One of the industries most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic is the restaurant industry. COVID-19-related lockdowns around the globe locked people in their houses and forced restaurants to adopt new technological ways to engage customers and keep the business afloat. Various restaurants have started transforming their digital infrastructure to allow customers to order online through digital menus and digital payments.
QR Codes have been a great way to facilitate a contactless restaurant experience in restaurants now that businesses are gradually opening up and trying to engage customers and run businesses to the pre-COVID-19 levels.
Although the QR code is not a new technology as it was invented some 30 years ago in 1994, in Japan, it is now extremely successful in connecting the physical world to the digital.
QR Codes in Restaurants
QR Codes, also known as Quick Response Codes or 2-D barcodes, can be used in various customized ways in restaurants. A QR Code can be encoded with text, numerical, URLs, images, PDFs etc and it is quite easy to generate online, for free. Restaurant owners are using QR Codes to encode their entire menu on physical and digital QR Codes and placing it right on the customer table as well as sharing it on social media. Its quick response, easy scanning, and high accuracy allow it to be used for digital QR payments, QR Code Menus, Promotions, and Customer Feedback.
Rise of Digital Menus: QR Codes-based Menus
In the USA, when the pandemic hit, many restaurants stopped public dining and quickly adopted QR Codes to create digital menus and to direct customers to restaurant website landing pages. Customers could browse the digital menu and order food online for home deliveries or takeouts. Physical distancing became necessary and physical menus couldn’t be touched for the fear of covid19 virus.
States like Ohio, New Jersey, New York, and Kentucky in the United States were the first ones to respond to pandemic lockdown measures issued by WHO and banned restaurant dining. The use of QR Codes for menus, at this point, helped the restaurant business survive through the lockdowns. The use of QR codes for digital menus caught on and stuck even after COVID-19 restrictions were lifted. Now, many customers even prefer digital menus to physically worn ones.
Restaurant Promotions using QR Codes
Since many people use smartphones for a significant part of the day, QR Codes can be a useful tool for mobile-specific customer ads and promotions. Restaurants and eateries can create menus and events promote them using QR codes and draw customers to the restaurant websites. Menu restaurants and cafes share their QR Codes through print channels such as magazines, newspapers, and brochures. They occupy less space and therefore QR code-based ads cost less but do the job perfectly.
QR-based Inventory Tracking in Restaurant
Keeping manual tracking of all the restaurant stock is a time consuming and error prone task however integrating QR labeling of supply boxes whether it is vegetables, groceries, or wine bottles, offers an efficient and accurate inventory control. QR Code labels on packages can be easily scanned and the inventory can be updated quickly during replenishment. QR Code based inventory management systems also offers crucial information and insights on available stock and helps restaurants limit wastages through first in first out method and prevents overstocking as well.
Restaurant specials with QR Codes
Dynamic QR Codes are a great way to create restaurant specials (menu). Instead of writing down the specials on a board and regularly updating them, QR code-based specials have been proven to be quite useful. Restaurants can attach curated images and graphics, recipes of the specials to the QR Code which gives customers a unique experience. Being dynamic, these QR Codes can be edited weekly, or as required for specials, and all that is possible through a software system.
Listen to Customers through Feedback QR Codes
QR Codes can also be used to get customer feedback which can help improve customer services and customer experiences. Traditionally customers were asked to rate restaurant services via SMS, or by writing in a notepad which seemed like a hassle and customers avoided it but Feedback QR Codes make for a great digital feedback option. Feedback QR Codes are easy to scan and customers are happy to leave a review through their smartphones.
Avoid Cash and Pay through the QR Code Scan
QR Codes are also great for digital payment initiatives. Many restaurants place Payment QR Code standees, which can be scanned to pay the bill, on customer tables. Payment QR Codes can be created by linking the Payment UPI ID or payment URL to a QR Code. It can be printed on standees and shown directly to customers through a POS machine as well.
QR Code-based Coupons for Dining Bookings
QR Codes are also helpful in creating a loyal customer base in the form of scannable discount coupons that can be distributed to customers digitally and physically. Restaurants can easily create a discount QR, or coupon QR Code and share it with loyal customers when required.
To summarize, QR-code technology has been a boon for promotions and advertising and offers an edge to restaurant owners in several ways. They can create Menu QR Codes, Payment QR Codes, Review QR Codes as well as Coupon QR Codes to offer better service, promote business, and create a loyal customer base. QR Codes are actively used in restaurant POS and therefore it is easy to ensure quick payment through QR Codes in restaurants as well.
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