I Can’t Believe That Worked: QR Codes AFTER Server Interaction

[adamj]

I was skeptical when we first introduced QR code ordering. I thought guests wanted a personal touch from servers, not another digital interaction—but curiosity won out.

We cautiously tested it by having servers warmly greet guests, take their initial orders, and then casually suggest scanning the QR code for anything extra they might need. To our amazement, more than half of our diners embraced it enthusiastically. Families discreetly ordered extra fries for kids, friends quickly added a second round of drinks without the embarrassment of flagging down their server, and couples impulsively ordered dessert after seeing how appealing it looked.
We added quick-select buttons like "extra ketchup," "side of dipping sauce," "need a spoon," and even "send server to table." Each selection printed directly at the relevant kitchen or service station, speeding up response time and making it effortless for guests to customize their meal without feeling intrusive.
Servers felt more available to attend personally to guests who required extra care, significantly improving guest satisfaction and boosting our average check size.

Have you tried QR codes in a way that surprised you with its effectiveness?

[HearthpizzeriaB]

That is a great idea! Very interesting case study

[ashokr]

Interesting. Do you know if the customer can add only after a ticket is open? Here are some constraints for us, we didn't add the QR code for that specific reason.

1. We want the waiter to open the order, if they scan before any order was created, we want that first introduction to happen.
2. We don't want the customer to pay by the scan, it should be good to add to order, but not pay for it. Sometimes they just walk away and we want the normal interaction for the waiter to close the order just like opening the initial order.

[ashokr]

Can't figure how to edit my previous response 🙂

3. Sometimes we combine tables to-gether. So if they see more than one QR code, but the waiter initially started with just one table for the combined order, when customer opens another ticket it would be confusing.

I hope we can use the QR code this way. (I haven't tried.. just checking with people who might have tried to see if this works as proposed, or can be configured this way

[adamj]

Great questions—and yes, you're thinking about it the right way.

We use table-specific QR codes through Toast’s native system, and we’ve configured things to align with some of the same concerns you mentioned.

Opening the Check First: If the server opens the check first, guests can scan the QR code to add items without needing to enter a credit card. That’s how we do it. It allows for that initial server interaction, keeps the experience personal, and avoids the “self-checkout” feel up front.

Controlling Guest Payment: We can control whether the guest’s ability to pay through the QR code. We want to ensure the server still handles closing the check unless the guest specifically wants to.

Table Combinations: We have found when combining tables, the order of merging checks matters. You want to merge any additional checks into the one that the guest already has access to via QR. If you go the other way, they’ll lose access to their check, which can definitely cause confusion.

All in all, it’s worked surprisingly well for us. The key was ensuring the team understood the workflow and stayed mindful of how tables/checks were opened and merged. It’s added flexibility for guests without disrupting the flow we want to preserve.

Happy to answer any other questions as you explore it more—hope this helps!