If you still have plasticized physical menus on the tables, you're not alone — but you probably already realized that there's a better way. The QR Codes have transformed the way the restoration works, and by 2026 they are no longer a novelty: they are an expectation. Customers hope to be able to open the menu on their cell phone, without touching anything shared.
In this practical guide, you'll learn everything you need to create a professional, free and easy-to-manage restaurant QR Code — even without technical knowledge.
Why the QR Codes transformed the restoration
The initial impulse came with the pandemic — the need for zero contact made the QR codes omnipresent. But what remained was for good reasons that go far beyond hygiene.
With a digital menu, a restaurant can update prices and dishes in real time without printing costs. finished a plate? Strips of the menu in seconds. Do you want to do a late afternoon promotion? Added in two clicks. In a traditional model, this would imply reprinting menus or putting a paper glued to the top — unprofessional.
In addition, the digital menus allow for things that physical menus would never get: photos of dishes, allergen filters, versions in multiple languages and integration with online ordering systems.
What do you need to create a QR Code of Menu
Before creating the QR Code itself, you need to have the online menu somewhere. There are three main approaches:
Option 1: PDF of the menu hosted online
the simplest. You create a PDF with your menu, load it to Google Drive or Dropbox and share the link. Then you create the QR code for this link. The problem: it is not interactive, has no photos and updating implies replacing the file.
Option 2: Website or website itself
If you already have a website, you can have a menu page that you update directly. It is the most professional solution but requires some technical capacity or a web designer.
Option 3: Platforms dedicated to digital menus
There are platforms like Zicket, MenuDigital or similar that create an interactive digital menu. Then it points the QR Code to the URL they provide.
Regardless of the option chosen, the process of creating the QR Code is the same — and this is where Kortilink comes in.
How to create your restaurant QR code step by step
- Prepares your menu link — whether it's a Google Drive PDF, a page on your website or the link to a digital menu platform
- Access Kortilink and create a free account if you don't already have it
- Shorts the menu link with a personalized alias, such as
kortilink.com/ementa-restaurante-name - Generate the QR Code directly on the Kortilink dashboard — is automatic for any shortened links
- Downloads QR code in PNG or SVG for printing
- prints and places on tables, doors, receipts and any other point of contact
Golden Tip: Always use a dynamic QR code (like Kortilink's) instead of a static one. In a dynamic QR code, the link destination can be changed at any time without having to reprint the QR codes. This is essential — if you change the URL of the menu or change the platform, you don't need to reprint anything.
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How to present the QR code in your restaurant
The presentation matters. A QR Code without a visual context does not invite interaction. Here are the best ways to present it:
Tent Table (Table Knight)
The most common and effective solution. A small easel with the QR Code, the restaurant logo and a phrase like "read the code to see the menu" is visible and is intuitive. You can print on paper and put it on a cheap acrylic holder.
Front door
Many customers want to see the menu before entering to decide if they stay. A QR Code on the door or in the window is a conversion tool—literally turns passers-by into customers.
Take-away Receipt and Packaging
Put the QR Code in the take-away bags or receipts with a message like "See our full menu and place your next order". It's low-cost marketing that comes to the customer at a certain point.
Table with direct QR on the surface
Some restaurants choose to stick the QR Code directly on the table with a protective film. Practical but less flexible for design updates.
Tips for a digital menu that works
It's not enough to have an online menu — it has to be good. Here are the most common mistakes to avoid:
- Do not optimize for mobile: The overwhelming majority of access will be via smartphone. If the menu doesn't charge well on the cell phone, it's useless.
- Do not use too much weight PDFs: A 15MB PDF takes a long time to load a data connection and frustrates the client.
- Regularly updates: A menu with sold out dishes or wrong prices creates conflicts on the table. Dedicate 5 minutes a week to review.
- Includes quality photos: An appealing photo of a dish can duplicate orders for that dish. Worth the investment.
- Indicates allergens: is legally mandatory in Portugal and the EU. The Digital Menu is the ideal place to give this information clearly and completely.
Dynamic QR Code VS Static: which one to use for restaurants
A QR static code has the destination encoded directly in the code itself. If you change the URL, the QR Code no longer works — you have to create a new one and reprint everything.
A dynamic QR code (like the ones Kortilink generates) points to an intermediate URL that then redirects to the final destination. You can change the destination at any time without messing with the QR Code printed.
For restaurants, the answer is always dynamic QR code. The menus change, the sites change, the platforms change. With a dynamic QR, printed physical support is never obsolete. And with Kortilink, you also see how many times the code has been read, at what time and when devices — useful information to understand your customers' behavior patterns.
Creating a professional restaurant QR code is today a matter of minutes and cents. The return — in image, operational efficiency and customer satisfaction — largely compensates for the small initial effort.