QR code menus used to combat staff shortage in hospitality sector

A number of entrepreneurs in the hospitality sector have been battling staff shortages by placing QR codes on the table with which customers can order their food and drinks, NOS reported. Less staff is therefore needed to collect the order from each table.

QR codes first became popular during the coronavirus crisis to register guests. The system has now also proved useful to substitute menus and to order and pay for food.

Prior to the coronavirus crisis, the website GratisQRcode.nl made 10 thousand QR codes per month. That figure has now jumped to 50 thousand per month. “In comparison to Asia, we are still behind but everyone has needed them since the crisis”, director of the website Daan van Tongeren said.

“Due to the staff shortage, many entrepreneurs in the catering business stand before the decision to either close for a number of days or use QR codes”, director of the order app Scanfie Gerard Brower told NOS. “Not being able to find staff is currently one of the most widespread arguments for using digital ordering apps.”

“We have a large terrace with entrances from three sides. Therefore, we need a lot of staff which is difficult to find at the moment”, manager of the restaurant Van Aken Teuntje Veenstra said. The QR codes help reduce the number of tasks that employees have to perform. Van Aken needs about four to five fewer workers thanks to the QR code, Veenstra claimed.

For some, for example, the elderly QR codes can be a hassle. The elderly union ANBO emphasized that an alternative to the QR codes should always still be readily available.

“Around 2.5 million people in the Netherlands have difficulty keeping up with digitalization”, Ieder(in), an advocate for people with disabilities said. QR codes are also not handy for visually impaired people.