How to Make a QR Code Menu for Your Restaurant

Prices change, specials rotate, and a supplier runs out of something on a Friday night. With printed menus, every change means another print run. A QR code menu lets you update the menu in a minute while the codes on your tables stay exactly the same.

Why restaurants use QR code menus

Update without reprinting. Change a price, add a special or mark something as sold out, and every table has the new menu right away.
Lower printing costs. You still need a few paper copies, but not a full reprint every time something changes.
Faster table turns. Guests can browse while they wait to be seated or while staff are busy.
Multiple menus, one system. Lunch, dinner, drinks, desserts and seasonal menus can each have their own code.
Real data. Scan counts show when guests actually look at the menu, which can help with staffing and promotions.

PDF, website or ordering app: which type?

Type	Best for	Trade-offs
PDF menu	Most independent restaurants, cafés and bars. You already have the menu designed.	Fastest to set up and keeps your design, but it's view-only with no ordering.
Menu page on your website	Restaurants with a website and someone to update it	Good for search engines, but every change needs a website edit.
Order-at-table app	High-volume venues that want guests to order and pay from the phone	Monthly fees and per-order commissions, plus setup and staff training.

If you just want guests to see an up-to-date menu, a PDF is usually the right starting point. That's the method this guide covers.

Step by step: create your QR code menu

Export your menu as a PDF. Canva, Word, Google Docs, Pages and most design tools all have File › Download/Export › PDF.
Create a free Jabble account and open the QR code menu page.
Upload the PDF. Files up to 10 MB are accepted, and you can host up to 10 menus per account. That's enough for separate food, drinks and seasonal menus, or several locations.
Download your QR code. It points to a permanent Jabble link. When a guest scans it, they see a brief "hosted by jabble.io" screen, and then your menu opens in their browser. No app is needed.
Test it on an iPhone and an Android phone, on both WiFi and mobile data, before you print in bulk.
Update whenever you like. Replace the PDF from your links dashboard. The link and the printed code never change.

Designing a PDF menu that works on phones

The most common complaint about QR menus isn't the QR code. It's a menu designed for an A3 printed sheet that guests then have to pinch and zoom around on a 6-inch screen. A few changes make a big difference:

Portrait, one column. Phone screens are tall and narrow. A single-column, portrait page scrolls naturally, and multi-column landscape layouts don't.
Large text. Use at least 14–16 pt for dish names and around 12 pt for descriptions at the PDF's page size. If you have to zoom to read a price, the text is too small.
Strong contrast. Dark text on a light background. Avoid text over photographs.
Sections first. Put starters, mains, desserts and drinks in a clear order, with the most-ordered items near the top.
Include allergens and dietary labels (V, VG, GF, contains nuts) right next to each dish, not in a footnote on the last page.
Keep the file small. Aim for under 2–3 MB. Compress large photos before exporting, or use your design tool's "smallest file size" export option. Guests on slow mobile data will thank you.
Make text real text. Export from your design tool rather than scanning a printed menu, so the text stays sharp when zoomed and screen readers can read it.

Printing and placing your QR codes

Size: about 2.5–3 cm (1 in) square or larger for table tents read at arm's length. For window posters read from the pavement, go much bigger. As a rule of thumb, scanning distance is about 10 times the code's width.
Add a call to action: "Scan to view our menu" plus your restaurant's name. A code with no explanation gets ignored.
Brand it: your logo in the centre and your colours make the code feel official, and make tampered stickers easier to spot.
Where to put it: table tents, the bar, the takeaway counter, the front window, receipts, takeaway bags and your Google Business Profile photos.
Avoid glare: matte lamination works better than glossy under bright lights.
Leave the quiet zone: keep a clear margin around the code, with no borders or text touching it.

Tracking scans

Every scan of a Jabble menu code is logged. On paid plans, your links dashboard breaks scans down by week, month, year and time of day. That can answer practical questions:

When do guests actually look at the menu? Is it before arriving, at the table, or for takeaway?
Did the new window poster or a social media post bring in more scans?
Which of your menus, such as drinks or brunch, gets the most attention?

A sudden drop in scans at a busy time can also be an early warning that a code is damaged or has been covered.

Mistakes to avoid

Using a static QR code that points straight at a file. If the file's address changes, every printed code breaks. Use a dynamic link you can update.
Getting rid of paper menus completely. Keep a few for guests without a smartphone, with a dead battery, or who simply prefer paper.
Forgetting to update the PDF. A QR menu with old prices is worse than a printed one. Make "update the menu PDF" part of your price-change routine.
A huge file. A 9 MB menu full of uncompressed photos can take a long time to open on weak signal.
Not testing on real phones before printing a hundred table tents.

FAQ

Do I need to reprint the QR code when my menu changes?

Not if you use a dynamic menu QR code. The code points to a link that stays the same, and you replace the PDF behind it whenever prices or dishes change. Printed table tents keep working.

Do customers need an app to scan a QR code menu?

No. The built-in camera on modern iPhones and Android phones reads QR codes, and the PDF menu opens in the phone's web browser.

What file size should a PDF menu be?

Aim for under 2 to 3 MB so it opens quickly on restaurant WiFi or mobile data. Jabble accepts PDFs up to 10 MB, but smaller files load faster for guests.

Should I still keep paper menus?

Yes, keep a few. Some guests don't have a smartphone, have a flat battery, or find small screens hard to read. A QR code menu works best alongside a handful of printed copies.