In the wake of the pandemic, a restaurant is much more than just delicacies. And safe dining is at the top of the list. Let’s face it, diners are not willing to touch any surface that might be exposed to the virus due to multiple hand exchanges. This is why restaurants are picking QR Codes for restaurant menus over physical ones.
Cooking up the perfect QR Code menu for your restaurant doesn’t require coding or design skills. In this article, I will walk you through a step-by-step guide to creating a QR Code menu.
How to create a QR Code menu in 4 steps –
- Re-create your restaurant menu in a PDF format
- Choose a restaurant-first QR Code menu generator
- Upload your menu or menus on the QR Code platform
- Customize your QR Code
Step 1. Recreate your restaurant menu in a PDF format
If you already have a PDF menu, skip this step and jump to Step 2.
But if you don’t, I promised you won’t need a designer for any of this! The easiest way to do it yourself is by using a tool like Canva. The tool has over 1,000 digital menu templates to get started with. Drag-and-drop your way to creating and exporting a digital PDF menu. To demonstrate how to create a PDF menu, here’s a quick preview –



Step 2. Choose a restaurant-first QR Code menu generator
I just need a QR Code for my restaurant menu. I can get it any QR Code generator. Isn’t it quite straightforward?
If you looking to build a good experience for your diners, then it’s not the same. Here are things a restaurant-first QR Code menu generator, like Beaconstac offers –
- Age-based QR Codes – Offering alcohol in most countries is restricted by age. Beaconstac’s QR Codes display the alcohol menu only after ensuring the age of the user.
- Restricts auto-download of PDF menu – Google Chrome’s default behavior is downloading a PDF and not open it. With a specialized menu generator, this shortcoming is taken care of.
- One QR Code, multiple menus – Beaconstac offers the flexibility to add the breakfast, lunch, or dinner menus to the same QR Code. It also provides a mobile-friendly landing page to navigate between menus.
- Dynamic, not static – A dynamic QR Code ensures that you can change the menu whenever you want, which means, the weekend menu can be different from the weekday menu.
- Multi-lingual QR Code menu – These QR Codes are capable of displaying the menu in the diner’s default language. Let’s say a diner has her language set as Spanish. When she scans the QR Code, the menu is displayed in Spanish.
- Easy to scale – If you have a franchise, lookout for a platform that supports scale. Beaconstac’s solution helps you manage users and accounts. This helps isolate one location from the other.
Step 3: Upload your menu or menus on the QR Code platform
Upload the PDF menus you created on Canva or already had on a QR Code platform like Beaconstac.
That’s all that’s required. Your QR Code menu is ready!
Further, if you want to use an intermediate mobile landing page to switch between multiple menus, you can customize it using our templates. Here’s what you can do –
- Add your restaurant logo, name, and tagline. Or, add any other welcome message that you want
- Add a background image that represents your restaurant vibe or a mouth-watering dish
- Add/modify details on every tab, such as time and icon for breakfast, or dinner.



Step 4: Customize your QR Code to steal the show
We know your restaurant was thought to the last detail – whether it was the branding on the takeaway bag, the doodles on the chalkboard to match the vibe or the color of the napkin. A QR Code menu sits at the center of your table. And we know the detailing you want with it.
To help you do that, Beaconstac offers a host of customizations –
- Add a logo
- Change the colors – solid or gradient
- Modify the shape of the QR Code – the dots and dashes
- Add a background or solid color to stand out on the table or wall
- Envelope the QR Code in a frame that has a call-to-action, such as, Scan to view menu, or Scan to order.



Make sure your QR Code always reflects the most recent menu, and revise your menu in case you change the delicacies, introduce a new chef’s special, or need to share any other update. And lastly, brace yourself for house fulls, as diners are going to love the safety measures you’ve taken. Table for two, please!
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!
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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 November 1st, 2020 at 08:01 am


