Episode 2 - Scan to Order: On Restaurant Strategy and Why QR Code Menus are Here to Stay

You are tuning in to this take here's podcast. Presented by QR Tiger, the most advanced QR code generator. In this episode, menu QR codes. Kristel and Ben talk about its impact and how it does help the food and beverage industry around the world. Only here on Stay Curious, your reliable guide in all things QR code. Today we're sitting down with Benjamin Plyce, our QR code expert and we're going to talk about menu QR codes. Love them or hate them, they're here to stay so we might as well learn more about these digital menus. So first things first Ben, an introduction. What are menu QR codes? So a menu QR code crystal is a QR code where people can scan a QR code and have the menu on their smartphone. So people can go in a restaurant on a table to see a QR code scan it and they have a QR code on their smartphone. This QR code could be just a PDF page, but this QR code could be also and this page could also be engaging where people can actually click and order and see more about the menu and actually even pay on it. I mean, at one point or another, we've already used that, but I think it pays to discuss as well what are the difference of a menu QR code and a paper menu. So a paper menu is not interactive sometimes, you don't have even pictures on a paper menu, you just don't even know what the digital look like, right? With a QR code menu, you can actually scan, you can see how it looks, they can update the menu at any time, which is also, I think, a benefit. And of course, like I say, if you want to order, it's also something that makes your time more efficient because you're in a restaurant, you need to wait until it's your turn. You might have only one hour for lunch and you're just going to lose 30 minutes waiting until it's your turn, but with a QR code menu, you can scan, you can order and you can pay and they will bring it to your table. So it has many different benefits and that I think is what is actually today the success of a menu QR code that it actually benefits many people. And this also doesn't mean crystal that QR code menus or traditional menus cannot go hand in hand. I do believe you can have a traditional menu with a menu QR code on it so people can still choose how to work, but I still believe that a menu QR code will be the default in the in the near future. Right, we don't have to get rid of physical menu altogether. It can just be a menu QR code can just be an added option there. And so what else do we need to learn about it? What are other advantages? And of course, as with every software, what is its disadvantages? So if I come to this advantages first, I think one of the disadvantages of a menu QR code is of course that people need to adapt to it. People, this is a new thing and I know myself when I first saw a menu QR code in the restaurant where I usually go, I was not happy. It was like, hey, come here. I want to order. But then after while using it for some time, I started to realize that it's actually beneficial for me because I just come click pay and they bring everything to my table. Actually, I'm saving time in that moment. And yes, I'm hungry, so I want to eat quicker. Also, I think the benefits for a restaurant is that they have a much more better organization in the way that food is getting to the kitchen or processed and be brought to the table. Normally, they need probably maybe three waiters that can maybe do the job with two waiters, right, such kind of things. Or they can still do it with three waiters, but those waiters can work more efficient. So this kind of way, I think, is are the big benefits, right? It's a win-win for a restaurant as for the person who actually orders with a menu QR code. Still, I do believe, of course, I can understand that people that are older people, right, elderly and then also we have people who are disabled that they might find it a little bit a trouble to order with a QR code menu. There will always be a group of people who will have a disadvantage from a new technology. So, as you mentioned, some older people are having a hard time adjusting to it and they understand that with every new technology, there's always some resistance to it. So can you explain why some people dislike menu QR codes? Well, I can imagine that older people are the people who enjoy their time going to restaurants and that for them, if they go to their casual restaurant and suddenly they need to change their menu QR code, that for them is an effort that they need to do extra. Like I said, people in general don't like to adapt to new technologies, it's something that is in our nature. There's only very few people that actually have that eager to look for new technologies, but most people are actually looking for that instantly. So I can understand that for them, it brings a certain level of frustration because it's a change, right? On the other hand, like with every technology that came in the market, you know, after a while they might get used to it. And if they have good wages, the wages might also scan the QR code for them, let them see how them to order. I think it's not really a problem just to weigh how it's been brought to those customers, of course. Yeah, it's also an opportunity for the waiters to educate them and assist them on how they do it, and eventually they will just get used to it. And so what's the data behind it? Like in the US, what's the acceptance for many QR codes? Would you have any data behind it? So today, there's about a million restaurants registered in the US. There is about 50 percent, a bit more probably, half of them that actually use a new QR code. So that's quite significant already, right? And that is still growing, so I do expect these trends to grow and definitely in what I would consider Western countries. For the simple reason, you know, iring stuff. Cost money. So in this way, they can make things more efficient, or maybe you're a starter, you have a food truck, you don't have stuff. People can scan, they can order. So in this kind of way, it actually will accelerate many little businesses out there. So I see these trends keep on going for the next, for the next years, yeah, for sure. Yeah, that's really good to hear. But how does it compare to places like Asia or China, where QR codes are very, very common? So actually many QR codes, confirmation, right? I think countries like China were one of the trendtaters within that space. Why? Because most people there use smartphones as their first computer, right? And then definitely many Asian countries as well, smartphone are the first computer that most people have where in Western countries, most people had a laptop first. So yeah, this kind of trend of QR codes is definitely driven by Asian countries and definitely also China, as you mentioned. And I think that's now suddenly becoming because of the pandemic QR codes broke through world wide, and suddenly all those use cases that were QR codes were beneficial are breaking through in the world. Exactly. Because even in the US, it could be a part of the CDC guidelines where you have to have an option for like contactless menu, right? So in the US, where it's probably a CDC guideline to use menu QR codes. So there's like a touchless option for customers. And so the question now is, will many QR codes go ever go obsolete? I don't think so. I think QR codes are now nested within whole ecosystems, right? Not just only for menu QR codes, but in different ways, QR codes are used in social media apps in different ways. So no, I don't think it's going to go absolutely. I don't see anything right now quicker than people scanning and just an ordering right? You could say NFC has an opportunity there, but then you just educate the user that they need to put their phone nearby to do it, right? With the QR codes, there is actually a sign that says clearly scan me, right? I mean, so in this way, QR codes are already printed in the brain of people that they need to take their phone out and scan them. So this is the benefit I think from a QR code, and that's why I don't think it's going to obsolete everywhere. So that's really convenient because then you would also be able to pay after you've ordered. And so the other question now is, what's the future for menu QR codes? How can they still be improved? I do believe a menu QR code could, of course, have much more than it could connect to your social. It could actually allow people to give reviews. I think many restaurants out there don't take reviews or don't have ways for people to get feedback, which I think is always the core for any good business. If you don't get feedback from a customer, how do you know you're doing good or bad, right? How can you improve? So I think many QR codes could be much more than just only, and I think the other benefit of a menu QR code is also that you can order. When you're not in the restaurant, right, you can order to get deliveries and things. So it actually brings different levels of business to restaurants. And that I think is also the next level where it can still be leveled up or being connected with other apps for delivery, for example. And so now the question is just how reliable is it? Can they really, of course, restaurants need to invest in them? Just how reliable are they? Can they really help restaurants even in the busiest days? Yeah, sure. I think that's exactly what it does. It is something that makes life a restaurant more efficient. So I think they're pretty reliable. I think unless that a server of the company that provides those QR codes has a problem, which can always happen. But that can happen with everything. I think today technology has become more reliable than before. Systems are more stable. So yeah, for I think for restaurants, this is still one of a good way to grow their business, right? Sure. All right. And since now we're getting to, we have already established that many QR codes are quite reliable. So how does our product menu tiger compare to the other ones in the market and the other digital menus in the market? Menu Tiger, I believe, is because we are actually from a family, which is QR Tiger. We are one of the leading companies. I think one of the most advanced QR code generators. And we already had, when the pandemic started, you know, we had bigger companies coming to us to ask for menu QR codes, first in a PDF version, right? And then in that way, we actually started to see the opportunity to make an engaging menu and we actually learned. And I think that's also one of the values of QR tag, releasing good to our customers. We try to understand how this restaurants function. How can we make their life more efficient? And based on what we do there, I think that's why we also are trying to focus on the most advanced technology, but also on the most affordable, right? And then I think is what makes menu tiger today a strong product on the market, yeah? - All right, I believe in that, but how will restaurants be able to curate using menu tiger? Will they need to code for that? Is it complicated? - Scoot question, Crystal. No, they don't need to code. They just can actually upload all their images. They can upload all their text, even if there's an event, they can do special promotions. So it's a really more engaging menu where people can do different things, depending events, occasions, all this kind of things, and they can of course, brand it totally like they're following their brand identity of their restaurants, yeah. - All right, so for example, a tiger fest just happened early this month. So I mean, end of September as well. So will they be able to curate that according to a certain event that make it more appealing for customers and highlight their food that they're going to order? - Sure, I think that's one of the benefits of a menu carcote is that you really can focus also on all the events like Easter, Halloween, whatever happens, and you can do different promotions following these events. And then I think is the benefit of a menu carcote. You don't need to print it all, you can do it all digital, and you can even make it more engaging for the customer right to do something special, yeah. - In terms of curating your menu, is there any other option for restaurants to make like automatic menu changes during the day, for example, during lunch and during dinner? - That doesn't, that we don't offer, but in car tiger we have a feature called the Multial Carcote and the Multial Carcote is a carcote where the same carcote when you scan it in the morning, where you bring you to the, to the breakfast menu, when you scan that same carcote at lunchtime, it can bring you to the lunch menu. And if you scan that same carcote, for example, or on dinner time, it will bring you to the dinner menu. These allows customers by one carcote, being redirected to different menus, depending on the time of the day. - And just how reliable is it, because more restaurants will be using it, and especially during the busiest days, of course nobody wants that, the technology will just lag during their busiest days, right? - Sure. - How reliable is it? - I think we have a strong tech team, and there's a lot of people working, also our customer support is 24 hours, 7 on 7. As for now, we never had any issue, yeah. I'm not saying that it's not possible, but theoretically, of course, like every technology that can be an issue, if something happens, but our goal of course is to avoid it at any time, yeah. - And to make sure that it can really compete where the others isn't, and many tiger also has a payment page, right? And not just a curated menu that is so easy to use. So is it more expensive than the other ones on the market? - No, it's not more expensive than the others on the market. I think the whole logic of menu tiger is that people can connect it to their point of sales, that they can connect it to their payment integration, that is actually one system where a person comes orders, it can be, it will be delivered to the table, they already paid, so the payment goes also automatic by the customer in this way. The restaurant knows what to do. It can be printed out, whatever. So that's the logic of menu tiger, that is actually a whole flow that makes an restaurant work, not just a digital menu, right? So that's important to understand. This whole back end, the whole back office system behind it that allows restaurants to operate with it. - What are the payment methods that you're accepting now for menu tiger? - So we of course credit cards, PayPal, Google Pay, Apple Pay, so these kind of main payments that most of people use, we accept, right? And it sounds like everything is really laid out for menu tiger, where can people find it? - People can of course find it when the Google menu tiger, they will find us, we rank first for that, or so that's one way to find us, we also are on different social media, so I would tell people just go to Google, look for menu tiger and then you will find us. - All right, I think we've covered everything about digital menus, so thanks for sitting with us, Benjamin, and until the next episode. So this has been Stakeurious with Crystal and Benjamin, and we'll see you guys in the next episode. Bye. - Bye. - The Stakeurious podcast is brought to you by QR Tiger, the most advanced QR code generator. If you find this episode insightful, go ahead and click the follow button to stay updated. If you know a marketer in need of QR code ideas, help them out by sharing the link to this podcast. Till next time. [BLANK_AUDIO]