How to Scan a QR Code Menu on iPhone and Android
A QR code menu is a restaurant's menu behind a small black-and-white square printed on the table, the counter or the door. To scan a QR code menu, point your phone's camera at the code and tap the link that appears. The menu opens in your browser a moment later. There is no app to install, no account to create and nothing to pay for the scan itself.
This guide covers the steps on an iPhone and on Android, the other ways in when the camera will not cooperate, what you can do once the menu is open, and how to tell a genuine menu link from a suspicious one. The last part is for restaurant owners: how to make the codes on your tables easy for every guest to scan, using MenuForma on its Free Forever plan.
What you need before you scan
- A smartphone with a camera. Any iPhone or Android phone from the last several years reads QR codes without extra software.
- An internet connection, through mobile data or the venue's Wi-Fi. The code only holds a web address; the menu itself loads from the internet.
- A web browser, which every phone already has.
If your mobile signal is weak indoors, ask the staff for the Wi-Fi. On a MenuForma menu the restaurant can also show the network name and password at the top of the menu, so once the page has loaded you can switch to Wi-Fi for the rest of your visit.
How to scan a QR code menu on an iPhone
- Open the Camera app and stay in photo mode with the rear camera.
- Point it at the code from about a hand's length away, so the whole square fits on the screen with a little space around it. Hold still for a moment.
- A yellow button with the web address appears near the code. Check the address, then tap the button. The menu opens in Safari.
If no button appears, open Control Center and use the Code Scanner, which reads codes and opens their links directly. If it is not in Control Center yet, add it there first. It is also worth checking the camera settings to make sure QR code scanning is switched on. Only iPhones on very old versions of iOS, from before iOS 11, cannot read codes in the camera at all; on those, use Google Lens or type the address, as described below.
How to scan a QR code menu on an Android phone
Android phones come from many makers, so the names change a little from brand to brand. One of these three routes works on almost every phone:
- The camera app: open the camera, point it at the code and wait for a link or a small icon to pop up next to it, then tap it. On some phones, Samsung models among them, QR scanning is a switch in the camera settings.
- Quick settings: swipe down from the top of the screen and look for a tile called "Scan QR code". If it is missing, edit the tiles and add it.
- Google Lens: open Lens from the Google app or from the camera icon in the Google search bar, point it at the code and tap the link it shows.
On an older phone that has none of these, install a well-known scanner app from the Play Store. A scanner needs access to your camera and nothing else, so skip any app that asks for your contacts or your messages.
Other ways to open the menu
You do not have to scan at all. These routes lead to exactly the same menu:
- From a photo. If the light is poor or the table is crowded, take a picture of the code and open it in Google Lens, which also reads codes in photos and screenshots.
- By typing the address. Every MenuForma menu has a plain web address such as
menuforma.com/m/the-corner-kitchen. Many restaurants print it under the code, and the staff can tell you. Type it into Safari, Chrome or any other browser. - Before you arrive. Restaurants often share a read-only version of the same menu on their website, their Google Business Profile or their Instagram bio, so you can choose from home and order once you are seated.
What you can do once the menu is open
What you see depends on how the restaurant has set its menu up. On a MenuForma menu you can:
- Browse the categories, with photos, descriptions and prices. Dishes that come in several sizes show the price of each.
- Look for allergen icons on each dish. The menu also reminds you to tell the staff about any allergy before you order, and the restaurant remains responsible for allergen information, so ask when in doubt.
- Spot dishes that have run out: they carry a Sold Out badge and cannot be added.
- Change the language. The menu opens in the restaurant's main language. If the restaurant offers more, tap the globe icon at the top of the menu and choose yours. The menu remembers the choice on your phone, so the next scan opens in the same language.
The type of code you scanned decides the rest:
- A code on your table lets you add dishes and send the order from your phone. It reaches the kitchen with your table number, and you may be asked for a name for the order.
- One code for the whole venue, as at a café counter or in a food court, gives every order its own Order Number, which you listen or look for at the counter.
- A code in a hotel room takes room-service orders with the room number, and you can choose when the order should arrive.
- A read-only menu says Display Only — Ordering is not available on this menu. Read it, then order from the staff.
- In self-select mode the menu says Self-Select Mode — Pick items and show your selection to the waiter. You build a list on your phone and the waiter takes the order from it.
When it is time to pay, the restaurant decides the options. You may choose Cash or Card and pay the staff, or Pay Online to pay from your phone. Online payment opens Stripe's secure payment page. My Orders lists what you have ordered from that phone.
When the QR code will not scan
Most failed scans come down to the camera, the light or the code itself. Work through this list:
- Wipe the camera lens. A fingerprint smudge is the most common reason a phone cannot focus.
- Change the distance. Start about a hand's length away and move slowly closer or further until the phone reacts.
- Fight the glare. Laminated cards reflect ceiling lights, so tilt the card or your phone a little, or move it into better light.
- Hold still and tap the code on the screen to focus.
- Cover the neighbouring code if several are printed side by side.
- Check your connection if the link opens but the page stays blank, and switch between mobile data and Wi-Fi.
- Ask the staff for the address if the code is torn, faded or peeling, and type it in.
Is it safe to scan a QR code menu?
Scanning only reads a web address, so the scan itself is harmless. The care goes into where that address leads:
- Read the address before you tap. The preview shows where the code goes. A MenuForma menu starts with
menuforma.com/m/followed by the restaurant's name. - Look for stickers. A sticker pasted over the original code on a table can lead somewhere else entirely. If a code looks tampered with, ask the staff.
- No genuine menu asks for a password, an app download or your contacts. To read a MenuForma menu and order at the table you need only the browser.
- If you pay online on a MenuForma menu, you enter your card on Stripe's payment page, never in the menu itself.
For restaurant owners: make your QR menu easy to scan
Every guest who gives up on a code is a guest waiting for a paper menu. A few decisions in MenuForma make the codes on your tables work for everyone, and they are all on the free plan.
- Design for contrast. In QR Codes & Links, Customize QR Design keeps dark dots on a light background. Add a small logo with Use Restaurant Logo and a short line under the code, such as Scan to Order or View Menu, so guests know what the code does before they lift their phone.
- Size for the distance. A common rule of thumb is a code about a tenth as wide as the distance it is read from: a code read from a seat 40 cm away should be about 4 cm wide. Skip glossy lamination.
- Print well. Each code downloads as PNG or SVG, Download All (ZIP) saves every table at once, and Print A4 lays the codes out on sheets ready to cut.
- Give guests a way round the camera. Print the menu address under the code. Choose the Menu URL before you print, because the code holds that address itself and keeps working for as long as the menu is published there.
- Show your Wi-Fi on the menu. In Menu Manager, open the Information tab and fill in WiFi Name and WiFi Password in the WiFi card. Guests see them at the top of the menu.
- Pick the right code for each place: Per-Table for table ordering, Unified for a counter, Hotel for rooms, Display Only for the window and Self-Select for waiter service. By Category opens the menu straight at the drinks or the desserts. The scan to order page shows how ordering from the table works.
- Speak your guests' language. On Regular you add menu languages in Language & Currency, with automatic translation, and guests switch with the globe icon.
- Retire the PDF. A PDF behind a QR code opens as a tiny page to pinch and zoom. AI Import in Menu Manager turns photos, PDF, Excel and Word files into a real menu; new accounts receive 30 welcome credits, usable for 30 days, and each import uses 5. Our page on turning a PDF menu into a QR code has the details.
- Keep it current without reprinting. Change dishes and prices in Menu Manager and every code shows the change. When a dish runs out, Mark Sold Out keeps it visible with a badge so nobody orders it.
Before the first service, scan every code with one iPhone and one Android phone from a seated position, in the room's real light.
What guests get on Free Forever and Regular
| Free Forever | Regular | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $0 a month, no end date | Optional paid plan |
| Guests scan with the phone camera, no app | Yes | Yes |
| QR code types | Per-Table, Unified, Hotel, Display Only, Self-Select, By Category | Adds Delivery and Tablet |
| QR designer, PNG and SVG, ZIP, A4 sheets | Included | Included |
| Wi-Fi details on the menu | Included | Included |
| Menu languages | 1 | Several, with automatic translation |
| How guests pay | Cash or card to the staff | Adds Pay Online through Stripe |
| Fee per order from MenuForma | None | None |
MenuForma takes no commission on Stripe payments, but Stripe processing fees still apply.
Questions guests ask about QR code menus
Do I need an app to scan a QR code menu?
No. The camera on an iPhone or Android phone reads the code, and the menu opens in the browser. Google Lens works too. You need an internet connection, but no app and no account.
Why will my phone not scan the QR code?
Usually the lens is smudged, the light reflects off the card, or the phone is too close. Wipe the lens, tilt the card, step back a little and hold still. If the code itself is damaged, ask the staff for the menu address and type it in.
Can I read the menu in my own language?
If the restaurant has added more languages, yes. Tap the globe icon at the top of a MenuForma menu and choose your language; the menu remembers it on your phone.
Is it safe to scan a QR code menu?
The scan only reads an address, so check that address before you tap and watch for stickers pasted over the original code. A genuine menu never asks for a password or an app download.
Can I order and pay from a QR code menu?
It depends on the restaurant. A code on your table usually lets you order from your phone; a read-only menu says so at the top. You pay the staff by cash or card, or online through Stripe where the restaurant offers it.
Does a QR code menu work without internet?
No. The code holds only a web address, so the phone needs mobile data or Wi-Fi to load the menu. Ask the staff for the Wi-Fi if your signal is weak.
Scanning a QR code menu takes a camera, a tap and a few seconds. If you run a restaurant and want codes that every guest can open, create your free MenuForma account, import your menu and print your first codes. The step-by-step guide to a free QR menu walks through the setup, and the free QR menu generator page sums up what the free plan includes. To read, order and pay without touching a paper card, see the contactless menu page.