Products · Pattern or everyday thing
QR code menus
Raised as a usability problem by 96 people on Hacker News over 6 years (2021–2026), in 35 threads.
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Every issue, all time, most people first
Diners don't know QR codes can be scanned, codes hard to useUnreviewed
20212026- Small QR code printouts in dim restaurant lighting are hard to scan2026-06-29
- Ordering requires scanning a QR code, creating an account, and no cash; server can't take order2023-05-25
- People don't know QR codes can be scanned, and the codes are hard to use2023-05-25
Unreviewed issues were grouped by machine: Claude Haiku labelled each comment as a usability complaint, named what it's about and summed up the problem in a line, and a small model grouped similar problems. Nobody has checked them by hand. Expect mistakes.
The newest 50 complaints
- Phone fails to recognise the restaurant's QR code menu2026-10-27
- Menus only viewable through QR codes, which the commenter finds infuriating2026-08-25
- Customers don't understand how to scan and use the QR menu, and staff spend time explaining it2026-08-09
- Small QR code printouts in dim restaurant lighting are hard to scan2026-06-29
- Opening the menu on a phone is a chore; many are just PDFs2026-06-26
- QR code menus are super inconvenient and hard to use2026-06-25
- Menu is hard to view on phone and prices shown online differ from in-store prices2026-03-18
- Must use a phone to see the menu, with no paper alternative offered2026-01-04
- Diners must spend minutes zooming and scrolling on phones to read and choose from menus2025-02-26
- Dinner menu hidden behind horizontal scrolling; multiple PDFs and unavailable items confuse ordering2024-09-23
- Can't see the whole menu on a phone, so must scroll repeatedly to decide2024-09-23
- Hard to hold menu item locations in memory and compare them on screen2024-05-31
- Every QR menu uses a different, clunky interface, unlike a paper menu2024-05-31
- Menus fail to load on bad connections and have small text and poor formatting2024-05-31
- Phone menus have too little screen space and awkward navigation, so browsing is poor2024-02-18
- Tapping and swiping through tabs of digital listings is hard to navigate compared to a printed menu2024-02-18
- Restaurants require viewing the menu on a phone instead of printed menus2024-02-10
- Must find charger, wifi, and wait for phone just to see the menu2024-01-21
- Must scroll through page after page of drinks to reach food2024-01-21
- Diners must hunt for each item and get every modifier right, so mistakes and late meals follow2024-01-20
- Waiting 15 minutes for a waiter to bring a physical menu to share2024-01-20
- Menus split into category pages make everyone tap through the interface to find choices2024-01-20
- Navigating a digital menu to add or change items is a constant pain with tabs, reloads and scrolling2024-01-20
- Ordering on your phone is slow and clunky, with many steps like forms and card entry2024-01-20
- PDF menus require pinch-zooming around the page to read on a small phone screen2024-01-20
- Scrolling through a long QR menu makes it hard to flip back to items seen2023-11-16
- Menus on a tiny phone screen need constant pinching, panning and zooming to read2023-11-16
- Phone screen too small, so reading the menu requires zooming and scrolling everywhere2023-11-06
- Navigating QR code menus on phones is frustrating and cumbersome2023-11-06
- PDF menus with multiple columns force zooming and horizontal scrolling on phones2023-10-27
- Menu PDFs from QR codes have entries too small to read on phones2023-10-26
- Menu PDF is hard to read on phone screens, requiring squinting to choose2023-08-24
- Online menus are slow or impossible to load without good WiFi or signal2023-08-24
- Scanning yields obfuscated short link that immediately downloads a PDF menu2023-05-25
- Ordering requires scanning a QR code, creating an account, and no cash; server can't take order2023-05-25
- Most QR menus just link to a mobile site, adding no ordering or payment help2023-05-25
- Ordering portals load slowly, show pop-ups and ads, and fail on weak cell signal2023-05-25
- People don't know QR codes can be scanned, and the codes are hard to use2023-05-25
- Menus are huge image PDFs needing constant pinch-to-zoom and re-downloads2023-05-25
- Scanning the QR code forces registration or sign-in before showing the menu2023-05-25
- QR menus are hard to navigate, confusing, and hard to read on phones2023-05-25
- Restaurants without printed menus make it hard to read the menu when near-sighted2023-05-03
- Elderly people with old phones can't use or read QR code menus2023-01-25
- Restaurant QR menus on phones have a long list of poor usability problems2023-01-25
- Restaurant web menu won't load and disappears while scrolling and selecting items2023-01-18
- Bar iPad lacks an order option, so the customer cannot order food or drinks there2022-12-31
- Diners can't tell how to order or whether an order was placed2022-12-06
- QR menu wouldn't load on weak connection, no paper backup, forced borrowing another phone2022-12-06
- Diners fumble with phones and a poorly designed website to order2022-10-31
- Scanning the code opened the wrong app and payment failed, wasting ten minutes2022-10-30