Update your menu without reprinting codes
Prices change, dishes sell out, seasons turn. The code on the table stays the same while the menu behind it moves.
To update a menu QR code without reprinting, use an editable code that opens your menu as a hosted PDF or menu page. Print the code on table cards once. When prices or dishes change, upload the new file to the same code and guests see it on their next scan.
New prices, same table card
Upload this week's menu and every card on every table opens it from the next scan.
How to run a menu you can update
Export the menu as a PDF
Most design tools save a PDF. Keep it to a few pages with large type for reading on a phone.
Upload it to an editable code
Choose the PDF type, sign in and upload the file. The code opens the menu in the phone's browser, with nothing to download.
Print the table cards
Download SVG or PDF for table tents, stickers or the menu cover, with a line such as "Menu: scan here".
Swap the file when the menu changes
Upload the new version to the same code. The next guest who scans sees it, and the cards stay where they are.
Worked example: a bistro with a weekly special
- Two menus, two codes
- The bistro keeps the food menu and the drinks list on separate codes, so a new wine never means editing the food menu.
- Every Monday
- The chef adds the weekly special to the PDF and uploads it before lunch service. The table cards printed in spring are still on the tables.
- When a dish sells out
- Staff upload a corrected file mid-service, and guests who scan after that never order what the kitchen no longer has.
Fixed or editable for a menu?
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Fixed QR code (static)
A fixed code can only hold a link to a menu you host yourself, such as a page on your website. It is free, and the menu updates whenever you update that page, as long as its address stays the same.
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Editable QR code (dynamic) Our pick for this job
An editable code hosts the PDF or menu page for you, lets you swap it at any time and counts scans per menu. Menus change often, so editable is our pick here. From $9 a month after the 14-day trial; it stops forwarding if you stop paying, with warnings first.
Making a menu that reads well on a phone
One column, large type
A menu laid out for a big printed sheet is hard to read on a phone. A single column with 12 point text or larger works far better.
Keep the file light
Compress photos before exporting. A light PDF opens quickly over weak restaurant Wi-Fi and patchy mobile data.
Keep paper for those who want it
Some guests prefer a printed menu. A few copies alongside the code keep every table served.
Questions and answers
Before you print
- Is it free?
- Fixed codes are free: make as many as you like, download a PNG with no sign-up, and get every other format and print files with a free account. Editable codes come with a plan, a pass, Keep-alive or the 14-day trial.
- Can I change the link after printing?
- Yes, with an editable code. It holds a short link you control, so you can point the printed code somewhere new any time, and the next scan opens the new page. A fixed code keeps the link it was made with.
- Can I use my own domain?
- Yes. A custom domain is included on passes, from Starter, and during the trial. Starter covers one subdomain, for example go.yourbrand.com, and apex domains start on Pro.
- What happens if I stop paying?
- Editable codes work to the end of your paid period, and after a failed payment every code keeps working for 14 days. Turn codes back on within 12 months. Fixed codes keep working as long as their links do.
Do guests have to download the PDF?
No. The menu opens in the phone's browser like a web page. Guests can zoom in, and they can save it if they want to.
Can I change the menu during service?
Yes. Upload a new file to the same code in the app, and the next scan shows it. Nothing on the tables has to change.
Should I use a PDF or a menu page?
A PDF is the quickest start when your menu already exists as a designed file. A hosted menu page, built in the app, reads better on small screens and is easier to edit line by line.
How many codes does a restaurant need?
Often one per menu: food, drinks, desserts. The same code goes on every table. Separate codes for the terrace or a second site only pay off if you want to compare scans.
How big should a menu code be on a table tent?
Between 3 and 4 cm wide reads comfortably from a seat. For a code on the wall or in the window, go much larger, and check the print check under the preview for the minimum.
Print the code once, change the menu any time
Choose the PDF type, upload your menu and print table cards that stay current.