QR codes came to restaurant tables as a stopgap and stayed because a menu you can change on a Tuesday afternoon, for free, is hard to give up. The ones that annoy customers were made in a hurry, a code pointing straight at a PDF that has since moved, printed too small on a glossy card in direct sun. This guide is written for a restaurant, a café or a food truck where one person handles the marketing between services.
What belongs behind the code
The code should open a small page, not a document. A link-in-bio page on BioLink.page works well because it is built for phones and edited in a browser. A sensible set of blocks:
- The menu. An image block with a clean export of the menu on the free plan, a PDF block on the Starter plan, or a button to the menu on your ordering site. Keep drinks and desserts as separate images so nobody scrolls through everything to find a coffee.
- Today's specials and sold-out items in a paragraph block that takes ten seconds to update from a phone.
- Order ahead or order at the table as a button to whatever ordering system you use. If you do not use one, leave it out.
- Tips. A "Leave a tip" button that opens your PayPal, Venmo or Cash App link. The PayPal link generator builds a PayPal.me address with a suggested amount.
- Leave a review. A button to your Google review link. Customers who just ate are the ones who write reviews.
- Catering and private events. A contact form on the Starter plan, or a button that opens an email.
- Hours, location and schedule. The business hours block is on the free plan. For a truck, add a paragraph with this week's stops and a directions button that opens Google Maps.
The free plan allows 15 blocks on a page and five pages, so the truck, the catering side and a seasonal menu can each have their own. The overview in what is BioLink.page lists which blocks each plan includes.
Point the code at a short link, not at the file
A QR code is a way of typing a web address with a camera. If that address is the PDF itself, the code dies the moment the file is renamed. If the address is a BioLink.page short link, the code is fixed and the destination is editable. Point it at the page today, at the holiday menu in December, at the brunch menu on Sunday mornings, and the sticker on the table never changes.
Short links also count visits. Make one for the table tents, one for the truck window and one for the flyer at the farmers market, and the statistics will show how many people opened each one. A visit is counted when someone opens the link after scanning, not when a camera recognizes the code without opening it.
Set it up in an afternoon
- Create a free account and build the page with the blocks above. Run menu images through the image optimizer first so they load fast on a weak cell signal.
- Create a short link that points at the page, with a slug like /menu.
- Open the QR code generator in the dashboard, choose the URL type and paste the short link. Add your logo, set the colors, and choose a frame with the text "Scan for the menu". Download the SVG for the printer and a PNG for screens.
- Scan the code from the screen with two phones, then from a printed proof. The QR code reader shows exactly which address a code holds if you ever mix up versions.
- Print, place and check the statistics after the first weekend.
Print and placement details that matter
- Size. As a starting point, about 1 inch square on a table tent, 2 to 3 inches on a truck window or menu board, and 4 inches or more on a banner people scan from a line. The right size depends on scanning distance and how much the code holds, so test a printed sample.
- Quiet zone. Leave a clear margin at least four modules wide on all four sides of a standard QR code. A module is one of the small squares in the code, and DENSO WAVE, the company that invented the QR code, gives four modules as the margin a code needs. A code that touches a border or sits on a busy photo is harder for phones to read.
- Daylight and glare. Dark code on a light background, matte finish, not gloss. A code behind a truck window scans better on a printed card taped inside than on the glass itself.
- Height. Seated eye level at tables, standing eye level at the ordering window, never above the counter where nobody can reach.
- A line of text. "Scan for the menu" next to the code removes the question of what it does.
- Keep a few paper menus. Some guests prefer them, some phones are dead, and it costs a few dollars.
Other codes worth printing
- Wi-Fi. The generator has a Wi-Fi type that offers to join the guest network on scan, so staff stop spelling out the password.
- Text us. The SMS type opens a text to your number with a message already typed, handy for catering questions.
- Reviews at the register. A code straight to your Google review page, placed where people wait to pay.
- Catering contacts. A vCard code on the truck so an event organizer can save the number without asking.
Print the short link as text under each code as well. People who cannot scan can type the short address instead, and the branded address does its own marketing; see branded short links for small business marketing.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an ordering system?
No. A code that opens the menu, the tip button and the review link already does most of the work. Add ordering when you have a provider you like, by adding one button.
Can I change the menu without reprinting?
Yes, as long as the code points at a short link or at the page. Edit the page or change the destination and the printed code keeps working.
Can I see how many people scan?
If the code points at a short link, each visit through it is counted with the time, country and device. A visit is only recorded when the link opens, and scans rarely carry referrer information. A code that points directly at a file cannot be counted this way.
Is the free plan enough for one location?
Yes. It includes five pages, 100 short links and 10 QR codes with no ads. Starter at $1 a month adds a custom domain, removable branding and 50 QR codes if you run several trucks or locations. Current limits are on the plans page.
What about guests without a smartphone?
Keep printed menus at the counter and say so on the table tent. The code is an addition, not a replacement.
Final checks
- The code points at a short link or the page, never directly at a file.
- Menu, specials, tips, reviews and hours are on the page and current.
- The printed code has a four-module margin, a matte finish, and a size you tested.
- You scanned a printed proof with two phones before the print run.
- A few paper menus are still available.
