QR Code Ordering for Restaurants: A UK Guide to Order and Pay

QR code ordering lets guests scan a code at the table, browse your menu on their phone, order and often pay without waiting for staff. It comes in three forms: order only, pay only, or both, and it suits busy casual venues far better than a tasting-menu restaurant. In the UK, it also brings legal points that many vendor pages skip: card tips on a QR flow count as employer-received tips, allergen information must be available before an order is completed, and alcohol still needs an age check when it reaches the table.

QR order, QR pay and pay-at-table: what is the difference?

Pay-only is the lowest-risk way to start. It keeps your service model and removes the wait for the bill, which is where guests lose the most time. Order-and-pay changes how your floor works, so it needs more planning.

TablePort's QR order and pay lets guests scan with no app download, order and pay with Apple Pay, Google Pay or card, and split by seat, item or equally. Sunday offers QR pay-at-table and QR ordering, and lists integrations with a range of existing POS systems on its website (checked October 2026); see our Sunday comparison.

The guest experience: when it works and when it does not

QR ordering works when guests want control and speed:

• High-volume casual dining and pubs, where waiting for a server to take a drink order is the pain point.
• Large groups, where paying individually saves a long bill-splitting conversation.
• Brunch and daytime trade, where guests are in and out.
• Venues with a limited floor team, where each server covers more tables.

It works less well when hospitality itself is what guests pay for. A fine-dining room with a sommelier and a tasting menu should not hand a guest a phone to order wine. Pay-only QR may still be right at the end of the meal, but offer it discreetly, and let staff present the bill if that is what the guest prefers. See our notes for fine dining and casual dining.

Common failures to avoid:

• A menu that loads slowly on weak mobile signal. Test in the corners of your room.
• Guests unable to find the code, or a code that has worn off. Laminate and replace them.
• No way to call a person. Staff should still check in, because QR ordering saves effort but does not replace welcome.
• Orders for the wrong table because a code was moved. Number and fix them.
• Phones with flat batteries or no data. Plan a fallback.

Tips and service charge: the law applies to QR flows

If you collect tips through your QR flow, the Employment (Allocation of Tips) Act 2023 applies. The government's statutory Code of Practice on tips says an employer is likely to receive a tip paid by card or by a mobile app, including by scanning a QR code, which makes it an employer-received tip that the employer is responsible for distributing fairly. The method of payment does not decide whether a tip is covered. Digital tipping where a customer uses an app to tip staff directly, bypassing the employer altogether, is out of scope.

In practice, that means:

• Do not deduct card fees or admin charges from tips, except in the very limited cases the Code allows, such as income tax.
• Have a written tipping policy that explains how tips are allocated, and keep records.
• Choose a distribution method, such as a tronc, and apply it consistently. Our tronc guide and tip calculator show how.
• Check how your QR system records tips by shift and by person so you can distribute them accurately.

Service charge is separate. HMRC's VAT Notice 709/1 says a service charge you make is standard-rated, while a tip a customer freely gives above your total charge has no VAT due. If you add a service charge automatically through the QR flow, show it clearly before the guest pays. Our service charge guide explains the rules in more detail.

On design, avoid pre-selected high tip percentages that nudge guests into paying more than they intended. Offer sensible presets and a custom amount, and show a clear total.

Allergens and alcohol on a digital menu

Allergens. The Food Standards Agency's allergen guidance says that for online or phone orders, allergen information must be provided before the purchase is completed and again when the food is delivered, in writing or orally. That guidance is written for distance selling, and a guest ordering from a table in your premises is not necessarily a distance sale. The safest practice is still to meet the same standard: make your allergen information visible before the guest orders and pays, and available again when the food arrives, for instance through staff confirming it at the table. Ask your local authority food safety team if you are unsure how your set-up is treated. Show the 14 allergens clearly on each dish and give guests a way to speak to staff. See our allergen guide and allergen matrix template.

Alcohol. The Home Office's section 182 guidance says that where alcohol is ordered remotely, including online or by phone, it is not treated as served until it is delivered. The person serving must make sure an age check has taken place before the drink is handed over. A QR order cannot replace Challenge 25 at the table. Your system should flag orders containing alcohol, and staff should check ID when they deliver. Digital proof of age became optional in England and Wales on 15 September 2026, but it must go through a certified service.

Accessibility and guests without phones

Not every guest has a smartphone, a data signal or a comfortable way to use one. Under the Equality Act 2010, service providers have an anticipatory duty to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people, not only when someone asks. For a QR service, that means:

• Always offer a staff-taken alternative: a paper menu, or a server who takes the order and bill.
• Make the web menu usable with a screen reader and with larger text, and test it rather than assuming it works.
• Provide clear contrast and large tap targets, and avoid timeouts that clear a basket.
• Offer languages. TablePort's guest menus work in 16 languages, which helps tourists and non-native speakers.
• Do not make QR the only way to order or to pay.

Ask your vendor whether it has been tested against recognised accessibility guidelines, and ask for evidence.

Costs, fees and the spend question

QR order and pay normally uses the same card processing as the rest of your system, so the cost is your effective card rate, plus any per-order fee or monthly add-on the provider charges. Ask whether QR is included in your plan or sold as a separate product, and whether split payments each carry a fixed fee. A bill split nine ways means nine transactions, which matters if there is a fixed fee on each. Our EPOS cost guide explains how to compare effective rates.

On average spend, vendors often claim that QR ordering lifts it, or that tables turn faster. We have not found independent UK data we can rely on, so treat headline figures with caution. Measure it yourself instead:

1. Record average spend per head and table turn time for four weeks before you launch.
2. Launch QR on part of the floor, or on weekdays only.
3. Compare the same measures for four weeks, adjusting for seasonality and events.
4. Check tips, refunds and customer feedback alongside spend, not only revenue.

Rollout checklist

1. Decide which model you are launching: order, pay, or both.
2. Load your menu with photos, modifiers, prices and all 14 allergens.
3. Set up alcohol flags and an age-check step at delivery.
4. Write your tipping policy and decide how you will distribute tips.
5. Print and number table codes, then test every one.
6. Make sure there is a staff alternative for every guest.
7. Brief staff on what changes: running food, checking on tables, handling problems.
8. Run a soft launch in a quiet service and review feedback before going live.

This guide is general information, not legal advice; check the rules on tips, allergens, alcohol and accessibility against your own circumstances and the sources linked above.