A chat QR code or an ordering QR code?
Every WhatsApp QR code opens a chat. What happens next depends on who answers it.
| Your WhatsApp | Customer scans and sends | What they get back |
|---|---|---|
| WhatsApp Business app, answered by hand | "Hi, I'd like to order" | Your reply when someone has a free hand. They type the order and you add it up. |
| Your free order page in the code | Nothing yet: the code opens your items | They pick items and send the order to your WhatsApp, already written. |
| Menuthere's WhatsApp bot on your number | "Hi" | An instant reply with an Order Now button. The menu opens with them already signed in. |
| Menuthere's WhatsApp bot, table code | "Hi, I'm at table 1" | The Order Now link for that table's menu. |
The bot's order link is valid for 23 hours and works for the first person who opens it, so a forwarded link can't be reused. See WhatsApp ordering and what a WhatsApp ordering bot does.
Where restaurants put a WhatsApp QR code
| Place | Make | First message |
|---|---|---|
| Shop window and counter | Sticker or a large code | Hi, I'd like to order |
| Each table | One code per table | Hi, I'm at table 1 (2, 3…) |
| Takeaway bags, boxes and receipts | Round sticker | Hi |
| Printed menu and flyers | Code with words under it | Hi, I'd like to order |
| Instagram posts and stories | PNG code | Hi |
For table codes, change the number in the message and download again for each table. The codes stay the same size, so they fit the same card. For a printed table card with your menu, Wi-Fi or review code, use the table QR card maker.
Print it so it scans
- At least 3 cm wide, bigger for a window. Keep the white border: scanners need it.
- Dark on light. The tool keeps the code dark on white. A light colour is swapped for black.
- SVG for print shops, PNG for posts and screens.
- Test before you print a batch. Scan it from a second phone and check the number and the message.
- Short messages scan best. A long message makes a denser code.
What the chats cost
Customers never pay to message you. Answering by hand from the WhatsApp Business app has no per-message charge. On the WhatsApp Business API, Meta bills your own WhatsApp account per message: the first 1,000 service replies a month per number are free, and order updates are paid utility messages. Work out a month with the WhatsApp cost calculator.