Table ordering via QR code: how a café or restaurant saves time at every service

The customer sits down, scans the QR code on the table, and the menu opens on their phone. They choose, order, then pay immediately by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay, or indicate that they will settle in cash at the counter. The order goes straight to the kitchen and the bar. The server no longer has to take the order or run around with the payment terminal: they bring the dishes, advise and look after customers.

In China, this has been the norm in a large share of restaurants since 2017, thanks to WeChat and Alipay mini-programs. In France, the system is gaining ground, especially in cafés, brasseries, cocktail bars and tourist restaurants. Here is how it works, what it costs and the points to check before getting started.

What you actually gain

In a traditional service, several waiting moments add up: waiting for the menu, waiting for the server to come and take the order, waiting for the bill, waiting for the payment terminal. With table ordering, two of these waits disappear and the third becomes optional.

• Less staff time wasted. Taking orders, entering them into the till and cashing out account for a large part of a server's work. A Cantonese restaurant manager in Shanghai estimated the saving at about 30% of staffing costs (The China Project). In France, the realistic goal is not to cut jobs, but to serve more tables with the same team, especially when recruiting is hard.
• Tables turn faster. A customer who wants to leave no longer waits for the bill: they have already paid. At lunchtime, when some customers only have an hour's break, this is a direct argument.
• Fewer mistakes. The customer chooses their own cooking, options and allergies. The order reaches the kitchen exactly as entered, without re-reading a scribbled note.
• A often higher average ticket. The menu can suggest a dessert, a drink or a side at the right moment, without pressure. Vendors put forward flattering figures (Square mentions on average +35% sales in the first 30 days, source): these are vendor figures, to verify in your own establishment.
• A menu in the customer's language. In Strasbourg, Colmar or on the French Riviera, a menu translated into German, English, Italian or Chinese avoids long explanations and reassures tourists.

How it works, step by step

1. One QR code per table. Each code contains the table number. It is printed on a table stand, a sticker or an engraved plate.
2. An online menu. Photos, descriptions, allergens, options (cooking, sauce, gluten-free), daily specials. A sold-out dish is disabled in one click, without reprinting anything.
3. The order. It goes to the till, the screen or the printer in the kitchen and the bar, with the table number.
4. Payment. Three possible options, to choose according to your clientele:
   • immediate online payment (card, Apple Pay, Google Pay);
   • "I pay at the end": the customer orders several times, then settles the bill from their phone, including by splitting it between friends;
   • "I pay in cash" or "I pay at the counter": the order goes to the kitchen and payment is taken as usual.
5. Tracking. Revenue per hour, best-selling dishes, preparation time, customer reviews: this data comes out automatically, without a spreadsheet.

Three rules to respect in France

1. Cash must remain possible. In France, a business must in principle accept cash payments, except for limited exceptions (foreign currency, more than 50 coins, counterfeit notes, lack of change); an unjustified refusal is punishable by a fine (Service Public Entreprendre (the French government's business portal), article R642-3 of the Code pénal [French Criminal Code]). The journey must therefore offer "pay in cash" or "pay at the counter". This is actually a good thing: part of your clientele insists on it.

2. Sales must go through a compliant till. Since 2018, a VAT-registered business that uses cash-register software must use secure, certified or attested software (economie.gouv.fr). An order taken by QR code must not live alongside the till: it must arrive in it and be cashed there. This is the most important technical point of the project, and the reason for choosing a solution compatible with the existing till.

3. The digital menu does not replace mandatory displays. The menu and the daily specials must still be displayed outside during service, the origin of meats must be indicated, and allergens must appear on the menu or in a document kept available to customers (service-public.fr). A well-made online menu actually makes it easier to display allergens dish by dish.

Mistakes to avoid

• Eliminating the paper menu entirely. In China, the spread of "mandatory scanning" provoked rejection from some customers, especially older people, and criticism over personal data collection. Keep a few paper menus and the possibility of ordering from the server: the QR code should be a fast option, not an obligation.
• Forcing the customer to create an account or download an app. The menu must open directly in the browser, in two seconds, without registration. Every extra step loses orders.
• Forgetting Wi-Fi and 4G. If the network is poor in the dining room or the vaulted cellar, the system becomes a source of irritation. Test before printing the QR codes.
• Running two tills. If QR orders have to be re-entered by hand, you lose the time saving and create a risk of error and non-compliance.
• Neglecting photos and descriptions. An online menu sells as well as a good server if it is clear. A list of dish names without photo or description sells less than a server.

Which tools to use and how much it costs

There is no need to develop a bespoke tool: ready-made solutions exist, by monthly subscription. For example (public entry-level prices, October 2026, to verify):

• sunday — table payment by QR code and terminal linked to the till, from €29/month;
• SumUp Order & Pay — ordering and payment by QR code, included in SumUp Caisse Plus at €49/month;
• Obypay — table ordering, with dematerialised meal vouchers (titres-restaurant) accepted online, from €59/month;
• Innovorder — NF525-certified till with QR ordering and click & collect, from €79/month excluding hardware;
• Lightspeed Restaurant — till with Order Anywhere module (QR code, click & collect), from €89/month;
• Zelty and L'Addition — tills with QR ordering or payment, on quote.

On top of this come card payment fees, generally a percentage of each transaction. I am not affiliated with any of these vendors. The right reflex: start from your current till. If it already offers a QR code module, that is almost always the simplest choice.

The real work consists in connecting and configuring these tools:

• choose the solution compatible with your till, your kitchen printer and your way of working;
• build a clear menu: photos, options, allergens, translations;
• link orders to the till and the kitchen, then test a full service;
• train the team and plan plan B (network down, customer without a smartphone);
• track the figures during the first month and adjust the menu.

Where to start

Start small: one terrace or one room, one month of testing, then a simple before/after comparison — number of covers per service, average ticket, time between the customer's arrival and payment, share of orders placed by QR code. These figures will tell you better than any brochure whether the system is worth extending.

I set up this type of system for cafés, bars and restaurants in Strasbourg, in Alsace, in Baden-Baden, on the French Riviera and in Monaco: selection and connection of existing tools, online menu in several languages, integration with the till and the kitchen, team training. The €390 audit — two hours on site, then a written report within a week — shows what is feasible in your establishment and what it would cost; it is deducted if you launch the implementation. Let's talk about your establishment →

Also read: kebab, snack, fast food: cut the queue with a QR code.