How to switch your snack bar to a QR menu
Published
In a snack bar, everything happens at lunch and after 9 pm: the queue moves fast, orders pile up and every mistake costs time. A QR menu can take pressure off the counter, as long as you prepare it like a real change in how you work. Here is how to do it, step by step.
Start the free trialFirst decide how guests order
Before you think about QR codes, answer one simple question: do your guests order at the counter and wait for their number, or do they sit down and get served? Many snack bars do both: counter service at lunch, table service on the terrace in the evening. The QR menu is set up differently in each case.
At the counter, the QR menu mostly helps guests choose while they wait, so they reach the till knowing what they want. At the table, it lets them order without waiting for a free waiter. Write down clearly who pays when: before eating or at the end. That one rule shapes everything else.
Keep the menu short and clear
A crowded menu can work on paper. On a phone it is tiring. Group your menu into a few categories guests understand at a glance: sandwiches and shawarma, tacos, plates, pizza if you make it, drinks, desserts. If a category has more than fifteen items, split it.
Use names guests recognise, not kitchen nicknames. "Chicken shawarma" beats "House special no. 3". Add one short line about what is inside: bread, meat, sauce, fries inside or on the side. That line saves a question at the counter and a sandwich made twice.
Check every price in dirhams before you publish. A price that differs between the QR menu and the board above the counter starts an argument at the till, and that is what the guest remembers.
Photos: few, but honest
You do not need to photograph everything on day one. Start with your five or six best sellers and the items guests do not know yet. A photo taken in daylight, on a clean table, with the real portion, is worth more than a picture from the internet that promises more than the plate.
If your XL tacos really is big, show it next to a can. If the mixed plate comes with fries and salad, the photo should show them. The goal is not to impress, it is that guests get what they pictured.
Put the QR codes where guests have time to read
A QR code should be easy to spot and easy to scan without leaning over. Stick it in the same place on every table, near the edge where guests sit. On the terrace, think about sun and daily wiping: the sticker must stay readable after weeks of cleaning. At the counter, a code near the queue lets people choose while they wait.
Before opening, scan every sticker with two or three different phones, including an old one. Check that the menu also opens on 4G, not only on your Wi-Fi. If you share your Wi-Fi with guests, show the password clearly: it will be the first thing people ask.
Keep a few paper menus behind the counter. Some guests will not want to take out their phone, and that is fine.
Brief the team the day before, not during the rush
Gather the team for fifteen minutes before the previous evening's service. Show the menu on a phone, place a test order and follow it all the way to the grill. Everyone should know where an order arrives, who confirms it and who tells the guest it is ready.
Give them one simple line for guests: "Scan the code on the table, choose, and we take care of the rest." Decide who helps guests who get stuck. Usually that is whoever runs the counter, not the person on the grill.
Day one: what to watch
Do not launch on a Friday night or a match night. Pick a quiet weekday so the team can find its rhythm. Stay for the first service and write down everything that slows people down: an unclear item name, a missing option, a sold-out drink still on the menu.
Fix the menu that same evening. The next day, ask the team what slowed service. After a week, look at which items sell most and move them to the top of their category.
Mistakes that keep coming up
The first mistake is copying the paper menu without rereading it: typos, old prices, dishes you no longer make. The second is forgetting sold-out items: nothing annoys a guest more than ordering something that is not available tonight. The third is not explaining to the team why you are changing, which leads to waiters telling guests to ignore the QR code.
Finally, do not drop the old way of ordering straight away. Let both run for a few weeks while your regulars get used to it.
With Tablilo
Tablilo is one way to put this into practice. When you sign up, you pick the "snack, shawarma, fast food" type and start from a ready menu with Moroccan items in French, Arabic and English, which you then adjust. QR stickers print on an A4 sheet from the dashboard, and guests scan with their phone camera, with no app and no account.
In counter mode, guests order on their phone, pay first at the till, and their phone rings when the order is ready. When an ingredient runs out, you mark it sold out and every item that uses it is greyed until the next day. You can try it free at /signup.
Related features
- QR code menu for restaurants and cafés in MoroccoA QR code menu on every table: guests scan, choose and order from their phone, no app needed. Digital menu in French, Arabic and English.
- Kitchen display screen (KDS) and bar screenA kitchen display screen on any tablet: drinks to the bar, dishes to the kitchen, tickets that change colour and a 'Prêt' button that alerts the waiter.
- Menu in Arabic, French and EnglishA QR menu in Arabic, French and English: guests pick their language, each waiter works in their own, and tickets print in Latin letters.