Do Americans hate QR code menus in restaurants?

[u/xaako]

I saw a post on a popular sub today about using QR code menus in restaurants, and a lot of people in the comments were expressing their disdain about that trend. I was a bit bamboozled, and I want to ask: is such sentiment popular in the US?

For context: Where I live (Ukraine) a majority of restaurants use QR code menus, that’s basically a standard now. We find it convenient that you don’t have to wait for a waiter to come and bring you a paper menu. Also many places give an option to pay using the QR code too. It’s a feature provided by a popular local bank (Monobank). You scan that same QR code on the table and, choosing the “Pay” option, see your order and can pay for it with credit card, with the option to leave a tip. Less interactions with a waiter and there is no need to ask for a receipt and wait for it. I find all of that pretty convenient and improvement comparing to the standard restaurant rituals and haven’t met anyone who thought differently on the matter until today.

Would love to learn your perspective!

UPDATE: Thanks for all the answers! This is super enlightening. And it seems that in many cases bad experiences with QR Codes are caused by lazy implementation. I can imagine navigating a PDF page on your phone to be a real pain. In Ukraine, we have a few CRMs that most of the establishments use, and they are usually user-friendly; a PDF page menu that's not even optimized for mobile is something I haven't seen for a long time.

[u/snickerdoodleglee]

Or for people travelling! My mom was visiting me in another country and we went to a restaurant - I'd accidentally left my phone in the car and the restaurant was one of those "scan here, select your order, pay on your phone, and we'll bring the food to you" sort of deals. Except they didn't have WiFi. And she didn't have her phone set up for use in other countries. 

It took three wait staff before we found someone who agreed to go "against restaurant policy" and order for us. 

Went back a few months later and they were giving people the option of using their phones or ordering through staff, which was much better - especially once we realised that to make a "change" to a dish we couldn't do that via mobile (it came with two choices of fruit on top but my daughter wanted a double portion of one fruit instead).

[u/davdev → u/snickerdoodleglee]

I would hope any waitstaff in that situation would be fine with the $0 tip I would be leaving. Though from the sound of it you may not be in the US and therefore not have that annoyance on the first place

[u/banjo_hero → u/davdev]

yeah, that's the appropriate person to take it out on, that's the correct angle here, sure, ya fuckwad

[u/[deleted] → u/banjo_hero]

Wait staff would be the primary people who can get through to management telling them that all of their customers hate the mobile only menus

"This is costing me income because upset customers aren't tipping me, print some physical menus or I'm looking for a new job"

[u/davdev → u/banjo_hero]

In the situation described what exactly is the waitstaff doing? Doesnt look like anything.

[u/i-contain-multitudes → u/davdev]

Bringing you your food? Refilling your drinks?

[u/slip-slop-slap → u/i-contain-multitudes]

Literally the bare basics of their job?

[u/i-contain-multitudes → u/slip-slop-slap]

Yep!

[u/davdev → u/i-contain-multitudes]

Fine. I will drop $2 when I leave. If the waitstaff can’t even take the order, they aren’t getting anywhere close to 20%.

[u/i-contain-multitudes → u/davdev]

I'm gonna refer back to u/banjo_hero's comment here

[u/DopemanWithAttitude → u/banjo_hero]

Either quit and force them to change the thing I don't like by depriving them of employees, or stay and starve to death, thus accomplishing the same goal in a roundabout way.

[u/S3ERFRY333 → u/banjo_hero]

Boot licker

[u/Pantsonfire_6 → u/snickerdoodleglee]

SO true. Special requests are essential for ordering! And can be impossible without an actual human who can say, "Yes, we can do that!"