffee lasts!
Here's how you can make a simple yet effective QR Code menu for your restaurant -
To create a QR Code menu for your restaurant's safe reopening, you need to have access to the Beaconstac dashboard. You could either sign up for a 14-day free trial or buy a plan that best suits your restaurant needs. Start by clicking on the bright blue button on the right-top that reads CREATE QR CODE.
A restaurant menu has tailored requirements. To cater to them, Beaconstac has built a dedicated QR Code type for it. Pick "Restaurant Menu" from the Dynamic style QR Codes. This ensures,
On this step, you are building what your diners would experience on their smartphones.
You either have an all-inclusive menu, or distinguished menus for drinks, desserts, food, brunch, breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Beaconstac's QR Code menu solution supports both cases.
Create tabs for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, and upload your PDF menus for each tab. These tabs are fully customizable, which means you can change the icons, text, and time - anytime. Did I mention without changing the QR Code? Well, yes that too!
Add your restaurant personality to your digital menu index, by adding your restaurant logo, personalized message, and restaurant background.
This QR Code will be the replacement of your gorgeous physical menu. We'll help you make it equally or even more attractive. Here are some of the most popular customizations -
Your QR Code is ready for use! It's important to understand the format you should download the QR Code in. This purely depends on your use case.
Print your QR Code menu and paste them on all tables, by the entrance or at the order counter. You could also fit in the QR Code menu in your existing ordering process. Hand over the QR Code to the restaurant staff who moves around displaying the QR Code and taking orders.
Creating a QR Code menu for a PDF menu is straightforward. And, so is the case when you don't have a PDF available.
One of the popular concerns we come across while talking to restaurant owners is "Where do I place these QR Code menus for best results?"
Since Beaconstac has been empowering restaurants to reopen safely with a QR Code menu for a long time, we've collected insights on how restaurants are deploying QR Codes as their menu alternative.
Some of the most popular deployment locations are-
Based on a sample size of 8,2378 restaurants, 67% of restaurants deploy QR Codes only on tables as washable stickers, inserts or table tents, 11% of them print it out as cards that service staff carry around while taking orders, and 2% put it as posters on curb-side or by the entrance. Whereas 20% of them place QR Code menus at a combination of locations. [Source - Beaconstac database]
1. DEPLOY: Place the QR Codes menus on table toppers, on curbside posters or directly at ordering stations
2. SCAN: When a consumer scans the QR Code menu, they will be able to view the entire menu on their smartphones, avoiding unnecessary contact.
3. ORDER: They can use this digital menu to place orders.
Scanning a QR Code on both iPhone and Android doesn't require an app! It is a two step process -
As we navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, social distancing and limiting contact are at the core of the new normal. When it comes to a safe reopening of your restaurant, you need to build a contactless mechanism that works seamlessly. There are 3 options for a contactless menu -
Disposable menu - While this is a quick fix to the problem at hand, it is not sustainable for the unprecedented COVID-19 future. Printing stacks and stacks of disposable menus adds up to the cost, which is a major consideration for the foreseeable future.
Digital signage menu - Another massive investment which might not be a feasible option for most small and medium scale restaurants.
QR Code menu - This is certainly the most popular menu alternative for most restaurants. Here are a few reasons why -
QR Code menu generator is a specialized platform used to create a QR Code for your restaurant menu. This QR generator is tailored for the needs of a restaurant owner and her diner's experience. But, doesn't a simple QR Code generator qualify as a QR Code menu generator? No, it doesn't.
How is a QR Code menu generator different? For a very simple reason - build an experience that's worth remembering for your customers. Apart from the basic functionalities a QR Code solution has, the menu QR Code requires specific features. While choosing a QR Code menu solution, look out for -
Looking for a deeper analysis of what a QR Code Generator the best?
QR Codes are two decades old, but its usage as an alternative to physical menus become mainstream quite recently. One of the primary reasons for the massive surge in QR Codes as menu, was their ability to be scanned using a phone's camera.
To ensure your restaurant menu QR Codes work seamlessly, here are 3 things you should consider -
QR Codes are popular with all but our oldest customers
David Ashe, Fiddlin Fish Brewery, Winston-Salem, United States
Older customers often struggle with scanning QR Codes. To help them have an exciting and seamless experience, make sure to print "how to scan" instructions along with QR Code.
You could either print instructions alongside or print them on a separate flyer. Here are a few examples to help you-
Present QR Codes as an extension of your brand. This not only displays the connected experience inside your restaurant but also gives customers the confidence to scan them risk-free.
In the order of leaving a significant brand impact, some of the basic customizations are -
As restaurants started reopening with safety-first infrastructure, we realized that a simple QR Code generator is not enough. Restaurants have crafted requirements and Beaconstac's QR Code menu generator should live up to it. With a custom-made solution we've made sure that it's extremely easy for restaurant owners to create a contactless menu in less than 5mins, and design an experience for diners that memorable.
Restaurants and hotels, big and small, like Hilton, Marriott, and Hyatt, are using a powerful QR Code menu generator like Beaconstac, for its ease of use and versatility in functionality. Get started! 👇
Marriott restaurants in Aruba, Texas, California, New Jersey, England, and Florida among others are extensively using QR Codes as menus to limit the touch of physical objects. Being one of the early adopters of QR Code menus, Marriott hotels have built a success story for the rest of the hotels to replicate.
Fiddlin Fish, like all other restaurants, is navigating a situation that is new to them and to the rest of the world.
Diners walking into restaurants are expecting to see the new normal - Are the tables apart? Are diners crowding at counters to place their order? Is the restaurant management using a QR Code as a menu over laminated menus?
As Fiddlin Fish switched to contactless QR Code menus which can be viewed on the consumer’s smartphone, they feel safe and confident walking into the restaurant premises.
In the wake of the pandemic, restaurants big and small are moving to contactless solutions. West Egg Cafe in Atlanta uses Beaconstac to power their QR Code menus.
The cafe took QR Code menus and added a layer of innovation to it. When the customer flips the cube to the green side, a staff member walks up to take orders.
As we navigate the pandemic, the short term goal of all restaurants is to bring back guests. Building a safe environment for them to feel confident and walk in is therefore the first step.
One of the low effort and high impact change is replacing physical menus with QR Codes. Either place QR Codes on the tables or hand over QR Codes to restaurant staff. While the guests pick their favourite dishes from the digital menu on their phones, the staff members move around and take orders.
Small changes like these have major impact on limiting the spread of the virus and reassuring the guests that they can can walk in.
The next step is to continue adding value with QR powered digital menu system. Since our QR Codes are dynamic in nature, you can change the menu to celebrate an occasion.
Let's say one of your patrons is celebrating their birthday at your restaurant, make them feel special by renaming a dish on their name. Or, switch up the theme of your digital menu when your favourite football team is playing.
One of the most popular use of dynamic QR Codes however is upgrading the menu on weekends. You need a good dynamic QR Code Generator to create these editable QR Codes.
The best campaigns are driven by customer intent. QR Codes unlock the opportunity to gather data and customer insight from your physical space. Here are some insights worth exploring -
Absolutely not. Apple in 2017 integrated QR Code scanning capabilities with the phone camera. Following this, Android rolled out updates where Google Lens supports QR Code scanning using the phone camera.
You can sign up for a 14-day free trial and evaluate the features and experience. However, post the trial period, you will have to pick an annual or monthly plan for your QR menus.
The typical behaviour of the Chrome browser is to download a PDF and not open it. Therefore that how all other QR Code menu generators function. However, that's not the case with Beaconstac's QR Code menu solution. We upload your digital menus in a way that does not force download a PDF.
It costs $60/year to create a QR Code for menus. However, the price varies based on feature requirements and the number of scans you need on an annual basis. The most popular plan for Beaconstac's QR menu solution is $150/year.
Finding the best QR Code menu generator is about finding the right match for your requirements. At Beaconstac, we have built a solution that is simple to work with, provides positive ROI, and provides the best consumer experience
Do you have other questions about QR Code menus? Drop them in the comments below, and I'll address them as soon as possible.
Customers love watching the chef live in action, more so when their favorite dish is being prepared. Allow users to get a virtual tour of the kitchen or watch the chef preparing their dish while they wait at the table for their food to arrive. A virtual kitchen tour is an excellent way to showcase your hygiene standards, especially in the times of COVID.
Enable customers to place their orders right from their smartphone without having to repeat the order to a waiter. With a QR code scan for mobile ordering, customers can also order at the restaurant and have the food delivered at home.
However for this to work, you need an app or a website that supports ordering facilities.
Create a QR Code generator API to integrate with your app
Free WiFi is a massive attraction among the student community. Providing free WiFi alongside good food with just a scan of a QR code is a brilliant way to target the millennial market.
Deploying QR codes on windows and doors can help you advertise for the upcoming offers even when you are closed.
Fragile restaurant loyalty is something most restaurant marketers or owners fight. However, they can differentiate themselves by integrating fascinating multi-purpose technologies like QR codes in their marketing campaigns. Pioneer brands across all industries including the restaurant industry have already tried and tested QR Codes and are currently reaping the benefits in their respective fields.
Check out the brands that are boosting sales and engagement with QR code campaigns.
There is a simple QR code hack that can help boost your restaurant sales and get your patrons hooked on to your offerings. The trick to making a difference with your QR code marketing is to use the “Dynamic QR codes.”
Dynamic QR codes are the upgraded version of the regular static QR codes with an additional capability of changing the URL linked to the QR code in real-time. Dynamic QR codes also enable you to personalize customer experience based on time, location and days. Personalizing customer experience is a crucial marketing function in the restaurant industry since the restaurants have to constantly update their offerings and services based on changing customer preferences.
A comparison between static and dynamic QR codes
There are two ways in which you can adapt to change your campaigns for your dynamic QR codes based on which use-case you are looking to implement.
Create a new campaign markdown card or URL and replace the existing URL linked to the QR code with the new one.
Create a schedule consisting of all the campaigns you wish to circulate and schedule each campaign to a different time/date depending on when you would like to display which campaign. Add the schedule to the QR code so that when the QR code can display a new campaign each time depending on when it is being scanned.
QR Code menu is a crucial piece in the contactless puzzle at a restaurant. And as we march towards a digital-first and contactless world, restaurants need to marry QR Codes or other similar contactless technologies with their traditional processes. Making dining safe and contactless will not just bring in diners but also win restaurant loyalty.
If you are a restaurant owner, looking to build a contactless ecosystem, check out our solution built exclusively for restaurants.
I am fascinated by tech-driven marketing. Love to read & write about entrepreneurship and tech-driven business strategies for B2B and B2C companies. Have b(e)acon and eggs for breakfast and always up for doughnuts!
Almost 20 years ago, when SARS infected 8,000 people in China, it helped catapult Alibaba Group into a global online retail giant
Today, with 4.18 million people affected with COVID-19 worldwide, forward-thinking CPG brands are preparing to flip the switch and go contactless
While restaurants are eager to formulate a robust post-crisis plan, the evolving consumer behavior makes this hard to do. In this blog post, I talk about the expected change in consumer behavior and how restaurants can adapt to keep their doors open post-lockdown.
This blog was originally published on May 14th, 2019 at 10:12 am
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