QR ordering spread rapidly during the pandemic, when contactless service became a necessity, and it has stayed in many pubs, casual chains and busy venues. Guests scan a code, browse the menu on their phone, order and often pay without waiting for a server. For operators it can increase average spend through prompts and add-ons, speed up ordering at peak times and reduce reliance on staff during shortages. But it can also reduce human interaction, frustrate guests with poor signal or no phone battery and exclude those less comfortable with technology, which raises accessibility questions.
Guests are split: some love the control, others feel it strips away hospitality. Many venues now run hybrid models, with QR codes for drinks and quick orders while staff still greet, advise and check back. Data collected through ordering apps is personal data, so privacy notices and consent for marketing matter. Whatever the system, a server who can step in quickly keeps the experience human.
What we ask on the show
- Does QR ordering kill the hospitality in hospitality?
- Have you seen it boost spend, or just save on staff?
- How do you make sure guests without a smartphone aren't left out?
- Where does QR ordering work best, and where should it never go?