QR table ordering for restaurants

How does QR ordering work in a restaurant?

Each table has its own QR code. A diner scans it with their phone camera, the menu opens in the browser, and they can order a drink, a side or a dessert without waiting to catch someone’s eye. They choose sizes and options, add a note, and send it. The order appears on your screen at once, with a chime and the table name, and moves through New, Making and Ready as your team works on it.

Diners pay at the end as they do now: a member of staff brings the card machine, and they pay by card, contactless or cash. Nobody needs an app or an account.

For most restaurants this isn’t about replacing servers. It’s about the moments in a meal when a guest wants something and no one is nearby.

Drinks top-ups between courses

The quiet gap in restaurant service is the empty glass. The mains have gone down, your server is taking an order four tables away, and a guest who would happily have another glass of the Rioja gives up waiting. With a QR code on the table, that second glass is one tap away.

Wine can be listed by the glass at 125ml, 175ml or 250ml, or by the bottle, with the ABV shown. Soft drinks, beers and spirits work the same way, with a shared mixer list attached to every spirit. The order goes straight to whoever is on drinks, the timer on the ticket turns orange after five minutes and pink after ten, and the server who brings it over is free to check on the table at the same time.

Sides, extras and notes

Halfway through the meal, someone at the table wants more fries, an extra flatbread or another bowl of olives. These small orders are easy to forget when they’re asked for in passing. Typed into a QR order, they become a ticket with the table name on it.

• Options: build an option list once, such as sauces or dressings, and attach it to every item that uses it.
• Notes: guests can write “dressing on the side” or “for the little one, no salt” in their own words.
• Deals: meal deals and multi-buys are priced on the server, so a set lunch or a hypothetical “two glasses of house wine for £12” is always charged correctly. See deals and happy hour.
• Sold out: when the kitchen runs out of a dish, one tap removes it, or set a stock count and it marks itself sold out at zero.

Allergens and dietary tags on every dish

Each item can carry any of the 14 UK allergens, plus vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free tags. Diners see them while they browse, so someone avoiding sesame or celery can rule dishes out before they ask.

That supports your allergen process; it doesn’t replace it. Keep the information accurate whenever a recipe or supplier changes, and keep the conversation with your team for anyone with a serious allergy. Our guide to allergens on digital menus covers how to keep a QR menu in step with the kitchen.

When should a restaurant keep full table service?

Often. If your guests come for hospitality as much as food, a server should greet them, talk them through the specials and take the main order. Tasting menus, special occasions and wine pairing all depend on that conversation, and some guests simply prefer to order from a person.

The pattern that suits most restaurants is a hybrid: staff do the welcome, the explanation and the main order, and the QR code handles the repeat drinks, extra sides and desserts that would otherwise wait for a free pair of hands. We set out the trade-offs honestly in QR ordering vs table service.

What does it cost for a restaurant?

The Standard plan is £69 a month for up to 20 tables and one screen. Restaurants with more tables, or that want separate screens for the bar and the kitchen, use the Large plan at £99 a month, with up to 100 tables and multiple service points. Both are on a 12-month rolling contract, billed monthly. DrinksQR shows orders on screen; it doesn’t print kitchen tickets or connect to your till yet.

We can set up your menu as a one-off: £49 for drinks, £69 for drinks with snacks and sides, or a custom quote for a full food menu. Details are on the pricing page.