QR code menu for restaurants in the UAE
Updated October 19, 2026
A QR code menu for a UAE restaurant should open in Arabic or English, show prices in dirhams with VAT already included, and let guests pay with Apple Pay or a card from the table. Menuthere does all three. You type Arabic dish names yourself so they read correctly, the menu can open in Arabic, and your own Stripe account takes the payment in AED. The digital menu, table codes and 50 orders a month are free, and Menuthere takes 0% commission.
In short
- Arabic and English: add an Arabic name to each dish on any plan. On Lite, guests switch the whole menu into Arabic, Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil, Bengali and other languages.
- VAT included: the UAE VAT law says advertised prices must include the 5% tax, and the FTA says this covers food menus. Mark dishes tax inclusive and the bill shows "VAT (included)".
- UAE bills: UAE stores always label the tax VAT, and the UAE Invoice bill layout prints VAT and net labels in Arabic and English.
- Stripe works in the UAE: 2.9% + AED 1.00 per domestic card payment, with Apple Pay and Google Pay. Lite, US$17 a month.
- Free plan: digital menu, table QR codes and up to 50 orders a month.
Arabic on your QR menu: three switches
Arabic is the UAE's official language, and commercial signs in the UAE are in Arabic and English. Your QR menu should be too. Menuthere has three separate Arabic features, and they do different jobs:
| Feature | What it does | Plan |
|---|---|---|
| Arabic second name on each dish | You type the Arabic name, such as شاورما دجاج under "Chicken shawarma". When a guest picks Arabic, your Arabic name becomes the main name and the English moves to the line below. It's never machine-translated. | Every plan |
| Menu language button | Guests switch the menu text into Arabic and other languages automatically. You choose which languages to offer and which one the menu opens in. Prices stay the same. | Lite |
| Arabic labels on bills and kitchen tickets | Labels such as Order, Date, Subtotal and TOTAL print in Arabic. Dish names print as you typed them. | Every plan |
The language button also offers Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil and Bengali, as well as Chinese, Japanese and Spanish. In a city where your guests and your kitchen team speak many languages, that's useful beyond Arabic: a guest's choice is remembered for their next visit.
Tip: for dishes with well-known Arabic names (machboos, luqaimat, knafeh), always type the Arabic second name yourself. Automatic translation can render them oddly. See dish names in a second language and menu in several languages.
VAT: prices on the menu must include it
The UAE VAT Decree-Law (No. 8 of 2017) sets the standard rate at 5% and says the advertised price shall include the tax. Failing to display prices inclusive of tax is a penalty ground. The Federal Tax Authority's guidance says prices must include VAT "whether in food menus, catalogues, or price tags".
Set it up in Menuthere:
- Go to
Settings → Payments & tax, switch on Charge tax on orders, enter 5% and your TRN. UAE stores always show the tax as VAT. - Switch on Tax Inclusive on each dish, so AED 32 on the menu stays AED 32 at checkout.
- Checkout shows a VAT (included) row with the tax inside the price, for information only.
- Under
Settings → Printing → Layout, choose UAE Invoice or Tax Invoice (a bilingual simplified tax invoice). Switch on Print labels in Arabic if you want Arabic labels on every bill.
Menuthere's layouts are formatted for these invoice styles, but what a valid tax invoice must contain is set by the FTA, so check your own obligations. See bill layouts and Arabic labels.
Worked example: a table of three in Dubai
Three guests order a mixed grill platter at AED 68, two hummus at AED 18 each and three fresh juices at AED 22 each. All prices include VAT. They pay with Apple Pay before leaving.
| Line | Amount |
|---|---|
| Menu total, VAT included | AED 170.00 |
| VAT inside the price (5/105) | AED 8.10 |
| Guest pays | AED 170.00 |
| Stripe fee (2.9% + AED 1.00, domestic card) | AED 5.93 |
| Menuthere commission | AED 0.00 |
| You receive | AED 164.07 |
A tourist's foreign card costs 1% more on Stripe, and a currency conversion another 1%. Stripe's minimum charge in the UAE is AED 2.00. See is Stripe available in the UAE and VAT on gateway fees.
How UAE guests pay from the table
| Payment | With a Menuthere QR menu | Plan |
|---|---|---|
| Visa, Mastercard | Stripe Checkout on your own Stripe account, in AED | Lite |
| Apple Pay, Google Pay | Shown by Stripe on supported phones and browsers. In-app browsers such as Instagram show card entry only. | Lite |
| Pay after the meal | Dine-in orders go straight to the kitchen and read Payment due. The guest presses Pay now within an hour of completion, or pays your cashier. | Lite |
| Cash or your card machine | Guest orders by QR and pays at the counter. You mark it paid. | Free |
See connect Stripe.
Print the QR on talabat, noon and Deliveroo bags too
Your table QR code and your takeaway link can be the same menu. Put a QR sticker in every delivery-app bag. On an AED 80 delivery order, the restaurant pays roughly:
| App | Commission on AED 80 |
|---|---|
| talabat, 15–25% (reported) | AED 12–20 |
| noon Food delivery, 25% (published by noon) | AED 20 |
| Deliveroo, about 25–35% | AED 20–28 |
| Your own Menuthere link, Stripe fee | AED 3.32 |
Rates are from our pages on talabat, noon Food and Deliveroo commission in the UAE. For delivery from your own site, see the online ordering system for the UAE.
Set up your UAE QR menu
- Sign up at /get-started and find your restaurant on Google.
- Import your menu from a photo or PDF and set the currency to AED.
- Add Arabic second names to your dishes.
- Set VAT to 5%, add your TRN and mark dishes tax inclusive.
- Add tables and download the codes. Design tent cards with the table QR card maker.
- Connect Stripe on Lite, or start on Free and take payment at the counter.
Opening in Saudi Arabia too? Read the QR code menu for Saudi Arabia. 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 the UAE.
FAQs
Can my QR menu in Dubai show Arabic and English?
Yes. Add an Arabic name to each dish on any plan, and it shows with the English name. On Lite, guests can also switch the whole menu into Arabic with the language button.
Do UAE menu prices have to include VAT?
Yes. The UAE VAT law says advertised prices must include the tax, and the Federal Tax Authority says this applies to food menus. Mark your dishes tax inclusive in Menuthere.
Can guests pay with Apple Pay from a QR menu in the UAE?
Yes, on Lite with your own Stripe account. Stripe opens accounts in the UAE and supports Visa, Mastercard, Apple Pay and Google Pay there.
How much does Stripe charge UAE restaurants?
Stripe's standard price is 2.9% + AED 1.00 per domestic card payment, with 1% more for international cards. Menuthere adds no commission.
Can I print a UAE VAT invoice from QR orders?
Menuthere has a UAE Invoice bill layout titled Tax Invoice, with VAT and net labels in Arabic and English. Check the FTA's rules for what your invoices must contain.
Is the QR code menu free?
Yes. The Free plan includes the digital menu, table QR codes and up to 50 orders a month. The Arabic language button and online payments start on Lite.
Sources (8)
- UAE Federal Decree-Law No. 8 of 2017 on VAT, Articles 3 and 38 (5% rate; advertised price includes tax): tax.gov.ae/DataFolder/Files/Pdf/VAT-Decree-Law-No-8-of-2017.pdf (accessed 19 Oct 2026)
- Federal Tax Authority, Get to know your tax obligations (prices include VAT "whether in food menus"): tax.gov.ae/DataFolder/Files/Guides/VAT/Awareness/Get%20to%20know%20your%20Tax%20Obligations.pdf (accessed 19 Oct 2026)
- UAE Government portal, Fact sheet (Arabic official language; signs in Arabic and English): u.ae/en/about-the-uae/fact-sheet (accessed 19 Oct 2026)
- UAE Government portal, The UAE national currency (AED): u.ae/en/information-and-services/finance-and-investment/the-uae-national-currency (accessed 19 Oct 2026)
- Stripe UAE pricing (2.9% + AED 1.00 domestic cards; +1% international; +1% conversion): stripe.com/ae/pricing (accessed 19 Oct 2026)
- Stripe, Payment method support (cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay): docs.stripe.com/payments/payment-methods/payment-method-support (accessed 19 Oct 2026)
- Stripe global availability (United Arab Emirates supported): stripe.com/global (accessed 19 Oct 2026)
- Menuthere commission pages: menuthere.com/en/delivery-app-commission/talabat-uae, /noon-uae, /deliveroo-uae (accessed 19 Oct 2026)