How to make a QR code for a restaurant

2026-09-01 · 7 min read

A restaurant starting out with QR codes usually makes the same mistake: making just one, for the menu, and sticking it on laminated paper. Within a month it's bent and stained, and nobody knows what's behind the code. Let's go step by step.

Step 1: decide which links you need

1. Menu. A fixed address you won't be changing.
2. Google reviews. The short 'Ask for reviews' link from your Business Profile.
3. WiFi. Your guest network's name and password.
4. Social media. Instagram is usually the only one worth its own piece.

Step 2: check the links are stable

This step always gets skipped and it's the one that costs the most money. A printed code is permanent: if you change the menu's address, you have to reprint every table. Before printing anything, open each link on a phone using mobile data (not the venue's WiFi) and ask yourself whether that address will still exist in two years.

Step 3: generate each code with the object that fits it

Step 4: the embossed text isn't decoration

A code with no text gets scanned much less. People need to know what will happen before pulling out their phone, especially now that QR codes are used for everything. Texts that work: 'OUR MENU', 'LEAVE US A REVIEW', 'FREE WIFI'. Texts that don't: just the restaurant's name, or nothing at all.

Step 5: print one unit and test it on site

The real test isn't on a screen or at home: it's at the table, under the venue's actual lighting, day and night, with at least two different phones. A code that works on your iPhone by the window can fail on a five-year-old Android under a warm lamp.

How much it costs

For a 12-table venue: 12 menu stands, 2 for reviews and 2 WiFi plaques is about 16 pieces. In filament, roughly $7-15 — figures vary a lot by country and filament brand. In printer hours, about 25-30, spread across batches of four or five. Compared to commercial acrylic stands, the difference is clear once you already have access to a printer.