Free QR Code Menu: a Real Digital Menu, Not a PDF
Epidom gives you a free menu page at epidom.fr/@shop-name with photos, prices and opening hours, plus a printable QR code for your tables. Customers can view the menu for free; taking orders from that page needs the POS plan.
PDF vs. a real digital menu for restaurants
Many QR code menus just open a PDF. On a phone that means pinching, zooming and scrolling through a heavy file that loads slowly on a weak signal. Prices are frozen in the file: every change means rebuilding the PDF, re-uploading it and hoping nobody saved the old version.
A real digital menu is a web page built for the phone screen: collapsible categories, dish photos, readable prices and visible options. You change a price once, and every guest sees the new one on their next scan. Nothing gets reprinted.
What the free page includes
Epidom's Free plan is a public page for your business, free forever. It includes:
- your menu in categories, with a photo, price and description for each item
- options (size, add-ons) and a “sold out” switch to pull an item in one tap
- featured items to push a special or something new
- opening hours, logo, colors, a cover photo and a tagline
- links to Instagram, TikTok, WhatsApp, Google Maps, delivery apps and custom links
- a printable QR code for the page, plus basic analytics (page views, menu views, WhatsApp clicks)
To be precise: viewing the menu is free. The Free plan does not take orders. For customers to order from the page (dine-in with a table number, or takeaway) you need the POS plan, $14.99 per month after a 14-day free trial.
How to make a QR code menu
- Create a free account — Sign up and name your business. Your page goes live at epidom.fr/@shop-name.
- Enter your menu — Add categories (starters, mains, drinks), then each item with a price, a photo and its options. Start with your ten best sellers and add the rest as you go.
- Style the page — Add your logo, colors, cover photo, opening hours and links. This is what guests see first.
- Print the QR code — Download the page's QR code and put it on your tables, counter and window. Scan it with your own phone before printing a full batch.
What to put on the table card
A QR code on its own doesn't tell anyone why to scan it. A good table card is small and simple:
- a short invitation, such as “Scan to see the menu”
- the QR code, large enough (at least about 1.2 inches square) in dark ink on a light background
- the short address written out, epidom.fr/@shop-name, for guests who don't scan
- your business name and, if useful, the table number
Keep a couple of printed menus behind the counter for guests who would rather not use their phone. The QR code supports your service; it doesn't replace a welcome.
Keeping prices up to date
This is the main reason to use a digital menu for a café or restaurant. Your coffee supplier raises prices, a dish comes off the menu, an ingredient runs out: you edit the item in Epidom and the page is current. For a mid-service sellout, the “sold out” switch stops guests from picking something you can't make.
Once a week, open your own menu page on your phone the way a guest would. Check that photos are sharp, prices are right and next week's opening hours are correct.
When guests want to order from the menu
Online ordering from the menu page, dine-in with a table number or takeaway, is part of the POS plan. Right now, orders from the page are pay-at-the-cashier: the POS is alerted and the cashier marks the order as paid. The POS plan also includes the cashier, the order queue and the kitchen display, with a 14-day free trial.
Questions
How do I make a free QR code menu?
Create a free Epidom account, add your categories and items with prices and photos, then download the QR code for your epidom.fr/@shop-name page. Print it and place it on your tables. Guests install nothing: they scan it with their phone camera.
Is the Epidom QR code menu really free?
Yes. The menu page, photos, options, opening hours, links and printable QR code are all in the Free plan, with no time limit. Only taking orders from the page is paid: it is part of the POS plan at $14.99 per month ($12.49 per month billed yearly), with a 14-day free trial.
Can customers order from the QR code menu?
Not on the Free plan: the menu can be viewed, not ordered from. On the POS plan, customers can order dine-in with a table number or for takeaway. Those orders are currently paid at the cashier, not online.
Do I need a new QR code when I change my prices?
No. The QR code points to your page's address, not to a file. Update prices in Epidom and the menu shown is current on the next scan. You only reprint if the page address changes.
Is a PDF good enough for a QR code menu?
It works, but it's awkward: the file is heavy, guests have to zoom, and every correction means replacing it. A mobile web page loads faster, reads without zooming, shows photos and updates in seconds.