QR codes are an excellent way to eliminate one of the most contact-intensive aspects of dining out: the menu. There is no doubt that using QR code menus has major benefits. With the world actively adjusting to a post-pandemic future, many restaurants have gone contactless, necessitating the need to create a QR code for their operations. If you’re unfamiliar with QR codes, they’re the odd-looking squares filled with squiggles and lines that allow you to easily share a wealth of information with your customers!
A QR code menu is a menu that customers can access using a mobile device such as a smartphone or tablet. The diner scans the quick response code with their phone’s camera. Your menu will then appear on their phone in multiple languages, allowing customers to browse through your offerings. Some QR menus include an ordering system that allows guests to place an order and even make online payments without ever touching a physical menu or speaking with a server! Here are five of the most amazing benefits of using QR menus.
01. QR Menus Increase Cost Efficiency and Lower Environmental Impacts
While disposable, single-use menus were popular at the start of the pandemic, they are not cost-effective or environmentally friendly. QR menus are an attractive alternative, and they save money over printing reusable or disposable menus. Furthermore, switching to QR menus has obvious environmental benefits. These are some examples:
- Preserving Many Trees.
Consider paper menus for a moment. How much paper do you go through when you have a printed menu? What if you make a typo and have to throw out and reprint all of those menus? Thousands of pounds of paper are thrown away on paper menus every year.
- Lower Pollution.
Ink use contributes significantly to ground soil and water pollution. According to a study, approximately 1 million ink cartridges are discarded in landfills every day. In our landfills, each of those cartridges takes approximately 1,000 years to decompose. They pollute our soil and water with volatile organic compounds and heavy metals. Traditional restaurant menus use a lot of ink, but you can reduce that impact with eco-friendly QR menus.
02. QR Menus Enhance the Customer Experience
While it is important to provide your customers with a pleasant dining experience, speed is also an important aspect of service. It is especially true in crowded restaurants, where the goal is to confirm each guest’s order as quickly as possible (without making any mistakes) and get it to the kitchen for cooking.
Instead of having staff stand near a table and wait for customers to select from a traditional menu, a QR code menu for your restaurant allows customers to send their orders directly to the kitchen. This can significantly speed up service because customers will spend less time waiting to place orders and more time enjoying each other’s company and the dining experience they came to enjoy.
QR codes also give customers the option to order ahead so that their food is ready as soon as they arrive. Another benefit of using QR menus can therefore be an increase in table turnover, allowing you to serve more diners and increase the profitability of each service.
03. QR Menus Improve Customer and Staff Safety
With an increased focus on health and sanitation due to Covid-19, many customers and employees prefer not to handle paper menus that have been touched by many people. Since the return to normal after the world’s lockdown, there was a concern about returning to eating out safely.
The QR provides a contactless menu which confirms to your customers that your restaurant is observing the highest standards of hygiene in service and when preparing food. Other than good quality food, your customers must have faith in your quality standards. To maintain customer trust in the restaurant, videos of the food being prepared, the standards being followed to keep the food hygienic, and the delivery processes being followed can be shown on the website and on social media.
04. You can easily update your Digital QR Menu
Some restaurants have frequent menu changes due to seasonal ingredient availability. This can be inconvenient and expensive to change each physical menu. A digital menu lets you easily update menu items in real-time and as often as you want. This also allows you to add and remove unpopular items and highlight specials of the day.
QR menus allow you to easily change pricing and menu items and add or remove dishes across multiple locations with no additional costs. Updating physical menus is also a pain because they typically have limited space. It also means that not every menu item, if any, will have a picture on a physical menu.
On the other hand, a QR code menu allows you to include food images associated with the menu item. Customers’ attention will be drawn to the images, enticing them to order the item, which becomes an excellent upselling strategy.
05. QR Menus provide Customer Data and Analytics
With a QR menu, you can gather data about your customers’ ordering habits, including how and when they interact with your restaurant and which menu items they prefer. The customer’s location, time scanned, and operating device are all trackable data from your QR code menu. This information can be used to create menu promotions that are proven to be attractive and likely to increase sales. For example, if you discover that 25% of customers filter out vegetarian options, it may be worthwhile to consider increasing the number of vegetarian options.
Conclusion
COVID-19 has caused a significant shift in dining habits, and the evidence is seen in the growing number of restaurants that use QR code menus. They are not only useful for promoting a restaurant’s offerings in a cost-effective manner, but they also promote the hygiene and safety of your customers. With a QR menu, it’s never been easier to place, receive, and pay for meal orders! Therefore, more restaurateurs should get a QR code generator and digitize their menus so as to save money and time and gather customer data on habits. A QR menu is a win-win addition for your restaurant. Get on the QR menu trend!
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