Adam Hyman on QR code menus

In between the April showers and a flurry of meetings last Tuesday, I had 30 minutes to myself to grab some lunch and catch up on emails.

I wanted something healthy, so I ducked into a spot I know in Soho for a salad and a juice. The spot in question now only has its menus viewable via a QR code. It’s something we’re all getting more used to since the pandemic and in fast-casual restaurants particularly, I can see why these QR code menus are increasingly popular – done right, and they’re effortless.

But when the tech fails, everything becomes a bit unstuck, and with no paper menus to hand, the situation worsens further. My quick lunch ended up with me and my fellow diners having to order off the EPOS system as it was the only place with food options available.

There are many perks to tech enhancing hospitality and I realise I need to embrace them because that’s the way things are going. But choice is still a nice thing, and a paper menu is something I hope we don’t lose entirely from restaurants. Romanticism and sentimentality aside, you never know when tradition might come in handy.

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