Digital menu: from QR code to answer on WhatsApp

What is a digital menu?

A digital menu is your menu in a form that guests open on their phone or computer. The best-known form is the QR menu: a QR code on the table, on the door or at the till that leads to a web page with your dishes. In addition, many establishments put their menu on their own website and in the Google Business Profile.

The advantage: you adjust prices and dishes directly without reprinting, and guests can view the menu at home before they book.

PDF or web page?

A PDF is quick to make, but reads poorly on a phone: zooming, scrolling and a file that has to load first. A menu as a web page adapts to the screen, is easier to find in search engines and is easier to update. So preferably choose a web page, and use the PDF at most as a download version.

What should be on a digital menu?

• Dishes with a short, clear description.
• Prices including VAT, as on a paper menu.
• Allergen information: you must be able to tell guests which of the fourteen statutory allergens are in a dish. Put it next to the dish or clearly state where guests can ask.
• Vegetarian and vegan options clearly marked.
• Opening hours and kitchen times, and how guests can make a reservation.
• Optionally an English version for tourists and business guests.

Create the QR menu yourself

Slimbot is not a programme for designing your menu. You build a QR menu with the QR Menu Builder from the IT Live Shop, where you can also order table stands and QR stickers. Then you enter the same menu in Slimbot, so the assistant can answer guests' questions.

Why guest questions matter

Anyone viewing a menu online often has a question before they book or order: can this be made without nuts, is there a children's menu, can we come with twelve people? If that question goes unanswered, the guest chooses another place. An assistant that answers directly from your own menu, and can capture a booking straight away, turns a browser into a guest.