By Andrea Abbondanza, Contributor
In today's fast-paced digital age, restaurants are constantly seeking innovative ways to enhance the dining experience for their customers. One such innovation is using QR codes, which are becoming increasingly popular in the restaurant industry. QR codes offer a convenient and contactless way for customers to access menus, order food, and pay using mobile devices.
Let’s dive a little deeper into what makes QR codes so special and how they can improve the guest experience at your restaurant.
What is a QR Code for a Restaurant?
QR codes are a familiar sight in today's world — small, black boxes used since the 1990s. They hold data and information on anything their creators’ desire. Contactless menus, a popular ordering style that enhances safety, utilize QR codes that customers can easily scan with their smartphone cameras.
Scanning the code directs them to your restaurant's menu, where they can browse food and drink options. This convenient and contactless approach is becoming increasingly popular among customers in a post-COVID world, and effectively streamlines the ordering process while ensuring safety.
Benefits of Using QR Codes at Your Restaurant
There are several benefits to using QR codes in restaurants. As a restaurant owner, you can consider the following benefits.
Faster Service
In the restaurant industry, speed is crucial for providing efficient service to guests. While creating an enjoyable dining experience is essential, confirming orders quickly and accurately is vital, especially in busy establishments.
Instead of relying on printed menus and waitstaff hovering over tables, QR code menus enable customers to send their orders directly to the kitchen when ready. This streamlined process dramatically reduces the time spent ordering, allowing customers to focus on enjoying their meals.
Additionally, you can offer customers the option to order, ensuring their food is ready upon arrival. By using QR codes to speed up table turnover, restaurants can serve more diners and increase profitability.
Entice Guests with Photos of Every Dish
While printed menus in restaurants may include photos of their dishes, space limitations often prevent every dish from being featured. Including too many images can create a cluttered and confusing menu for diners. Fortunately, QR code menus offer a solution.
By giving customers easy access to your menu through their mobile devices, you can include images of all your delicious food without worrying about space or printing costs. With the ability to easily scroll through the entire menu, customers can view tantalizing photos and descriptions for every dish, enhancing their dining experience and potentially increasing their likelihood of ordering.
Enhanced Hygiene & Safety
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused consumers to become more cautious about handling cash and unnecessary physical contact while dining out. Traditional printed menus pose a health risk as they are handed out, passed around, and collected again. This is where QR code menus and other contactless ordering systems come in handy.
By providing a safe and efficient way for customers to browse menus and place orders through their mobile devices, physical contact is minimized without compromising the customer experience. With QR code menus, guests can confidently enjoy their dining experience, knowing that their safety is being prioritized.
Sustainability
By going digital with your menu and receipt systems, you can significantly reduce the paper waste and energy consumption required to produce printed menus. Not only does this benefit the environment, but it also offers convenience to customers who prefer digital receipts.
Although it may seem like a small change, the amount of paper used for printing menus and recipes can accumulate over time. Switching to digital menus and receipts can contribute to a larger effort to reduce paper waste and energy consumption in the restaurant industry.
Easily Update Menu Items
QR code menus offer the convenience of digital hosting, allowing for easy updates with the touch of a button. If an ingredient shortage or other menu changes, items can be quickly 86’d, removed or marked as unavailable without costly and time-consuming menu reprinting or staff explanations.
This saves you money and resources and ensures that customers have access to accurate and up-to-date information, enhancing their overall dining experience. With a digital menu system, you can make changes on the fly without interrupting service or customer satisfaction.
Reduce Pressure on Front-of-House Staff
Front of House (FOH) staff can feel overwhelmed during busy services, no matter how skilled they are. To ease the pressure on your team, consider implementing QR code menus.
By enabling customers to order through their smartphones, your waitstaff will have more time to focus on other aspects of service. This results in a more relaxing customer atmosphere and less stress for your team.
With reduced pressure, FOH staff can be more productive without feeling overworked, saving you money on hiring and training new staff. Opting for QR code menus enhances the dining experience, improves efficiency, and reduces staffing challenges.
Marketing & Customer Feedback
Your QR code menu can serve as a valuable marketing tool. When customers scan the code and access your menu, you can use this opportunity to upsell them with special offers or encourage them to follow your social media channels without hassle. It's an easy way to boost your online presence and engagement.
Furthermore, a QR code menu provides an effortless way to gather customer feedback. With a digital interface accessible from smartphones, customers are likely to leave feedback after meals. This feedback can be incredibly valuable in improving your business and enhancing the dining experience for future customers.
Wrapping Up
We hope you enjoyed these seven ways your restaurant can use QR codes in your restaurant. If you have some fun and unique ways not covered here, let us know in the comments below.
In a follow-up post, we’ll explore the best place to put your QR codes to get maximum effect.
