QR code ordering for restaurants: how it works and how to start

Guests scan a code on the table, see your menu on their phone, and send the order straight to the kitchen. Here is what actually happens, what to decide first, and what to watch for.

What the guest sees

1. They scan the QR on the table with the phone camera. No app to install.
2. Your menu opens, with photos, prices, veg or non-veg marks and what is sold out. You can offer it in English and Hindi.
3. They add dishes and send the order. The table number is already known, because every table has its own code.
4. They can see their orders, call a waiter, and, if you switch it on, pay by UPI.

What your staff see

The order lands on the counter screen or the kitchen screen as a ticket with the table on it. Many restaurants keep a rule that the first order of a table is approved by a waiter, so a stranger cannot send a prank order; later rounds go straight to the kitchen.

Decisions to make before you start

• Who approves orders? Approve the first order of each table, then let the table add more freely.
• Who pays and when? Pay at the counter, or a UPI link that shows the exact amount at the table. Keep a cash option.
• One table, one bill. If two guests at a table each order from their phones, it should all land on one bill, not five.
• Sold-out dishes. Staff must be able to mark a dish as finished in one tap, or the guest orders something you can’t make.
• GST on the menu. Say whether prices include GST, and show the tax before the guest sends the order.

Print the codes properly

• One code per table, labelled with the table name, so the order knows where to go.
• At least 4 cm wide, dark on a light background, on a stand or laminated card that can be wiped.
• Test every printed code with a phone on mobile data before the evening rush.

Want to try making a code first? The free QR menu maker turns any menu link into a printable table card.

Mistakes to avoid

• A PDF menu on Drive. It loads slowly, can’t take an order and goes stale.
• One code for the whole restaurant. Then every order has to ask “which table?”.
• No fallback. If the internet drops, staff should still take orders on paper or on the counter screen.
• Hiding the waiter. Keep a way to call staff from the menu. Guests like QR ordering when it is faster, not when it is lonelier.

How RestroSimplify does it

Each table gets its own code. The guest menu has photos, English and Hindi, a cart that shows the GST before they order, a call-staff button and “my orders”. Orders go to your counter and your kitchen screen, table orders join one bill, and the first order is approved by staff if you want that. You can see the live demo menu on your own phone.