Q-Better Release Free QR-based Menu Software For Restaurant Operators
June 3, 2020 by Dave Haynes
There was much rolling of eyes, for many years, when companies in this sector would bring up QR codes as an exciting part of the communication mix.
At its silly height, there were highway billboard ads that had QR codes on them – 300 feet away from the people seeing them.
But the pandemic, and demands – right or wrong – to go as contactless as possible with information, have resulted in renewed interest in the enhanced bar codes. It helps that smartphone cameras – well mine, at least – auto-read QRs and launch the URL.
The Portuguese queue management software and solutions firm Q-Better has developed and made available for free a new application and platform that lets food service operators provide menus via QR codes.
The idea is simple – park a tent card or label on a table that diners can scan, which launches the menu. QR-Rest allows operators to log in to an account, input a menu, and then create a dedicated QR that links to a URL that contains the menu information.
No app is needed.
The premise here is that COVID-19 transmission risks are reduced when customers don’t have to handle a menu that someone else has touched, and food services operators don’t have to print out stacks on single-use paper menus or have staff wiping down menus sealed in plastic or printed on that material.
Just used a similar product at a place near me and found it lacking on several levels. 1 – limited ability to customize menu options, 2 – no way to apply coupons or discounts secured previously, 3 – no feedback or interaction with wait staff to hear about specials, get recommendations, discuss dietary restrictions, etc. This is a clear attempt to eliminate wait staff jobs and makes the experience less personal. When I dine, I want a relaxed, human experience. If I want fast food, I can go to a drive-through. Sorry, but this is a fail for me.
In reference to Jim’s comments; Don’t we all want a return to “normal”? However, we are, at best, 12-18 months from normal and when we get there it’s not going to be the previous normal that we’re going to end up with. I surely don’t see this as an attempt to eliminate wait staff jobs but as a means to protect wait staff, and customers too. The less we pass commonly handled objects back and forth the more we reduce and slow the spread of the virus. While I certainly understand people employed in the restaurant industry being more than edgy regarding job security, not every new solution is geared to do away with someone’s livelihood. The only jobs this seems to place in question would be a company that specializes in printing menus. Kudos to Q-Better for rising to the occasion.
In my opinion, provide new technology to the sector can be an opportunity if we are able to provide at the same time relevant information to customers and to restaurant managers. From contactlessmenu.org we believe in this opportunity, we think it’s the moment to create a new way to communicate easily with customers and have at the same time a solution to get more relevant information from them. For example, know monthly number of visits to our business can be an important metric if we are doing some kind of campaign in social. That’s the reason because our qr codes technology is becoming smart!
For those who wanna know more about how easy it is to configure a basic Contactless Menu take a look to next video in YouTube:
https://youtu.be/ovlmAARtzJA