Create a QR Code for Your Cafe
Put your menu, loyalty sign-up or Google review link behind one scan, then print the code on table tents, cups, bags and the counter. The code is dynamic, so the page behind it can change with the season.
the menu
brew guide
Where Cafes Put Their QR Codes
The table, the till, the takeaway cup and the bag of beans are the four spots that come up most. Here is what a scan looks like in each.
Why Put a QR Code in Your Cafe?
Cafe menus never sit still. The seasonal latte comes and goes, a supplier raises prices, the banana bread sells out by ten. A QR code gets customers to the current menu from any table without fetching a laminated card or squinting at a chalkboard.
Let customers decide before the counter
People stand at the counter reading the board while the queue builds behind them. A code on the table or the door lets them check the menu, the milk options and the specials first, so they can order the moment they reach the front.
Answer the questions the counter hears all day
Is the cake vegan? Do you have oat milk? When do you close on Sundays? Put those answers on a page. Your staff still help whoever asks, and customers who would rather check on their own can do that.
One code for loyalty, another for reviews
A stamp-card replacement at the till and a thank-you card in the takeaway bag do different jobs, so give them separate codes. Each one opens its own page and you can change either without touching the other.
See which spots actually get scanned
Your dashboard shows scan counts for each code over time. Give the table tents, the counter card and the cup sleeves their own codes and you can compare them. It shows scans only, not what people did afterward.
Use the surfaces you already have
Cup sleeves, paper bags, the napkin holder and the door glass are all things customers already look at. A code on any of them costs less than a sticker, and you can try one for a week before you order more.
What You Get With a GetQR Cafe Code
Make the code match your cafe, change where it points when you need to, and see how often it gets scanned.
Point the code at your menu today and a summer special next month. The code on the table tent stays exactly as printed, so there is nothing to take back to the printer when the season turns or the banana bread price changes. Handy for stickers and cup sleeves ordered by the hundred.
Use your brand colors, add a small logo and put a short line around the code, such as “Scan for the menu.” Keep the code dark on a light background. Pale latte-brown on cream looks nice and scans badly, so save the soft shades for everything around the code.
See how many times each code has been scanned over time. Give the table tents, the counter card and the cup sleeves their own codes and you can compare them. GetQR counts scans. What people do on your menu or review page shows up in that site’s own analytics.
Download SVG or EPS for the sign-maker or sticker printer so the code stays sharp on anything from a cup sleeve to a window decal. Prefer to print in the office? PDF and PNG work for a small run of table tents on your own printer.
Menu, loyalty card, review request, bags of beans: make a separate code for each and manage them together. If you run more than one cafe, give every location its own set, so a change at one branch doesn’t touch the others.
Set Up Your Cafe QR Code
Three steps, and the first one is the one that matters.
6 Ways Cafes Use QR Codes
Some of these will suit your cafe and some won’t. These are the most common spots.
Table Menus
Put a small code on a table tent or stand and link it to your current menu. The page matters more than the code. If customers have to pinch and zoom to read it, they will walk to the counter anyway, so use a mobile-friendly page or a PDF with large text. Keep a few paper menus for anyone who prefers them.
Loyalty and Mailing List Sign-Ups
Swap paper stamp cards for a code at the till that opens a sign-up form. Keep the form short: a name and an email address is plenty for someone standing in a queue with a coffee going cold. A card stand next to the card reader works well, because that is where people are already waiting.
Review Requests
Print a code on receipts, takeaway bags or a small card by the door, linked to your Google review page. Ask in person too, because the code only shortens the next step. A friendly request from the person handing over the coffee does more than any sign, and it costs nothing to try. Check the link opens properly on a phone before you print.
Takeaway Cups and Bags
A code on a cup sleeve or sticker can open your seasonal drinks page, your Instagram or a current promotion. Cups are curved and often damp, so put the code on the flattest part of the sleeve and print it larger than you think you need. Scan one on a filled cup before you order two thousand.
Beans, Bakes and Boxed Treats
If you sell packaged products, add a code to each label that opens a brew guide, tasting notes or a reorder page for that product. Give each product its own code so you can change one page without affecting the rest, and so a customer scanning the Ethiopian beans doesn’t land on the house blend.
Events and Job Ads
Open mic poster, community noticeboard, “we’re hiring” sign in the window: one code can open the booking page, event listing or application form. When the date passes, point the code at the next event instead of taking the poster down. A filled vacancy can send people to a short “we’re full” note. Print the date on the poster as well.
Running More Than One Cafe?
Give each location, menu and promotion its own code and keep them all in one dashboard. A cafe group can then see which branch’s table tents actually get scanned.
Printing Your Cafe QR Code: What to Check
Contrast Beats Style
Use a dark code on a light, plain background. A cream-on-brown chalkboard look photographs well and scans badly.
Size It for the Seat
Customers should be able to scan from where they sit without leaning over the table. Test at the final printed size, and on a cup sleeve give the code priority over decoration.
Leave Breathing Room
Keep a clear border on all four sides. Don’t run text, a logo mark or the edge of the sleeve right up to the code.
Send Vector Files
Give your sign-maker or sticker printer SVG or EPS so the code stays sharp at any size.
Proof on the Real Thing
Print one on the actual table tent, sleeve or sticker stock and scan it on a few phones, including an older one, in your cafe’s real lighting, which is often dim.
Mind the Glare, Steam and Spills
Glossy laminate catches window light, so ask for matte or move the code away from the glass. Counters and cups get wet, so use a wipe-clean finish and keep a few spares.
See What GetQR Users Have to Say
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Frequently Asked Questions
What cafe owners usually ask before they print.
That is what a dynamic code is for. Change the destination in your GetQR dashboard and the code on the table tent stays as it is. Customers who scan tomorrow open the new page.
Either works, but a web page usually reads better on a phone. If you use a PDF, make the text big enough to read without zooming and keep the file small so it loads on mobile data.
The code opens a link. If your online ordering page lives at that link, customers can order there, but GetQR doesn’t take orders itself. If you don’t offer online ordering, point the code at your menu.
Somewhere flat and visible without moving anything: a table tent, a small stand next to the sugar, or a sticker on the table. If tables are wiped down all day, use a hard-wearing coating or a tent that sits above the wet zone.
Often, if you plan for it. Cups are curved and sometimes damp, so print the code on a sleeve with a flat area, make it large enough to scan comfortably, and test it with a filled cup in your hand.
You can make one per table, but most cafes don’t need to. One code per spot type, such as tables, counter and cups, is enough to compare scan counts. A GetQR code opens a link and counts the scan. It doesn’t place orders or identify who scanned.
Dynamic codes show scan counts in your dashboard. Use different codes for the table tents, counter and cups to compare them. GetQR doesn’t show what customers ordered or whether they left a review. Your menu page’s analytics or your review platform covers that.
On the counter beside the card reader, where people wait, plus the cup sleeve and the bag for later. Takeaway customers scan while the coffee is being made, so the counter beats the table for them.
Check your local food-labeling and allergen rules first. In many places allergen information has to be provided in specific ways, and a QR code on its own may not meet them. Use the code for extra detail and keep any required information printed or ready to give in person.
You can add a small logo and your brand colors. Keep the logo small and the contrast high, then scan-test it. A pretty code that is slow to scan costs you more than it gains.
Yes, if both should open the same page. If you want to know which one gets scanned more, make two codes.
Wipe-clean laminate helps. Check your table tents now and then and replace scuffed ones, because a code that won’t scan is worse than no code. Keep a few spare prints so a swap takes a minute.