QR table ordering for pubs

How does QR ordering work in a pub?

Every table in the pub gets its own QR code on a small card. A customer points their phone camera at it, the menu opens in the browser, and they pick what they want: a pint of the house cask, a half of the guest ale, a large glass of red, a double with tonic. They can add a note (“no ice”, “two straws”) and a first name, then send it.

The order lands on your bar screen straight away, with a chime and the table name in big type, so whoever is on the pumps can read “Table 7” or “The Snug” from across the bar. The ticket moves through three lanes, New, Making and Ready, with one tap each. When it’s ready, someone carries it out with the card machine and the customer pays at the table by card, contactless or cash.

There’s no app to download and no account to create. The bar screen runs in a web browser on a tablet, laptop or phone you already own.

Will it help with the Friday and Saturday bar queue?

It takes part of the queue off the bar. On a busy Friday, the crowd at the bar is a mix of new arrivals and table groups coming back for another round. QR ordering gives the second group another way in: whoever’s round it is orders from their seat. Six drinks for a table of six arrive as one ticket, not as a list shouted over the music and half-heard.

That matters to the people behind the bar. Taking a round by ear, keying it in and remembering who wanted the lime and soda is where the time goes. A ticket that says exactly what was ordered, in what size, with notes, lets your staff just pour. Each ticket has a timer that turns orange after five minutes and pink after ten, so nobody’s round gets forgotten when it’s heaving.

Regulars who like leaning on the bar still can. Nothing stops you serving over the counter; seated customers simply get a quicker option.

Halves, pints and rounds: setting up a pub menu

Pub menus have more sizes than most, and the menu builder is designed around that. Each item carries its own sizes and prices, so a cask ale can be a half or a pint, wine can be 125ml, 175ml, 250ml or the bottle, and spirits a single or a double. You can show the ABV on every beer, cider and wine, which your regulars will read.

• Shared option lists: build one “Mixers” list and attach it to every spirit, instead of typing tonic, lemonade and cola forty times.
• Sold out in one tap: when the guest ale runs dry mid-session, mark it sold out and it stops being orderable at once.
• Optional stock counts: put a count on limited lines, such as a short run of a seasonal beer or the last portions of pie, and the item marks itself sold out at zero.
• Check ID: alcohol tickets show “Check ID”, so whoever carries the drinks out knows to look.

If you’d rather not type the menu in yourself, we can do it for you as a one-off. Our 30-minute setup guide shows what’s involved if you do it yourself.

The beer garden, the snug and the function room

Pubs are rarely one room. Tables can have any name, so the bar screen tells you exactly where a drink is going: “Garden 4”, “Front Bar 2”, “The Snug”, “Function Room”. On a summer afternoon that saves staff walking the garden asking who ordered the Pimm’s.

The garden is where QR ordering earns its keep. Customers at the far end don’t have to give up their table to queue inside, and staff make one trip out with the tray and the card machine. If your garden is big enough to need its own bar, see QR ordering for beer gardens.

Table cards print four to a sheet of A4, at A6 size, or you can download an SVG for a print shop to laminate or mount. The printing guide covers paper, placement and cards for outdoor tables.

Quiz nights, match days and food

On a quiz night nobody wants to leave the table mid-round. With a QR code in front of them, a team can order another jug and a basket of chips between questions, and the quizmaster isn’t competing with a queue at the bar. Match days work the same way: orders come in from the tables at half-time, not from a crowd at the pumps.

Food goes on the same menu. Add starters, mains and sides such as chips, onion rings or a side salad, with the 14 UK allergens recorded against each item and vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free tags where they apply. Deals are priced on the server, so a burger and a pint for £15, or a weekday happy hour on the house lager, is charged correctly every time, including a happy hour that runs past midnight. See how to set up deals and happy hour.

What does QR ordering cost for a pub?

Most pubs fit the Standard plan at £69 a month, which covers up to 20 tables and one bar screen. If you have more than 20 tables, a large garden, or want a second screen for a garden bar or the kitchen, the Large plan at £99 a month gives you up to 100 tables and multiple bar screens or service points. Both are on a 12-month rolling contract, billed monthly.

Optional extras are your own colours, logo and font for £20 a month, and a one-off menu setup at £49 for drinks only or £69 for drinks with snacks and sides. Pub groups get 10% off each additional venue. Full details are on the pricing page, or order a pint at The Anchor Tap in the live demo.