How to Make a PDF QR Code Menu for Restaurants and Bars
PDF QR code menus are now the new normal menus in the restaurant society. Because of that, many restaurateurs are researching ways how to generate one.
Since the pandemic started, the negative impact it made affected most of the businesses in the restaurant and hospitality departments. Due to its shortcomings, various menu-sharing methods were being considered. As the CDC encouraged the use of disposable menus can cost restaurateurs money and resources to maintain one, I found a better alternative that many tech-savvy customers are being hyped to use.
The alternative that tech-savvy customers are talking about is the QR code menu deployment approach. As they can be integrated in any way possible, restauranteurs can continue their dining operations without the risk of getting the customer’s and staff’s health compromised.
As the tech can be new to diners, giving them a headstart on what a PDF QR code menu is all about is needed to be implied.
What is a PDF QR code menu?
A PDF QR code menu is a dynamic QR code solution that attaches a PDF menu into a QR code. This QR code solution is usually can be found in the File category of a QR code generator. Since PDF is the most used menu format restaurants use to keep an electronic copy of their physical menus, the PDF QR code menu is the appropriate QR code approach that restaurants and bars should use.
How to make a PDF QR code menu?
In making a working PDF QR code menu, here are 6 simple steps that restaurateurs should follow.
Step 1. Open a QR code generator software online.
The first step in making a PDF QR code menu is to open a QR code generator that can provide the PDF QR code menu generation. When opening one, considering its capability and credibility is an important factor to ensure the generation of professional and quality QR codes for personal and business use.
Step 2. Select the menu category and upload your PDF menu.
After opening the QR code generator, select the menu category, and upload your restaurant’s PDF menu file.
Step 3. Generate and customize your QR code.
Once the upload is done, proceed in generating and customizing your QR code. In customizing your QR code, you can select the set of patterns, ey shapes, and colors and add your logo to match your restaurant’s theme and branding.
In this way, your PDF QR code menu will yield more scans and create brand awareness with your customers by letting them share your QR code menu on social media.
Step 4. Test your QR code.
After you have customized your QR code, run a test first using different devices with different operating systems. In this way, you can ensure that your QR code works well. By testing your QR code, you can ensure your QR code directs to the right content and avoid any scanning inconvenience with customers.
Step 5. Download your QR code
Download your QR code in SVG or PNG format. For print and digital usage, these formats are great for the diners' different dining tastes.
Step 6. Deploy your PDF QR code menu
After you have followed the first 5 steps, deploy your QR code by either printing or placing them electronically on your tables, table stands, and pinboards.
As the steps in making your own PDF QR code menu are elaborated, you can improve its usage by following the tips that I collected from design experts and dining customers.
5 useful tips on how to improve your PDF QR code menus
With my new normal dining experience to restaurants that are using PDF QR code menus, I gathered and collected different data on how to improve their PDF QR code menu design and narrowed them to 5 useful tips.
1. QR code design
John Thomas Watson Sr., chairman and CEO of IBM, 1952–1971, always says that “good design is good business.” It takes 50 milliseconds for people to make first impressions about a product or service. Because of that, restaurants with poor QR code design gain low customer reviews.
To avoid having a bad QR code menu design for your restaurant, you must follow the following design rules:
Choose the appropriate set of patterns and colors for your QR code.
When customizing the design of your QR code, always choose the appropriate set of colors. Avoid using light colors such as yellow, and neon colors as they increase the customer’s irritation to it. Instead, use colors that can easily be detected by the person and the machine’s eyes.
As you proceed in choosing the set of patterns, different pattern designs are available online. Those design patterns are mostly from geometric patterns such as circles and squares.
Add a Call to Action and your logo
QR code rickrolling becomes a trend in social media today. Because of that, diners are having doubts about scanning QR codes. Since most of the restaurants are displaying conventional QR code designs on their tables and bulletin boards, they see them as spam-looking QR codes.
Because of the popularized trend, restaurants are becoming one of the people’s targets for negative criticism. Experts recommend adding the restaurant’s logo and call to action in their QR code menus to avoid tagging restaurant QR codes as rickrolling QR codes.
Adjusting QR codes color contrast and edges
Restaurants play safe when integrating QR code menus in their businesses. As I have observed in my previous dining, restaurants are using the traditional design look of QR codes, the black and white checker box scheme. From the first look of it, these QR codes don’t bring any special aura to customers. As a result, some diners ignore their QR code menus and would prefer the use of disposable menus.
To convince diners to choose QR code menus over disposable menus, restaurants should experiment with different color contrast palettes and incorporate them into their QR code menus. For theme-based restaurants, they should stick with a color contrast palette that does not compromise the QR code’s scannability.
An inverted color contrast scheme is a big NO for the QR code’s design. As they are not only compromising the QR code’s scannability but also distracting customers when scanning the QR code.
By following the rule of thumb in choosing the best color contrast scheme where the foreground color is darker than the background color, restauranteurs can deliver aesthetically appealing yet functional QR code menus to diners.
2. Content of the QR code menu
As 94% of first impressions are design-related, designers perceive people as visual critiques. Since it is important to have visually appealing menu content on QR codes, restaurants seem to take this for granted. As a result, they could lose more customers in the long run. To avoid this issue, here are some useful tips that I can share with restaurant owners.
- Be consistent with your layout. Don’t offer different menu layouts from print to digital. One of the reasons why customers are not returning to the same restaurants is the lack of consistency. Consistency in dining can be referred to as food, plating, and also menu layouts.
- Be conscious enough when selecting your menu layout. To stress the item’s best selling points, menu engineers are studying the visuals and psychology behind people’s compulsion in choosing the dishes they want to try. To end the struggles restaurant owners are experiencing in their QR codes, there is a design menu article that I can recommend to them.
3. Placement of the QR code menu
QR code menus are best noticed when placed in areas where people can easily see them. But how do we know that the QR code menus are placed correctly? Well, that’s a good question to ponder. As we all know, QR code access needs an internet connection. This is the reason why restaurants that use QR codes in their business have internet access. But as internet dead spots are inevitable in restaurants, considering the QR code menu’s placement is crucial. To better place QR code menus on the restaurant premises, here are the two following placement recommendations:
- Placing a QR code menu in a no Internet zone is a big NO. Since some of the diners don’t always have internet data on their phones when dining, placing the QR code menu in a no-internet zone is a major turn down for them. Modern technology penetrates almost every aspect of the community, people expect restaurants to have internet access as a model for communication extension from reality to the virtual community. Because of this, some restaurants fail in implementing their QR code menus due to connection restrictions. To address this problem, placing the QR code menu in an internet access zone is important to maintain information transmission.
- Position your QR code menu in areas where diners can easily notice and scan it. Just like what I addressed earlier, placement is crucial to make the QR code implementation works. For better scanning rates, try to place your QR code menus in the left corner edge of the table. This works because of Fitts’ Law, a model that observes human movement.
4. Size of the QR code menu
One thing I learned about QR codes is size matters. As I stumble upon different restaurants in my vicinity, I found QR code menus of different sizes. Some are larger than the size of a standard phone size and some smaller than a charger pin. As a customer myself, I get alarmed by these QR code sizing as I also struggle in scanning them.
To resolve this problem, experts implement a universal QR code sizing formula for beginners and experts alike. As I have read about QR code basics, the formula goes the distance of the scanner from the QR code divided by ten. When restaurant owners follow this QR sizing formula, they can ensure their customers’ well-being in scanning and not go a hefty distance when scanning the QR code menu.
5. Print Quality of the QR code menu
When it comes to dining, time is a restaurant’s main enemy. As they can’t hold their customer’s patience when waiting for their order, the entertainment offer becomes their top solution. But as we are currently facing a global health crisis, safety health protocols were imposed. Because of this, restaurants are forced to cease their entertainment activities.
Since then, people who are dining in restaurants only dine to eat. As social distancing and minimal interactions are strictly implemented, QR code menus become their dining solution. But as the time consumed in scanning a QR code should last for less than 10 seconds, the print quality should always be remembered. But as I browse through the online websites of restaurants offering QR code menus in their new normal operations, I was appalled by the lack of quality printing.
To further correct this problem, guidelines for correct QR code printing are needed to educate restaurant owners and other users as well. For me, as long as the QR code’s pixels do not change even after stretching it in the document editor, that QR code passes the customers’ visual test for scanning.
PDF QR code menus are becoming a staple part of the restaurant society. Since there is scarce information about its design and functionality to customers, restaurateurs are doing their best to provide the best service despite the existence of the global health crisis. As continuing their service is concerned, solving the problem with QR codes is a great example of how they can increase their profits without the need of spending more.
