The Ultimate Guide to QR Codes for Cafés: Menus, Marketing, and More

QR Codes are a staple in modern business. With their ability to connect to a world of information online and applicability in a wide range of mediums—from print to digital media—these nifty solutions have made their way to virtually every industry. 

Consumer packaged goods (CPG) brands are leveraging QR Code advertising, manufacturers are using them for asset management, and musicians rely on them to connect audiences to their music. 

QR Codes can elevate your café as well, improving the customer experience, streamlining operations, and increasing overall efficiency. However, many café owners aren’t sure how to implement them effectively. 

Luckily, we’re here to help. In this post, we explore the value of QR Codes for cafés and look at how to leverage them. 

Note: The brands and examples discussed below were found during our online research for this article.

Why QR Codes are the perfect tool for cafés

Customer needs, preferences, and expectations have changed drastically in recent years. Modern consumers expect digital convenience and contactless experiences, as evident from the rise in the demand for food delivery and contactless payments. 

Roughly 28% of Americans order food via apps at least once a week, and 68% of diners say they would prefer contactless or mobile payment options over cash if offered. 

As the go-to contactless solution for restaurants, Quick Response (QR) Codes can help your café meet these expectations. You can use them to provide direct access to your app, online ordering page, or digital menu to enhance customer convenience and minimize contact. 

These innovations can also reduce operational bottlenecks and wait times by making it easy for customers to reserve tables or even order and pay right from their smartphones.

Additionally, QR Codes can:

• Lower costs associated with printed menus by allowing you to update food and drink items without reprinting new ones.
  
  
• Help you promote loyalty programs by making it easy for customers to sign up.
  
  
• Offer valuable customer insights, like the types of offers or content that encourage engagement.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. As you’ll see below, the possibilities for QR Codes are endless!

How cafés can use QR Codes to improve the customer experience

With 86% of consumers saying they’re willing to abandon businesses they trusted after only two poor experiences, you can’t afford to provide subpar service. Fortunately, QR Codes can help you elevate your customer experience (CX) in multiple ways.

Contactless menus

You can use QR Codes for quick-service ordering by linking them to digital menus. This minimizes the need for printed materials, which can enhance your café’s hygiene (by reducing common touchpoints) and save you money in printing costs. They also facilitate instant menu updates, helping you keep your pricing and offerings accurate. This, in turn, limits confusion, enhancing customers’ experiences. 

Alternatively, you can use QR Codes on your paper menus to enhance their functionality and accessibility. They can offer different language options, link to audio menu recordings (to help people with vision impairments), or provide dietary filters for vegan, gluten-free, or allergen-friendly options. 

Operational needs

QR Codes can elevate how customers experience your café by streamlining tasks like:

• Reserving tables: Include QR Codes on marketing materials, such as posters and door and window signage, to allow customers to check table availability and make reservations without involving your staff. 
  
  
• Accessing WiFi: Add QR Codes to tabletop displays or coasters to help customers connect to your WiFi without asking for credentials. 
  
  
• Offering feedback: Incorporate QR Codes on receipts, food packaging, and to-go bags to provide direct access to review platforms like Google or Yelp. 
  
  
• Accessing special offers: Add QR Codes to countertop signs and registers to allow customers to redeem special offers when making payments. 

Entertainment options

These two-dimensional barcodes can also elevate customer experiences by providing easy access to entertainment. Link them to your café’s playlists on various music apps, letting customers enjoy your curated tunes at home, or use them to share live event schedules so customers can reserve tables early.  

Mobile ordering and payments

When linked to popular payment platforms—like Apple Pay and Google Pay—or dedicated payment landing pages, QR Codes can improve checkout efficiency and reduce cash handling. They let customers pay directly from their smartphones, eliminating the need to carry cash (or credit cards) and reducing wait times. 

You can add payment QR Codes to various materials, including tabletops, menus, signage near your register, and bills. But make sure to include a clear call-to-action (CTA), like “Scan to pay.” 

Promotion and loyalty programs

If you’re looking for an innovative way to boost customer retention, QR Codes can help. They can direct customers to gamified loyalty programs, letting them see their points, badges, or status on leaderboards. This adds an air of excitement to your program. 

QR Codes can also provide easy access to loyalty program sign-up pages to encourage participation or link to special offers and discounts to reward customers for their continued business.

For example, you could link codes to your rewards app and place them near checkout, allowing customers to earn points after paying for their meals. Just add clear CTAs near the codes, such as “Scan to earn loyalty points!”

Sustainability efforts

QR Codes can help eco-conscious customers confidently decide whether to buy from you by linking to your café’s sustainability efforts. They can also enhance product sourcing transparency by directing your audience to documents or web pages with details like the origin stories of your ethically sourced beans. 

Customer feedback and reviews

You can use QR Codes to streamline the review process, making it easy for customers to share their experiences at your café. This is a great way to maximize responses, make customers feel valued, and learn what you can improve to enhance their experiences.

Depending on your preferences, you can link QR Codes to Google Reviews, Yelp, or internal feedback forms and add them to receipts, tables, food packaging, or countertop signs. As with other QR Code uses, include a clear CTA with each code to let customers know what to do and expect. 

Social media engagement

QR Codes can help grow your café’s digital presence by linking directly to your Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook pages, eliminating the need for manual searches and making it easy for customers to follow you on social media.

These pixelated innovations can also direct customers to user-generated content campaigns like photo contests, encouraging engagement beyond your café. 

To implement this, you simply need to link your code to a platform or landing page where customers can upload photos and tag your café. Then, place the code on tables, signage, or receipts—along with details on what the best photos stand to win to encourage participation. For easy tracking, encourage customers to use branded hashtags. 

How cafés can use QR Codes to improve business operations

QR Codes do more than elevate customer experiences. They can also be valuable for operations, such as inventory management, staff training, and promotions. Here’s how to use them to improve your café operations:

Improving table service with QR Code ordering

When linked to self-service menus, QR Codes let customers order at their convenience, reducing the need for waitstaff to take orders. This can speed up service, reduce errors, and allow employees to focus on customer interactions.  

Managing inventory and supplier orders with QR Codes

Hospitality industry QR Codes can streamline inventory management by allowing you to:

• Track perishable goods like coffee beans, milk, or bakery items: Codes linked to landing pages with details on product expiration dates help ensure you only serve products at peak quality. 
  
  
• Send instant restock requests: QR Codes linked to supplier order forms or portals allow staff to reorder key ingredients without manual data entry. 
  
  
• Automate purchase orders: QR Codes can trigger automated emails or API requests to reorder items when scanned. This, however, requires significant technical expertise, so you’ll need to involve a professional developer. 
  
  
• Streamline equipment maintenance: While not technically part of your inventory, your equipment also requires proper maintenance. QR Codes can help by linking to user manuals, maintenance records and schedules, or warranty details.

Improving staff training with QR Code resources

You may not always be able to cover everything you need to during in-person staff training sessions. But not to worry! QR Codes can direct new employees to web pages with training manuals, videos, and checklists, covering whatever you can’t to promote consistent service.

You can add the codes to physical training materials or signage in employee zones, like the kitchen, barista station, and storage area, to serve as an on-demand resource whenever your staff needs help. 

Enhancing safety and compliance with QR Codes

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires chain food businesses with 20 or more locations to disclose calorie and nutrition information to their customers. QR Codes can help you comply with this rule by linking to landing pages with these details. 

Not a requirement for your café? QR Codes can still provide quick access to must-have details for every food establishment, like ingredient and allergen information (for customers) and food safety guidelines (for your staff). 

Using QR Codes for event and seasonal promotions

QR Codes can boost sales by directing customers to seasonal specials, limited-time drinks, or upcoming events. This is helpful if you regularly change your menu or host live events, as it saves on printing costs and allows customers to register without involving your staff. 

For example, if you’re planning an exclusive tasting event, you could use a QR Code to send customers straight to the sign-up page. 

Facilitating pre-orders with QR Codes

QR Codes can help you cater to customers who prefer to order out by providing quick access to your ordering page. Place the codes on outdoor signs, marketing materials, to-go bags, and other touchpoints. Customers can scan the code to pre-order and pick up their orders when ready, minimizing wait times. 

Using QR Codes to streamline employee experiences

Staff experiences are just as crucial to business success as customer experiences. After all, you can only keep your doors open if you have happy and reliable employees. 

QR Codes can help you elevate employee experiences by:

• Linking to employee schedules so everyone knows when they’re working.
  
  
• Facilitating easy shift swap requests between employees.
  
  
• Providing access to additional learning materials or resources.
  
  
• Connecting to anonymous feedback forms where employees can suggest workplace improvements or raise concerns.

Best practices for implementing QR Codes in cafés

How do you maximize the value of your QR Codes? By keeping these best practices in mind as you create, implement, and use your codes.

Choosing the right type of QR Code for your café

There are two main types of QR Codes, Static and Dynamic, and they’re useful for different purposes.

If you want to direct customers or employees to destinations that change frequently, like restaurant menus, payment options, and promotions, choose a Dynamic Code, as it allows for updates. You can change the destination at any time without reprinting materials.

Dynamic QR Codes also provide scan tracking and analytics. So they’re ideal when you want to track scans for customer and inventory insights—such as what drives customers to engage and which products your team reorders the most. 

If you want to link to content that doesn’t require changes, like your main website or WiFi access, you can choose the static option. Static QR Codes may also be sufficient if you run a small business that doesn’t require analytics. 

Optimizing QR Code placement

To maximize engagement, add your codes to mediums with maximum visibility, like tabletops, doors, and receipts. Make sure they’re easily accessible by placing them on flat, well-lit surfaces and confirming they’re large enough for mobile devices to read. The minimum QR Code size is 2 x 2 cm, but you’ll likely need to size up to ensure they remain visible and scannable from a distance. 

However, be careful not to clutter your café with codes, as this can interfere with the dining experience. For example, if your tables are small, you might print the codes on stickers and affix them to table surfaces, rather than using a table tent that may get in a diner’s way. You can also use QR Codes on digital displays, rather than printing.

Designing scannable, brand-friendly QR Codes

Don’t settle for the same old boring black-and-white QR Codes. Implement eye-catching QR Code design ideas instead! Use your brand’s colors, choose unique patterns and frames, and add your logo to the middle to capture customers’ attention and align with your café’s overall branding. 

But this doesn’t mean scannability should take a back seat. Balance QR Code customization and readability by using high-contrast colors, ensuring proper sizing, leaving sufficient white space, and downloading high-quality images. 

Testing QR Codes before putting them to use

The last thing you want is to print QR Codes that don’t work. To prevent this, test your codes using multiple devices (tablets and smartphones, both iOS and Android) and QR Code scanning apps before printing or sharing them. Check their readability in different lighting conditions and from varying angles to determine the best placements. 

Educating staff and customers

While QR Codes are popular, not everyone knows how to use them. So show your staff how they work before implementing them. In turn, they can help café customers who may be unfamiliar with the technology. 

You may also want to include instructions near QR Codes to guide first-time users. This will come in handy during peak café hours, like the morning rush, when your employees can’t help individual customers. 

The instructions could be as simple as:

1. Open your phone camera. 
   
   
2. Point it at the QR Code. 
   
   
3. Tap the link and follow the instructions. 

How to use QR Code Generator PRO to create QR Codes for your café

QR Code Generator PRO offers a wide range of QR Code types—fit for virtually any need—plus valuable analytics, extensive customization capabilities, and easy management. Ready to get started? Here’s how:

Creating a Dynamic QR Code for your café’s menu

To create a Dynamic QR Code for your café menu:

1. Sign up or log in to QR Code Generator PRO.
   
   
2. Select Create QR Code and choose PDF. 
   
   
3. Upload your PDF menu. 
   
   
4. Tick the “Link directly” box. 
   
   
5. Design and customize your QR Code—upload your café’s logo and pick your preferred QR Code pattern, colors, and frame. 
   
   
6. Download the code in your preferred format. 

Tracking customer engagement with QR Code analytics

QR Code Generator PRO provides a variety of metrics to help you track customer engagement and uncover actionable insights. These include:

• Total scans and unique scans: See which promotions, menu items, or mediums attract the most interest. To maximize customer engagement, adjust your QR Code destinations and placements based on what resonates best with your audience. 
  
  
• Location data: If you have multiple cafés, you can use the same QR Code for each and view scan rates by city or country. If a particular area sees higher engagement, determine what they’re doing differently and replicate it across your other locations.
  
  
• Operating system: See which devices customers use for future optimization decisions. If you find that most of your customers use iOS devices, for example, optimize future campaigns for these gadgets.

Managing multiple QR Codes with QR Code Generator PRO

QR Code Generator PRO streamlines QR Code management by letting you organize codes by function. This makes it easy to find or delete your creations in bulk. 

As a café owner, you can create folders like:

• Menus and ordering: For all QR Code menus—breakfast, lunch, seasonal specials, or vegan
  
  
• Payments and loyalty: For payment or loyalty program QR Codes
  
  
• Marketing and social media: For social media, feedback collection, and product promotion QR Codes
  
  
• Internal operations: For QR Codes used in inventory tracking, supplier orders, and staff training

QR Code Generator PRO also lets you filter scan data for easy analysis. You can sort and filter analytics by performance to identify top-performing QR Codes or by creation date to assess the success of different campaigns. For instance, if you have special QR Code-based offers over the holidays, you can compare their scans to the scans of regular promotions to gauge effectiveness. 

Customizing QR Codes to match your café’s branding

QR Code Generator PRO allows you to personalize your codes to match your café branding. Use custom colors, logos, frames, and CTAs to create a consistent brand image, and customize the back halves of the embedded short URLs (whenever applicable) so scanners know what to expect after following the links. 

Depending on your plan, you can also add your own domain to the URLs instead of using the generic domain to boost trust and visibility. 

Create QR Codes for your café today with QR Code Generator PRO

QR Codes can be your café’s greatest ally, improving customer experiences and overall operations. The best part? They’re easy to create with the right tool. 

With QR Code Generator PRO, you get access to a range of QR Code solutions that cater to a variety of use cases. 

Whether you want to provide quick access to your menu, implement contactless payments, streamline inventory management, or improve staff training, our platform has the solution for your needs. You can even customize and track all your codes, promoting brand consistency and providing valuable customer insights.

Sign up for QR Code Generator PRO today to create, customize, and manage all your café’s QR Codes—all in one place!