9 Advantages of QR Code Enabled Digital Menus
As a result of the global pandemic, the hospitality industry has seen a massive digital shift. Restaurants and other establishments have been compelled to embrace modern and innovative technology to streamline their business operations.
Health and safety concerns have expedited the transition from paper menus to digital QR codes in eateries around the world. This shift has had a significant influence on restaurant management and delivers long-term advantages which we will examine in our blog today.
What are QR Codes?
Quick Response (QR) Codes are a barcode subtype in which data is encoded as a series of two-dimensional square-shaped pixels. They were invented by Hara Masahiro, an engineer at Denso Wave (a subsidiary of Toyota) as a tool for tracking automobiles throughout manufacturing.
QR codes were developed to provide more information than standard barcodes and can be read digitally by devices such as smartphones. They can decipher information instantly due to their ability to scan rapidly. As a result, they are a highly efficient business and marketing tool.
QR Code Menus
By placing QR Codes at customer ordering touchpoints, such as tables and kiosks, customers can scan the pixelated black and white code with their smartphone. This launches a webpage that allows them to browse the restaurant’s menu. In contrast to their paper counterpart, tech-enabled menus offer additional functionality, as they offer customers the opportunity to pay online and submit feedback. As a result, they provide restaurant owners, managers, staff, and customers, with a variety of advantages, rendering them a viable investment.
The Advantages of QR Code Menus
The transition from paper menus to QR Codes have many benefits that help to protect individuals from the coronavirus while also promoting seamless business operations.
Reduce Contact
It is paramount that customers and employees protect themselves by avoiding unnecessary contact, with reusable items, that have passed through several hands and surfaces. Paper menus are one of the most handled items in a restaurant. Following the World Health Organisation's guidelines for preventing the transmission of the coronavirus via artefacts, QR Code menus successfully prevent cross-contamination from physical menu sharing.
Enhance Flexibility
Modifying paper menus regularly can incur a substantial cost. Digital menus, on the other hand, can be updated at any time, at no additional expense. This means that restaurants can update their digital menus easily and rapidly to accommodate seasonal and last-minute menu changes.
Obtain Insightful Customer Data
Digital menus provide restaurants with valuable information that can be utilised to improve menus for consumers. This means that restaurants can use QR Codes to learn about their customers' ordering habits and preferences by tracking their orders. Customers can reorder this way, saving time and streamlining the dining experience.
Sustainability
Menu printing has a significant environmental impact. Restaurants can save money and the environment by incorporating sustainable technology practices into their business. Converting to an eco-friendly digital menu is a straightforward way businesses can reduce their carbon footprint.
Pay with Ease
QR codes grant customers convenience as they can pay online using their phones. One way restaurants can implement this is by printing QR codes onto receipts. Allowing customers to pay online can significantly increase the speed and turnover of seating customers.
Save on Printing Costs
Paper menus are handled by a multitude of customers and employees daily, resulting in constant wear, tear and spillages. This can make menu maintenance very expensive. By converting to well-designed digital menus, restaurants can save a significant amount of money on printing expenditures.
Improve Eligibility
QR menus are designed to be easily read, enabling customers to place orders quickly and efficiently. Restaurants can make use of promotional tools that allow them to emphasise specials or recommended pairings by developing a menu based on a great user experience.
Reduce Manpower
Digital menus do not replace staff. They do, however, free up time to focus on customer queries and service, as well as keeping the eating spaces clean and tidy. By managing a limited number of staff members, the productivity of a business can, therefore, be significantly improved.
Improve Customer Experience
Customers can provide open and honest feedback via digital ordering. With strong user feedback, digital menus can then be updated frequently to improve and enhance the customer experience.
The employment of QR codes has been widely hailed as a lifeline for the hospitality industry, allowing it to recover from the pandemic while keeping both its employees and customers safe. Not only does digital technology protect customers and employees, but it also encourages higher spending, increasing sales and profits. Restaurant owners should, therefore, adopt modern technology as it will help them optimise their operations and improve their overall performance.