People Hate QR-Code Menus. Now Restaurants Are Ditching Them | Hacker News Reader

People Hate QR-Code Menus. Now Restaurants Are Ditching Them

businessinsider.com

17 pointselorant16 comments

> Some restaurants, however, are set on keeping QR codes around — mainly for the convenience and flexibility they provide customers, telling the times that the menus enable customers to order and pay without relying on a server.

On the other hand, I prefer paper menus so that I can order and pay without relying on a server.

I see what you did there

This has always been such a misguided little thing.

Print out as many menus as you have tables, laminate them and use them for years.

or,

If you're going QR code, go all the way. Specific QR code for each table that links to a site that lets me order for my table from my phone itself. Don't link to a bloody PDF that doesn't reflow ffs.

> laminate them and use them for years

and never change your menu?

(PDFs should've died at birth, though, that whole replicating paper on computers thing is just dumb design that's going to bite us for a long while)

Often menus don't change for years, only specials and seasonal menu items. These can be clipped to the laminate. Restaurants have done this since longer than I have been alive.

Yes, menus don't change for years except changing every season in a year!

Restaurants have done many bad things over the years, not sure how this helps with your bad advice of hardcoding always changing design

I love the per table QR code system, you do that and have self-service drinks and you have a sit-down restaurant that doesn't need waitstaff.

here in Europe I’ve seen QR codes used exactly like that in many new restaurants. In Berlin I can name at least a bunch of establishments that work like that.

Even a "well-made" QR code menu is strictly inferior to a paper menu IMO. Reading and scrolling on a small smartphone display is just a long step back from the comfort of reading an A4 piece of paper.

I do not like the QR menus and I had a plan for a QR menu app as well. Most times you get a QR menu it sucks. It is usually a link to some large pdf or to a sketchy app. You definitely can do a QR menu service that does not suck, but after a quick look I don't see any around. Even if you have a QR menu in your restaurant you should definitely have some paper fallback. There's a lot value to be added: translations, photos, better allergens information, call the waiter CTAs and more, but I never found anything that adds value compared to a good old paper menu.

The only app I can think of wouldn't even use QR codes.. it be a creepy geofence app that automatically notified you of a menu when you walk in the door.

Until location security is protected, I'd never do it but there's a value in that type of thing.

Most people, tech industry or not simply has zero understanding of User behaviour.

Considering how much AB testing and so on tech industry does, from the crap usability of some things, you can only assume that while they're very good at solutions to problems. However, those problems are mostly "app needs to exceed quarterly revenue target" rather than "customer wants to be able to order a burrito without an aneurysm, submitting a photocopy of their passport and/or opting into 16 emails per day".

Discussed 3 days ago:

The QR-code menu is being shown the door

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36065666 (366 comments)

I don't have a problem as long as there is a "physical" menu as well. Owning a smartphone(makesyoudumbphone) shouldn't be a requirement for sociability.

Best menus is food on display, granted doesn’t work for all kind of food.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com