QR menu setup: start with the menu you already have.

Your paper menu or PDF already has most of what you need. Here is how to put it online and find out how much setup a menu builder really takes.

By Menupresso4 min read
Chef writing notes on a printed sheet at a table
Photo by Madeline Liu on Unsplash.

Making a QR code is quick. Entering the menu can take an afternoon. There are dishes to add, prices to check and choices such as sizes or extras to explain. Before you sign up for a builder, see how it handles the menu you already use.

Why setup gets put off

In a 2020 Reddit post, a founder who had been visiting restaurants in Portugal said that “half the owners like it but are usually to busy to set it up.”

He was selling the tool, and this was one account from 2020. We cannot tell how common the problem is now. When you compare builders, ask how much time your menu will take to set up.

Use the menu you served today

Open the printed menu, PDF or website page you use now. Check it against the prices you actually charge. If an iced latte comes in two sizes, both prices need to come across. If a dish has a paid extra, that needs to be clear too.

Leave off dishes you have stopped serving. For ingredient or allergen information, check with the kitchen before putting it online. Guests will see those details as soon as they open the link.

Decide what the code will open

You can point a QR code to your existing PDF. If the file is current and easy to read on a phone, that may be the quickest way to get started. Each menu change means replacing the file and checking that the code still opens the right version.

Entering an editable web menu by hand takes longer at first. Once it is ready, you can change a price or remove a sold-out dish on the page. If your menu changes often, that may be worth the entry time. Our PDF and web-menu guide shows what each option looks like on a phone.

Your code can open a separate menu page while your ordering website stays where it is. A family member helping a pizzeria wanted exactly that because its older website still handled online orders. You can also link the new menu from your website so guests browsing there reach the current version.

Hands typing on a laptop beside a small plant
Photo by Jakub Żerdzicki on Unsplash.

Scan it before you print the cards

You can enter the menu over several sittings. Menupresso starts new menus Live, so switch yours to Draft while you work if you want to hide the unfinished page. The setup guide shows where to find that switch.

Switch the menu to Live when it is ready, then open the public link on your phone. Let someone who did not enter the dishes try it too. Can they find a main, its price and any choice that costs extra? Print one QR card and scan it from a table, using mobile data. Keep a paper menu handy for guests who prefer one.

Cafe menu board showing dishes, prices and a QR code beside a table
Scan a printed code from the place a guest will use it. Photo by Christoph Birken on Unsplash.

Make room for the next change

When a price changes or a dish sells out, someone needs to update the online menu and check the result. Paper menus and delivery listings will need attention too.

Before choosing a builder, change one price in a demo menu. Open the guest link again to see when the new price appears. Our article on problems owners report with digital menu builders covers the trouble old copies can cause.

Put your current menu where guests can find it.

Enter your dishes in Menupresso, share the menu by link or QR code, and edit it when prices change.

Create a menuSee the setup guide