Free QR Code Menu Template
Updated July 18, 2026 · by the QRHut team
You don't need special software to make a great QR menu — you need the right layout. Here's a phone-first template you can rebuild in Canva, Word, or Google Docs in twenty minutes.
The template: a phone-first menu layout
Guests read QR menus on a screen about 7 cm wide. Every rule below follows from that single fact:
- Page size: A4 or US Letter, portrait. One column. Never landscape, never multi-column.
- Type sizes: dish names 12–14 pt bold; descriptions 10–11 pt; section headers 16–18 pt. On a phone this reads comfortably without zooming.
- Structure per item: name and price on one line (price right-aligned), one short description line under it.
- Sections in decision order: what most guests decide between first — starters → mains → dessert for restaurants; drinks first for cafes and bars.
- Specials at the top: a small highlighted box labeled "Today" — it's the one thing you'll update most.
- Keep it light: export as PDF under ~2 MB so it opens fast on cellular. Skip full-page photo backgrounds.
Rebuild that structure in any tool you already use — Canva's "menu" templates work if you strip them to one column, and a plain Google Doc exported to PDF is honestly excellent on a phone.
Template: the table tent
Your table card needs exactly three elements — everything else lowers scan rates:
- Your restaurant name or logo (small, top).
- The QR code, at least 3×3 cm (4×4 cm in dim rooms), high contrast.
- One line of text: "Scan for our menu".
A6 card folded, or a 6×6 cm sticker for counters and bar tops. Print a few spares — they walk away.
QR code print guidelines
- Minimum size: 3×3 cm for arm's-length scanning; bigger for windows and walls (rule of thumb: scanning distance ÷ 10).
- Contrast: dark code on light background. With QRHut you can brand the colors — keep the contrast strong.
- Quiet zone: leave a white margin around the code; don't crowd it with graphics.
- Test before printing 50: scan the actual printout with an iPhone and an Android, in the room's real lighting.
The step that makes the template permanent
Whatever you design, don't link the printed code straight to a file location that changes — that's how codes die. Put a dynamic QR code in your template instead: withQRHut (free), the code points to your permanent link and you swap the PDF behind it whenever the menu changes. Design once, print once, update forever — the mechanics are inhow to create a QR code menu, and real-world layouts are in our QR code menu examples.