On the table
Per-Table codes belong on table tents or stickers, one per table, so every order carries the right table number.
Free forever · no credit card
How to Create a QR Code for a Menu
This guide shows how to create a QR code for a menu with MenuForma, from your first dishes to a printed card that opens the right page. The free plan has no end date: one restaurant, custom QR designs and table ordering stay free, and Regular is only needed if you later want delivery, more languages or online payments.
- Free Forever for one restaurant
- No credit card to register
- No app for guests
Free forever, in plain terms
$0
a month on the free plan
No end date
it is not a time-limited trial
No credit card
needed to register
No scan limit
on any of your QR codes
Decide this before you design anything
Choose what the QR code should open
In QR Codes, each code type opens a different guest experience. Pick it first: it decides what guests can do after scanning and what the printed card should say.
- Free
Per-Table
Table ordering
Guests order from their phone, and the order reaches Orders with the table number.
- Free
Display Only
A menu to browse
Photos, prices and allergen labels to read, while staff take the order as usual.
- Free
Self-Select
A choice to show
Guests put together their choice and show it to a server; no order is sent from the menu.
- Free
Unified
One code for the counter
A single code for the whole venue, with an order number for every guest.
- Free
Hotel
In-room ordering
Room codes send orders with the room number, and Charge to room can be offered for configured rooms.
- Regular
Delivery
Delivery and pickup
The Delivery code opens a menu for delivery or Store Pickup orders, with Delivery Zones and scheduled orders.
Regular also adds Tablet ordering mode, staff accounts and online payments with Stripe.
Build, check, style, then print
How to create a QR code for a menu in six steps
Follow them in order. Nothing here needs coding, but the checks in steps three and six are what make a printed code trustworthy.
- 1
Create your free restaurant
Register without a credit card and fill in Information: the restaurant name, contact details and the Primary Language guests will see. Start with one venue; the free plan keeps it running with no end date, so you can build at your own pace.
- 2
Add your dishes
In Menu Manager, use AI Import with a photo, PDF, Excel or Word file, or Import from URL with your website or online menu. New accounts get 30 welcome credits, valid for 30 days; each import uses 5 and is only charged when it succeeds. You can also type dishes in by hand.
- 3
Check every dish against your source
Treat an import as a draft. Compare names, categories and prices with your current menu, add Variants / Sizes, your own photos and allergen labels (the list covers the EU's 14 and the USA's 9 major allergens), then open the guest view on a phone.
- 4
Pick the code type
Open QR Codes and choose Per-Table, Display Only, Self-Select, Unified or Hotel to match your service. Per-Table gives every table its own code; Unified uses one code for the whole venue. Delivery is there too once you move to Regular.
- 5
Style it and download the PNG
In Customize QR Design, start from a template such as Classic Black or Modern Green, add your logo and a short call to action, then use Download to save the PNG. Keep strong contrast and leave the white margin around the square untouched.
- 6
Print one card, test it, then place them
Print a single card and scan it with two or three phones in your real lighting. Confirm the restaurant, the code type and the table or room number. Then print the rest, put them where guests sit or wait, and share your Menu URL online.
Match the spot to the code
Where to put each menu QR code
At the counter or entrance
A Unified or Display Only code works by the till, on the door or in the window, where guests read before they order.
In hotel rooms
Hotel codes fit room folders and bedside cards, with the room number built into each order and Charge to room where you offer it.
On takeaway bags and online
Print the Delivery code on bags and flyers, and post your Menu URL on social profiles or your website. Delivery ordering needs Regular.
Before the cards reach your tables
Check three things on the final print
The destination is yours
Scan with a phone that is not signed in to your account. Confirm your restaurant name, the code type and the table or room. If it opens a dashboard or an example menu, replace it before printing more.
The card scans easily
Test from where guests sit, not only on your screen. Keep the quiet zone clear, avoid stretching the square and watch for glare from lamination or menu covers. Enlarge the code if phones hesitate.
The wording matches the code
Write Scan to view menu for Display Only, and Scan to order when guests can order. Print the Menu URL underneath for anyone who cannot scan, and keep a few paper menus up to date.
Know what your first setup includes
What stays free, and what Regular adds
Free Forever
Your first restaurant, with no end date
Free Forever includes one restaurant, a primary-language menu display, the Classic template, your own food photos, custom QR codes with your logo, patterns and a call to action, and every QR code type except Delivery and Tablet, including dine-in table ordering. MenuForma branding stays visible. There is no credit card to register and no trial deadline.
Regular
More languages, venues and ordering channels
Regular adds multiple languages and restaurants, more menu templates, Delivery and Store Pickup ordering, Tablet mode, staff accounts, Analytics, AI-generated food images, online payments and branding removal. Online payments need a connected Stripe account.
Practical answers before you download or print
Menu QR code questions
How to create a QR code for a menu for free?
Create a free MenuForma account, add your dishes with AI Import or by hand, choose a code type in QR Codes, style it in Customize QR Design and use Download. The free plan has no end date and needs no credit card. Print and scan one card before you print the rest.
What does the free plan include, and what needs Regular?
Free: one restaurant, the Primary Language, the Classic template, your own photos, custom QR designs and every code type except Delivery and Tablet, with MenuForma branding visible. Regular adds more languages, restaurants and templates, Delivery and Store Pickup, Tablet mode, staff accounts, Analytics, online payments and branding removal.
How to create a QR code for a menu that takes orders?
Choose Per-Table in QR Codes. Each table gets its own code; guests tap Add to Order, send it with Place Order, and staff see it in Orders with the table number. For a counter, a Unified code gives each guest an order number. Both are free; delivery and pickup orders need Regular.
Can I use my existing PDF, photo or website menu?
Yes. AI Import reads photos, PDF, Excel and Word files, and Import from URL takes your website or online menu. Your 30 welcome credits last 30 days and each import uses 5, charged only when it works. Check names, prices and allergens afterwards; an import is a draft, not a guarantee.
Which link should the QR code open?
Your own restaurant's public menu, with the code type and table or room you chose. Never encode your dashboard, a login page or one of our example menus. The QR card in your dashboard carries the right link, so download the code from there and scan it on a phone that is signed out.
Do I need to reprint the code when prices change?
No. Edit dishes and prices in Menu Manager, use Mark Sold Out for anything unavailable, and the printed code opens the updated menu at the same address. Only a change to your Menu URL or to the code type means printing new cards, so check them after any change like that.
Can I add my logo to the QR code?
Yes, on the free plan. Customize QR Design has templates such as Classic Black and Modern Green, and lets you add your logo, patterns and a call to action. Keep the colours dark on light, leave the margin around the code clear and scan a printed copy before you order a full batch.
How big should the printed code be, and why might it not scan?
No single size suits every distance, so test from where guests will hold their phones. Strong contrast, a clear margin and a square that is not stretched matter more than the size. If phones struggle, enlarge the code or move it away from glare, folds and reflective covers.
Do customers need an app or an account?
No. Guests scan with the phone camera or open the link, and the menu loads in the browser with no app and no MenuForma account. They do need an internet connection, so share your Wi-Fi details where reception is weak and keep paper menus for anyone without a phone.
Can guests pay online or charge an order to their room?
Online payment needs Regular and a connected Stripe account; guests then pay with Pay Now. MenuForma takes no commission on Stripe payments, but Stripe processing fees still apply. Hotels can also offer Charge to room for configured rooms, which needs no paid plan.