How to Create a Free QR Code Menu for Your Restaurant (Step-by-Step)

Creating a free QR code menu for your restaurant takes under 10 minutes. This guide walks through the exact steps using Menumigo, which offers a completely free plan with no credit card required. By the end, you will have a working digital menu and a QR code ready to print.

What You Will Need

Before you start: your existing menu (as a photo, PDF, or just the list of dishes), a smartphone or computer with internet access, and 10–15 minutes. No technical skills required.

Step 1: Create a Free Account

Go to menumigo.com and click "Get started free." Enter your email address and create a password. You will be taken directly to your restaurant dashboard — no credit card required, no trial period. The free plan is genuinely free forever.

Step 2: Set Up Your Restaurant Profile

Fill in your restaurant name and select your currency (EUR, GBP, USD, BRL, and more are supported). Choose your cuisine type. You can also set your language preferences at this stage — if you serve international customers, enabling multi-language support means your menu will auto-detect and display in English, Portuguese, or Spanish based on each customer's phone settings.

Step 3: Import Your Existing Menu (AI Method)

This is the fastest way to create your menu. Go to Menu > Import and upload a photo or PDF of your current paper menu. The AI reads your menu and extracts all categories, item names, descriptions, and prices automatically.

Review the extracted items — the AI is accurate but you may need to fix a few edge cases (especially if your paper menu has unusual formatting). Approve the import and all items are instantly added to your digital menu.

If you do not have a file of your current menu, you can build it manually. Go to Menu > Categories, add your sections (Starters, Mains, Desserts, Drinks), then add items one by one.

Step 4: Add Photos

Menus with photos generate 25–30% more revenue per table than text-only menus. For each item, click the photo upload button and add a high-quality image. Smartphone photos taken in good natural light work well — you do not need professional photography to start.

Focus on your best-selling items and most profitable dishes first. Even adding photos to your top 5–10 items makes a meaningful difference.

Step 5: Add Allergen and Dietary Labels

Menumigo includes all 14 EU-standard allergens as tags. For each item, select any allergens present (gluten, milk, eggs, nuts, etc.). These are displayed automatically as icons on the customer-facing menu.

Also add dietary labels where applicable — Vegan, Vegetarian, Gluten-Free, and Spicy. Customers can filter the menu by these labels, which improves their experience especially for large menus.

Step 6: Generate Your QR Code

Go to QR Codes in the dashboard and click Generate. Your QR code is created instantly and linked to your live menu.

You can customise the QR code appearance: change colours to match your brand, add your logo in the centre, choose between classic squares, modern dots, or fluid pattern styles, and add text above or below. For table tracking, generate individual codes per table.

Step 7: Download and Print Your QR Code

Download your QR code as a PNG or SVG. Display options include a small card stand for each table, adding it to your existing paper menu as a supplement, a laminated card for the table, or a sticker for wine bottles or takeaway bags.

The minimum printable size for a readable QR code is approximately 2.5cm x 2.5cm. Larger is better for busy environments.

Step 8: Test Your Menu

Before putting QR codes on tables, scan the code with your own phone and test the customer experience. Check that all items, prices, and photos appear correctly. Test the language switching if you enabled multiple languages. Verify allergen icons appear on the right items.

What Happens After You Go Live

Once your QR codes are on tables, customers start scanning immediately. Any changes you make in the dashboard appear in real time — no need to reprint or redistribute QR codes.

When you are ready to grow, Menumigo's Pro plan (€19/month) adds a real-time analytics dashboard, a loyalty stamp card program, bundle offer creation, AI-generated item descriptions, and the ability to remove the Menumigo watermark.

The Result

In 10 minutes you have a live digital menu with a scannable QR code. No recurring costs. No reprinting. Any update you make is live within seconds. That is the entire case for switching to a digital menu.