Not another hamburger article, but…
If you recall, a few months back, I shared my mom’s struggle with learning to embrace button-pushing, a gift that comes naturally to many mothers. At the time, she couldn’t figure out why restaurant websites offered so little usable information.
As it turns out, the information she was seeking was there on the website all along, but it was hidden from the elderly computer noob’s sight because she didn’t know what she was looking for. That’s when I got to teach my mom about the Hamburger of Enlightenment, that little sandwich-shaped icon that means “menu” for those of us in the know.
We’re still talking about hi tech menus.
Of course, there’s an endless supply of new technology creating stumbling blocks for older and tech-resistant customers. Once my mom had mastered the hamburger menu, she was tasked with figuring out QR menus. Allow me to set the stage.
Mom and Ron went to a new restaurant they were dying to try, but they couldn’t get their hands on a printed menu. They asked the waitress, but not a single good old fashioned menu could be produced. All the poor waitress had to offer was a block of weird black and white squiggles and the promise of an even better menu on their phone.
Now, it’s true that my mom has come a loooooong way in her technology adoption. In some very small circles, she’s even known as somewhat of a guru of Googling. However, do not mistake her reluctant acceptance of useful technology as a whole-hearted conversion.
In the case of the contactless QR code, my mom was not budging. She didn’t want to have to figure out a whole new technology just to check out her dinner options. They did what a lot of less tech savvy customers might do.
They left the restaurant and went somewhere else.
QR codes have an important role to play in digital marketing.
Here’s the thing. Many restaurants have switched to using QR codes to connect visitors with digital menus instead of giving out dirty old paper menus. COVID compliance. We all totally get it. In fact, QR codes have a lot of advantages for restaurateurs. To name a few:
I’m going to side with the restaurant when it comes to the QR code because the advantages of the technology for businesses are too many to count. It would be crazy to ignore new opportunities just because some people won’t like them.
However, it’s possible to adopt new technologies without alienating older customers.
Keep a couple of printed menus in house for folks who may be unable (or unwilling) to use QR technology.
As a restaurateur, your goal is to bring as many people to the table as possible, so start by making sure you’ve got a menu that everyone can read.
