How QR code ordering works in a restaurant

Step 1: each table gets its own QR code

Each table needs its own code, because the code tells the ordering system which table an order comes from. Most restaurants print the codes on table tents, stands or stickers, with the table number next to the code so staff can check it at a glance.

Put the code where guests see it as they sit down, at a height and angle that’s easy to scan and away from glare. On long tables, a second copy of the same code saves guests passing one stand around.

How KioSync helps: the admin panel creates a QR code for every table, for up to 200 tables per outlet, and you can download one table’s code or a print-ready PDF sheet of all of them. Each QR carries an encrypted, tamper-proof table code, so a link edited to point at another table or restaurant is rejected.

Step 2: the guest scans and sees your menu

The guest points their phone camera at the code and taps the link that appears. The menu opens in the phone’s browser, so there is nothing to install. A good QR menu shows the restaurant’s name first, then categories, photos, short descriptions and clear prices, with sizes and add-ons that are easy to pick.

The guest adds dishes to a cart, chooses whether to eat in or take away, and can leave a note for the kitchen, such as “less spicy” or “no onion”.

How KioSync helps: the menu opens with your logo and welcome line, and dishes can carry photos, descriptions, sizes and add-ons. Guests add their name to the order, and the cart is saved on the phone, so a refresh or a dropped connection doesn’t empty it. See QR table ordering for the full feature.

Step 3: the order is checked and sent

When the guest confirms, the order goes to the ordering system’s server before it goes anywhere near the kitchen. This is the step that keeps QR ordering safe. The server should check that the table code is genuine, that every dish is still available, and that prices and taxes come from its own menu rather than from whatever the phone sent. It should also recognise a double tap or a retry on a weak connection, so the same order isn’t created twice. The guide Is QR ordering safe? covers these risks in more detail.

How KioSync helps: prices, GST, sizes and add-ons are recalculated on KioSync’s server for every order, so a tampered cart can’t change the bill. Sold-out or hidden dishes are refused at checkout even if the guest’s screen is out of date, double taps and network retries never create duplicate orders, and ordering pauses automatically outside your opening hours.

Step 4: the kitchen gets it

Once the order is accepted, the kitchen needs to see it straight away. Some restaurants print a kitchen order ticket (KOT) for each order, others use a kitchen display screen that lists orders as they arrive, and many use both. Either way, the order should arrive with the table number, every item and quantity, and the guest’s notes.

As the kitchen works, each order moves through a few stages, such as queued, preparing and ready, so the floor team knows what’s coming and can tell guests how long they’ll wait.

How KioSync helps: new orders appear on the kitchen display in real time and are read aloud in Hindi, Marathi or English; online orders appear once they’re paid. With the KioSync Windows app and a LAN thermal printer, a KOT prints as soon as a cash order is placed. The guest gets an order number and a tracking page on their phone.

Step 5: payment

Restaurants take payment in one of two ways. Guests can pay online from their phone as part of ordering, or order first and pay at the counter or the table at the end. Paying first suits takeaway counters and canteens, where the kitchen should only cook paid orders. Paying at the end suits dine-in guests who order in rounds.

For online payment, the guest should land on a known payment gateway’s checkout page, which handles their card or UPI details, and the money should settle to the restaurant’s own bank account.

How KioSync helps: guests can pay online through your own Razorpay, PayU or PhonePe account, with the money settling to your bank and no commission to KioSync, or pay at the counter, where staff record whether they paid by cash, UPI, card and so on. With cash turned off, orders reach the kitchen only once the payment is confirmed, and online payments that are started but not finished cancel themselves after 20 minutes. More on payments.

Step 6: billing and records

Every paid order needs a clear bill that shows what was ordered, the tax and the total. The same records feed your daily cash-up and your accountant’s GST work, so they should be easy to find and export rather than copied out by hand.

How KioSync helps: paid orders get a GST tax invoice with your GSTIN, the CGST/SGST split and financial-year invoice numbering, or a Bill of Supply if your outlet isn’t GST-registered. Staff can print a receipt sized for 80 mm printers in one click, and you can download a CSV with taxable value, CGST and SGST for your CA. More on GST billing.

What you need to start

• Your menu, with prices, sizes and add-ons, entered into the ordering system.
• A printed QR code for each table.
• A screen in the kitchen, a printer for kitchen tickets, or both.
• A reliable internet connection, because every order travels over it.
• A way to take payment: at the counter, through an online payment gateway, or both.

How KioSync helps: KioSync runs in the browser on phones, tablets and laptops, and the kitchen display also has an Android app (Android 7.0+), so no proprietary hardware is needed. For automatic KOT and bill printing, add a Windows PC running the KioSync app and a LAN thermal printer.

Common mistakes to avoid

• QR codes that are too small or badly lit. If the camera can’t read the code, guests give up. Print it large, avoid glossy finishes that reflect light, and test every code from a guest’s seat in your dimmest corner.
• No option for guests who prefer staff. Some guests would rather order from a person. Keep staff ordering available and make sure guests know they can ask.
• A menu that isn’t kept up to date. If the dishes, photos or prices on the phone don’t match what the kitchen serves, guests stop trusting the menu. Update it whenever something changes.
• Sold-out dishes still on the menu. A guest who orders a dish you’ve run out of has to wait, hear the news and order again. Mark a dish sold out the moment it runs out.

How KioSync helps: menu changes go live as soon as you save them, and a dish marked sold out once is off QR and counter ordering at the same time.