How a QR menu works in a canteen
A canteen differs from a cafe in two ways: the menu changes every day, and the choice is made on the move, at the serving line with a tray in hand. So the QR code goes at the entrance, at the start of the queue and on the tables: the guest scans it with the phone camera and sees today's soups, mains, sides, salads, bakery and drinks with prices in the browser. No app is needed.
Staff keep one menu with the full list of dishes and, every morning, switch on what is on the line today and switch off the rest - toggles in the admin, not a new layout. When a dish runs out it goes on the stop-list from a phone: guests see the change immediately, with no signs or price tags to redo.
What matters specifically to a canteen
Canteen guests are in a hurry: it is their lunch break and they decide in seconds. They care about price, portion and ingredients; you care about a moving queue and a menu in the state language that is always current.
- Categories that follow the line: soups, mains, sides, salads, bakery, drinks - in the familiar order.
- Portion weight and nutrition per 100 g for guests who count calories and for workplace canteens.
- Fast on/off for dishes: the full list is entered once, the daily menu is assembled with toggles.
- Separate tabs for zones: canteen, buffet, takeaway deli - each with its own categories.
- Guest feedback with a rating and photos arrives in Telegram - you hear about a cold soup the same day.
- Analytics of which dishes are viewed most - a hint for how much to cook tomorrow.
Lunch pre-orders and the takeaway deli
Many canteens feed nearby offices, shops and building sites. The Pro plan has a delivery page for that: the guest puts lunch in the cart, chooses pickup or delivery, writes a convenient time in the comment, and the order reaches the canteen's WhatsApp as a ready message. A group order for ten lunches no longer gets lost in calls and chats.
There is no online payment in the menu: you take the money on handover or as agreed with the customer. Delivery guests are saved in the admin with their number of orders, so regulars are easy to find and offer the weekly menu to.
How to launch a canteen QR menu in one day
The full list of dishes with prices is usually entered in a day; after that the daily menu takes a few minutes each morning.
- 1
Register the canteen
A name and a phone number are enough to activate 14 days of the Pro plan with no card.
- 2
Enter every dish once
By hand or from Excel: names in Kazakh, Russian and English, price, portion weight, nutrition.
- 3
Sort dishes into categories
Soups, mains, sides, salads, bakery, drinks - in the order of the serving line.
- 4
Put up the QR codes
At the entrance, at the start of the queue and on tables - one caption in Kazakh and Russian explains what is inside.
- 5
Assemble the daily menu each morning
Switch on today's dishes and switch off the rest; when a dish runs out, stop-list it from a phone.
Chalkboard, printout or QR menu
A daily menu on a chalkboard or printout is rewritten every morning and is almost always in one language. Its prices and weights rarely match the counter, and sold-out dishes never get crossed off. A QR menu is assembled from ready cards in a few minutes, in three languages at once, with price and weight - and the board by the line can stay for the dish of the day.
Pricing
A canteen that only needs a daily menu of up to 100 dishes is fine on Starter - 150 000 ₸ per year or 15 000 ₸ per 30 days: three languages, nutrition, feedback and analytics. If the full list has more than 100 items, or you need the lunch pre-order and delivery page or a Taplink page, Pro fits - 180 000 ₸ per year or 18 000 ₸ per 30 days. Registration includes 14 days of Pro for free; payment via Kaspi.
PricingMenus and the language law
Article 21 of the Kazakhstan Law “On Languages” requires menus and price lists in the state language and, where necessary, in Russian and other languages, in the same font size with an authentic translation. A daily menu is a price list too. On User-QR every dish has Kazakh, Russian and English fields, so the daily menu meets the requirement without two printouts. More in our article on the language law.
Read alsoFAQ
How do we update the menu every day quickly?
On User-QR the full list of dishes is entered once and the daily menu is assembled with toggles: switch on today's dishes, switch off the rest. It takes a few minutes from a phone. A dish that runs out goes on the stop-list in a second, and guests see the change at once.
Can we show portion weight and calories?
Yes. Every dish has fields for portion weight and nutrition per 100 g - calories, protein, fat and carbohydrates. Guests see them on the dish card in Kazakh, Russian or English and choose before the serving line.
Does a canteen need table ordering?
Usually not: in a canteen guests take dishes at the serving line, and the QR menu is there to choose in advance. Table ordering can be switched on where it fits, for example in a buffet with service, and for takeaway lunches the Pro plan has a pre-order and delivery page.
Does a QR menu work for a food court?
If one operator runs the food court, the outlets can be separate tabs of one menu with their own categories. If each outlet has its own owner, each registers its own venue and gets its own QR codes and delivery page.
How much does a canteen QR menu cost?
Starter is 150 000 ₸ per year or 15 000 ₸ per 30 days (up to 100 items, 10 tables). Pro is 180 000 ₸ per year or 18 000 ₸ per 30 days: unlimited items, up to 100 tables, pre-orders and delivery in WhatsApp, a Taplink page. The first 14 days of Pro are free with no card.
Do guests need an app?
No. The menu opens in the phone's regular browser right after scanning the QR code, on iPhone and Android. Guests download nothing and do not register, and they pick the language with one tap.
Read also
- Kazakhstan's language law and restaurant menus: what is required in 2026Article 21 of Kazakhstan's Law “On Languages” requires menus in Kazakh. What exactly is mandatory, how to format it, what a violation risks, and how a QR menu meets the rule without reprinting.
- How to create a QR menu for a restaurant: step-by-step guideHow to make a QR menu for a restaurant or cafe in one evening: what to prepare, how to upload dishes, set up options and table QR codes, and what to check before launch. No apps.
- Delivery without aggregators: WhatsApp orders via a QR codeHow to take delivery and takeaway orders in the venue's WhatsApp without aggregator commission: a delivery page via QR, a cart, the order as a ready message, your own guest base. Launch checklist.