# QR codes for caterers

> Caterers need per-event codes: a menu and allergen code at each serving station, a lead-capture code at tastings, and a vCard on the quote. Allergen information cannot live only behind a QR code — UK and EU food law requires it available up front — so the code carries detail, not the legal minimum.

Source: https://useqr.app/qr-codes-for/catering · Last reviewed 2026-08-21 · UseQR is free forever, MIT licensed, no signup.

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## Codes are per event, not per business

A restaurant prints one menu code and keeps it for a year. A caterer's menu changes with
every booking, which makes catering a batch-generation business: one spreadsheet per
event — station name, menu URL — one run of the [bulk generator](/bulk), one set of
station cards.

| Code | Where | Why |
|---|---|---|
| [Menu and allergens](/menu-qr-code) | Tent card at each serving station | Full ingredients and the detail a printed card cannot fit |
| [Feedback](/feedback-qr-code) | Coffee station, end of service | Captured while the event is still happening |
| [vCard](/vcard-qr-code) | Quotes, tasting packs | The planner saves your contact in one scan |

## The allergen rule: the code is the supplement, not the disclosure

Food law is specific here. The EU Food Information to Consumers regulation lists **14
allergens** whose presence must be actively available to the customer, and the UK's
Natasha's Law (October 2021) requires full ingredient labelling on food prepacked for
direct sale. A QR code does not satisfy either by itself — a guest must not need a phone
to learn a dish contains nuts. The compliant pattern: allergens named on the printed
station card, with a [full ingredients code](/docs/ecommerce/qr-code-for-ingredients-and-allergens)
alongside for guests who need detail, such as may-contain warnings and dietary breakdowns.

## Station card numbers

- Guests read a station card from queue distance, **50–80 cm** → **5–8 cm** code, larger
  than the [table-tent sizing](/docs/print/qr-code-size-for-a-table-tent) used at seated
  events.
- Matt card, never gloss — marquees and function rooms mean downlights and fairy lights,
  all of which reflect.
- Print a small event code on the back of each card too. When cards from three summer
  weddings come back in the same crate, you can tell whose is whose.

## Tastings are lead capture

A tasting is the one moment prospects hold your food and their phone at the same time. A
feedback code on the tasting menu — three questions, no login — captures reactions and
contact permission while the flavour is still present, instead of a follow-up email a
week later.

## What goes wrong

- Allergen information available only through the code — a compliance failure, not a
  design choice.
- Last year's station cards reused with a URL that now 404s; verify each event's set
  with a [scan check](/scan) before it ships.
- Cards sized for tables used at standing stations, unreadable from the queue.

## FAQ

### Can allergen information be provided only by QR code?

No. UK and EU rules require allergen information to be actively available with the food —
on the label or the printed card. The QR code is for depth: full ingredient lists,
may-contain warnings and dietary detail beyond the printed minimum.

### How do caterers make QR codes for every event?

From a spreadsheet: one row per station with its menu URL, run through a bulk generator.
The set for a full wedding takes minutes, and regenerating for the next event is a re-run
with new URLs, not new design work.

### What size should a serving-station QR code be?

Guests scan from queue distance, roughly 50–80 cm, so print the code at 5–8 cm — noticeably
larger than a seated table tent. Use matt stock, and test one card under the venue's
actual lighting before service.

## Try it

- https://useqr.app/menu
- https://useqr.app/vcard
- https://useqr.app/feedback
- https://useqr.app/bulk