In short
- The menu should live in one place only: QR code, link, translations and printed copies all depend on it.
- The QR code must lead to a fixed address, not a file: that way you never reprint.
- Sold-out dishes are marked as sold out, not deleted.
- The paper copy is printed from the same menu when needed, and never differs from the online one.
Why the printed menu is always out of date
Every copy of the menu is one more place to update: menus on the tables, the blackboard, the PDF on the website, the photo on Google, the English version. One price change and some of them fall behind.
Guests notice when the bill comes, and the wrong price turns into an argument. Correcting with a pen solves the problem but doesn't look good.
One menu that applies everywhere
The rule is simple: the menu is written in one place only, and everything else reads from there. With a digital menu that place is the menu dashboard.
- The QR code on the table leads to the menu address, which never changes.
- The link on your Google profile and Instagram is the same address.
- Translations follow the Italian menu: a changed price applies in every language.
- The PDF for the counter or window is printed from today's menu, not from a file saved months ago.
Sold-out, seasonal and daily dishes
A dish that runs out at nine in the evening shouldn't be deleted: mark it as sold out. Guests see it, don't order it, and the next day you make it available again with one tap.
For dishes that change often, a separate category works best, like "Specials" or "Today's dishes": update it in the morning from your phone without touching the rest of the menu.
If you serve different menus at lunch and dinner, you don't need to switch them by hand twice a day: categories and dishes can show only on the right days and times.
Changing prices without surprises
- Change prices before opening, not mid-service: a guest who already looked at the menu expects to pay that.
- Remember the cover charge and extras: those are prices to keep up to date too.
- If you keep a price list displayed at the entrance or in the window, reprint it from the same menu on the same day.
- Double-check dishes with variants, like small and large or bottle and glass: that's where a price gets left behind.
How to do it with Platevo
With Platevo you edit a dish from your phone and the menu is updated for everyone at that moment: on the QR code, on the link and in the translations. The QR code always stays the same.
- Dishes available or sold out with one tap, on every plan, Free included.
- From the Pro plan you show dishes and categories only on certain days and times, for example the lunch menu.
- From the Pro plan you print the menu as a PDF, always in sync with the online one.
Create your menu for free: update it from your phone and the QR on the table never changes.
Frequently asked questions
If I change the menu, do I need to reprint the QR code?
No, if the QR leads to your online menu's address. It only needs reprinting if it leads to a file, like a PDF uploaded somewhere, because every change makes a different file.
Do guests see the new price right away?
Yes. Anyone opening the menu after the change already sees the new price. Anyone who had it open before sees it when they reload the page.
Should I delete sold-out dishes?
No: mark them as sold out. They stay ready for the next day and guests understand the dish exists but isn't available today.
Can I prepare a new menu before publishing it?
Yes, if you can have more than one menu (with Platevo from the Starter plan): prepare the new one, check it calmly and activate it when ready, without touching what guests see.
What about the paper menu?
Keep a few copies, printed from the same menu: for guests who don't use their phone, and as written documentation for allergens.