Permanently free QR codes for restaurants: menu, reviews, reservations

Many restaurants have exactly one QR code, and it leads to the menu. Yet guests can do something at several points: leave a review, book a table, buy a voucher, follow you on Instagram. Each of these points deserves its own QR code. Here you can read which ones are worth it, where they go and how far you get for free.

The QR codes worth having in a restaurant

• Menu: on the table stand or directly on the printed menu
• Google review: in the bill folder or at the exit, where the visit ends
• Reservations: in the shop window and on the flyer, for everyone who wants to come back
• Daily special or lunch menu: on the chalkboard outside
• Voucher: at the counter and on the website
• Instagram: on the toilet door or at the exit, where guests have a moment
• Job openings: in the window when you are hiring

That is seven QR codes. With 20 dynamic QR codes there is room for two versions of the same thing, such as one menu code for inside and one for the terrace.

Menu: your own page or a PDF?

A PDF is quick to make but hard to read on a phone. A menu as a web page adapts to the screen. On the free plan of Same-QR you get one menu as its own page in the standard design. You can change it three times a month, and the note “Made with Same-QR” appears at the bottom. Translations and further designs belong to the paid plans. If you already have a menu on your website, simply point the QR code there.

One code per place, so you see what works

Scans are counted per QR code. If the code in the window and the code on the table are separate, you can see whether passers-by look at the menu before coming in. It is a simple question that many owners can never answer because the same code hangs everywhere.

Are 1,000 scans a month enough?

The 1,000 scans apply to all QR codes of the account together. Do a rough calculation: a place with 30 scans on 26 opening days reaches 780 a month. A café with few seats stays well below, a large restaurant with a terrace in summer will go above. Then a short note appears before the destination at first, and after seven days above the limit the codes show only a notice until the end of the month. If you are regularly above it, a paid plan with unlimited scans suits you better.

What matters when printing

• at least 3 cm per side on the table, much larger in the shop window
• a dark pattern on a light background with a light margin all around
• a short line next to it saying what the code opens, such as “Our menu”
• test with two different phones before printing

Conclusion

A restaurant gets by with a handful of QR codes if each one is in the right place. Plan one code per purpose and place, roughly calculate your scans and put the menu on a page you can change yourself. With Same-QR this is free, with no trial period.

Frequently asked questions