QR code menu for restaurants, cafés and pubs in Ireland
Updated October 20, 2026
A QR code menu lets diners scan the code on the table, see your menu and prices in euro, and order and pay from their phone. In Ireland it doesn't replace two things: the price list at your entrance and written allergen information. Dine-in VAT is also different from takeaway VAT, so a QR menu should carry the right rate on each dish. Menuthere's digital menu, table codes and table ordering are free for 50 orders a month, with 0% commission on every plan.
In short
- Keep the price list at the door. The 1984 Display Order still requires a notice of prices, including VAT and any service or cover charge, at the entrance.
- Allergens in writing. Irish law requires written allergen information for food that isn't prepacked, before the sale. Tag the 14 allergens on each dish in Menuthere and keep a printed sheet too.
- Dine-in VAT is 9% on food since 1 July 2026, and 23% on soft drinks, bottled water and alcohol. Chocolate, crisps, ice cream and fruit juice served at the table are 9%, not 23% as they are for takeaway.
- A service charge on the bill is taxed at 9%. Switch on Charge tax on the service charge in Menuthere.
- Your QR ordering page needs your tips notice, because the 2022 tips rules cover every website or app used for the service.
What Irish law expects from a menu, QR or paper
The price list at the entrance. The Retail Prices (Food in Catering Establishments) Display Order 1984 requires a notice at the premises listing each food and its price, including tax. A minimum charge, service charge or cover charge must be stated too, and if the service charge is already in the prices, the notice must say so. The CCPC says a food-only outlet displays it immediately outside or inside the entrance. If you don't hand out menus, a clear display such as a blackboard must be visible in the room, and prices that change by time or day must say so. A QR code on the table is a good way to order, but it isn't the notice at the door.
Allergens in writing. S.I. No. 489 of 2014 says written allergen information for food that isn't prepacked must be freely and easily accessible before the sale, in a conspicuous place, in English (or in Irish and English). The FSAI says customers must not have to ask for it, and the information can sit next to each dish or in one clearly visible place. A QR menu that shows allergens on every dish helps. Keep a printed allergen sheet as well, for guests who don't scan; make one with the free allergen chart maker.
Drinks prices in pubs. Licensed premises have their own drinks price display rules. The CCPC points them to the Retail Price (Beverages in Licensed Premises) Display Order 1999.
| Must be on show | Where | Covered by your QR menu? |
|---|---|---|
| Food prices including VAT | Notice at the entrance, and on menus | Partly: the QR menu shows prices; the entrance notice is still needed |
| Service, cover or minimum charge | With the prices | Yes, if you add the wording to your menu and switch on the service charge line |
| 14 allergens in writing | Before the sale, freely accessible | Yes on each dish; keep a printed sheet too |
| Tips and gratuities notice | Premises, one payment point, and every website or app | Add it to your ordering page (see below) |
Dine-in VAT: why your QR menu needs rates per dish
From 1 July 2026, Revenue applies the 9% second reduced rate to restaurant and catering services. Some items change rate depending on whether they're eaten in or taken away. A QR menu used at the table is a restaurant service, so use the restaurant column.
| Item | Served at the table | Sold as takeaway |
|---|---|---|
| Hot meals, fish and chips, burgers | 9% | 9% |
| Cold sandwich | 9% | 0% |
| Chocolate, crisps, ice cream | 9% | 23% |
| Fruit juice | 9% | 23% |
| Tea and coffee | 9% | 9% |
| Soft drinks, bottled water, alcohol | 23% | 23% |
How to set this up in Menuthere. Under Settings → Payments & tax, switch on Charge tax on orders, set the store rate to 9% and add your VAT number. Mark dishes Tax Inclusive, so the price on the menu is what the diner pays. Then give soft drinks, water, wine and beer their own 23% rate. One bill can mix rates, and the bill shows the VAT for each. See tax and VAT settings.
If an item is sold both ways at different rates, such as a cold sandwich, make a dine-in version and a takeaway version and show each only for its order type.
Worked example: dinner for two in Galway, ordered from the table
Two mains at €18.50, two desserts at €7.50, two glasses of wine at €8.00 and two sparkling waters at €3.50, all prices including VAT, with a 10% service charge.
| Line | Amount | VAT |
|---|---|---|
| Food (2 mains, 2 desserts) | €52.00 | €4.29 inside (9%) |
| Wine and water | €23.00 | €4.30 inside (23%) |
| Menu total | €75.00 | €8.59 inside |
| Service charge (optional) 10% | €7.50 | |
| VAT on service charge (9%) | €0.68 | added |
| Diner pays | €83.18 | |
| Stripe fee (standard EEA card, 1.5% + €0.25) | €1.50 | |
| Menuthere commission | €0.00 |
The service charge is worked out on the dishes after any discounts and shows as its own line that the diner can remove. All of it goes to your staff under the 2022 tips law.
Service charges and the tips notice
The service charge is taxed. Revenue says a service charge that appears on the bill is part of the price of the meal and is taxed at the second reduced rate. Tips customers leave voluntarily, off the bill, are outside VAT. In Menuthere the service charge starts untaxed in Ireland, so open Settings → Payments & tax → Tips & service charge and switch on Charge tax on the service charge. Choose Dine-in under Add it to, so it isn't added to collection orders. See tips and service charge.
The tips notice goes on your QR page too. The Payment of Wages Act 1991 (Display of Notices) Regulations 2022 require a tips and gratuities notice at the premises, at one more place where diners pay in person, and on each website or app you use for the service. Since 1 December 2022, the notice must also say that electronic tips go to employees. Your QR ordering page is one of those apps. Put a short line in the announcement bar (Lite) and the full policy on your store's legal pages.
How table ordering works with Menuthere
- The diner scans the code on the table. The menu opens on their phone with no app to install. The order arrives on your dashboard and partner app as a table order, named after the table.
- They order and pay. With Stripe connected (Lite), they pay by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay. On the Free plan they order from the table and pay at the till.
- A second round joins the same bill. If the same diner orders again from the table while their order is open, it's added to that order, marked "Edited by customer".
- Different prices at some tables. For a terrace or a private room, add a fixed amount per item at the tables you choose with the dine-in price adjustment.
Make the codes in Sales channel → QR ordering and print table cards with the free table QR card maker. A plain QR for a poster or window works with the menu QR code generator. New to the idea? Read what a QR menu is. Setup steps: set up QR table ordering.
Irish names on the menu
Menuthere's automatic language button doesn't include Irish. If you want a dish name in Irish beside the English, type it as the dish's second name, which works on every plan. See dish names in a second language. Allergen information can be in English alone, or in Irish and English, under S.I. No. 489 of 2014.
The same QR on your takeaway bags
A sticker in every delivery-app bag sends regulars back to your own menu for the next order. On a €30 order:
| Channel | Commission on €30 |
|---|---|
| Just Eat, Just Eat delivers (30% in its own example) | €9.00 + VAT |
| Deliveroo (reported at about 25–35%) | €7.50–€10.50 + VAT |
| Your own link, standard EEA card via Stripe | €0.70 card fee, no commission |
Rates are from our pages on Just Eat in Ireland and Deliveroo in Ireland. For collection and delivery from your own site, see the online ordering system for Ireland.
Set it up
- Sign up at /get-started and find your restaurant on Google. Set the currency to EUR.
- Import your menu from a photo or PDF, then check every price includes VAT.
- Set VAT: 9% store rate, 23% on soft drinks, water and alcohol.
- Tag the 14 allergens on each dish. See allergens and nutrition.
- Add your tables, download the codes and print table cards.
- Connect Stripe on Lite to take card payments at the table. See connect Stripe.
- Add your tips notice and, if you charge one, the service charge with its tax switched on.
- Test an order from a table, pay with a card and check the kitchen ticket.
Plans are billed in US dollars: Free US$0, Lite US$17, Pro US$39 a month. See pricing or the best online ordering systems in Ireland.
FAQs
Can a QR code menu replace printed menus in Ireland?
At the table, yes, but you still need the price notice at your entrance under the 1984 Display Order, and written allergen information that diners can see without asking. Keep a printed allergen sheet for guests who don't scan.
What VAT rate applies to food ordered from the table in Ireland?
Since 1 July 2026, food and non-alcoholic drinks served as part of a restaurant service are at the 9% second reduced rate. Soft drinks, bottled water, sports drinks and alcohol stay at 23%. Chocolate, crisps, ice cream and fruit juice served at the table are 9%.
Is a service charge taxed in Ireland?
Yes, when it's on the bill. Revenue treats it as part of the price of the meal, taxed at the second reduced rate. Voluntary tips that aren't on the bill are outside VAT. In Menuthere, switch on Charge tax on the service charge.
Do I need a tips notice on my QR ordering page?
Yes. The 2022 display regulations require the tips and gratuities notice on each website or app you use for the service, as well as at the premises and at one more place where diners pay in person.
Can diners pay at the table from a Menuthere QR menu?
Yes, on Lite with your own Stripe account: card, Apple Pay or Google Pay. On the Free plan diners order from the table and pay at the till. Menuthere takes no commission.
Can my QR menu show dish names in Irish?
Yes, as each dish's second name, on every plan. Menuthere's automatic translation button doesn't include Irish.
Sources (10)
- Revenue, Tax and Duty Manual: VAT Treatment of Restaurant and Catering Services (last reviewed June 2026; §1.1 restaurant services second reduced rate from 1 July 2026; §4.1 takeaways; §8 summary table from 1 July 2026): revenue.ie/en/tax-professionals/tdm/value-added-tax/part03-taxable-transactions-goods-ica-services/Services/services-vat-treatment-of-restaurant-and-catering-services.pdf (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- Revenue, Current VAT rates (23%, 13.5%, 9%): revenue.ie/en/vat/vat-rates/search-vat-rates/current-vat-rates.aspx (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- Revenue, VAT rates database, "Service charge – catering": "Where included on the bill, regarded as part of the consideration for the meal and liable at the second reduced rate": revenue.ie/en/vat/vat-rates/search-vat-rates/S/service-charge-catering-food-and-drink-for-human-consumption-.aspx (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- S.I. No. 213/1984, Retail Prices (Food in Catering Establishments) Display Order 1984, Articles 2–3: irishstatutebook.ie/eli/1984/si/213/made/en/print (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- CCPC, Price display regulations for restaurants and cafés (entrance notice, blackboard, service/cover charges, licensed premises → 1999 Beverages Display Order): ccpc.ie/information-for-businesses/guidance-for-businesses/consumer-protection-guidance/sectoral-consumer-protection-guidance/restaurants-and-cafes (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- S.I. No. 489/2014, Health (Provision of Food Allergen Information to Consumers in respect of Non-Prepacked Food) Regulations 2014, Regulations 4–6: irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2014/si/489/made/en/print (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- FSAI, Allergen information for non-prepacked food ("must not have to ask"; alongside each item or centrally): fsai.ie/business-advice/running-a-food-business/allergens/allergen-information-for-non-prepacked-food (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- S.I. No. 545/2022, Payment of Wages Act 1991 (Display of Notices) Regulations 2022, Regulation 4 (premises, additional payment point, each online digital platform; in operation 1 December 2022): irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2022/si/545/made/en/print (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- Stripe Ireland pricing (1.5% + €0.25 standard EEA cards): stripe.com/ie/pricing (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- Menuthere commission pages: /en/delivery-app-commission/just-eat-ireland (Just Eat IE partner page, archived 11 Mar 2026), /en/delivery-app-commission/deliveroo-ireland (approximate, checked 26 Sep 2026)