Food truck QR code menu: let the line order before it reaches the window

A food truck QR code menu turns your line into orders. Customers scan a code on the truck or on a sign at the back of the line, order on their phone and, if you like, pay there too. The ticket reaches you while they're still waiting, and you call their name when it's ready. With Menuthere the menu opens in the phone's browser with nothing to download, you pay 0% commission, and the code, the menu and pickup ordering are on the Free plan.

Create your free ordering pageBook a demo (opens in a new tab)

A signage plan for a truck

Most trucks print too few codes, in the wrong places. Here's where each one earns its keep.

Print codes big. A sign at the back of a line is read from a few feet away, often in bright sun, so go for at least 4 inches square, black on white, on a matte, weatherproof board. Scan each one with your own phone before your first service.

The window workflow

Here's what one order looks like on a Friday lunch at an office park.

1. 12:04. Maria scans the A-frame, adds two birria tacos and a horchata, types her name and phone number, and pays by Apple Pay (Lite).
2. 12:04. The order rings on the partner app on your tablet until someone presses Accept. If you're on the flat-top and can't tap, auto-accept with a 30-second to 2-minute delay takes it for you.
3. 12:05. The ticket prints, or you work from the order screen. Tickets list dishes and notes with no prices. Many trucks skip a printer altogether and read orders off the tablet.
4. 12:11. You press Mark Ready. Maria's order page changes to "Ready to serve" without her refreshing it, and you call "Maria" at the window.
5. 12:12. She collects and you press Complete.

To make the name step work, switch on Ask for the customer's name in checkout settings. Without it, the order still has the customer's phone number, but a name is easier to shout.

Set an average prep time, such as "about 10 min", and customers see it at checkout. You type it, and Menuthere shows it exactly as typed.

A short menu, built for a truck

Truck menus are short and change daily. Build yours so changes take seconds.

Packaging costs money on a truck. Add a packaging charge once per order, per item, or a different amount for some dishes. It applies to pickup and delivery orders, never to table orders.

Hours and location: what to plan around

A truck moves. Menuthere handles hours well and location less so, so here's the honest picture.

• Hours change daily? Set opening and closing times for each day, with a break if you close between lunch and dinner. The store opens and closes on its own.
• Leaving early? Press the Open/Closed button and choose "Until the next opening time". The store reopens by itself at your next service. Make a sign for the window with the closed sign maker.
• Want lunch orders before you open? On Lite, customers can pre-order while you're closed for a slot when you're open. Office workers order at 10 AM for a 12:00 to 12:15 pickup, and you see every booking in a Prebookings list, with the ones due within the hour at the top.
• Where are you today? Menuthere has no route schedule or "find the truck" map. Put today's spot in the announcement bar at the top of your menu (Lite) or in a banner (every plan), and post it on Instagram with your order link.
• Your map pin. Delivery distances and the geo-lock on table codes are measured from your pin. Most trucks keep delivery switched off, so the pin rarely matters. If you use table codes with geo-lock at a regular spot, move the pin when you move.
• Google. A truck can have a Google Business Profile, and you can add your order link under Food ordering. See how a food truck can take online orders.

Payments at the window

Paying in line is what makes a QR menu faster than the window. Nobody fumbles for a card when they reach you, and no-shows don't leave you with an unpaid plate. Card money goes to your own Stripe balance. Stripe's standard US price is 2.9% + 30¢ per domestic card, and Menuthere adds no commission.

Delivery apps take a cut even on pickup. DoorDash charges 6% on pickup orders and Uber Eats 7% to 10%, before delivery commission of 15% to 30%. See our DoorDash and Uber Eats commission pages.

When the line is out of control

At a festival, orders can arrive faster than you can cook. There's no setting that caps orders or adds minutes automatically, so use these:

• Switch off the slow dishes for an hour. Guests can't order what's off.
• Raise your prep time at checkout, so customers know what they're in for.
• Close ordering with the Open/Closed button, finish the tickets, then reopen. Your menu stays visible while you're closed.
• Check the scans. After the event, Analytics shows how many times people scanned your printed codes, hour by hour, and how many scans turned into orders. It helps you plan staff for next year.

What it costs

A truck doing 60 orders on a Saturday passes the Free plan's 50 in one day. Use Free to test your signs and menu, then move to Lite before your first busy weekend. Lite and Pro each start with a 7-day free trial; you add a card to start it, and nothing is charged until it ends.

Not a fit if

• You often trade without signal. Orders need a data connection on the truck. There's no offline mode, so carry a phone hotspot as backup.
• You want a card reader linked to the order. The POS add-on ($10 a month) records walk-up sales as cash or card, but doesn't connect to a card terminal.
• You want a tip prompt on phone orders. Menuthere doesn't collect tips at checkout, so keep a tip jar at the window.
• You need a stop schedule or live truck map. Post your location in the announcement bar and on social media instead.

Running in the UK? Read our guides to starting a food truck business and starting a coffee van. Doing private hire and weddings? See online ordering for catering. For delivery and the rest of the truck setup, see the food truck ordering system.

Set up your truck's QR code menu

1. Create your store. Use your Google listing if you have one, or start by hand with your truck's name and logo.
2. Add the menu. Import it from a photo or PDF, then add sizes and add-on groups.
3. Set your hours. Add each day's opening times and breaks, and switch delivery off if you only do pickup.
4. Turn on names and prep time. Switch on "Ask for the customer's name" and type an average prep time.
5. Download your store QR code. Print it for the window and an A-frame. Add table codes only if you have seating.
6. Install the partner app. Sign in on the truck's tablet or phone so new orders ring.
7. Test a lunch order. Scan the sign, order, accept, mark it ready and watch the order page change.

A QR code menu and pickup orders for your truck, with 0% commission.

Create your free ordering pageBook a demo (opens in a new tab)