Free tool
Restaurant QR code generator
Enter the link to your menu or ordering page and download a QR code ready for table cards, flyers, receipts or windows. The code encodes your link directly, so it works for as long as the link does.
Your code will appear here.
Generated entirely in your browser. The link is not sent anywhere.
Printing a code that scans first time
Most QR failures are print problems, not code problems. Four things matter.
Size
Keep the code at least one tenth of the scanning distance. For a table tent that is about 3 cm; for a window sticker read from the pavement, 10 cm or more. When in doubt, go larger. Nobody has complained a QR code was too easy to scan.
Quiet zone
The white border around the code is part of it. The downloads here include a border of four modules on each side; keep it when you place the code in a design, and do not let text, logos or a coloured background creep into it.
Contrast
Dark code on a light background. Avoid inverting the colours, printing on glossy foil that reflects, or placing the code over a photograph. If your card is dark, put the code in a white box.
Testing
Scan the printed proof with at least one iPhone and one Android phone using the standard camera app, from the distance a diner would actually use, in the lighting of your dining room. Then open the link and place a test order. Do this before you print 200 cards, not after.
Where to put it
Table cards are the obvious place for dine-in ordering. The same code also belongs on takeaway bags, the bottom of printed receipts, the counter near the till, and the window for people deciding whether to come in. A packaging insert with the code is one of the cheapest ways to turn a marketplace customer into a direct one; the article on increasing direct orders goes through the options.
If you have not yet set up a page for the code to open, the restaurant website builder page explains what an ordering page under your own name involves.
QR code questions
Should the code point to my menu or my ordering page?
If diners can order from it, point it at the ordering page; the menu is part of it. A menu-only code makes sense when you want people to read before they come to the counter. The QR code menu and QR code ordering pages cover the choice.
What size should I print it?
A simple rule: the code should be at least one tenth of the distance it will be scanned from. A table card scanned from 30 cm needs a code of about 3 cm; a poster read from 1.5 m needs about 15 cm. Printing at 3 to 4 cm for table cards leaves a comfortable margin.
Which error correction level should I use?
M (medium) suits most printed cards. Use Q or H if the code will be on a surface that gets wiped, scratched or partly covered, or if you plan to put a small logo over the centre. Higher levels make the code denser, so keep it larger when you go up.
Can I change where the code goes after printing?
Only if the link itself does not change. Point the code at a stable address, such as your restaurant's ordering page, and change what is on that page rather than reprinting. Do not use a shortener you might lose access to.
Does this tool track scans?
No. The code encodes the exact link you enter and nothing else. Scan counts would require a redirect through a tracking service, which adds a point of failure and a privacy question. If you want to measure, use a link with a UTM parameter and read it in your analytics.
Give the code somewhere worth going
An ordering page under your own name, with the menu diners can order from and no commission on what they order.
Gateway fees, delivery and taxes are separate. Pricing