Many restaurants have adopted QR code menus to streamline service and reduce staffing needs, but consumer complaints are driving a shift back to paper menus.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many restaurants switched to digital menus accessed online via QR codes on smartphones, a trend that was not universally popular.
A growing number of diners have been voicing their frustrations with QR code menus, citing difficulty navigating them, privacy concerns and a negative impact on ambiance. Privacy issues and technological challenges, especially for older customers, are also significant factors in the backlash.
QR menus has even been linked to a decrease in check averages and tips for servers. One restaurant group saw a 10 per cent drop in check averages due to diners not scrolling through all the menu options.
In response, many sit-down restaurants are reverting back to paper menus, while some are adopting a hybrid approach, offering both printed and QR code menus to accommodate different preferences.
Despite the shift, QR code menus still have niche uses, such as providing additional information.
A study by PYMNTS Intelligence found that only 31 per cent of consumers had a positive view of QR code menus.
Sweet patio weather is being served-up to James and Destiny Emmett at Chances R restaurant in Ottawa’s west-end. They chose the ‘traditional’ way, by ordering from a hard-copy menu.
“I hated the QR codes,” said Destiny.
“I understood why they thought it would be effective, but it was just complicated and added an extra step. Just want to flip through the menu, look at the options and get to it. It’s easier for me.”
“Why do I need to use a phone for this, it just doesn’t make sense to me,” said another patron, Joe Duschinsky.
“A QR code link kind of takes away part of that restaurant feel and I’ve joined with people who have actually stood up and said no if they don’t have a menu.”
Recognizing customer preferences, Chances R has re-introduced a paper menu.
“QR codes, they served their purpose, but our clients here definitely prefer to have a menu in their hands,” said Kelly Thicke, a manager at Chances R, who notes that the QR codes also came with its own set of issues.
“We found that the sanitizing solutions that we would use would actually smear away the QR code, so you were left with something that wasn’t really nice to look at.”
Technology expert, Carmi Levy says in an age of online security threats, there are also risks associated with QR codes.
“You can walk into a restaurant with a rogue QR code or a sticker, and put it on top of the legitimate one and no would ever know the difference,” said Levy.
“Criminals can take us to websites that infect our devices with malware or ransomware where they can steal your authentication information, usernames and passwords.”
Levy says if you plan to access a businesses online menu, or its services, it should be done by typing in the web address directly – A more secure solution, but far less convenient.
For Duschinsky, he would much rather simply use a paper menu provided by the restaurant.
“It’s part of the restaurant experience,” he says.
“The security around phones is so wishy-washy nowadays I prefer to not go down that route with QR codes, especially when it comes to something like a menu.”