DEATH OF MENU CARDS

There was a time when the first touch of the dining experience was not the food itself, but the menu. Bound in leather, embossed in gold, or printed on rustic handmade paper, it set the tone for what was to come.

- By Gauri Ghadge

It was tactile, deliberate, and deeply human. But that era has ended.

Today, at most restaurants, the menu has vanished from the table. In its place: a 1.5-inch black-and-white square pasted near your plate. You're handed not a menu, but an instruction: "Please scan the QR code to view our offerings." In that simple gesture lies a transformation far deeper than convenience. It has quietly rewritten how we interact with food, space, and each other.

Welcome to the age of QR code cuisine, where the menu no longer speaks to you; it just loads.

A PANDEMIC PIVOT THAT BECAME PERMANENT

QR codes in restaurants began as a health safeguard during the COVID-19 pandemic. With physical contact discouraged, disposable or digital alternatives to printed menus became necessary. The QR code, previously underutilised in hospitality, was suddenly the hero of hygiene.

But what started as a temporary fix became a long-term fixture. According to the 2023 Global Restaurant Tech Index, over 80% of mid- to high-end restaurants in Indian metros have now adopted QR-based menus as their default. And not just because they're safer, they're cheaper to maintain, easy to update, and provide valuable insights into customer behaviour.

No reprinting costs. No scratched menus. No scribbled-out prices. But also, no texture, no aroma of paper, no sense of ritual. And that's where the shift starts to sting.

THE RITUAL WE DIDN'T KNOW WE'D MISS

Dining out has always been about more than just food. It is an act of engagement between people, flavours, space, and anticipation. The printed menu played a central role in this ceremony. It was the first interaction, an object of pause, an invitation to explore.

With QR menus, the ritual is reduced to a scan-and-scroll mechanic. The process is silent, solitary, and often rushed.