Build the digital menu page first
Before generating any QR code, have the destination ready. A digital menu page works best with clear sections (starters, mains, drinks), prices that are easy to scan visually, and photos only where they add real value (a cluttered page slows guests down more than it helps). If you run dietary or allergen filters, decide now whether they live on this page or a separate one — the QR code will only ever point to one destination, so get the structure right before you generate anything.
Decide: static or dynamic QR code
A static code has the menu URL baked in permanently — cheap and simple, but any future change means reprinting. A dynamic code (like the ones Shorter.gg generates) points to a short link you control, so you can update prices, swap in a seasonal menu, or fix a typo without touching a single printed table tent. For anything you plan to keep using past a single event, dynamic is worth the extra minute of setup — see dynamic vs. static QR codes for the full tradeoff.
Generate and style the QR code
Paste your menu page URL into a QR generator and customize the result to match your branding — most tools, including Shorter.gg's, let you set the foreground and background colors, add rounded modules instead of harsh squares, and drop your logo into the center. Keep contrast high between the code and its background; a QR code that's stylish but low-contrast will fail to scan more often than a plain black-on-white one.
Test it before you print at scale
Scan the printed (or print-preview) code with at least two or three different phones, in the lighting conditions it'll actually be used in — a dim dining room is very different from a bright test scan at your desk. Confirm the destination page loads quickly on restaurant WiFi or cellular data, not just your office connection, since that's the real-world condition guests will hit, and check it on both iOS and Android since their default camera apps handle QR codes slightly differently.
Choose your print materials and placement
Table tents are the standard, but window clings for passersby, a sticker on takeout bags, and a code on receipts for repeat-visit promotions all work for different goals. Each placement can point to a different link — a receipt code might go to a loyalty signup instead of the full menu — which is easy to set up if each one is its own dynamic QR code.
Get the physical size and placement height right
As a rule of thumb, print the code no smaller than about 1.5 inches (4cm) square for something scanned from a seated distance, and larger — 4 inches or more — for anything scanned from farther away, like a window cling read from the sidewalk. Leave a clear quiet zone (blank margin) around the code equal to roughly one module width; a code crowded by other design elements or text pressed right up against it is one of the most common reasons scans fail on an otherwise well-designed table tent.
Check your scan data and adjust
Once your codes are live, check which placements are actually getting scanned — a dynamic QR code tracks this the same way a short link does. A code that never gets scanned usually means it's too small, poorly lit, or simply somewhere guests aren't looking, and that's worth fixing before you order another print run rather than after.
Plan for multiple locations, if you have them
A restaurant with more than one location benefits from a separate dynamic code per location, even if they point to the same base menu — this lets you track which locations actually get the most scans, and gives you the option to run location-specific specials without touching every other site's table tents. Keep a simple naming convention (location plus purpose) so it is obvious which code is which when you are reviewing scan data later, especially once you have more than three or four locations generating their own codes.
Keep a non-QR fallback available
Not every guest is comfortable scanning a code, and some phones or lighting conditions make it genuinely hard. Keeping a small printed summary menu on hand — even a simplified one behind the counter — avoids turning a guest's first interaction with your restaurant into a frustrating tech troubleshooting session, and it costs very little to have as a backup. Staff should also know the menu well enough to answer basic questions verbally, since not every guest will read the digital version closely before ordering.