NO WIFI, NO MENU: QR codes are impractical and difficult to use for viewing menus and playing in restaurants

As I walked into my local Overland Park Olive Garden with my friends, I was excited to eat my fettuccine alfredo and salad, but when I went to sit down and reach for a menu it wasn’t there.

I asked the waiter for a paper menu, but he informed me the menu was only accessible was from a scannable QR code taped onto the table and refused to hand me a paper menu.

The next few minutes were complete torture. The dim lighting inside the restaurant forced my friends to shine their phone flashlights so i could scan the QR code and access the menu on the QR code just so I could scan it to view the menu. When I was finally able to scan it, the menu took ages to load due to the poor internet connection. I kept thinking to myself: this all could be resolved if I just had a menu. 

When I tried clicking on “Appetizers,” “Entre” or the “Drink” tabs, it would take another five minutes to load the screen. Every. Single. Time. No one has time for that.

With the time it took to load my menu and navigate the poor-quality website, I could have made my own pasta and breadsticks.

Taking 30 minutes to scan and read QR code menus is impractical for the customers because they are difficult to use, cause privacy leaks and are inconvenient to pay with. 

And that was even with my Generation Z tech-savvy skills with my phone. For older generations, the QR code menu experience is even worse.

The older generation is likely to have trouble figuring out how the websites works, due to the “advanced technology” of QR code menus. Yet they probably don’t have any issues utilizing a normal menu.  

Even for younger generations, QR codes can be impractical. According to Apple, if your phone isn’t updated to IOS 11, you cant scan QR codes with your camera app. If you’re low on battery it can be glitchy and  if your phone’s dead, well, too bad — it isn’t even possible for you to look at the menu. Good luck ordering if that’s the case.

Additionally, reading menus on small screens isn’t for the faint of heart. Zooming in and scrolling to find your preferred menu item can be complicated even with the most recent update installed on your phone and 20/20 vision. Small text and descriptions are defining characteristics of menus and putting these aspects on a small screen make it nearly impossible to figure out what you’re ordering.

I understand that during COVID-19, digital menus became more popular for safety processions, and for good reason — but that was four years ago. Passing around one tiny phone isn’t keeping people away from germs and isn’t practical for customers. 

Then when it comes time to pay, it’s a whole 30-minute process all over again. Scanning the QR codes, entering your card information, and then waiting for everything to load when you could be following the traditional process of just giving your card to the waiter, tipping and leaving. 

There can also be a security risk. According to Malwarebytes, QR codes can redirect payments by using fake QR codes leading to potential risk of fraud. Also, there also can be technical glitches with network issues or app malfunctions can delay the payment processes and cause glitches. 

Some banking companies don’t support QR codes when paying, which can lead to not being able to pay, or draining your phone from running out of battery, and if that happens, and you don’t have cash with you, you quite literally can’t pay. 

With that, privacy concerns also come from when QR codes ask for your location. A lot of QR codes ask for your location and can make you put your card info in sketchy websites which could access your personal information without you even knowing. 

QR codes are just flat out inefficient, and make your experience overcomplicated.