Step-by-Step: How to Create a QR Menu for Your Restaurant

If you have been meaning to replace paper menus but did not know where to start, this guide is for you. We will walk through every step—planning content, designing the layout, generating QR codes, and launching on real tables. Each section aligns with what you see inside the QR Menu & Order builder, so you can keep this article open as a companion while you configure your own experience.

Screenshots in this tutorial reference the default onboarding screens (see the hero image above). You can capture your own progress by pressing Shift + S inside the builder to generate branded previews for staff training or investor updates.

Step 1: Audit and Organize Your Menu Data

Before opening any software, gather the essentials in a spreadsheet: dish names, short descriptions, pricing, dietary icons, modifiers, and photos. Mark high-margin items and seasonal specials—you will want to feature those later. Organizing upfront saves hours when you start dragging sections around.

Pro tip: add a column for “Story” or “Talking Point.” Even a single sentence such as “House-made pesto using local basil” becomes compelling copy that helps guests imagine the flavor.

Step 2: Create Your Workspace in QR Menu & Order

Head to qr-order.me/signup and create an account. The onboarding wizard asks for basic venue information and covers: colors, typography, and logo uploads. This is where your first screenshot comes in—grab the “Brand” screen to document the palette you chose. You can swap colors later, but it is helpful to align with existing signage or website assets from day one.

Once inside the dashboard, create a new menu project and select a template that matches your service style. Grid layouts work well for casual dining, while story-driven templates shine for chef’s tables and tasting menus.

Step 3: Build Categories and Item Cards

Import the spreadsheet you prepared or paste rows directly into the category editor. Arrange sections in the order guests typically experience the meal: drinks, starters, mains, sides, desserts. QR Menu & Order lets you drag entire blocks, so test a few variations and preview them on both phone and tablet viewports.

For each item card, add the following:

• High-resolution photo (minimum 1200px on the long edge)
• One-line description that leads with flavor or benefit
• Price field plus optional strike-through for limited discounts
• Dietary tags and spice level indicators
• Upsell suggestions (e.g., “Pair with the citrus spritz”)

Screenshot tip: take a capture of a completed item card to build your internal style guide. Share it with chefs so every new dish follows the same format.

Step 4: Customize Design for Menu Psychology

This is where you apply the design strategies from our QR menu design guide. Adjust typography, spacing, and highlight colors. Use the “feature” toggle to pin profitable items at the top of each section, and enable badges such as “New,” “Chef’s Pick,” or “Vegan.” Consider alternating background tones between sections to guide the scroll.

For multi-location groups, clone the menu and swap imagery or pricing per venue. Consistency plus local flexibility is one of the biggest advantages of digital menus over static PDFs.

Step 5: Generate and Brand Your QR Codes

Navigate to the “QR & Sharing” tab and choose your preferred shape (rounded, square, or logo-in-center). Upload your icon, set brand colors, and download vector versions for the print shop. QR Menu & Order hosts the landing page on a fast CDN, so the codes stay lightning-quick even during peak dinner rush.

Print a small test batch on card stock or stickers. Place them on a few tables to check how they look in real lighting. If the contrast feels low, adjust the color combination and re-export. Save another screenshot here to include in operations manuals or franchise kits.

Step 6: Test the Full Guest Journey

Before rolling out, run through the entire experience on both iOS and Android devices. Scan the code, browse categories, place a mock order (if you enable ordering), and check that modifiers, taxes, and tips calculate correctly. Invite a friend who has not seen the menu to test it too—fresh eyes will spot unclear descriptions or missing allergen notes immediately.

Inside the dashboard, open the analytics preview to confirm events are firing. This is another perfect screenshot moment—capturing the live dashboard builds excitement for the team and proves the ROI of the rollout.

Step 7: Train Staff and Announce the Launch

Host a short training session where servers practice introducing the QR experience: “Scan the code for chef recommendations and feel free to flag me for wine pairings.” Provide a cheat sheet with troubleshooting tips (e.g., what to do if someone has an older phone) and a stack of a few printed menus for accessibility.

Announce the launch on social media, email newsletters, and signage at the host stand. Emphasize benefits like faster seating, easy split bills, or allergy-friendly filters. Early communication sets expectations and reduces friction on day one.

Step 8: Monitor Analytics and Iterate

Once live, the QR Menu & Order dashboard shows scans by hour, top-performing dishes, and drop-off points. Use that data to experiment. If desserts lag, add a “save room” banner that appears halfway through the meal. If gift cards sell well around the holidays, pin them to the header for December and remove them in January.

Set a recurring reminder to refresh photos every season and rotate hero sections with new storytelling. The beauty of digital menus is the ability to tweak constantly without reprinting—use that advantage.

Need Inspiration? Borrow These Use Cases

Brunch café: Feature mimosa flights front and center on weekends, hide them on weekdays, and automatically re-show them Friday afternoon. Attach a pastry upsell below every coffee drink.

Steakhouse: Use high-contrast photography and badges like “Dry-aged 45 days.” Offer wine pairings as quick toggles so guests can add them without asking for a sommelier.

Food hall vendor: Embed prep-time indicators so guests know whether to order now or later, and integrate pickup notifications via SMS so they can keep exploring the venue.

Studying real scenarios sparks ideas for your own layout. Capture screenshots of any experiments and keep them in a shared drive so future team members understand what has been tried.