Among the industries that have been affected by COVID-19, the restaurant and hotel industry has taken the hardest hit. Until now, we are not certain as to what the industry will look like post-COVID-19. However, many restaurant and hotel owners are working hard to find solutions that will help their businesses recover fast.
One thing we are sure about is the fact that the Coronavirus has really changed the way consumers behave. In the post-COVID-19 world, we expect consumers to be more self-conscious about what they touch and where they dine. They will want to know that hotels and restaurants they visit uphold the highest hygienic standards. Most customers will also favor establishments that strive to reduce the number of surfaces that their visitors and staff come into contact with.
How do you cater to these customers’ needs and preferences in a safe and effective manner? Well, one practical solution is using QR menus.
What is a QR menu?
QR menus utilize quick response (QR codes), which works in the same way as a typical barcode at the supermarket. When a customer scans the code (which is usually consist of black squares and dots), the information is translated into a link that leads the user into something recognizable—your restaurant menu in this case. This implies that your customers can scan the QR code and see your menu without having to touch a physical menu. It can also be connected to point of sale applications, making your customers’ experience safer and better.
Why You Need a QR Menu
So, why should you switch to QR menu for restaurants? The most immediate benefit of QR code menus is the fact that they are contactless. Post Coronavirus pandemic, providing your customers with a germ-free dining experience is going to be monumentally significant. Here are the top reasons why every restaurant should switch from paper menus to QR codes:
- QR Menus are More Hygienic
Every customer that comes through your restaurant door is going to touch your paper menu before placing an order. So, you can imagine how contaminated a menu can be. According to a past study, paper menus were shown to contain up to 185, 000 germs per centimeter. For starters, a well-maintained public toilet is estimated to contain about 1000 germs per square centimeter! Put simply, the boost in cleanliness that your restaurant can get by adopting QR menus cannot be overstated. Besides, the entirely contactless experience that these codes offer aligns with the new normal—things going digital post-coronavirus.
Unlike other contactless payment systems such as the NFC technology with a scan radius of only 4 cm, QR codes also don’t have minimum scan distance. In other words, QR menu requires absolutely zero physical contact to be scanned. Provided that the code’s image quality is high enough, there is no limit to how far away a customer needs to stand to scan the code with a Smartphone. This is one of the main reasons why QR menus are safer.
- Faster To Deploy and Cheaper to Maintain
QR menus are dynamic and easy to manage. You can add specials fast and update items that are out of stock seamlessly. You can also add different languages to boost guest interaction. There is no hassle of replacing raggedy menus from time to time as customers only need to scan the codes with their Smartphones and be shown beautiful photos of their specials.
- Staff Spend Less Time Explaining Dishes and More Time Serving
A paper menu may leave your customers wondering what a particular dish actually looks like. However, a lot of information, including pictures of a dish, history, and nutritional facts can be included in QR menus, so less explanation is needed as dinners can get all the information they want. Guests can also interact with QR menus to find what best fits their tastes, dietary needs, and serving size. And since customers require less explanation from your staff, order error is greatly reduced.
How to make a QR Menu
Creating a QR code menu for your restaurant is very easy and straightforward. All you need to do is share with a relevant QR code provider all the details that you want to be encoded into the QR code and the code will be generated. When your customers scan the code, your menu’s details will be automatically shown to them.
Thankfully, iWallet helps you do this for free. All you need to do upload a picture of your restaurant menu to their platform (Use this link: https://menu.iwallet.com/) and they will email you a paperless/contactless QR code menu. They take care of everything for you! So, you get a beautiful, free QR menu that you can share with the world just like that. Even better, they don’t share your menu data nor do they sell any ads. What are you waiting for? Upload a picture or PDF of your menu and get out ahead of the pack with a QR menu for your restaurant.