QR table ordering for cafés and coffee shops

How does QR ordering work in a café?

Each table has a small QR code card. A customer sits down, scans it with their phone camera, and orders from the menu in their browser: a large oat flat white, a pot of tea, a slice of banana bread, poached eggs on sourdough. They can add a note such as “extra hot” or “cake to share, two forks”, and their first name, then send it.

The order appears on a screen behind the counter with a chime and the table name. Whoever is on the machine makes it, taps it to Ready, and it goes out to the table with the card machine. Customers pay at the table by card, contactless or cash. No app, no account, nothing to explain.

The screen is just a web page, so an old tablet propped by the coffee machine does the job.

When there are two of you and a queue out the door

Most cafés run on a small team. On a Saturday morning that might be one person on the coffee machine and one on the till, food and tables at once. The queue at the counter is a mix of takeaways and people who have already grabbed a table and are now standing in line, coat on the chair, waiting to order.

QR ordering gives that second group a way to order without queuing. The counter is left for takeaways, and the person on the till isn’t taking long brunch orders while the line grows. Each ticket on the screen has a timer that turns orange after five minutes and pink after ten, so in the middle of the rush it’s obvious which table has been waiting longest.

It also deals with the second order. Customers who want another coffee or a pastry an hour in can order from their seat instead of hovering by the counter.

Coffee sizes, milks and extra shots

Coffee menus multiply quickly: four drinks in two sizes with five milks and optional extras would be dozens of lines if you listed them one by one. In the back office you build them as options instead.

• Sizes per drink: regular and large, or small, medium and large, each with its own price.
• A shared “Milks” list: whole, semi-skimmed, oat, soya, almond, created once and attached to every coffee and hot chocolate.
• Extras: an extra shot, decaf, syrups, as another shared list.
• Notes for anything else: “half-strength”, “in a mug”, “not too hot for the little one”.

When the cinnamon buns run out at 11am, mark them sold out and nobody can order them until you switch them back. The 30-minute setup guide shows how to build this.

Brunch, cakes and allergens

Cafés serve a lot of customers who ask about allergens: oat and soya drinkers, gluten-free cake seekers, parents checking for nuts. Each item can show any of the 14 UK allergens, plus vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free tags, so customers can check before they order instead of asking at the counter mid-rush. Keep the information up to date when a supplier or recipe changes; our guide to allergens on digital menus covers how.

For cakes and bakes that sell out, set an optional stock count, such as eight slices of the lemon drizzle, and the item marks itself sold out at zero. Brunch deals, such as a hypothetical “any coffee and a pastry for £5”, are priced on the server so they’re always charged correctly.

Counter ordering or table ordering?

For many cafés the answer is both. Takeaway customers keep ordering at the counter as they do now. Customers who sit down order from the table. You don’t need to remove the counter or retrain regulars; just put the QR codes on the tables and a short line on each card such as “Sitting in? Order from here”.

If your café is licensed, alcohol tickets show “Check ID” on the screen so staff know to look before serving. For a side-by-side look at the options, see QR ordering vs table service.

What does it cost for a café?

Most cafés fit the Standard plan at £69 a month: up to 20 tables and one screen. It’s a 12-month rolling contract, billed monthly. If you’d rather not set the menu up yourself, we can do it as a one-off: £49 for drinks, or £69 for drinks with snacks and sides, which covers most café menus. Your own colours, logo and font are an optional £20 a month. Full details are on the pricing page.