QR code table ordering: a table tent that opens the menu

What a QR code for table ordering opens

QR code table ordering works like this. A guest sits down and points a phone at the card on the table. The phone opens your ordering page. The code does not hold the menu. It holds a short web address, and that address opens the menu on your site.

That difference matters. You can change prices, mark a dish as sold out or add a weekend special, and every printed code keeps working. Nothing on the table needs reprinting.

The one thing the address should carry is the table number. That is what this post is about.

Put the table number in the code

If every table has the same code, the kitchen gets an order with no seat attached. Then someone walks the floor asking who ordered the paneer wrap.

The fix is one code per table. Each code opens the same menu, but the address ends with that table's number, for example ?table=12. Your ordering page reads the number and fills it in. The guest never types it, so the guest never gets it wrong.

A cafe with 18 tables needs 18 codes. Add two or three spares for the tables you bring out on busy evenings. Print the number in large type beside the code too, about 15 mm tall. Staff can read it from the counter, and a guest can say it out loud if their phone fails. You can make a numbered set like this on BuyQRCode.

Keep the numbers simple. Use 1 to 18, not labels like T-A-04. Short numbers make short addresses. Short addresses make codes with fewer squares, and those scan faster.

The printed object: a table tent

For this use the printed object is a table tent. It is a folded card that stands on its own. A common size is A6 when folded, so each face is 105 mm by 148 mm. Print the code on both faces, so guests on either side can scan without reaching across.

Card of 300 to 350 gsm stands up well. A matt lamination resists water rings and wipes clean with a damp cloth. Gloss lamination looks bright, but it throws back light from ceiling lamps. Glare is the most common reason a phone hesitates on a table code.

Acrylic stands are the other common choice. They last longer, but the clear front adds a second shiny layer. If you use them, ask for a matt insert behind the acrylic.

Stickers on the tabletop suit cafes that clear tables fast. Choose a laminated vinyl sticker at least 50 mm square. Place it where plates and cups do not sit.

Size and distance

A guest scans a table tent from about 0.3 to 0.5 metres away. At that distance, 30 mm square is the smallest code we would print. A code of 35 to 40 mm is more comfortable. Older phones and dim corners need the extra size.

Leave a quiet border around the code. The rule is four squares' width of plain space on every side. On a 35 mm code that comes to about 3 to 4 mm of empty margin. Do not let the table number, a logo or a border line run into it.

If the code sits on a poster by the door instead, scale it up. For a reading distance of 1 to 2 metres, print it at 100 mm or more.

Contrast in plain words

Use a dark code on a light background. Black or deep navy on white or cream scans best. Brand colours can work if the code is much darker than the card around it. A mid-grey code on beige card is too close. So is a white code on a dark wooden tabletop.

Do not print the code reversed, light on dark, unless you have tested it on several phones. Many cameras read it and some do not. The guest who cannot scan just waves for a waiter.

Keep logos out of the middle of the code unless the code was made to carry one. A small logo is fine when the code is built with enough error correction. A large logo is a guess.

Make the code dynamic

A static code points at one fixed address forever. A dynamic code points at a short address you control, and that short address forwards to the menu. You can re-point it later without touching the printed card.

For table ordering this helps in three ways. You can move to a new ordering page without reprinting 20 table tents. You can send table 7 to a different page during a private event. And you can see how many scans each table gets, which shows you the quiet corners of the room.

Keep a simple sheet with three columns: the table number, the address its code opens, and the date it last changed. When something goes wrong at table 11, the sheet tells you where that code sends people.

Test before the tents go out

Print one proof first. Put it on a real table under your evening lights. Scan it with at least three phones: one new, one a few years old, and one with a scratched or dusty camera if a member of staff has one.

Check four things on each scan. The menu opens. The table number shown is the right one. The page loads in a few seconds on the cafe's own network and on mobile data. An order placed from that page reaches the kitchen screen or printer with the table number on it.

Then print the full set. Lay the tents out in number order and scan each one before it goes to its table. A code with the wrong number on the wrong table is worse than no code at all.

Running it day to day

Wipe the tents at the end of each shift. Replace any card with a bent fold or a scratched code. A crease through the code is enough to stop some phones.

Keep the spares in a drawer with their numbers already printed. A lost card can then be back on its table in a minute, opening the same menu with the same number.

If you also take orders by phone or through other ordering channels and want the table codes to sit alongside them, tell us where you sell and we will set the addresses up to match.