QR code ordering in restaurants and bars: when it makes sense

QR code ordering makes most sense where guests order in repeat rounds and would rather not wait for staff: busy bars, beer gardens, large casual dining rooms and counter-service venues. It fits less well where the service is part of what guests pay for, as in fine dining and tasting menus, or where many guests need help choosing. Between those, you can offer QR ordering alongside table service and let guests use whichever they prefer.

It works when orders go straight into the POS and on to the kitchen or bar, and when someone on each shift is responsible for getting QR orders to the table.

How does QR code ordering work?

A guest scans a code with their phone camera and a menu opens in the browser. There are three common models:

• Menu only: the code shows the menu, and staff still take the order
• Order to table: the guest orders and pays from their phone, the order arrives with the table number attached, and staff bring it over
• Order and pick up: the guest orders and pays, then collects from the bar or counter when it is ready

In the last two models, the order should go into the POS and on to the right station the same way a server's order does. If staff have to re-enter orders from a separate tablet, the time saved at the table is lost behind the bar.

When does QR code ordering make sense?

• Bars and pubs where guests order several rounds and the queue at the bar is the bottleneck
• Terraces, gardens and large rooms where tables are a long walk from the bar
• Peak periods when you cannot staff the floor for full table service
• Counter-service and casual venues where guests already expect to order and pay up front
• Groups who would rather pay as they go than split one large bill at the end

In these settings QR ordering takes order-taking off the floor team, so they can spend more of the shift running food and drinks and looking after guests.

When QR ordering doesn't suit a venue

QR ordering changes the service, and some venues lose more than they gain:

• Fine dining and tasting menus, where the server's explanations and pacing are part of the experience
• Menus that prompt a lot of questions, such as long wine lists or dishes that need explaining
• Venues whose guests are less comfortable ordering on a phone, or where mobile signal and Wi-Fi are weak
• Places that rely on servers to suggest a starter, a side or another bottle; a phone menu can show add-ons, but it cannot read the table

Whatever you decide, keep a way to order from a person. Guests without a phone, with a flat battery or who prefer to ask should still be able to order from a server and pay at the table.

What about allergens on a QR menu?

Allergen duties apply however the guest orders. The FSA's best practice guidance for non-prepacked food, which applies in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, says businesses that give allergen information in a digital format should have an alternative way of accessing it as a backup. It also recommends asking all consumers whether they have allergen requirements, and says that when an order is made digitally, the information should be passed directly to the person preparing the food in writing. The legal minimum, set out in the FSA's technical guidance, still allows allergen information to be given verbally, provided a notice, menu, ticket or label tells guests where to find it, for example by asking staff.

On a QR menu, that means allergen information on each dish or one tap away, a printed allergen menu or matrix behind the bar, and a clear line asking guests to speak to staff about allergies. Check that any allergy note a guest adds to a QR order reaches the kitchen in writing, the same as one taken by a server.

How to set up QR ordering so it helps service

• Build the menu for a phone screen, with short descriptions, clear modifiers and no PDF that needs zooming
• Decide who owns QR orders on each shift, so a drink ordered from the garden does not sit on the bar
• Route QR orders to the right station automatically, the same as staff orders
• Link the menu to stock so sold-out items disappear before guests order them
• Put tags where guests can scan them without moving glasses, in a material that survives wiping down
• Show the table number or pickup point on each tag so guests and staff know where the order goes
• Test every tag with several phones before opening

How to tell if QR code ordering is working

Compare the channel with staff-taken orders over a few weeks. Look at the share of orders placed by QR, average order value in each channel, how long orders take to reach the table and how often guests ask staff for help with the QR flow. Ask the team whether they are spending the time saved with guests or chasing orders.

If one area uses QR heavily and another hardly at all, that is useful too. You might keep it for the terrace and drop it in the dining room.

How Tiquo handles QR code ordering

Tiquo supports two of these models, Order to Table and Order & Pick Up, and each sublocation can switch on either one independently. With Order to Table, guests scan the QR code at their table, the menu opens on their phone and they order and pay from their seat, then staff bring the order over. With Order & Pick Up, guests scan to browse the menu and order ahead, then collect at the counter when the order is ready.

QR orders arrive in the Tiquo POS alongside staff orders, use the same menus and show on the kitchen display screens, so the team works from one list during service. The same platform runs table bookings, tabs and payments for restaurants and bars, which keeps QR orders in the same reporting as everything else.

You design the QR tags in Tiquo's ordering settings. Choose a square with rounded corners or a circle, screw holes or adhesive backing, and black, red, blue or white plastic, stainless steel or brass, then add a one-colour logo and set the font. A live preview shows the QR code and its label, such as a table number, as you build. Ordering finished tags directly from the designer is not available yet, so check with Tiquo how to get them made before you plan the rollout.