Digital Menu: Smarter Ordering in Your Venue

A digital menu is an online version of your hospitality menu that guests open on their own phone via a QR code or link. Instead of handing out physical menus, you let guests browse, choose and often order and pay directly. The result: less running around for your staff, faster table turnover and a menu you can update in seconds.

Does this sound familiar? You are serving a packed terrace, the menus have run out, prices no longer match after a supplier increase, and guests keep waving to catch your staff's attention. A digital menu solves exactly these frustrations. In this guide you will learn what a digital menu is, which types exist, what it brings your venue and how to choose the right solution. We show you how to order smarter, settle up faster (with Splitty on average in 15 seconds) and collect more tips. By the end you will know exactly which steps to take to start today.

To be clear up front: Splitty is not a digital menu. Splitty handles the payment moment at the table: guests scan a QR, see the live bill from your POS, split, pay and tip. Displaying the menu and ordering is done with a separate ordering solution or a module of your POS system. This guide covers the full picture, and shows where smarter payments fit in.

What is a digital menu?

A digital menu is the online version of your food and drinks list that guests view on their smartphone. They scan a QR code on the table or the beer coaster, and the menu opens directly in their browser. No app download, no hassle.

The simplest form is a PDF behind a QR code. The smartest form goes much further: guests order and pay directly through the digital menu, and the order flows automatically to your POS and kitchen.

In short, a digital menu can be three things:

• Display only: the guest reads the menu digitally, orders from staff.
• Ordering: the guest places the order themselves via the screen.
• Ordering and paying: the guest does everything themselves, from choice to checkout.

Especially that last form changes your service. Because as soon as guests pay themselves, your staff no longer has to walk back and forth with the card terminal. You can read more about this in our explanation of the complete digital journey from order to payment.

Why are more venues choosing a digital menu?

The main reason is simple: staff shortages and busyness. You have fewer hands on the floor and yet the same (or higher) expectations from guests. A digital menu takes over tasks that cost your staff valuable time.

Think of the classic bottlenecks in a busy venue:

• Guests wait a long time for the menu or to order.
• Staff constantly walk around with the card terminal.
• At the end of the evening there is a queue at checkout.
• Menus get damaged, outdated or run out.

A digital menu tackles all these points at once. Guests grab the menu on their phone, choose at their own pace and (with the right solution) pay themselves. Your staff has time left for hospitality instead of running around.

There is also a shift in guest behaviour. Contactless payment has become the norm, not the exception. Guests are used to scanning and paying with their phone. Read more about the future of contactless payment in hospitality.

Types of digital menus

Not every digital menu is the same. Broadly speaking there are three levels, and the level determines how much it brings you.

1. The static digital menu (PDF or image)

This is the entry-level version. You put your existing menu online as a PDF and link a QR code to it. Guests view the menu, nothing more.

• Advantage: cheap and quick to set up.
• Disadvantage: you have to re-upload every change, and there is no ordering or payment function. On mobile a PDF is often hard to read.

2. The interactive digital menu

This is where it gets interesting. The menu is optimised for mobile, with photos, filters (vegetarian, gluten-free) and allergen information. Guests navigate easily and you adjust prices instantly.

• Advantage: professional look, always up to date, better guest experience.
• Disadvantage: the guest still orders and pays with staff.

3. The digital menu with ordering and paying

This is the full-fledged solution. Guests view the menu, place their order and pay themselves via a QR code. The order goes directly to your POS and kitchen. Note: the displaying and ordering part is not what Splitty does, you choose an ordering solution for that. Splitty handles the last part of this chain, the payment: guests scan the QR at the table, see the live bill from your POS, split and pay in seconds.

• Advantage: less running around, faster table turnover, more tips and direct integration with your POS.
• Disadvantage: it requires a solid integration with your system, but that is exactly what a good provider arranges for you.

Want to understand how this technology fits into the bigger picture? Then check out our complete guide to hospitality software.

QR menu in a restaurant: how does it work?

A QR menu in the restaurant works in a few simple steps. For the guest it feels effortless, and for you it runs fully automated.

Here is how the process works step by step:

1. Scan: the guest scans the QR code on the table with the phone camera. No app needed.
2. Open: the digital menu opens directly in the browser, linked to the correct table.
3. Choose: the guest views the dishes, sees photos and allergens, and chooses at their own pace.
4. Order: the guest places the order, which arrives automatically at the kitchen and POS.
5. Pay: at the end the guest pays themselves, and can split the bill or leave a tip.

The great thing: each QR code is linked to a specific table. That way you know exactly where an order comes from, without your staff having to type anything. This prevents errors and speeds up service enormously.

The payment part of this flow also works without a digital ordering menu: at venues working with Splitty, guests settle up in 15 seconds on average. At the end of a busy evening that easily saves tens of minutes of waiting and running around.

Benefits of digital menus for your venue

Digital menus deliver gains on multiple fronts. Not only for the guest, but especially for your revenue and workload. We list the main benefits.

More tips

This is perhaps the most underrated benefit. When guests check out digitally, they receive a friendly, clear tip suggestion at the end. At venues that use Splitty, this results in an average of 5x more tips than with the traditional card terminal.

Want to dive deeper into this? Then read our step-by-step plan to increase tips in your restaurant.

Faster table turnover

The faster a table settles up, the sooner the next guests can sit down. With checkout in 15 seconds, the bottleneck at the end of the evening disappears. On a busy terrace that means directly more revenue per evening.

Less pressure on your staff

Your staff no longer walk back and forth with the card terminal and do not have to keep taking orders. They spend that time on real hospitality: advising a table, offering an extra round of drinks, or simply staying calm.

Always an up-to-date menu

A dish sold out? Price changed? You adjust it in seconds, without printing new menus. No outdated prices, no crossed-out dishes.

Higher average spend

A digital menu with photos and smart suggestions invites guests to order that extra dish or drink. Guests order more easily, because they do not have to wait for staff to come by.

Better guest experience

No waiting for the menu, no waiting to order, no waiting for the bill. Calm and convenience for the guest. Find more inspiration in our 5 tips to improve the guest experience with smart payment solutions.

Digital menu and ordering: order and pay at the table

The biggest leap happens when your digital menu not only displays, but also enables ordering and paying. That is when it truly becomes a revenue machine.

Imagine a normal evening. Guests scan, order their own drinks and dishes, and as soon as they are done, they pay. They split the bill among themselves if that is convenient, and leave a tip without your staff having to stand by.

The power lies in splitting. Four friends at a table? Everyone pays their own share via the phone, without the hassle of calculating or one person fronting everything. This is one of the biggest annoyances that disappears. Read here why bill splitting is essential for modern restaurants.

In this story, Splitty covers the payment and splitting part: venues process on average around 450 transactions per month with it. Those are hundreds of moments when your staff did not have to walk, and hundreds of chances for extra tips.

What to look for when choosing a digital menu

Not every solution suits every venue. A snack bar has different needs than a fine-dining restaurant or a busy terrace. Use this checklist when making your choice.

Does it work without an app download?

Guests do not want to install anything. Choose a solution that works directly in the browser after scanning a QR code. Every extra step costs you orders.

Does it integrate with your POS system?

This is crucial. If the digital menu does not integrate with your POS, you have to retype everything manually. That costs time and causes errors. So always check whether the solution works with your system (such as unTill, Lightspeed or another common POS system).

Can you order and pay?

Display only is nice, but the real gain lies in self-ordering and paying. Choose a solution that covers the full journey.

Is splitting and tipping possible?

Guests want to easily share the bill and leave a tip. Make sure this works smoothly, because this is exactly where extra revenue lies.

How quickly can you adjust the menu?

You want to disable a dish or change a price within seconds, without technical knowledge. Test this before you choose.

How does it look on mobile?

The menu must look sleek and readable on a smartphone, in your house style. A messy PDF scares guests off.

Want a complete overview of choosing your payment and ordering system? Then check out our complete guide to choosing a hospitality payment system in 2026.

Integration with your POS system

A digital menu is only truly powerful when it integrates seamlessly with your POS. Without integration you still spend hours retyping and risk errors.

With a good integration this happens automatically:

• Orders arrive directly in your POS and kitchen.
• Payments are recorded correctly on the right table.
• Your revenue and reports add up without manual work.
• Your menu stays in sync between POS and digital menu.

For the payment side, Splitty integrates with common POS systems in hospitality. Do you work with unTill? Then read how to connect your unTill POS to Splitty for faster checkout. Do you use Lightspeed? Then check out the details of the Splitty Lightspeed integration.

Unsure which POS system suits you best? Our complete comparison of the best POS systems for hospitality will help you on your way.

Practical example: from busy bar to smooth service

To make it concrete, we sketch a recognisable situation. This case is hypothetical, but based on patterns we see in practice.

Situation: imagine a popular café with 30 tables and a large terrace. On weekends it is packed, with many changing guests who want a quick drink and a snack.

Problem: the staff are run off their feet. Taking orders, hauling the card terminal around and waiting at the end of each table for everyone to pay separately. Around closing time there is a queue of people wanting to settle up. Guests grow impatient and staff become overloaded.

Solution: the café combines a digital ordering menu (integrated with the existing POS system) with Splitty for payments. Guests scan the code on the table, order via the menu and pay via Splitty. Those sitting together split the bill on the phone.

Result: the staff have time left for hospitality instead of running around. Tables settle up in about 15 seconds, so the queue at closing time disappears. And because guests receive a tip suggestion at checkout, more tips come in structurally, in line with the average 5x higher tips we see at Splitty venues. Table turnover speeds up, which directly generates extra revenue on busy evenings.

How to start with a digital menu in 5 steps

Switching to a digital menu does not have to be a big project. With the right partner you are live quickly. Here is how to approach it:

1. Determine your goal. Do you only want to display the menu digitally, or also order and pay? For most venues the gain lies in the full solution.
2. Check your POS system. Make sure the digital menu integrates with your POS, so everything runs automatically.
3. Set up your menu. Add your dishes with photos, prices and allergens. A good provider helps you with this.
4. Place the QR codes. On tables, coasters or stands. Make sure they are clearly visible.
5. Train your team briefly. Explain how guests scan and pay, so your staff can help guests who have questions.

After these steps you run smoother service, with less workload and more tips. Want to get the payment side right straight away? Feel free to contact us, and we will look at it together with your POS system.

Summary

The key points in a row:

• A digital menu is the online version of your menu that guests open via a QR code on their phone, without an app.
• There are three levels: display only, ordering, and ordering and paying. The most gain lies in the full solution.
• A QR menu in the restaurant speeds up service, reduces workload and prevents errors.
• Benefits: faster service, less workload and an always up-to-date menu. Combine the menu with smart payments and you add checkout in 15 seconds and on average 5x more tips.
• Splitty is not a digital menu but handles the payment part (live bill, splitting, paying, tipping); venues process around 450 transactions per month with it.
• When choosing, watch for: no app download, POS integration, ordering and paying, splitting and tipping, and quick menu adjustments.
• A good integration with your POS system (unTill, Lightspeed and others) is essential to let everything run automatically.
• In 5 steps you are live: determine goal, check POS, set up menu, place QR codes, train team.

Compiled by Team Splitty

Compiled by Team Splitty, this article is based on official documentation from payment providers, industry research and practical experience within hospitality.