Innovo Has Replaced Printed Restaurant Menus with QR Codes

If you have been to Innovo lately, you are familiar with the square coded image on the table tent in the middle of the table. This is called a QR (Quick Response) code. According to TechTarget, a QR code is “a type of two-dimensional bar code that is used to provide easy access to online information through the digital camera on a smart phone or tablet.” Innovo, like many other restaurants in the Capital Region, has replaced printed restaurant menus with QR codes. While most customers are associating this change with COVID-19 and trying to eliminate the spread of germs, this is not the only reason for this change. While we always care about the health and safety of our guests, this was also a necessary implementation to balance supply chain costs, eliminate waste, and reflect real-time menu availability. 

So, how do these QR codes work? When guests come to dine at Innovo, whether at one of our tables or at the bar, they will see a table tent with the QR code placed on it. They will open their camera on their smartphone or tablet and place the QR code in front of the camera. As they hover over it, a pop-up will appear to click to the website. Your phone or table will then be directed to the menu portion of the restaurant’s website. Guests will then be able to explore all the restaurant’s current food and drink offerings. There are many benefits to this change, besides the clear health and safety aspect. Let us look at some of the other reasons why we have replaced printed restaurant menus with QR codes. 

Like many other industries in the world right now, the food and beverage industry is struggling with supply chain issues and rising costs of products. Some products have become exceedingly difficult to order for the restaurant. Even products that we have been ordering on a regular basis, can suddenly become unavailable to order again. Aside from products simply not being available, the cost of ordering the same products has become outrageous. There are times when the price rises on a product, and it is eliminated from our menu availability because the cost to order it is simply not viable for us anymore. With the supply chain lead times and price fluctuations, there are days when we now must change our menu several times. This includes specials and overall food and beverage availability. 

Another reason we have replaced printed restaurant menus with QR codes is to eliminate waste. Approximately 1 billion trees worth of paper are thrown away every year. Let’s say we change our menu availability, on average three times a day. Think about how many trees we are just throwing away and contributing to a huge waste problem. By implementing QR codes, we eliminate the need for printed restaurant menus completely. When a change must be made to the menu, we simply update it online and the QR code will reflect that change immediately. This allows us to make changes frequently without adding to waste and with no added expense. 

As we mentioned, we are frequently making changes to our food and beverage availability due to supply chain issues and costs. We also make changes when specialty items are offered to us via vendors like fresh fish options, or vegetables from local farmers, etc. Since we are a chef-driven restaurant, these factors lead us to changing our menu often, sometimes multiple times a day. With QR codes, the customers will always see an up-to-date menu of what is available.  

We all know the disappointment of ordering an item on the menu, that we are really excited about, and the server tells us it is no longer available. As an item becomes unavailable, it is removed from our online menu. This means a customer will not see options that are unavailable. Another benefit of the QR codes is that the website will always reflect the same menu the QR code brings you to. This means you can search the menu for ideas before arriving at the restaurant, and the same menu will be available minus any changes that were made in between.  

We know that change is not always a comfortable thing. Throughout the past few years, we have had to learn to adjust and implement changes within our restaurant to maintain quality and ensure customer satisfaction. We hope you understand the reasons why we replaced printed restaurant menus with QR codes. When visiting Innovo, if you don’t have a cell phone or tablet with you while dining, the server can provide you with a restaurant tablet to use the QR code and order your meal. If you have any questions or concerns with accessing the QR codes, please notify your server and they will be happy to assist you.