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By this point, we’ve all done it. We’ve gathered our friends for a night out, found a restaurant or bar that works for everyone, and sat down only to find a laminated square plastered to the table with packing tape or pressed in a clear plastic photo frame. Instead of the menus we were all accustomed to before the pandemic, we are now forced to scan the quick response (QR) code that takes us to the electronic menu on a website.
Before I start bemoaning too much, there are a lot of great reasons to use a QR code menu. They allow for restaurants and bars to be able to maintain the most up-to-date drinks and meals that they offer without having to reprint every menu change. They’re far more sanitary than printed menus (something of great importance during a global pandemic) and don’t produce as much waste as physical menus that get tossed with each update. They allow for images to be included with the items offered, so that everyone knows what they’re getting before they even order it (which could be enticing for cocktails and desserts).
The problem is that no one likes using them.
Older diners and drinkers can find them to be too difficult to use—they can’t get their phones to read the code or they have connectivity issues to see the online menu. Others find having their phones out while trying to have a conversation or enjoy their meal/drink to be rude to the others with them. In an interview with the New York Times, Richard Boccato (the owner of Dutch Kills Bar in New York) said that “the QR code is the antithesis to romance” and notes that diners want a certain ambiance when going out that’s destroyed by squares of light constantly popping up at tables. Boccato also said that “A menu is a window to the soul of the restaurant, and a QR code has no soul”—suggesting that a printed menu is yet another way to give a restaurant or bar a certain look and feel.
The issue is also greater than the diners’ experience. Servers are trained to notice when people put down physical menus as a sign that they’re ready to order. Those who have their menus up for a longer period could need help deciding or have questions—something a server or bartender could use as a way to engage the customer in conversation and enhance their experience. With a QR code, though, who knows if the person is still trying to pick a drink or if they’re ready to go and scrolling through Instagram while they wait for someone to come take their order?
Maintaining a QR code menu also adds a subscription fee to a restaurant’s or bar’s overhead costs. While printing menus is far from free, many of the “pro” services available (which offer more than just hosting a basic online menu) look to average around $100 a month. Add that to the costs of printing physical menus (either as a supplement for those not wanting to use a QR code or for daily specials or happy hour bargains), and it starts to feel like a waste.
To collect our own data about this issue, we posted a poll on LinkedIn where we asked our followers their opinions on using QR code menus. An overwhelming majority (70%) said that they preferred a physical copy, while only another 26% said that either format was fine.
Ultimately, while technology can be used to make our lives easier, it’s clear that sometimes the classic option is the way to go. There are many benefits of using a QR code menu, but being able to update dishes and drinks quickly and reducing paper waste means nothing if customers refuse to use it. While some people will never use one unless forced, proponents can always make sure that their menus are streamlined and as easy to use as possible to get those on the fence to fall on their side. Otherwise, they might as well go back to prepping their paper menus.
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