Digital menus that help guests choose
A digital menu is your menu delivered to the guest’s phone — usually by scanning a QR code — instead of on paper. Guests browse, search and filter your items, see live prices and availability, and with TasteMind get matched to drinks from your own list. It’s free, needs no app, and goes live in about 10 minutes. As free digital menu software, TasteMind is a digital menu maker, QR code generator and analytics dashboard in one — with nothing to install.
What is a digital menu?
A digital menu is a web page that shows your current food and drinks on any phone, with no app to install. Guests reach it by scanning a QR code on the table or via a link, and it works as an installable web app that keeps the last menu visible even when the venue Wi-Fi drops. Unlike a printed or PDF menu, you update it instantly, mark items unavailable in one tap, run happy-hour pricing automatically, and see what guests actually look at. The same menu works for restaurants, bars, cafes and wine bars — food and drink side by side.
Types of digital menu
- QR code menu. Guests scan a code on the table and browse on their own phone. This is what TasteMind builds — the format guests control themselves, with filters and drink matching built in.
- Digital menu board. A screen mounted above the bar or counter that cycles your items for the whole room to read. Good for specials and a fixed daily list, but guests can’t search, filter or get recommendations.
- Tablet menu. A house device handed over at the table. It looks modern but ties up hardware, needs cleaning between guests, and rarely personalises to each guest the way a scan-to-own-phone menu does.
What a great digital menu does
- Browse and filter. Guests narrow your menu by price, dietary needs, allergens, ABV, calories or alcohol-free — so they find what fits without flagging down a server.
- Recommend drinks. TasteMind’s built-in sommelier asks a few quick questions and suggests three drinks from your own menu, each with a match score and a plain-language reason. This is what sets a digital menu apart from a static PDF.
- Stay current. Mark a dish sold out or a bottle finished and it greys out instantly on every phone in the room — no stale menu, no disappointed orders.
- Run happy hour on autopilot. Schedule a window once; prices switch automatically, a countdown appears, and was/now pricing shows without anyone touching it.
- Speak the guest’s language. Publish in Danish, English, German, French, Spanish or Italian, auto-detected from the phone with a graceful fallback.
- Show you what works. Built-in analytics: views, top items, the full recommendation funnel, and per-table breakdowns you can act on.
Digital menu vs printed / PDF menu
| Capability | Printed / PDF menu | Basic QR menu | TasteMind digital menu |
|---|---|---|---|
| Update speed | Reprint / re-export | Edit, but manual | Instant, live on every phone |
| Live availability | No | Rarely | Yes — one tap from staff |
| Drink recommendations | No | No | Yes — sommelier, from your menu |
| Cost & languages | Printing each change, one language | Varies, usually one language | Free today, 6 languages auto-detected |
How to create a digital menu for free (≈10 minutes)
- 1Build your menu. Start from a template, import a CSV, or pick from 89 ready-made drink styles with taste profiles already filled in. Add your food the same way.
- 2Print your QR codes. Generate one QR code for the venue or one per table, then download print-ready table tents as PDF.
- 3Publish. Guests scan and browse — and “Help me choose” starts matching drinks from your list straight away.
How much does a digital menu cost?
TasteMind is free to use today — every feature, unlimited menus and items, no card required. There’s no per-scan fee and nothing to print except the QR codes, so the only ongoing cost a digital menu removes is reprinting every time a price or a dish changes.
Your menu could be live tonight
Build your menu, tag your drinks and print the QR codes — all before opening. Free to use, no card required.
Digital menu FAQ
What is a digital menu?
A digital menu is your food and drink list shown on the guest’s phone as a web page, usually opened by scanning a QR code, instead of on paper. Guests can browse, filter and see live prices, and with TasteMind get matched to drinks from your own menu.
What is an electronic menu?
An electronic menu is just another name for a digital menu: your menu shown on a screen instead of on paper — usually on the guest’s own phone via a QR code, sometimes on a display above the bar. TasteMind makes the QR kind, where guests browse, filter and get drink recommendations themselves.
How do I create a digital menu for free?
Sign up for TasteMind, build your menu from a template or CSV (or pick from 89 ready-made drink styles), print the QR codes, and publish. It’s free with no card required and takes about 10 minutes.
Do guests need to download an app?
No. The menu opens in the phone’s browser from a QR scan, and works as an installable web app that keeps the last menu visible on flaky Wi-Fi.
What’s the difference between a digital menu and a QR code menu?
A QR code menu is one type of digital menu — the kind guests open on their own phone by scanning a code. “Digital menu” is the broader term that also covers screen menu boards and tablet menus. TasteMind is the QR code kind.
Can a digital menu recommend drinks to guests?
Yes. TasteMind includes a built-in sommelier: the guest answers a few quick taps and gets three drinks from your own menu, each with a match score and a plain-language reason. Most digital menus only display items — they don’t help guests choose.
What languages are supported?
Danish, English, German, French, Spanish and Italian, auto-detected from the guest’s phone with a graceful fallback to your default language.
Is TasteMind a digital menu maker or digital menu software?
Both. TasteMind is a digital menu maker — you build and design the menu — and it is the software that hosts it, generates your QR codes, serves guests and reports the analytics. It runs in the browser, so there is nothing to install, and it is free with no card.