QR code for a restaurant menu: make it, print it, keep it working

A menu QR code is a Link code: it holds the web address where your menu lives, and a guest's phone opens that page when they scan it. Make it with the QR code generator on the Link type, then print it for each table. The code itself never changes, so the trick is choosing an address that will not change either.

Before you start: where the menu lives

A QR code cannot hold a full menu. It holds a link, so the menu has to be online first. Common choices:

• A menu page on your own website, such as yourplace.com/menu. This is the most durable choice, because you control the address.
• A shared PDF link from a file-sharing service you already use. Make sure the share setting lets anyone with the link view it.
• Your listing on a delivery or booking platform, if guests can read the menu there without signing in.

Pick one address and keep it. When prices change, update the page or replace the file at the same link. A static code points at that one address forever, so moving the menu to a new link means reprinting every table card.

Steps

1. Open the QR code generator. Link is selected by default.
2. Paste the full menu address into Link (URL), starting with https://. Open the address in your own browser first to check it loads.
3. Under Code colour, pick a dark colour that suits the room (Black, Navy, Forest, Wine or Brown, or your own). Keep Background white or cream.
4. To add your logo, use Centre logo and choose a PNG, JPG or WebP file, then pick Small, Medium or Large. Error correction rises to 30% automatically while the logo is on. The QR code with logo page opens with this control at the top.
5. Wait for Scans reliably under the preview. If it says Scans, but may struggle when printed small, choose a smaller logo or a darker colour, or plan a bigger print.
6. Press SVG for printing. It stays sharp at any size, from a sticker to an A-frame sign.

Sizes that suit restaurant tables

These come from a common rule of thumb: the code should be about a tenth as wide as the scanning distance. Leave a plain border around the code, and avoid printing on glossy stock under strong lights, which can blind a camera.

If you print several cards on one sheet, place the PNG into a document, or turn the image into a PDF and print from that.

Add a line people can read

A small line under the code helps everyone, including guests whose phone will not scan:

• "Scan for the menu" or "Menu" in the local language.
• The short address itself, such as yourplace.com/menu, for anyone who prefers to type it.

Keep the line outside the code's white border so it does not crowd the pattern.

Test the printed card

The on-screen check reads the code at several sizes and with blur that imitates a phone camera, but it cannot see your print. Before printing a full batch:

1. Print one card at the real size.
2. Scan it with an iPhone and an Android phone, from where a seated guest would hold their phone.
3. Check the page loads over mobile data, not only on your WiFi.
4. Read the result with the QR code reader on a photo of the card if a phone gives an unexpected address.

What a static code cannot do

This site makes static codes. That means no scan counts, no way to swap the link after printing, and no expiry date. For a menu that is fine, as long as the menu page stays at the same address and you update what is on it.

Questions

Can the QR code hold the menu itself, without a website?

Only a few lines. A Text code can hold short text that shows on screen without internet, but a full menu with prices is far too long and would make a dense, hard-to-scan code. Use a link.

Will the code stop working after a while?

No. It works for as long as the page it points to is online at the same address.

Can I see how many people scanned it?

No. Static codes carry no tracking, and nothing about a scan reaches this site.

Is a logo in the middle a problem for scanning?

Usually not, because error correction is raised to 30% while a logo is on. The scan check reports how much of the code the logo covers and warns if it is too much.