A QR menu used to mean a PDF of your printed menu behind a code on the table. Guests pinched and zoomed, then waved for a waiter anyway. That isn't what restaurants in Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad are moving to now. A proper QR menu lets the guest order and pay from their own phone, and sends the order straight to your kitchen.
Here's how it works, what it costs, and what to check before you pick one.
What the guest sees
- They scan the code on the table. The phone's camera opens your menu in the browser. No app to download, no account to create. In a country where people are careful about phone storage and data, that matters.
- They browse and choose. Categories, prices in rupees, and the options your menu already has: half or full karahi, extra raita, less spicy, large or regular.
- They send the order. It arrives on a screen in your kitchen with the table number, every dish and every note.
- They pay. By Raast from any bank or wallet app, with JazzCash, or in cash at the counter, whichever you offer.
The waiter's job changes from taking orders to bringing food. On a busy evening that's the difference between eight tables and twelve.
What changes in the kitchen
Handwritten orders go wrong in predictable ways: a half becomes a full, the extra naan is missed, the "no chilli" note never reaches the cook. When the guest sends the order themselves, what they chose is exactly what the kitchen sees.
The kitchen screen runs on any phone, tablet or laptop you already have. Orders move from New to Preparing to Ready with one tap each, so whoever is carrying food knows which table is next.
How guests pay
Pakistan has an advantage most countries don't: Raast. Every bank account and every JazzCash, Easypaisa, NayaPay and SadaPay account can send money by Raast, so one Raast ID covers almost every guest. The money goes straight into the account you already have; nothing passes through the QR menu company.
Cash still matters, and a good QR system doesn't force anyone to pay online. A guest who wants to pay cash sends the order from the table and settles at the counter.
If you're in Punjab, the payment method also changes the tax on the bill: card and digital payments are taxed at 8% and cash at 16%. Your QR system should know that, or one of the two totals will be wrong.
What it costs
There are two ways QR ordering companies charge:
- Commission on every order. Common with delivery apps and some ordering platforms. It looks small per order and adds up fast on a busy month.
- A flat monthly price. You pay the same whether you take fifty orders or five thousand.
For a restaurant doing steady trade, a flat price is almost always cheaper. Café QR is Rs 4,999 per restaurant, per month, after one month free, with no setup fee and no commission on your orders. See pricing for Pakistan.
What to check before you choose
- Does it take orders, or only show a menu? A menu-only QR saves printing costs; ordering saves staff time and mistakes.
- Prices in rupees, and your tax shown properly? Guests expect to see the subtotal, the sales tax line and the total, like a printed bill.
- Can you change the menu yourself? Prices change, dishes finish for the night. You shouldn't have to call anyone to update it.
- How do guests pay, and where does the money go? Ideally into your own account, from the apps your guests already use.
- Does it work with your official bill? If your bills print through the PRA's system, the QR menu should take the order and leave the official bill where it is.
- Is setup quick? You should be able to send a photo of your menu and be taking orders the same day.
Getting started
Most restaurants start with a photo of their printed menu, a QR code on each table and one phone or tablet in the kitchen. If you'd like to see it working in your own restaurant, tell us about it and we'll set it up with you, in rupees, over a WhatsApp video call.