QR Code for Restaurant Menu: Make One on iPhone, Free

My first menu code pointed straight at the PDF. That link was 102 characters long, file name, share token and all, and the code it made looked like grey noise at table-card size.

Shortened on is.gd it became 20 characters. Same menu, same phone, a much calmer code.

Why shorten the menu link before making the QR code?

A QR code grows with what it holds. More characters means more squares, and at a fixed print size more squares means smaller squares, which is what a phone camera struggles with under dim restaurant light. Here is what the two versions of a menu link gave in the app, with the code printed 35 mm wide in both cases.

Print Optimizer on Flyer, default Medium (15%) error correction, code printed 35 mm wide
	Long menu link	Short link
Link length	102 characters	20 characters
Minimum Size	33.0 mm (1.30")	21.0 mm (0.83")
Recommended Resolution	389 px	248 px

With the default Size of 250 px, the long link also got a warning on screen: QR code may be too small for Flyer at current resolution. The short one came back Print Ready with a Contrast Ratio of 21.0:1 for plain black on white.

Making it in URL Short

Copy the link to your menu, paste it into Enter URL on the Shorten tab and tap Shorten URL. is.gd, v.gd, CleanURI and Spoo.me need no account or key.
Scroll to the QR Code under the result and tap More, then Customize Colors.
On Advanced, move Size to 420 px (that covers a 35 mm print at 300 DPI, which works out to 413 px). Leave Error Correction on Medium (15%) unless you add a center emoji; then pick Quartile (25%). Tap Done.
Back in More, open Print Optimizer, choose Flyer under Intended Use and read Minimum Size, Recommended Resolution and Contrast Ratio. Fix anything under Warnings.
Tap Save to Photos and place the PNG on your table card, menu cover or tent card in whatever layout tool you already use.
Tap Test Scan, point the camera at the printed proof and check it reads back your short link.

What size should the QR code be on a table?

Flyer is the closest use case to a table card in the app: 1.0 mm per square at 300 DPI. Its 21.0 mm is a floor, not a target: it is the minimum before the camera starts to struggle, not a size worth printing at. Going up to 35 mm keeps the code readable from a chair, not just from directly above the table.

One thing to watch for: the app does not add any white margin around the saved PNG, it is just the code, edge to edge. Scanners need clear space around it, so add about 4 mm of plain white on every side when placing the image, or the edge of the card, a border or a logo can sit too close.

Is it free, and what won't it do?

Shortening, the QR code, color changes, Print Optimizer, Test Scan and Save to Photos all work in the free version, which shows ads. Premium removes the ads and adds unlimited history, saved QR Templates and Batch Mode for many links at once. One restaurant with one menu link does not need it.

It does not design table tents or host your menu. You bring the menu link and the layout.
Export PDF puts one large code on a US Letter page, about 108 mm wide: good for the door or the window, far too big for a table.
It does not count scans. For is.gd and v.gd links it can open that service's own public stats page; nothing more.

Why use it over a web generator: the short link keeps the code light, Print Optimizer tells you the minimum size for that exact link before you pay for printing, and the short link belongs to the shortening service, not to a menu subscription that can switch your code off.

Questions and answers

Is a QR code for a restaurant menu free?

With URL Short, yes: the app is free to download, and shortening the link on a no-key service such as is.gd, drawing the QR code, checking it in Print Optimizer and saving it as a PNG all work without paying. The free version shows ads. The code itself never expires; it keeps working as long as the short link and your menu page do.

How do I create a QR code for a PDF menu?

Upload the PDF somewhere it has a public link, shorten that link in URL Short and save the QR code under the result. Overwrite the same file when the menu changes, so the link and the printed code stay valid.

What size should a QR code be on a restaurant table?

Print Optimizer's Flyer use case gives a 21.0 mm minimum for a 20-character short link and 33.0 mm for a 102-character one. For a card read from a chair, 30 to 40 mm plus a white border of about 4 mm reads comfortably.

Do customers need an app to scan a QR code menu?

No. The iPhone Camera app reads QR codes on its own, and so do most recent phones. Diners do not need URL Short; only you do, to make the code.

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How do I make a QR code for a restaurant menu?