It seems like ten years ago for a total of three days, QR codes were all the rage. Until they weren’t. Here we are in a time when restaurants can’t have menus touching more than one patrons fingertips for fear of “The ‘Rona” (as I hear the cool kids calling it) and what do you know, restaurants are clamoring for technology and table tents with QR codes for their menus.
Please know that I disdain QR codes too and yet here I am writing a late-night 500-worder to tell you how to make one. Why, you ask? Because today I received calls from two customers telling me that a nice human came into their restaurant selling a service where they will give a restaurant a QR code and charge the restaurant $0.10 every time someone scans it, for the privilege.
Are you hearing my deadpan? There are so many amazing subscription services – Spotify, taxes, healthcare, insurance, cell phones….ok, maybe they’re not all great but at least they provide a service. A QR code isn’t a service, it’s a picture of a barcode. If you own a retail shop and I walk in and say, “Hey! I’m going to print out all your barcodes in the store, and every time you scan one, I’m going to charge you $0.10. Cool?” We both know how that sales pitch would go.
I think you get where I’m going with this, so let’s get to it. Here’s how you create a QR code for your restaurant menu faster than Dominos can deliver a pizza, and for less dough. (See what I did there? I’m a sucker for double-entendres, but we’ll get to more French stuff later.)
Step 1. Find a digital version of your restaurant logo.
Make sure it’s a .PNG or .JPG file. If you’re feeling lucky, a .GIF will work, too. If you’re one of those creative types that I wish I was, .AI and .EPS will also work, but you’ll have to convert to one of the three previous all the same.
Step 2. Go to https://www.unitag.io/qrcode.
The truth is there are 2,700 places you can go on the internet to get a free QR code but I like Unicode because they make it super easy to drop your logo in the middle, change the color, and download a hi-resolution version for print and digital.
Step 3. Create your QR code.
Upload your logo, choose the color of your QR Code (I’m a fan of matching the QR code color to the color of your logo background), enter the URL of your menu online, and then download that bad boy. (If you don’t have a hosted menu see how you can host the PDF in Google Drive here.)
WAIT! I know I said to download. Before you do, you’re going to be asked if you want to pay for a high-resolution download. I know, I said it was free. Sue me – I need more results on Google and I know you didn’t come here after searching, “How do I create a QR code for my restaurant for six euros.” Download the free QR code if you wish – you won’t hear me gripe, but I’m classy, and I like the finer things in life. Moreover, the hi-resolution file is going to be easier for your patrons to scan and will look better, and let’s be honest – it’s like $7 USD. Just pay the couple bucks and get the thing. I know you’re thinking, did he just say, “Euros?” I did. Welcome to the second buttonhook – Unitag is a French company. Their website is in English, but you’ll get a pretty cool receipt in French, which might actually be worth the seven bucks.
Step 4. Test your QR code.
That was a long step 3. Don’t get lost and forget step 4 – TEST YOUR QR CODE! Wouldn’t that be embarrassing? Or you could just forget the whole thing and put a table tent that says, “Go to www.myfood.com/menu to view our menu,” but I digress.
Brought to you by Chris Rumpf and our dear friends at Flyght. Check them out if you’re in the greater Ohio area, or online here: https://www.whatisflyght.com/
