Restaurants end up wanting several QR codes: the menu, the guest Wi-Fi, a review link, sometimes a delivery or payment page. The codes themselves take a minute. What takes thought is where each one goes, how big it needs to be, and what it is printed on — because a restaurant is a hostile environment for paper.
Match the code to the spot
| Where | What it should do | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Dining table | Menu, plus Wi-Fi | Both are wanted in the first two minutes of sitting down |
| Counter or till | Review page or social | Asked at the moment the guest is happiest |
| Storefront window | Menu | For people deciding whether to come in |
| Receipt or bill folder | Review page or loyalty | The one moment they are holding something anyway |
| Toilet door, back of the menu | Feedback form | Complaints you would rather receive privately |
The single most common mistake is putting a code somewhere with no reason attached. A bare QR code on a wall gets ignored. The same code with Scan for the menu above it gets used.
Sizes that actually work
| Placement | Minimum size | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Table tent | 4 × 4 cm | Guests should not have to stand up or pick it up |
| Counter card | 5 × 5 cm | Scanned across the width of a counter |
| Wall poster | 8 × 8 cm | At normal standing distance |
| Storefront window | 10 × 10 cm or more | Read from the pavement, often through glass |
| Receipt footer | 2 × 2 cm | Held in the hand, so small is fine |
The rough rule behind all of these: the code should be about a tenth of the distance it will be scanned from. A metre away means 10 cm. Our print size guide covers the arithmetic.
Materials that survive service
Plain paper on a dining table lasts about a week. Realistic options, cheapest first:
- Laminated card — cheap, wipeable, fine for testing an idea before committing
- Acrylic table stand with a paper insert — looks professional, and you can reprint the insert when the menu link or Wi-Fi password changes
- Matte vinyl sticker — for permanent placement on tables or windows; choose matte, always
Glare is the real enemy
More restaurant QR codes fail to lighting than to anything else. A glossy laminate under a downlight becomes a mirror, and the camera sees a white rectangle.
Use matte finishes everywhere. Angle table tents slightly away from ceiling lights. On a storefront window, remember the code will be read through glass with the street reflected in it — put it low enough to be in shadow, or on the inside of the glass where the awning shades it.
Test in the evening as well as the daytime. A code that works at noon by the window can be unreadable at seven under warm dim lighting.
What to write next to it
Three or four words, above the code, saying what happens: Scan for the menu, Free Wi-Fi, Tell us how we did. Not a paragraph. Not the URL — nobody types it in anyway, and it clutters the quiet zone.
For the Wi-Fi code, printing the network name and password in small text underneath is worth doing. Older Android phones sometimes cannot scan Wi-Fi codes, and a guest who cannot connect and cannot see the password will ask a member of staff — which is the chore you were trying to eliminate.
One code or several?
On the table, two codes side by side is fine — menu and Wi-Fi — as long as each has its own margin and a clear label. Three or more and people stop reading. If you have more to offer than that, use one code pointing at a simple page that lists everything.
Before you order fifty
- Generate the code and scan it from the downloaded file
- Print one at the final size, on the final material
- Put it on an actual table and scan from a seated position
- Repeat in the evening, with the lights you actually use
- Try an older Android phone, not just a new iPhone
- Only then order the rest
The full sequence is in our pre-print checklist. Ten minutes here saves reprinting the lot.
Start with the menu code and the Wi-Fi code.