SINGAPORE, May 16 : Scanning a quick response (QR) code to view a menu is no longer an uncommon sight these days as more eateries turn to technology during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Such menus, initially adopted to reduce physical contact between staff and patrons, will continue to be part of the dining experience in the post-Covid-19 world, eateries told The Straits Times.
Although a handful of consumers said they prefer physical menus, eateries said the digital menus have helped their operations.
Of the 12 eateries ST spoke to, 10 are using QR code menus.
A printout of the QR code is usually placed on tables, and patrons scan it with their digital device to get a link to the online menu and place their order. Payments can either be made digitally or physically at a cashier.
A spokesman for the Restaurant Association of Singapore said a QR code reduces the need for shared touch surfaces.
Restaurants can also seek feedback from diners by getting them to scan QR codes that direct them to a feedback form or their website, added the spokesman.
Five of the 14 consumers that ST spoke to said they prefer physical menus, while the other nine said they are okay with both physical and digital menus.
Although beautician Chen Hsing Yi, 37, is receptive to physical menus, she likes the convenience of viewing a digital menu on the phone.
She said: "Our phones are with us all the time, so it is easy to use them for everything, including looking at menus, which wouldn't be that much different (from reading a physical menu)."
Most eateries said the use of the technology has helped improve operations and better deploy their manpower.
Restaurant chain Song Fa Bak Kut Teh replaced its physical menus with QR code menus across its 13 outlets in mid-2020.
Adrian Thia, its marketing communications manager, said the company will continue to use online menus as it helps with manpower.
Its employees do not have to take down orders manually and can focus on other duties such as serving the food or managing queues. While it allows patrons to view the menu and place an order online, payments still have to be made at the cashier counter, said Thia.
Brian Chua, chief executive officer of Gourmet Food Holdings, which runs food brands such as Vietnamese restaurant chain Mrs Pho and ramen restaurant chain Tsuta, said it has implemented QR code menus at both chains since April last year.
Physical menus are still available at the chains. Customers will still have to pay at the cashier counter, although they can view and place their order through the QR code menu, said Chua.
Chua said it will continue to use QR code menus for various reasons, including reducing mistakes in orders as customers place the order themselves.
Besides better use of manpower, some eateries said patrons have grown accustomed to the digital menus.
Dellen Soh, chairman and chief executive officer of Minor Food Singapore, which oversees the Xin Wang Hong Kong Cafe chain, said the outlet at Bugis+ has been using a QR code menu since the start of this year.
He said 90 per cent of the outlet's customers are tech-savvy and receptive to using the digital menu to order and pay digitally. But patrons can also refer to the physical menu on the tables, place their order on an order chit and pay at the cashier counter after their meal.
"Moving forward, we think it will be the new normal and QR ordering is here to stay," said Soh.
Song Fa Bak Kut Teh's Thia said: "For now, we don't see any reason to stop using it unless there is a better digital option to replace the QR code self-ordering system that is beneficial to F&B operators as well as customers."
But some eateries are sticking to the physical menu.
While Loris Massimini, chef-owner of Italian restaurant Ristorante Pietrasanta in Fusionpolis Way, agreed that there are many benefits to digital menus, a physical one allows his restaurant to interact with diners.
"With a digital menu, customers will just be looking at their phone. We still prefer this human touch at Ristorante Pietrasanta... The human touch is part and parcel of the dining experience," he added.
Secretary Anna Bong, 49, also prefers a physical menu as she struggles to read the menu on her mobile device.
"I suffer from long-sightedness, so it is hard for me to read the menu. This (is) especially so for the food descriptions, which are (displayed) in an even smaller print under the items," she said
- ANN
Created by Tan KW | Mar 29, 2024
Created by Tan KW | Mar 29, 2024