First, one clarification that settles half the question:
A QR code isn't a menu. It's a door. The real question is what's behind it: a PDF, a photo or a web page.
The options, in short
| PDF menu | Photo of the menu | Menu on your website | |
|---|---|---|---|
| On a phone | You have to zoom and scroll sideways | Depends on the photo; sometimes unreadable | Reads well, no zooming |
| Google reads your dishes | Only if the PDF has real text (not a scan), and as a separate file | Hardly | Yes, it's text on your site |
| Changing a price | Redo and re-upload the file | Take a new photo; the old ones keep circulating | Changed in minutes; the QR stays the same |
| In two languages | Another PDF | Another photo | Yes, with a button |
| Ordering on WhatsApp from there | No | No | Yes, with a button |
| What it costs | Little, if you already have the printed design | Nothing | Someone has to build and maintain it |
The PDF menu: the good and the bad
The good: if your printed menu is already designed, exporting a PDF is quick. The bad: on a phone it looks tiny, you have to zoom and scroll sideways, and it's often heavy and slow to open on mobile data. Every price change means redoing the file and uploading it again. And if the PDF is a scan or an image, there's no text for Google to read.
The menu on your website
It's your menu written as part of your website: sections, dishes, prices and photos, laid out to be read with a thumb. It looks good on any phone, a price changes in minutes, it can be in Spanish and English with a button, and it can have a WhatsApp button to order or book. Because it's text, Google reads it: your dishes help you appear in searches.
The only downside: someone has to build it and keep it current. That can be you, or it can be me.
The QR code: how to do it right
- Point it to an address you own (for example, yourbusiness.com/menu), not straight to a file. That way you can change the menu anytime without reprinting the codes.
- Be careful with free “dynamic” QR generators. Some stop working or start charging when the trial ends, and the codes you already printed stop working.
- Make it easy to scan: a good size, good contrast and no glare (laminated sheets reflect light). Test it with several phones before printing.
- Keep some printed menus for people who can't or don't want to use their phone.
- Put the same link in your Google profile, in the menu field. I explain how in how to show up on Google Maps.
So, what works best?
For most San Miguel restaurants: the menu on your website, in Spanish and English; a QR code on the tables pointing to that page; the same link on your Google profile and Instagram; and a PDF only for whoever wants to print it.
Rather have me do it? The Profesional package includes your menu with photos of your dishes and QR codes for your tables (menu and reviews). See restaurant websites or the prices in MXN.