Check the menu as a guest
Copy the visitor link from your website or file host, not an admin dashboard, local file path or sharing-settings screen. Open it in a private browser window where you are signed out, then on a phone using mobile data. Guests should see the current menu without requesting access or needing your restaurant’s Wi-Fi. Only publish a document you intend anyone with the link to read. Qex links to your menu; it does not upload or host the file.
Choose a menu people can read on a phone
A mobile-friendly web page can be easier to read than a wide PDF with tiny prices. If you use a PDF, check the actual public file on a phone and put a revision date inside it. Confirm that dishes and prices are legible. Keep a readable menu address on the tent and offer a paper menu for guests who cannot scan or connect.
Update the existing code, not a new preview
With scan tracking on, Qex creates a dynamic short link. In its owning workspace, open that same code and edit its destination when the menu moves. Allow about a minute, then scan the original tent and check the new menu. Creating another code does not update the old print. With tracking off, the QR contains the menu URL directly: that URL must keep serving the menu, or you need new artwork and a reprint. Neither option changes a PDF already downloaded to a guest’s phone.
Keep access with the restaurant owner
A guest workspace initially depends on this browser’s stored state. Save it with the owner’s email and confirm the emailed link before clearing browser data or changing devices. Requesting a link alone does not save the workspace. A downloaded QR or printed tent does not grant editing access. For a designer or printer, have the restaurant create and save its workspace, then share the exported artwork; do not share sign-in links.
Check your tent, update the menu or recover access
Use the print-size calculator and A4 or US Letter proof before a batch. If a camera cannot read the pattern, follow the print troubleshooting checklist. If it reads the QR but the menu will not open, check the destination and connection.
Open the owning workspace to edit the existing dynamic code. Save a guest workspace with email and confirm the emailed link, or sign in with the email you saved. Saving a workspace does not make a static QR editable.
For hosted documents, follow the PDF access and old-version checks. If your menu has a public web page, use that visitor address rather than an editing link.
How to make and maintain a menu QR code
- Test the public menu URLOpen the visitor page or PDF signed out and on a phone using mobile data. Check access, readable prices and the current revision, then paste that URL above. A bare domain is normalized to https://.
- Choose an editable or fixed linkLeave scan tracking on for a dynamic short link you can update in its workspace. Tracking off makes a static QR with the menu URL inside it; it has no editable Qex destination.
- Download and proof the table tentChoose Download menu table tent for a two-sided A4 or US Letter PDF with cut and fold guides. With tracking on, finish creating the code and download from its code page. Print at 100% actual size, attach the glue tab inside the first face and test both faces with real phones before a batch. PNG and SVG are available for your own layout.
- Save access and check future updatesSave the owning workspace with email and confirm the emailed link. For a menu change, edit the existing dynamic code, then rescan the original tent. A changed printed title or fallback address needs a reprint even when the QR destination is editable.
Check your QR before printing
Keep the full clear margin around your downloaded QR. Print one proof at the final size, measure it, and scan it with the phones your visitors use before ordering a batch.
Compare QR print dimensions and make an A4 or US Letter proof for a plain, no-logo static link or text code. For your existing dynamic code, paste its Qex short link, rather than the destination, to keep the same redirect in the proof. For a code with a logo, frame, Wi-Fi details or a contact card, test the actual downloaded artwork; the plain calculator does not reproduce that design.
Diagnose a QR code that will not scan or open if a proof fails.
Questions
Do guests need an app?
Many phone cameras can read a website QR directly; scanner support varies. Guests need a connection and access to the destination. Qex redirects to your menu without a growth interstitial. Test real phones and keep a readable address and paper menu available.
Can I change the menu after the tents are printed?
Yes, for an existing dynamic Qex code: edit its destination in the owning workspace and test the original print. With a static QR, keep its original URL working or reprint. Changing printed text also requires a reprint.
Can I upload the menu PDF to Qex?
No. Host the PDF on a website or file service you control and paste its public visitor link. Check anonymous access. The QR holds a link, not the PDF bytes.
How small can I print it?
Standard Qex dynamic codes without a logo use a 21×21 grid; logos can make the grid larger. That does not establish a safe print size. Preserve the full clear margin, print a proof at the final size and test it with your guests’ phones before making a batch.
How do I get back to edit the menu code?
Use the browser that owns the guest workspace, or sign in with the email you used to save and confirm it. A printed tent cannot recover editing access by itself. Save and confirm the workspace before handing artwork to a printer.
Why does the tent still show the old menu?
Scan the original print and check the destination of that same code in its workspace. Open the menu URL directly in a fresh private window. If that URL also shows the old file, check your file host’s publication or caching; Qex does not replace the PDF. A previously downloaded copy will not update itself.