QR codes have infiltrated the online economy and business world as a whole at an increasingly fast rate over the last decade, especially within the last 5 years or so. The uses of these digital assets are far-reaching in nature as they continue to demonstrate their usefulness to both small businesses and larger operations alike.
Many local businesses have adopted the use of QR codes in their restaurants, spas, gyms, and various other service-based areas to reduce the physical touching required during what’s been an unprecedented pandemic, but that’s far from the only benefit.
Restaurants may be one of, if not the, most popular places and forms of business in which these codes are being utilized, and here you’ll see several benefits of adding them to your own.
Practical Benefits Of Using QR Codes In Your Restaurant
The QR code menu is by far the bread and butter when it comes to the uses of QR codes in a restaurant. This is one of the most convenient ways to provide quick and easy access to an overview, or even an all-encompassing look, of your restaurant’s menu for those hoping to get a peak before deciding to visit.
Customers understandably would like to know what they’re getting into before electing to dine somewhere, and sometimes word of mouth just doesn’t suffice. Flipping through a menu that could be several pages long upon arrival can be cumbersome and inefficient, not to mention potentially unsanitary, especially in 2020.
Giving diners access to an online menu they can access by simply scanning a QR code that can be found on your restaurant’s website, social media, or even on site at your location will almost always be greatly appreciated by both regular and prospective diners. It’s a considerate approach to catering to what customers want, and this thoughtfulness goes a long way in a business’s public perception.
1. QR Codes Promote Convenience
QR codes have a multitude of uses that can cut down on unnecessary latency within your restaurant. The QR code menu is just one variation of its uses that can accomplish this. In addition to the menu, QR codes can and probably should be implemented for checkout and payment processing as well.
With QR code payment processing, clients can simply have their personalized unique QR code scanned on their phone, likely the one associated with whatever mobile payment app they use that stores their card information, and the transaction will be processed on your end with the correct amount due. There are numerous online resources that business owners can use to start integrating this payment option into their checkout process, with of course the back-up plan of cash always being an option as well.
2. QR Code Payments Increase Efficiency
Sure, not everyone will appreciate the introduction of new technology into your infrastructure and some small frustrations may present themselves along the way, but the overall outcome is a net positive for your business. Introducing QR code payment processing will not only reduce the amount of touch transactions occurring and make your location more sanitary, but it will also reduce excess interactions and wait times.
In your typical restaurant experience, diners will need to usually wait for the check if they’re finished, especially if you’re busy (and hopefully you are) which can create both frustration and wasted time on part of your bottom line, waiters, and customers.
With QR code payment process however, customers who are ready to go can often just scan their table’s unique QR code which will then take them to the online payment processing center where they can then pay the balance with whatever form of payment they’d like, while electing a tip amount as well.
This can also be achieved similarly with the waiter or waitress scanning a payment app on the diner’s mobile device and processing the payment almost instantly, as opposed to writing out a physical check and taking it back and forth.
Other Benefits Of QR Codes For Your Restaurant
QR codes have more uses than just for creating the most efficient payment processing method for your restaurant. Although that may be one of the most popular and useful assets QR codes bring to the table, there are undoubtedly other benefits that are just as crucial, including the following:
1. QR Codes Reduce The Need For Close Contact
QR codes are great for reducing the amount of contact customers have with unnecessary surfaces throughout their visit. By utilizing QR code menus and payment processing, you allow for a more seamless experience that keeps the transaction as contactless as possible. Your restaurant should be clean, obviously, but in 2020 it’s more important than ever to ensure safety for both you, your staff, and diners that choose your restaurant for a meal. On top of that, it’s probably a great idea for business owners, especially of restaurants, and people in general, to be more health conscious.
2. QR Codes Can Create Buzz For Your business
QR codes are still relatively rare in most areas. If you’re considering adding codes to your restaurant’s mobile and online infrastructure but aren’t quite sure if you should make the move, that speculation is understandable, and likely due to the fact that they’re not the widely accepted norm quite yet.
However, that also presents restaurant owners with an opportunity—an opportunity to create a buzz around something that’s somewhat of a novelty in the industry. Some dining locations in bigger metropolitan areas may see this as a normal sight to come across, but if your business isn’t located downtown or has locations in areas that are more rural in nature, you’ll definitely be one of the pioneers as far as QR codes in restaurants go.
Believe it or not, people do talk about things like this, often when they’re recommending or discussing places they’ve tried. Although it may seem miniscule or like some routine business optimization to a business owner, customers notice unique things like this and often bring it up in small talk with their friends, family, and acquaintances alike. It’s not a brand-new amusement park or anything like that, but it still does create an intrigue and a potential draw to visit your restaurant, especially if you’re also known for great food.
Implementing QR Codes In Your Restaurant
There are more than enough ways to implement QR codes into your restaurant, with the uses ranging from adding and posting them on your business’s social media pages for promotional events, menus, to the aforementioned payment processing that makes transactions so much easier for everyone involved.
QR code menus are something that’s useful for almost every restaurant considering them, with the usefulness far exceeding the cost of implementation. You can easily maintain the option of traditional menus while also encouraging diners to use your online version. Those who are inclined will likely appreciate it while anyone wanting a physical menu can choose that as well. It’s a win-win situation.
Using this technology for payment processing is, again, something that’s pretty much suited for most restaurants. This is mostly because, much like the QR code menu option, adding one doesn’t mean getting rid of the other. You can easily add this form of payment processing as an option on top of your traditional methods, with diners having the freedom to choose the option that suits their preferences and needs.
Other uses of QR codes such as on social media and promotional are also useful and even recommended for restaurants from a marketing standpoint, with business owners having little to nothing to lose and more to gain in implementing these tactics. However, it’s a personal decision, dependent upon your situation.
Keeping these ideas in mind, you should be able to implement QR codes for various applications and purposes in your restaurant. A dive bar will have different uses for QR codes than a buffet. A breakfast or brunch place will also use QR codes in different ways from a steakhouse, and so on. Combine your business’s calling card with your goals for the future to determine what use is best for you, your staff, and most importantly, your customers.
The Bottom Line
Ultimately, QR codes are designed to bring about a reduction in wait times for your customers and an increase in satisfaction and efficiency. This not only benefits the morale of your diners and their likeliness to return or recommend, but creates a more enjoyable experience at work for your employees as well.
All of this comes together to hopefully increase your revenue if partnered with the proper marketing assets, heath and sanitation measures that come with running a food-based service business, and your overall efficiency to top it all off.
Even if your restaurant doesn’t quite have the demographic, location, or infrastructure to go with a fully integrated QR system where all transactions and menus are presented this way, it’s a great second option to present to diners and it shows your business has the awareness and wherewithal to adapt to the changing technological landscape.
