QR Code Ordering System
The guest scans the QR code on the table, opens the menu on their phone, makes their choices and sends. The order arrives in one of two places: as a WhatsApp message to you, or as a printed ticket from the kitchen printer. It can be both.
I build these. Below is how it works, what you need, and where it doesn’t help.
How it works
A QR code on the table. Each table has its own code, so you know which table an order came from. The code opens a web page on the phone — the guest installs nothing and creates no account.
The menu opens on their phone. Categories, prices, photos. You can switch off a sold-out item with one tap; no reprinting.
They choose and send. A basket: quantity, notes (“less spicy”), and options where they exist (portion size, extras).
The order reaches you. Two routes:
- WhatsApp message — table number, items, notes and total arrive in a single message. The fastest route to launch; no extra hardware.
- Printed ticket — prints automatically from the thermal printer in the kitchen or behind the bar. During a rush, paper beats checking a phone.
Which one fits you
The WhatsApp route suits small cafés, dessert shops, seaside venues and places with moderate order volume. Upside: you can start today, buy nothing, and your staff already know WhatsApp. Downside: during a rush an order can get lost among other messages.
The printer route suits venues where the kitchen is separate and service speed matters. The ticket prints and the kitchen starts; no phone passed from hand to hand. It needs a networked thermal printer and a stable connection.
In most venues the best setup is both: a ticket to the kitchen, a WhatsApp notification to the till or the manager.
What you need
- A domain and hosting (it can live under your existing site)
- Menu content: item names, prices, photos if you have them
- For the WhatsApp route: a number for orders to arrive on
- For the printer route: a networked thermal printer
- One QR code per table (I provide print-ready files)
What it does not solve — the honest part
It doesn’t take payment. The system takes orders; payment happens at the till. Online payment is a separate build and requires a payment provider application.
It isn’t a POS or accounting system. If you already run a POS, integration is assessed separately — not every system accepts orders from outside.
It doesn’t remove the need for staff. It takes the order and passes it to the kitchen. Service, preparation and hospitality are still done by people.
It doesn’t work without internet. Both the guest and the venue need a connection. In venues with unreliable connectivity, the printer route alone is risky.
Why it works
Waiting for someone to come to the table is what loses the most guests during a rush. With QR, the guest chooses at their own pace and the server focuses on service. You also stop waiting on printing to change the menu — a price update goes live immediately.
If you also want to automate orders that arrive by phone, see the voice ordering and reservation line; the two complement each other.
What’s needed to start? Share your menu and table count; we’ll decide together which route (WhatsApp, printer, or both) fits you. Get in touch.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the guest have to install an app?
No. The QR code opens a page in the phone’s browser — no download, no sign-up, no login.
Can I update the menu myself?
Yes. Changing prices, adding items and marking something sold out don’t require me.
How many tables can it handle?
There’s no table limit. What limits you is your service capacity and which route you chose — for busy venues I recommend the printer route.
Will it talk to my existing POS?
It depends on the POS. If it has an interface that accepts external orders, it can connect; if not, the QR system runs independently and orders are entered manually.
What kind of printer do I need?
A networked thermal receipt printer. If you already have one we try it first; if not, I’ll tell you a suitable model — I don’t sell hardware.
How do I work?
Work-hour packages
Tell me about your website and what you need on WhatsApp or by phone; we agree on a work block of somewhere between 5 and 40 hours and I start doing what is needed. What you get is not a calendar window — it is net working hours spent directly on your business. I can use 40 hours working three days straight, or deliberately spread it out and finish it over a year — whatever the work calls for. I do not spend my time estimating how long something will take, I spend it doing the work; every hour I spend has a lasting result on your site. We keep going for as long as you find it useful.
Why not monthly?
Is 40 hours a week?
On a fixed monthly fee both sides are watching the wrong thing: you watch a fixed cost, the other side watches how many more contracts like this they can line up. Working by the hour puts us both in front of the same thing — the real value of the work that got done. I know not having an upfront answer to "how much will this cost in total?" is the natural cost of this model. But instead of paying a fixed fee for months to a setup that is not producing results, you only pay for the qualified time spent on your work — and you see exactly where that time went, start to finish. That is why my clients keep coming back.