The Power of the Digital Menu and QR Code: Revolutionizing Customer Experience

The digital menu and QR code combination offers a host of benefits for restaurant owners and customers alike. Learn more in this article.

The Power of the Digital Menu and QR Code: Revolutionizing Customer Experience

With customers in today's fast-paced world increasingly expecting mobile-friendly offerings from the businesses they patronize, it is essential that companies embrace mobile solutions in order to streamline operations and enhance customer experience.

For restaurant owners, it's no exception. Luckily, one such solution gaining traction throughout Europe and across the globe is the use of QR codes paired with a digital menu. Rather than accessing printed menus (which typically must be given to them by a staff member), customers can simply scan a QR code and access the digital menu at any time they wish.

As a leading software provider at the forefront of this technology, AK Software has successfully provided clients with the solutions they need to facilitate a transition away from paper menus. Here, we'll delve into the benefits of pairing QR codes with a digital menu and highlight the advantages over printed menus as well as hardware-based solutions like tablets.

Convenience Meets Efficiency

The digital menu doesn't just give your customer base a convenient way to order menu items—it has benefits for queue management as well. With the entire menu modifiable automatically in real-time, staff can update menu items and prices much more quickly than with paper menus or a chalkboard.

Gone are the days of having servers inform customers when certain items sell out or change—with digital menus, customers always have access to up-to-date information, thereby avoiding potential miscommunication and disappointment.

Many businesses opt to integrate online ordering with their digital menu, too, giving customers the ability to place orders directly through their smartphones whenever they see fit. For queue management, this is a great benefit as it can significantly reduce wait times and staff workload.

Square reported that 79% of diners would rather order through a QR code. No one likes to wait—so by streamlining the ordering process, you'll improve customer satisfaction.

QR Code and Digital Menu Cost Savings

For many business owners, the idea of digital menus is associated with the cost burden of traditional hardware-based solutions like tablets. However, by implementing a QR code system where the customer simply scans the code to access the menu, restaurants can avoid having to purchase costly tablets.

While the tablets themselves are expensive (especially for restaurants with multiple locations), the costs don't end with the initial purchase price. Regular maintenance, charger and/or battery replacement, and even the hiring of support reps can add additional costs.

With QR codes, these costs are eliminated. Customers provide the hardware themselves (their smartphone) and even tend to prefer it. According to research by restaurant technology platform Toast, 79% of restaurant-goers reported that digital menus enhanced their dining experience.

Going Digital and Embracing Sustainable Practices

Switching to a QR code and digital menu system isn't just good for business—it's good for the environment, too. As consumers increasingly embrace companies that engage in sustainable development practices, business leaders stand to benefit from going digital.

Traditional paper menus create a great deal of waste through continual disposal and reprinting. With digital menus, restaurants can switch to an entirely paperless system. Even if they opt not to eliminate paper menus altogether, the available option of a digital menu means fewer paper menus are required, thus minimizing waste.

Furthermore, digital menus mean lower energy consumption. While one might think online menus require more energy through the use of smartphones, the opposite is actually true. The energy requirements of printing and distributing paper menus far outweigh the power used by customers' phones.

Not to mention, digital menus do not involve the use of chemicals which printed menus do. Inks, solvents, and coatings needed to create traditional menus can be harmful to the environment through water pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.

By embracing digital menus, creative restaurants can also use the ability to quickly update their menu to create seasonal or limited-availability items based on eco-friendly practices. Without printing new static paper menus, restauranteurs can adapt to demand and ingredient availability, optimizing their inventory and minimizing food waste.

Get Your Business Started with QR Codes and Digital Menus

Implementing a QR code and digital menu solution that benefits both your business and your customers doesn't need to be a difficult process. By choosing AK Software as your digital menu solution provider, we can make your switch to an online menu system seamless and fast.

Join the group of active clients all across Europe enjoying the benefits of world-leading digital menu solutions by contacting Cardee today.