Why move off paper at all?
- Change prices instantly instead of reprinting every season.
- Photos raise average ticket size — guests see the dish before ordering.
- Analytics show which items get viewed most, so you can build on them.
- One menu in Arabic and English serves locals and tourists alike.
The whole journey in 3 steps
Before the detail, here is the whole picture: enter, print, update.
- 1
Add your items
Categories, prices and photos from the dashboard.
- 2
Print the QR code
One permanent code per branch or per table.
- 3
Update in seconds
Every change reaches guests instantly — no reprint.
The six steps
- 1
Collect your current menu in one place
Start from paper: list every item with its name, price and a short description in one file. This is the longest step — everything after it is fast.
- 2
Group items into clear categories
Appetizers, grills, mains, sandwiches, desserts, drinks. Four to ten items per category reads comfortably on a phone.
- 3
Photograph the dishes with your phone
Natural window light, a plain background, and a 45° angle. Shoot your top 10 sellers first — those are the photos that convert.
- 4
Create the digital menu and upload your content
Open a zadQR account, pick your restaurant link, then add categories, items and photos. The menu is published in Arabic and English from the same dashboard.
- 5
Print the QR code and put it on the tables
Download the QR code from the dashboard and print it on table stands, the storefront, or delivery bags. Guests scan with the camera — no app needed.
- 6
Keep prices and availability up to date
The big advantage over paper: changing a price or hiding a sold-out item takes seconds and reaches every guest instantly — no reprinting.
Paper vs digital — side by side
Paper menu
- Change a price = reprint every copy
- Add a dish = wait for the printer
- Sold out = cross it out by hand
Digital menu
Main dishes
- Change a price = seconds, live instantly
- Add a dish = a new row in the same minute
- Sold out = hide it in one tap
These rows are the real menu component — any improvement to it shows here automatically.
Printing cost — an example with your own numbers
Illustrative example — change the numbers for your restaurant
| Printed copies | 40 |
|---|---|
| Cost per copy | EGP 25 |
| Reprints per year | 3 |
| Cost per print run | EGP 1000 |
The figures above are only an example, not a statistic about restaurants. Use your own printer's numbers.
Where to put the QR code
Table tent
Sticker on the table
Poster on the wall
Sticker on the door
QR anatomy — so every phone can read it
Dashed line = the quiet zone (4 modules)
- 1
Print at least 3×3 cm
3 cm works on a table. On a wall poster use 10 cm or more — roughly one tenth of the scanning distance.
- 2
Leave a quiet zone
An empty margin of at least 4 modules. Without it the camera cannot tell where the code ends.
- 3
Dark on light, always
Scanners read contrast. A light code on a dark background — or two close colours — fails on most phones.
- 4
Never place it on a photo
Photos break contrast, and glossy lamination reflects light. A matte white background is best.
Do and don't
Dish photos
- Natural light next to a window
- One dish per frame
- The same crop and angle for every item
- Yellow kitchen-light photos
- A whole table crammed into one shot
- Mixed sizes and crops
Pricing
- One consistent decimal style
- A written price for every size
- Update the price the day it changes
- "Price on request"
- 70.00 on one item and 70 on the next
- A stale price left for months
Common mistakes to avoid
- Uploading a PDF instead of a real page — guests pinch, zoom, and leave.
- Giant 30-item categories; split them into smaller ones.
- Yellow kitchen-light photos; natural light always wins.
- Leaving sold-out items visible — hide them in one tap.
Frequently asked questions
- Does the guest need an app to open a digital menu?
- No. The phone camera opens the menu link straight in the browser, on both Android and iPhone.
- How long does it take to build a full digital menu?
- Entering 30–50 items usually takes one to two hours; every update afterwards takes seconds.
- Can I change prices after printing the QR code?
- Yes. The QR code points to a permanent link, so updating prices or photos never requires reprinting it.
- Does the digital menu work in Arabic and English?
- Yes — zadQR renders RTL and LTR, and guests can switch languages from the same page.
Ready to build your digital menu?
Create the account, add your first category, and print the QR code the same day.