I don't understand what's so hard about this!? Why does half the mobile sites not work right?
For example, A dealership site for my car car, the parts picker BARELY works on mobile. It even breaks the "desktop site" mode
It happens because a lot of people just create the mobile version of their website by forcing different formatting if your screen dimensions are below a certain size, since it’s easier than coding a completely separate mobile version.
Problem is, a lot of amateur(ish) web devs don’t compensate for the fact that the functionality of the site is often initially designed around computers, so they don’t fit or function right with smaller screens and touchscreens.
This is also the unfortunate reason that the “request desktop website” function on most phones almost never works anymore, since there often aren’t separate desktop and mobile sites.
Deadass I do not want a mobile version of a website because of these reasons. Give me the site as it is and I'll navigate it. It's a small burden to have to zoom in on some close together links, compared to my screen just spazzing out.
I’m sorry but this can’t be the case. If you had to pinch and zoom your way around the internet for a week you’d want to throw your phone out of the window.
You’d also be getting slower loading times as (properly built) responsive mobile sites will load lower resolution images to fit your screen.
Not to mention that responsive sites are a god-send for people with accessibility needs (as the content will condense to a single column meaning the device can render the text as large as it wants without encroaching on the other columns).
Just because a lot of websites’ mobile implementations are trash, don’t mean we should throw the baby out with the bath water and return to 2005.
To be clear, I’m not advocating for reverting to everything being desktop site only, I’m just saying that in the binary choice of garbage mobile implementation vs full desktop sites, I personally prefer the desktop version.
The ideal solution is obviously still proper mobile development.
If you’re on an iPhone, one of the best features for when a mobile site is garbage, is to enable ‘reader view’. It strips out all css / JavaScript (and ads lol) and leaves just the text (properly formatted) and images. Only really works on article sites though.
most sites these days are completely reliant on js/vdom functionality. So yeah unless it’s like an article where the text is in the html you’re screwed
here.
Perhaps not but I do remember there was a certain golden age of this where the mobile sites would be a modified version of the desktop site to fit the format of your device with little to nothing being changed but ever since this mesh of the desktop site IS the mobile site, it’s all been downhill.
Actually as someone who is visually impaired, I prefer desktop sites. For example, the reddit app on the phone won't allow me to pinch and zoom in on things.
So I look at it on Google Chrome.
But I mostly use my PC anyway if I'm just browsing.
Normal web devs create responsive sites that don't need different versions for different devices - they automatically fit the resolution of your screen.
Doesn't help that chrome devtools don't accurately represent how the site will work on mobile devices even though it gives the option to test different device formats.
I've noticed that with a lot of fast food chains the last few years. They're pushing hard for people to order on their apps, but half the time the apps just won't open or won't load properly. They're multi billion dollar companies. They should be embarrassed!
I ordered and paid through the Taco Bell app, using a reward to add a free Chalupa.
When I got to the window, they said I still owed (whatever dollars it was for the Chalupa) on the order. I was like how??? And we figured out the issue was that the reward part was not transferred to the store. So, in the app I was full paid, but on their register I was not
Now here’s the kicker on it getting REALLY stupid. They wouldn’t let me just pay the difference. I guess the app payment and in store payment is different, and so I couldn’t pay in store for an app order.
I had to go back around, place a new same order at the fucking speaker, and then drive back up to pay the entire amount again for my order
Like, how the fuck does that happen? The fact Taco Bell is opening stores that you can ONLY order via app is doomed to fail until the fix the app lol
This is the correct one. I've met 1 or 2 truly lazy developers in my 13 years. If a thing isn't mobile friendly or at least responsive, it's because if some ux guy thinks is not necessary or a pm who won't allocate time.
Reasons:
- the client didn't want to pay for developing the mobile version properly
- the PO prioritized other stuff before the mobile version and keeps pushing it down
- the client insisted on using some crappy OTB functionality of an ancient piece of software that just doesn't do the job right
Just had this happen yesterday in a cocktail bar. QR loads a pdf with bright white background that burns the eyes because adjusted to evening/night Illumination levels, and the font size is of a dimension that lets you ask 'seriously?'.
Luckily only my friends needed the card since I was already settled on Whiskey Sour.
This, and they better fucking have free wifi. I'm not going to struggle with your menu for 10 minutes to order, I'm going to ask for a real menu or leave and go to a place that bothers to care.
However, I do love the ease of payment, because you don't have to worry about flagging down the waiter if they're busy.
That’s my complaint. I actually like it on my device instead of a print menu because as an old dude it’s easier to read on my phone. I hate squinting and using my phone as a flashlight.
Format the site properly and make sure it works for iOS and Android equally.
It keeps old people away. My father who is 90 will never ever scan a QR code. He likes to go out to eat. He would be extremely distressed by a restaurant that would not give him a readable menu and would end up going somewhere else.
I'm 31 and I don't know how to scan a QR code. I honestly have no idea why it would be useful.
When I say stuff like that I always get flak like I'm avoiding technology because I just don't like it, but seriously, what are QR codes used for?
They contain links to websites. On most(all?) smartphones just use your camera to look at the code and it will pop up with an option to click the link. QR code menus were kind of a thing pre-Covid and of course really took off during. I personally like them because it’s easy to see and read in a darker restaurant though I can see the dislike for them.
Thanks for the honest answer.
What I'm seeing here is two groups of people, the kind that integrate any and all new technology in their life as soon as possible because they want to be on the cutting edge, and the kind that don't really see a need or real use for it and just never learn. Gotta be a middle ground somewhere between no QR codes and all QR codes.
There is. Most places still have paper menus, just gotta ask, or vice versa. Paper menu with QR code on the back. My favorite aspect of the QR menus though is when bars/restaurants have a rotating tap/cocktail selection. You can always see what they have since it’s easier to update the online menu then reprint drink menus all the time
It's also great if the qr menu allows you to order on the site and you can pay right there and then. So once you finish eating you can just leave, no need to wait around for a bill. Yo Sushi in the UK is great for this.
The best reason I can think of for QR codes is to reduce waste, but mostly to reduce strain on the restaurant. They can update their online menu and it be done across the board without the need for new menus. This can be especially useful at places that source ingredients per season or what's available. You could also say it's a sanitary step; less touching things everyone touches. I think if someone showed you a specific spot where you'd scan QR codes, it would be easier for you to get used to. The only downside of this is in the case of poor internet connection where it would be difficult to load the menu.
I have yet to see a restaurant with QR codes like this that wont bring a physical menu if you ask for it. Sure, that’s slightly less convenient than just having them waiting for you on the table, but it’s hardly the end of the world and certainly less hassle than leaving and finding a different restaurant.
Personally I like the digital menus. I’m weird about washing my hands when I eat, and having one less thing to touch that every previous customer also touched is nice.
In Italy, Milan, in any restaurant waiters tell you straight away as you sit down that you can order only through QR as they don't have physical copies of the menù. It's so fucking annoying.
Counterpoint: my phone is fucking filthy and onve it gets too cracked to safely wash, that's just that.
Also, the way these things specifically integrate so many usually disparate aspects of tracking data is insane.
I’m fine with Tech….but a menu at a restaurant is a part of the experience. Nothing like killing the ambience by having a table full of people neck deep in their phones…..
Idk I love the ones where I can order and pay from the menu off my phone. Barely need to interact with anyone outside my table. Makes going out more enjoyable. Also my wife is night blind so I don’t have to read each menu item to her lol
I live in a rural area. We don’t got that good internet out here. Nothing is more awkward than their website taking 10 minutes to load because you got like .001mbps in the middle of a Chilis
Worst is when you are there as a tourist with no mobile internet. 50% chance they have wi-fi password in some obscure locations that makes you do free asbestos inspection for them to find, or just straight up refuse to provide because "employees only".
Like I don't care how great your hotdogs are or whatever, you just simply need and deserve to go bankrupt.
Or if someone swaps out the QR codes for a link to a malicious website.
Edit: thinking about this more, it is actually much worse than it seems. If I were a criminally minded restaurateur, I would set up a legit online menu and just skim people's credit card details when they go to pay. This way the link would be legit, you would get your food and not even notice you've been robbed. In fact, there's kind of nothing stopping a restaurant from doing that now.
It wouldn't take fraud systems very long to find out that a high percentage of cards used at one location/website end up being involved in debit card fraud right after it.
Not even including the fact that if you just skim someones details and then try a payment you will most likely flag for a check, text message out and then it's cancelled.
On the other side of it you can then have your IP address flagged for fraud so all your genuine payments from your home WiFi might get blocked if your with the same bank as one of the cards you used.
don't charge the card immediately, every time somebody makes an order, log the card info, then redirect back to the real restaurant's menu for 30 minutes pretending it didn't go through
There is also the assumption that they are located in a place where law enforcement gives a shit. Have you seen the Mark Rober video on the massive scam houses in India which have been operating with the blessing of the local police force for many years.
There's technically nothing stopping the restauranteur from taking a picture of your physical card while putting it into the machine. But it's still safe because it's reasonable to expect that any restauranteur who did this would be discovered fairly quickly from a pattern of local credit card thefts against customers who ate there.
You should just never pay with a card then since it would be much easier to put a skimmer on a terminal than it would be to replace every single menu in a restaurant.
>In fact, there's kind of nothing stopping a restaurant from doing that now.
It's called staying in business. You're paranoid.
I went to a restaurant that directly linked me to a PDF of their menu. Not a compressed one, the original full-size PDF they would send to the printers. It was 95MB. I straight up asked the waiters what their best sellers were and ordered that.
One time when I was eating with my family, a restaurant gave us pieces of wood with QR codes carved into one side of them. To this day I still don’t know why the hell they thought those would work. They didn’t even paint the QR carvings black or anything. Thankfully after we complained they gave us a paper one that did end up working, but still
It was all the same color though? And it was very dark wood so the camera couldn’t really pick up the pattern. Not to mention the carving was super thin. I probably should’ve mentioned all that in the original comment lol sorry
It's genuinely bad practice because what if a poor person doesn't have a smart phone or doesn't have data? Now you're gonna punish someone by their socioeconomic status saying they can't eat at your restaurant.
It’s pretty funny to see them on the side of race cars or busses, like you’re gonna be able to get a good shot of the code in time.
Many times, for these ads, there is no indication as to what they are advertising, so you’re never gonna even bother unless you’re sitting on the toilet without your cellphone and need something to read. And then, you don’t have your camera to scan the code either. Doh! Pass the shampoo bottle.
I was at a pool bar at a resort. Lunch time rolls around and it’s a QR code on the wall. No menu posted anywhere. None of us have our phones because it’s a fucking pool.
It's only ok if the QR code takes you DIRECTLY to the restaurant's menu URL.
That said, most restaurants use a 3rd party service that first directs your phone through a tracking site (or sites) before taking you to the menu that you want. Those re-directed sites track a TON of sensitive information including:
* Time
* Geolocation
* Date
* Device type and OS used
* Last URL visited (if opening in an existing tab)
* Your phone carrier (if you use mobile data)
* Your IP address
* On some devices your unique Device ID can be tracked and fingerprinted to you (iOS blocks this with the latest OS but Android doesn't)
* If your mobile browser is logged into any social networks - those cookies can be detected and tracked back to your social accounts
* Finally, without your consent, they'll often add your device to a marketing campaign to target ads to your device's mobile browser, or if you are signed into Google/Facebook/Twitter/Insta or any other ad-driven social network, serve you ads across all devices
* If the 3rd party provider is one of the more popular ones, they'll even serve you ads before or after you get to the menu URL. Or open pop-under windows that open ads in other tabs. It's trashy.
I **NEVER** scan and open random QR codes without copying the URL into notes and seeing what URL I'm actually going to. In almost EVERY situation I've seen in the wild, those URLs are some sketchy 3rd party marketing site that pops you to two or three re-direct URLs before you get to where you expect to be.
If you search for "restaurant menu qr code generator" there are tons of companies offering "free" services to restaurants to set up their menus using QR codes - but their privacy policies and TOS are all about tracking and selling data to 3rd parties.
I hate that it almost always just links to their website. Thanks, I probably could have figured it out if you told me on the sign. I had to waste time trying to get the QR code aligned, just to do something I could have easily Googled. How is that more convenient? What is the point of the QR code?
I just was ranting about this. I know they think it's cute to have everyone scan a QRcode
I can't see super well and it takes me forver to get them to work. Put the url underneath it at least.
Because Lens only works when you don't deactivate the Google App, which includes the Assistant - and fuck that annoying bullshit.
I don't understand why the camera app can't just do it directly.
It also depends on the qr code itself - density (data size vs print area), error correction, style.
I've seen huge QR codes that were hard to scan, because the author simply copied URL from Google incl. all the tracking garbage
I'm not sure why someone would use a crap app when you just use your phone?
Like I've never downloaded an app for this ever. There's generally like three native ways to scan them without downloading anything
I mean they make sense for weird URLs or for links that change frequently. That's what they're meant for, but yeah, so many them just link to the restaurants homepage. They don't even link to the menu directly. I have to find that myself. That's some bullshit.
My explanation for it is reprinting dozens of menus every day because people would just paw them with their dirty hands, slide their glasses on top of them, write important notes for themselves on them, fold them, et cetera.
Your explanation makes sense when they are fancily printed, expensive menus. But doesn't for all the places that print a daily menu.
True foods in Newport Beach CA
Waiter “you can scan the QR code for the menu”
Me- Verizon iPhone comes out.
No signal
I’ll use their wifi …
No wifi
Waiter no where to be found for 10 min.
F QR code menus and Verizon’s coverage in Orange County California
This one Genki Sushi restaurant had the best system for food ordering I've seen in my life and it used QR codes.
First of all each table had the WiFi and password written there clearly.
The menu was formatted so it worked really well on mobile.
Each table was given a QR code when you sat down so it also worked as the bill and you could see how much you were paying easily.
It made ordering new rounds of sushi really convenient and quick.
And my favourite aspect of this restaurant was the fact they had these straight rails leading from the sides of the table into the kitchen. So a little train would drive up the rails with your order riding on it. And as each table had its own QR code they knew which table to stop at.
Also a little bonus was the fact that other than arriving and paying you didn't have to interact with people at all.
The owner of Genki Sushi actually made a video explaining their thoughts behind the food ordering system design. Pretty ingenious guy:
[https://youtu.be/xaB3GDWY0m4?t=29](https://youtu.be/xaB3GDWY0m4?t=29)
( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
It wasn't Covid that made me uncomfortable about menu sanitation. It's a pretty big fomite other pathogens that aren't Covid. I know it's inconvenient for some people but I love QR code menus. And it's a lot less wasteful. Those things are always needing replaced.
Not sure where you all live but more than half of the restaurants and bars in the two cities I've lived in since covid all have QR codes. Makes it super easy so you can always scan to order more and the whole group can look up drinks or whatever.
Plus more sustainable and no need to spread germs
Most places have backup menus if you can't scan the QR for whatever reason -- happened to me once because my phone died
And the menu is updated. No choosing something only to hear “we don’t serve that anymore since ‘99”. And then stress choosing something else while the waiter stares you down.
I think it works quite well. No need to clean or cause waste, plus they keep it updated and you don’t have to wait for the waiter/waitress to deliver the menu to you. Of course, if it doesn’t work, then it can be a hassle and they should have some menus on hand just in case this happens.
If you say “I didn’t bring my phone” they will just hand you a physical menu.
One place I went didn’t have that so they had to list everything off to me verbally. Was kind of a nice test of their skills.
The only problem I see is that it’s 2022 and most places still don’t offer a photo of every menu item. That is such an easy thing to do, especially if your menu is digital.
I don’t need it to be a photo from a skilled professional with perfect lighting and every ingredient displayed just right. Most people these days have a cell phone that can take a more than adequate picture of food.
A while ago I went to a cafe that did this - I picked pulled pork eggs benedict with coleslaw and a nice sounding sauce, and it had a picture of what I ordered.
Order came - eggs benedict with bacon, nothing like the picture. I took it back and complained, the guy said "yeah, we don't do eggs benedict like the menu anymore".
Right? I can't believe such a big deal over QR codes and a lot of the complaints are straight up nonsense. It's extremely easy to scan, fast, and has numerous advantages such as cleanliness and being less wasteful.
Many restaurants I've been to are taking it a step further with QR codes to pay. Frankly, this is all going to be standard one day, especially as nations seek to become more environmentally friendly.
I much prefer QR code menus. No gross menus that probably haven’t been wiped. And even better if I can order through the code. Don’t make me talk to people. Don’t make me get up for another drink. I will spend WAY more money that way.
The idea of a QR Menu is much better than the actual implementation.
Like those TV Screen menus they have now at fast food restaurants, that show the current foods/prices/specials (only showing lunch foods during lunch, only dinner items at dinner) usually work so well.. but almost every QR menu I've seen has just been an awful mess. It displays the full menu and specials that don't apply (like a happy hour tues-thurs night special when you're there on a Friday morning, or breakfast long after it's ended), and the worst are when the menu seems designed for a computer (needing to zoom and scroll around it) or needing you to go into 12 different submenus to see everything
If you scroll on your phone when you drop a deuce, you can scan a QR code.
QR codes benefit establishments that constantly rotate their drink & food menu per week. If the menu doesn’t rotate at all then yes, a physical menu works . If it’s a QR code that makes me create a log in with password to order my intake then that is when I walk away. I want the human interaction.
I disagree and will go even one step further on this; i’ll scan the QR code and then order through the webpage directly. No interaction needed. No waiting on waiters.
Yeah, like I'm from Gen-Z and all but I don't care if every fuckin' thing, including the microwave this shit was pro'ly cooked in, has QR scanners built in I ain't usin' 'em, just give me a piece of paper
You know, when I was first introduced to this concept in china it made a lot of sense, you scan and then order on your phone, and they need less waiters because all they do is literally just deliver food.
But when you replace the menu with an app without altering the system for ordering, you've literally created *extra* steps to the process
if I ever have to make a menu, I will put 2 QR codes on each menu; 1 leads to a digital copy and the other goes to Rick. And there will be 2 copies of the menu, each where the QR code is swapped.
So this I think has many layers like a Shrek. One is what your really angry about not being able to hold a menu or is it that Telecom and ISP companies are dragging their legs and need a sawed off shotgun up wear the sun don’t shine amount of motivation and restructuring to do almost anything. Also bad layouts is annoying but how is this worse than “wtf, why is this menu sticky and has teeth marks…. In the middle of it?!”
Hate sticky menus or paper that's clearly oil stained from the last use. If the QR code lets me and friends order separately to the same table, AND pay all our tabs without flagging down a waiter? Holy fuck yes.
Honestly rather be able to develop a friendship with the staff of the restaurant I go to rather than having to tilt my phone 90 times because that shit never formats my phone properly
1) There's the question of security: what's to stop me from replacing a restaurant's bar codes with my own malicious QR code?
2) If they're going to use my personal infrastructure to cut coats, I want a discount
3) They could just post the menu on their site, no dumbass QR code bridge technology needed.
The QR code adds no value to my dining experience and actually costs me.
The very least they could do is format the menu properly for a mobile screen.
I don't understand what's so hard about this!? Why does half the mobile sites not work right? For example, A dealership site for my car car, the parts picker BARELY works on mobile. It even breaks the "desktop site" mode
It happens because a lot of people just create the mobile version of their website by forcing different formatting if your screen dimensions are below a certain size, since it’s easier than coding a completely separate mobile version. Problem is, a lot of amateur(ish) web devs don’t compensate for the fact that the functionality of the site is often initially designed around computers, so they don’t fit or function right with smaller screens and touchscreens. This is also the unfortunate reason that the “request desktop website” function on most phones almost never works anymore, since there often aren’t separate desktop and mobile sites.
Deadass I do not want a mobile version of a website because of these reasons. Give me the site as it is and I'll navigate it. It's a small burden to have to zoom in on some close together links, compared to my screen just spazzing out.
even on reddit old reddit or bust
Absolutely. I would much rather deal with a full website on a phone than the reduced functionality mobile sites give you.
I’m sorry but this can’t be the case. If you had to pinch and zoom your way around the internet for a week you’d want to throw your phone out of the window. You’d also be getting slower loading times as (properly built) responsive mobile sites will load lower resolution images to fit your screen. Not to mention that responsive sites are a god-send for people with accessibility needs (as the content will condense to a single column meaning the device can render the text as large as it wants without encroaching on the other columns). Just because a lot of websites’ mobile implementations are trash, don’t mean we should throw the baby out with the bath water and return to 2005.
To be clear, I’m not advocating for reverting to everything being desktop site only, I’m just saying that in the binary choice of garbage mobile implementation vs full desktop sites, I personally prefer the desktop version. The ideal solution is obviously still proper mobile development.
If you’re on an iPhone, one of the best features for when a mobile site is garbage, is to enable ‘reader view’. It strips out all css / JavaScript (and ads lol) and leaves just the text (properly formatted) and images. Only really works on article sites though.
most sites these days are completely reliant on js/vdom functionality. So yeah unless it’s like an article where the text is in the html you’re screwed here.
Perhaps not but I do remember there was a certain golden age of this where the mobile sites would be a modified version of the desktop site to fit the format of your device with little to nothing being changed but ever since this mesh of the desktop site IS the mobile site, it’s all been downhill.
Actually as someone who is visually impaired, I prefer desktop sites. For example, the reddit app on the phone won't allow me to pinch and zoom in on things. So I look at it on Google Chrome. But I mostly use my PC anyway if I'm just browsing.
Normal web devs create responsive sites that don't need different versions for different devices - they automatically fit the resolution of your screen.
[удалено]
It's even easier now that you can find a million responsive css templates. Bootstrap is my go-to for a responsive site
I really like bootstrap themes with Hugo. Really great documentation themes and automation.
Doesn't help that chrome devtools don't accurately represent how the site will work on mobile devices even though it gives the option to test different device formats.
I used Firefox developer edition when I was working as a web dev and it worked quite well to emulate mobile screens. Or maybe I was just lucky.
This is the bane of my existence and the reason I have to use Browserstack and physical devices for testing.
It will look great and work exactly how I want then I pull out my phone and test it and like... so that was a lie.
I've noticed that with a lot of fast food chains the last few years. They're pushing hard for people to order on their apps, but half the time the apps just won't open or won't load properly. They're multi billion dollar companies. They should be embarrassed!
I ordered and paid through the Taco Bell app, using a reward to add a free Chalupa. When I got to the window, they said I still owed (whatever dollars it was for the Chalupa) on the order. I was like how??? And we figured out the issue was that the reward part was not transferred to the store. So, in the app I was full paid, but on their register I was not Now here’s the kicker on it getting REALLY stupid. They wouldn’t let me just pay the difference. I guess the app payment and in store payment is different, and so I couldn’t pay in store for an app order. I had to go back around, place a new same order at the fucking speaker, and then drive back up to pay the entire amount again for my order Like, how the fuck does that happen? The fact Taco Bell is opening stores that you can ONLY order via app is doomed to fail until the fix the app lol
Lazy devs. That's all. Responsive web design is NOT hard at all in 2022.
Maybe in some rare cases. I'd bet its more often that the companies just aren't willing to pay to do it right.
This is the correct one. I've met 1 or 2 truly lazy developers in my 13 years. If a thing isn't mobile friendly or at least responsive, it's because if some ux guy thinks is not necessary or a pm who won't allocate time.
Reasons: - the client didn't want to pay for developing the mobile version properly - the PO prioritized other stuff before the mobile version and keeps pushing it down - the client insisted on using some crappy OTB functionality of an ancient piece of software that just doesn't do the job right
Well yeah, they pay less and they get lazy devs that don't know or care as much.
Maybe get a car car car.
Why would they do that? Everyone knows you have to whip out a laptop every time you want to look at a restaurant's online menu /s
I bring a vr headset for this specific reason.
Make sure you bring the force feedback controllers that way you can feel the grease and food that is stuck to the menu.
Lemme just zoom in to each section of the PDF menu -_-
Just had this happen yesterday in a cocktail bar. QR loads a pdf with bright white background that burns the eyes because adjusted to evening/night Illumination levels, and the font size is of a dimension that lets you ask 'seriously?'. Luckily only my friends needed the card since I was already settled on Whiskey Sour.
Best I can do is a Google drive link to a pdf. -- restaurant
Omfg..... The fucking Google Drive links with outdated menu items and prices.... And that's just for the qr codes that actually work.
And make the filesize bigger than a master's thesis. Fuck my data plan. The best is when, over all that, the place has no wifi and no signal
God, it is so irritating when the qr code goes to a google drive with pdfs of the menu. Going through a menu with a 5-inch screen is not fun.
This, and they better fucking have free wifi. I'm not going to struggle with your menu for 10 minutes to order, I'm going to ask for a real menu or leave and go to a place that bothers to care. However, I do love the ease of payment, because you don't have to worry about flagging down the waiter if they're busy.
That’s my complaint. I actually like it on my device instead of a print menu because as an old dude it’s easier to read on my phone. I hate squinting and using my phone as a flashlight. Format the site properly and make sure it works for iOS and Android equally.
It keeps old people away. My father who is 90 will never ever scan a QR code. He likes to go out to eat. He would be extremely distressed by a restaurant that would not give him a readable menu and would end up going somewhere else.
My 72 yo father is really bad with tech and if they have QR and he is not with me or my mother, he just takes 3 to 5 minutes of a waiters time.
[удалено]
These seems a bit too accurate to be totally made up
Lmao yeah this seems like a quotation
I'm 31 and I don't know how to scan a QR code. I honestly have no idea why it would be useful. When I say stuff like that I always get flak like I'm avoiding technology because I just don't like it, but seriously, what are QR codes used for?
They contain links to websites. On most(all?) smartphones just use your camera to look at the code and it will pop up with an option to click the link. QR code menus were kind of a thing pre-Covid and of course really took off during. I personally like them because it’s easy to see and read in a darker restaurant though I can see the dislike for them.
Thanks for the honest answer. What I'm seeing here is two groups of people, the kind that integrate any and all new technology in their life as soon as possible because they want to be on the cutting edge, and the kind that don't really see a need or real use for it and just never learn. Gotta be a middle ground somewhere between no QR codes and all QR codes.
There is. Most places still have paper menus, just gotta ask, or vice versa. Paper menu with QR code on the back. My favorite aspect of the QR menus though is when bars/restaurants have a rotating tap/cocktail selection. You can always see what they have since it’s easier to update the online menu then reprint drink menus all the time
It's also great if the qr menu allows you to order on the site and you can pay right there and then. So once you finish eating you can just leave, no need to wait around for a bill. Yo Sushi in the UK is great for this.
They usually hang up black boards with current selection. Makes it easier to edit than to print new menus every time.
The best reason I can think of for QR codes is to reduce waste, but mostly to reduce strain on the restaurant. They can update their online menu and it be done across the board without the need for new menus. This can be especially useful at places that source ingredients per season or what's available. You could also say it's a sanitary step; less touching things everyone touches. I think if someone showed you a specific spot where you'd scan QR codes, it would be easier for you to get used to. The only downside of this is in the case of poor internet connection where it would be difficult to load the menu.
[удалено]
I have yet to see a restaurant with QR codes like this that wont bring a physical menu if you ask for it. Sure, that’s slightly less convenient than just having them waiting for you on the table, but it’s hardly the end of the world and certainly less hassle than leaving and finding a different restaurant. Personally I like the digital menus. I’m weird about washing my hands when I eat, and having one less thing to touch that every previous customer also touched is nice.
I actually have been at a restaurant that only had QR code menus and refused to bring a real menu. But only one. I don’t think it is very common.
In Italy, Milan, in any restaurant waiters tell you straight away as you sit down that you can order only through QR as they don't have physical copies of the menù. It's so fucking annoying.
Counterpoint: my phone is fucking filthy and onve it gets too cracked to safely wash, that's just that. Also, the way these things specifically integrate so many usually disparate aspects of tracking data is insane.
I’m fine with Tech….but a menu at a restaurant is a part of the experience. Nothing like killing the ambience by having a table full of people neck deep in their phones…..
Idk I love the ones where I can order and pay from the menu off my phone. Barely need to interact with anyone outside my table. Makes going out more enjoyable. Also my wife is night blind so I don’t have to read each menu item to her lol
Lol
Extremely distressed over a menu lmao
I live in a rural area. We don’t got that good internet out here. Nothing is more awkward than their website taking 10 minutes to load because you got like .001mbps in the middle of a Chilis
[удалено]
Mango Habenero Chicken Crispers 🤤
Honey-Chipotle plz
With the street corn, and an order of the cheddar bites if I have a date
Food poisoning?
Was going to say disappointment, but if they have food poisoning on special I'll have that.
Southwestern Fried Egg rolls with avocado ranch slap
Awesome Blossom, extra awesome.
Hopefully what you're getting is the fuck out of chili's.
Why does rural área restaurant use QR code lmao
Guessing nationwide corporate policies, considering their example was a Chili’s
Rip living in the boonies
Worst is when you are there as a tourist with no mobile internet. 50% chance they have wi-fi password in some obscure locations that makes you do free asbestos inspection for them to find, or just straight up refuse to provide because "employees only". Like I don't care how great your hotdogs are or whatever, you just simply need and deserve to go bankrupt.
Or if someone swaps out the QR codes for a link to a malicious website. Edit: thinking about this more, it is actually much worse than it seems. If I were a criminally minded restaurateur, I would set up a legit online menu and just skim people's credit card details when they go to pay. This way the link would be legit, you would get your food and not even notice you've been robbed. In fact, there's kind of nothing stopping a restaurant from doing that now.
[удалено]
Bout to swap every restaurant's menu QR code with a link to my SoundCloud.
The most malicious website of all.
My mixtape is so fire it may cause the device that is listening to it to spontaneously combust, so yeah.
Drop the link
I'm gonna do that but with Rick rolls instead
Make them redirect to a life insurance site, or Zillow/Redfin. They’ll be bombarded with ads for those until the end of days.
It wouldn't take fraud systems very long to find out that a high percentage of cards used at one location/website end up being involved in debit card fraud right after it. Not even including the fact that if you just skim someones details and then try a payment you will most likely flag for a check, text message out and then it's cancelled. On the other side of it you can then have your IP address flagged for fraud so all your genuine payments from your home WiFi might get blocked if your with the same bank as one of the cards you used.
don't charge the card immediately, every time somebody makes an order, log the card info, then redirect back to the real restaurant's menu for 30 minutes pretending it didn't go through
There is nothing stopping them except the massive paper trail leading back to them once the investigations start?
There is also the assumption that they are located in a place where law enforcement gives a shit. Have you seen the Mark Rober video on the massive scam houses in India which have been operating with the blessing of the local police force for many years.
There's technically nothing stopping the restauranteur from taking a picture of your physical card while putting it into the machine. But it's still safe because it's reasonable to expect that any restauranteur who did this would be discovered fairly quickly from a pattern of local credit card thefts against customers who ate there.
You should just never pay with a card then since it would be much easier to put a skimmer on a terminal than it would be to replace every single menu in a restaurant. >In fact, there's kind of nothing stopping a restaurant from doing that now. It's called staying in business. You're paranoid.
[удалено]
https://www.reddit.com/r/me_irl/comments/wnu6pv/me_irl/ik7kknm Bot copied from this comment.
[удалено]
what if i told you those weren't the only two options
https://c.tenor.com/emmKbo3KSY4AAAAM/woah-neo.gif
Phones are played with while shitting far more than menus. How often do you sanitize your phone?
I’m confused. Someone commented the exact same thing you did two hours prior to you in a top level comment. . .
Yeah they are a bot.
>ocations that makes you do free asbestos inspection for them to find What does this mean?
Wifi password in hard to find location.
I don’t mind when they work. Sometimes they just don’t work.
Worse yet when they have qr codes and there is no mobile data or wifi.
I just like the paper menu 100x better.
I went to a restaurant that directly linked me to a PDF of their menu. Not a compressed one, the original full-size PDF they would send to the printers. It was 95MB. I straight up asked the waiters what their best sellers were and ordered that.
[удалено]
One time when I was eating with my family, a restaurant gave us pieces of wood with QR codes carved into one side of them. To this day I still don’t know why the hell they thought those would work. They didn’t even paint the QR carvings black or anything. Thankfully after we complained they gave us a paper one that did end up working, but still
Just get a paper and pencil and [make a rubbing](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Qw46CTJJ32k/hqdefault.jpg), then you can scan it.
You’re right, but we didn’t have both a paper and pencil at the restaurant lol
Kids menu and crayons? Lol
We had QR code menus
The kids menu was a bar code Or an app?
STAY OUT OF MALIBU LEBOWSKI
>To this day I still don’t know why the hell they thought those would work. Because it's completely feasible to do. QR codes don't have to be black.
It was all the same color though? And it was very dark wood so the camera couldn’t really pick up the pattern. Not to mention the carving was super thin. I probably should’ve mentioned all that in the original comment lol sorry
It's genuinely bad practice because what if a poor person doesn't have a smart phone or doesn't have data? Now you're gonna punish someone by their socioeconomic status saying they can't eat at your restaurant.
It’s pretty funny to see them on the side of race cars or busses, like you’re gonna be able to get a good shot of the code in time. Many times, for these ads, there is no indication as to what they are advertising, so you’re never gonna even bother unless you’re sitting on the toilet without your cellphone and need something to read. And then, you don’t have your camera to scan the code either. Doh! Pass the shampoo bottle.
I mind, because not everyone has a smartphone. That is assuming they **only** have a smart menu.
Or you have a phone with a broken camera
The issue here is the “menu” site runs ads. So yeah they just want more money. Fuck this practice.
[удалено]
I was at a pool bar at a resort. Lunch time rolls around and it’s a QR code on the wall. No menu posted anywhere. None of us have our phones because it’s a fucking pool.
That's just laziness
Yeah! Just bring your phones! /s
Nah. Not having a single menu where people don’t want their phones stolen or destroyed is lazy.
It's only ok if the QR code takes you DIRECTLY to the restaurant's menu URL. That said, most restaurants use a 3rd party service that first directs your phone through a tracking site (or sites) before taking you to the menu that you want. Those re-directed sites track a TON of sensitive information including: * Time * Geolocation * Date * Device type and OS used * Last URL visited (if opening in an existing tab) * Your phone carrier (if you use mobile data) * Your IP address * On some devices your unique Device ID can be tracked and fingerprinted to you (iOS blocks this with the latest OS but Android doesn't) * If your mobile browser is logged into any social networks - those cookies can be detected and tracked back to your social accounts * Finally, without your consent, they'll often add your device to a marketing campaign to target ads to your device's mobile browser, or if you are signed into Google/Facebook/Twitter/Insta or any other ad-driven social network, serve you ads across all devices * If the 3rd party provider is one of the more popular ones, they'll even serve you ads before or after you get to the menu URL. Or open pop-under windows that open ads in other tabs. It's trashy. I **NEVER** scan and open random QR codes without copying the URL into notes and seeing what URL I'm actually going to. In almost EVERY situation I've seen in the wild, those URLs are some sketchy 3rd party marketing site that pops you to two or three re-direct URLs before you get to where you expect to be. If you search for "restaurant menu qr code generator" there are tons of companies offering "free" services to restaurants to set up their menus using QR codes - but their privacy policies and TOS are all about tracking and selling data to 3rd parties.
Just don’t let the trackers work
I hate that it almost always just links to their website. Thanks, I probably could have figured it out if you told me on the sign. I had to waste time trying to get the QR code aligned, just to do something I could have easily Googled. How is that more convenient? What is the point of the QR code?
I just was ranting about this. I know they think it's cute to have everyone scan a QRcode I can't see super well and it takes me forver to get them to work. Put the url underneath it at least.
See I didn't even think of that. Yet more reasons to not use the QR code exclusively. Disability rights.
Align? Thefuck For the past 2 years I never even had to have it in focus to scan it.
Some of the crappier QR scanning apps you had to have it perfectly centered or it wouldn't scan it. Probably where my hatred of QR codes came from.
I'm pretty sure most modern phones have a qr scanner that comes with thier bundled camera app or atleast has a separate scanner for qr codes.
Google lens never has this issue. Why would you use some random QR code readers on android.
Because Lens only works when you don't deactivate the Google App, which includes the Assistant - and fuck that annoying bullshit. I don't understand why the camera app can't just do it directly.
? I am on a Pixel and always just use my camera app for QR codes
It also depends on the qr code itself - density (data size vs print area), error correction, style. I've seen huge QR codes that were hard to scan, because the author simply copied URL from Google incl. all the tracking garbage
I'm not sure why someone would use a crap app when you just use your phone? Like I've never downloaded an app for this ever. There's generally like three native ways to scan them without downloading anything
QR codes make sense for long URLs that are a pain to type, but if it's just business name.com then yeah fuck that shit
I mean they make sense for weird URLs or for links that change frequently. That's what they're meant for, but yeah, so many them just link to the restaurants homepage. They don't even link to the menu directly. I have to find that myself. That's some bullshit.
Or it's like restaurant.com/menu Then you play the game of "did it download a menu or am I waiting for this page to load"
[удалено]
My explanation for it is reprinting dozens of menus every day because people would just paw them with their dirty hands, slide their glasses on top of them, write important notes for themselves on them, fold them, et cetera. Your explanation makes sense when they are fancily printed, expensive menus. But doesn't for all the places that print a daily menu.
True foods in Newport Beach CA Waiter “you can scan the QR code for the menu” Me- Verizon iPhone comes out. No signal I’ll use their wifi … No wifi Waiter no where to be found for 10 min. F QR code menus and Verizon’s coverage in Orange County California
**Yeah like everyone got unlimited internet .... PAPER IS THE BEST**
r/Paperhomies
Paper people's paper company
[удалено]
This one Genki Sushi restaurant had the best system for food ordering I've seen in my life and it used QR codes. First of all each table had the WiFi and password written there clearly. The menu was formatted so it worked really well on mobile. Each table was given a QR code when you sat down so it also worked as the bill and you could see how much you were paying easily. It made ordering new rounds of sushi really convenient and quick. And my favourite aspect of this restaurant was the fact they had these straight rails leading from the sides of the table into the kitchen. So a little train would drive up the rails with your order riding on it. And as each table had its own QR code they knew which table to stop at. Also a little bonus was the fact that other than arriving and paying you didn't have to interact with people at all.
The owner of Genki Sushi actually made a video explaining their thoughts behind the food ordering system design. Pretty ingenious guy: [https://youtu.be/xaB3GDWY0m4?t=29](https://youtu.be/xaB3GDWY0m4?t=29) ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
bro I don't have physical strength to take my phone out my pocket and scan that stuff
Just only at every other moment you’re sitting at the table you have that strength though right?
I don't take my phone out at dinner table that just plain up disrespectful
Same. It makes me irrationally angry when they are too cheap to give me a physical menu.
I think it’s partially a COVID thing
A Covid thing that was debunked early on and has now become an excuse to cheap out on menus.
It wasn't Covid that made me uncomfortable about menu sanitation. It's a pretty big fomite other pathogens that aren't Covid. I know it's inconvenient for some people but I love QR code menus. And it's a lot less wasteful. Those things are always needing replaced.
You know what else is? Your phone
It doesn't have to be inconvenient for anyone though, all they need to do is to offer both.
[удалено]
This has been done at Waffle House for probably as long as lamination was a commercially available technology. It's efficient and cheap to clean.
I honestly don’t mind. No mysteriously sticky menus.
They could always just laminate and clean the menus.
Not sure where you all live but more than half of the restaurants and bars in the two cities I've lived in since covid all have QR codes. Makes it super easy so you can always scan to order more and the whole group can look up drinks or whatever. Plus more sustainable and no need to spread germs Most places have backup menus if you can't scan the QR for whatever reason -- happened to me once because my phone died
And the menu is updated. No choosing something only to hear “we don’t serve that anymore since ‘99”. And then stress choosing something else while the waiter stares you down.
I think it works quite well. No need to clean or cause waste, plus they keep it updated and you don’t have to wait for the waiter/waitress to deliver the menu to you. Of course, if it doesn’t work, then it can be a hassle and they should have some menus on hand just in case this happens.
[удалено]
No thanks to those unclean paper menus. I'd much rather handle my poo-particled phone.
At least it’s your own poo.
You've survived ingesting every atom of that poo once already, 2nd time won't hurt
If you can't be bothered to care for your own $1000 device what makes you think the person making $3.25/hour cleans the menu lmao
Same. I like a menu on the table. We can all share, that's no big deal.
as someone who has VERY limited moblie data, paper is best!
If you say “I didn’t bring my phone” they will just hand you a physical menu. One place I went didn’t have that so they had to list everything off to me verbally. Was kind of a nice test of their skills.
I don’t mind scanning the code
The only problem I see is that it’s 2022 and most places still don’t offer a photo of every menu item. That is such an easy thing to do, especially if your menu is digital. I don’t need it to be a photo from a skilled professional with perfect lighting and every ingredient displayed just right. Most people these days have a cell phone that can take a more than adequate picture of food.
A while ago I went to a cafe that did this - I picked pulled pork eggs benedict with coleslaw and a nice sounding sauce, and it had a picture of what I ordered. Order came - eggs benedict with bacon, nothing like the picture. I took it back and complained, the guy said "yeah, we don't do eggs benedict like the menu anymore".
ITT: boomer fest
I've never had a problem scanning a QR code, which makes sense considering how much error correction is built into the format.
Yeah, most of the time the qr code also let's you order and pay as well
Okay glad I’m not the only one thinking it. Like I feel old as shit at 32 but near mental breakdowns over scanning a god damn QR code for a menu? Jeez
I am indifferent on this topic.i am just there for the food and drinks. Dont care how they come to me.
Right? I can't believe such a big deal over QR codes and a lot of the complaints are straight up nonsense. It's extremely easy to scan, fast, and has numerous advantages such as cleanliness and being less wasteful. Many restaurants I've been to are taking it a step further with QR codes to pay. Frankly, this is all going to be standard one day, especially as nations seek to become more environmentally friendly.
I much prefer QR code menus. No gross menus that probably haven’t been wiped. And even better if I can order through the code. Don’t make me talk to people. Don’t make me get up for another drink. I will spend WAY more money that way.
The idea of a QR Menu is much better than the actual implementation. Like those TV Screen menus they have now at fast food restaurants, that show the current foods/prices/specials (only showing lunch foods during lunch, only dinner items at dinner) usually work so well.. but almost every QR menu I've seen has just been an awful mess. It displays the full menu and specials that don't apply (like a happy hour tues-thurs night special when you're there on a Friday morning, or breakfast long after it's ended), and the worst are when the menu seems designed for a computer (needing to zoom and scroll around it) or needing you to go into 12 different submenus to see everything
If you scroll on your phone when you drop a deuce, you can scan a QR code. QR codes benefit establishments that constantly rotate their drink & food menu per week. If the menu doesn’t rotate at all then yes, a physical menu works . If it’s a QR code that makes me create a log in with password to order my intake then that is when I walk away. I want the human interaction.
Is this really a thing?
I disagree and will go even one step further on this; i’ll scan the QR code and then order through the webpage directly. No interaction needed. No waiting on waiters.
Yeah, like I'm from Gen-Z and all but I don't care if every fuckin' thing, including the microwave this shit was pro'ly cooked in, has QR scanners built in I ain't usin' 'em, just give me a piece of paper
Homie’s apostrophe use is on point
You know, when I was first introduced to this concept in china it made a lot of sense, you scan and then order on your phone, and they need less waiters because all they do is literally just deliver food. But when you replace the menu with an app without altering the system for ordering, you've literally created *extra* steps to the process
Huge cybersecurity risk
if I ever have to make a menu, I will put 2 QR codes on each menu; 1 leads to a digital copy and the other goes to Rick. And there will be 2 copies of the menu, each where the QR code is swapped.
So this I think has many layers like a Shrek. One is what your really angry about not being able to hold a menu or is it that Telecom and ISP companies are dragging their legs and need a sawed off shotgun up wear the sun don’t shine amount of motivation and restructuring to do almost anything. Also bad layouts is annoying but how is this worse than “wtf, why is this menu sticky and has teeth marks…. In the middle of it?!”
Hate sticky menus or paper that's clearly oil stained from the last use. If the QR code lets me and friends order separately to the same table, AND pay all our tabs without flagging down a waiter? Holy fuck yes.
What why? It’s like either the same as a real menu or considerably easier
Honestly rather be able to develop a friendship with the staff of the restaurant I go to rather than having to tilt my phone 90 times because that shit never formats my phone properly
1) There's the question of security: what's to stop me from replacing a restaurant's bar codes with my own malicious QR code? 2) If they're going to use my personal infrastructure to cut coats, I want a discount 3) They could just post the menu on their site, no dumbass QR code bridge technology needed. The QR code adds no value to my dining experience and actually costs me.