How to create a QR code digital menu for your venue

A QR code digital menu is a web page that customers open by scanning a code on the table. There's no app to download: the phone's camera is enough. For the venue, it means being able to change dishes and prices at any time, without reprinting anything.

In this guide we look at how to create a good one, from organising the dishes to printing the QR code.

1. Start from the menu you already have

You don't need to rewrite everything from scratch. The latest platforms let you import your menu from a photo or a PDF: artificial intelligence recognises categories, dishes, descriptions and prices, and you only have to check.

Before importing it, though, it's worth tidying up. A digital menu has no space limits, but a menu that's too long is still hard to read, even on a screen.

2. Organise the categories the way customers look for them

At the table, customers scroll with their thumb. Categories should be few, clear and in the order people eat.

• Starters, pasta, mains, sides, desserts, drinks for a restaurant.
• Classic pizzas, special pizzas, fried starters, soft drinks, desserts for a pizzeria.
• Avoid categories with a single dish: it's better to merge them.

3. Every dish: name, short description, price, allergens

A good dish entry has a recognisable name, a one-line description with the main ingredients, the price and the allergens. Photos help, but only if they're good: a dark photo does more harm than no photo at all.

For allergens you can follow our guide on how to show the 14 allergens on your menu.

How to write a description that makes people hungry

A good description says in one line what's in the dish and why it's special. Compare:

• Before: "Tajarin al ragù."
• After: "Hand-rolled tajarin made with 40 egg yolks, veal ragù cooked for six hours."

You don't need to be poetic: a quality ingredient, a method or a place of origin is enough. And always the allergens at the end.

4. Think about tourists

If your venue serves foreign customers, a translated menu makes a difference. The advantage of digital is that the menu can open by itself in the phone's language. Be careful with generic automatic translations: the names of traditional dishes, such as carbonara or fior di latte, should be left in Italian and explained.

5. Where to put the QR code

• On the table, on a stable stand or a hard-wearing sticker.
• In the window, for people looking at the menu before coming in.
• On receipts, flyers and pizza boxes, for takeaway orders.
• Online: on Google, Instagram and Facebook you post the link, not the QR code.

Next to the QR code, always write a clear phrase such as "Scan to see the menu". Not everyone understands it at first glance.

6. The most common mistakes

• The PDF of the paper menu put online: on a phone it's hard to read and has to be zoomed.
• A QR code linked to an address that changes: if you change supplier you have to reprint everything. An address that stays yours is better.
• Prices not updated: the whole advantage of digital is changing them in a second.
• No paper alternative: always keep a few printed menus for those who prefer them.

7. Keep it alive

A digital menu is at its best when it changes. A few simple habits:

• The dish of the day at the top, updated every morning.
• Sold-out dishes marked as soon as they run out, not at the end of the evening.
• Seasonal additions with a "New" tag for a few weeks.
• A review once a month: remove the dishes nobody orders and fix the descriptions that prompt questions.

How much it costs

A good digital menu costs less than one reprint a year. With NovaMenu you start from the Base plan at £17 a month, with AI import, QR code and unlimited updates. You can try it free for 14 days.