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Bring back menus, QR codes are terrible

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Re: Bring back menus, QR codes are terrible

#511

Post by datameta »

benhurmarcel wrote: post #502
thomascgalvin wrote: post #467

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My big issue, which should be easily correctable, is that every menu QR code I've scanned results in a PDF that I have to download. Nobody wants PDFs. On desktop sites, it's common to add a (PDF Warning) to links that lead to PDFs. And on a phone, PDFs are even worse. They're almost always sized for the desktop, which means you have to pinch and scroll to see anything, and I don't download stuff from Firefox often en…

Which mobile browser downloads PDFs instead of just rendering them?

DDG is one example. I prefer it this way because I can choose how to view it, and not have to redownload it in case I lose the page or the cache for the file.

Re: Bring back menus, QR codes are terrible

#512

Post by dimmke »

infecto wrote: post #417

It's really interesting to see how a crowd of tech workers who generally are trying to pave the way are so quick to attack and be negative. Like all things in life, when its implemented well it works and when it does not it is terrible. I still think there is room for this to be the future though. I say this as a westerner but perhaps the west is not ready for it yet but I really enjoyed the experience of using QR co…

I give it about 3 months before these QR code menus start asking for your email "for deals" before they'll display the menu. And I'm sure some great new YC backed startup will be created to collect all the data and aggregate it with other data broker information.

Re: Bring back menus, QR codes are terrible

#513

Post by Zigurd »

It all depends on how well-implemented, or not.

For example, Toasttab QR codes on the paper tab work brilliantly. They do not require the restaurant to retool with thousands of dollars of mobile devices for servers. Excellent use of a QR code.

As others have pointed out, getting a pdf that does not format well on your smartphone is a disappointing experience, but that is not the fault of the QR code. The problem is in what comes after.

You could be able to order from your table via smartphone, but usually you can't because the landing page is a dumb pdf of a paper menu, and the QR code does not include information about which table you are at, and the restaurant systems need human intervention to know when to open a new tab.

Re: Bring back menus, QR codes are terrible

#514

Post by WhyCause »

benhurmarcel wrote: post #502
thomascgalvin wrote: post #467

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My big issue, which should be easily correctable, is that every menu QR code I've scanned results in a PDF that I have to download. Nobody wants PDFs. On desktop sites, it's common to add a (PDF Warning) to links that lead to PDFs. And on a phone, PDFs are even worse. They're almost always sized for the desktop, which means you have to pinch and scroll to see anything, and I don't download stuff from Firefox often en…

Which mobile browser downloads PDFs instead of just rendering them?

All of them. The data still needs to be downloaded to be rendered.

Re: Bring back menus, QR codes are terrible

#515

Post by JKCalhoun »

infecto wrote: post #417

It's really interesting to see how a crowd of tech workers who generally are trying to pave the way are so quick to attack and be negative. Like all things in life, when its implemented well it works and when it does not it is terrible. I still think there is room for this to be the future though. I say this as a westerner but perhaps the west is not ready for it yet but I really enjoyed the experience of using QR co…

> Like all things in life, when its implemented well it works

As does a physical menu.

I don't want to take my phone out when dining.

Re: Bring back menus, QR codes are terrible

#516

Post by SethMurphy »

bitten wrote: post #110
dheera wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hm, I have a Pixel 5 and it most certainly doesn't do that. Nothing happens. https://i.imgur.com/kjFEwiR.jpg Then again, starting about 5 weeks ago it also stopped responding to "OK Google" and 3 weeks ago it stopped announcing turn-by-turn directions during GPS navigation so I guess this is the state of tech in 2021 :-/ (Definitely don't want an Apple device though, massive privacy issue for me to use a closed sourc…

Pixel user here too. You have to enable "Google Lens suggestions" in the camera settings for it to read QR codes automatically. Drop down menu > Camera Settings > Google Lens suggestions.

In addition on my pixel 3 you can open camera app and long press QR code. This works with or without enabling lens suggestions.

So, double press power button, long tap QR code, and click link to visit site.

Re: Bring back menus, QR codes are terrible

#517

Post by fragmede »

melomal wrote: post #469
Kaze404 wrote: post #462

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Having both could cause issues, as the digital menu is much easier to update than the physical one, which can lead to inconsistencies. Not that it means it shouldn't be an option, it's just something that needs to be considered

This is very true. I wonder how often restaurants change their menus. I live on the coast of Poland and 5 years later of living here, I can probably tell you what the menu is for the 5 'hot' locations to go to because it literally hasn't changed.

Depends on the restaurant. Cooks are human too, so some will get bored after making the same exact thing for a year. Others might never get bored after a decade, or decide to keep making a dish because it sells well.

Re: Bring back menus, QR codes are terrible

#518

Post by greedo »

colinmhayes wrote: post #404
School-Cotton wrote: post #275

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That’s indeed why they did it, which is silly because there’s zero evidence that paper restaurant menus are a significant risk of covid transmission. It’s pure hygiene theater.

Nah, they did it because it makes it super easy to change the menu. Physical menus rarely change, online menus can change instantly for free.

It's definitely not free when you consider the infrastructure behind providing online menus.

Re: Bring back menus, QR codes are terrible

#519

Post by dsr_ »

fouric wrote: post #470
infecto wrote: post #417

It's really interesting to see how a crowd of tech workers who generally are trying to pave the way are so quick to attack and be negative. Like all things in life, when its implemented well it works and when it does not it is terrible. I still think there is room for this to be the future though. I say this as a westerner but perhaps the west is not ready for it yet but I really enjoyed the experience of using QR co…

> It's really interesting to see how a crowd of tech workers who generally are trying to pave the way are so quick to attack and be negative. This statement is utterly useless. It provides no value to the discussion, doesn't make any interesting points, and tries to emotionally manipulate the reader. > Like all things in life, when its implemented well it works and when it does not it is terrible. HN readers seem to…

Even more so: "a crowd of tech workers who generally are trying to pave the way" are professionally engaged in using, critiquing and developing user interfaces. These are the people you hire to tell you "this wasn't a good idea, here's a better one".

Super-thin phones.

Touch-screen controls in automobiles.

QR codes instead of menus.

All of these things seem nifty to marketing departments, may be accepted by consumers, and are detrimental to actual usage.

Re: Bring back menus, QR codes are terrible

#520

Post by jjgreen »

Grustaf wrote: post #480
infecto wrote: post #417

It's really interesting to see how a crowd of tech workers who generally are trying to pave the way are so quick to attack and be negative. Like all things in life, when its implemented well it works and when it does not it is terrible. I still think there is room for this to be the future though. I say this as a westerner but perhaps the west is not ready for it yet but I really enjoyed the experience of using QR co…

That's a bit like saying "why bother serving wine from bottles with impractical corks, each table should just have a wine hose with a tap". Going to a restaurant is an experience. A waiter, a physical menu and lots of other inefficiencies are part of that experience.

"Wine hose" you say, I'm interested ...
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