Food Businesses Serve Up QR Codes, Mobile Payments

We’re always focused on what’s next and revolutionary in mobile transactions, but what about the current, most common form of contactless payment?

Yes, QR codes may not be as controversial as NFC, but for some merchants – especially in the restaurant sector – they’re helping to create a whole new business model.

Take this Mashable article that highlights several food-serving businesses in the SanFrancisco area that have adopted QR codes to their benefit.

One gourmet sandwich shop, Split Breads, offers a QR code printed on every table. Customers scan the code, pull up a digital menu and place their order. Patrons can also schedule a pick-up time for on-the-go orders, and can do all of this without waiting in a line or interacting with staff.

Another QR code-using sandwich shop mentioned – albeit of the grilled cheese variety – is Melt, which says it began accepting using the codes a month ago. Some QR code perks at Melt include bypassing lines and using smartphones in an innovative way.

But how have the codes impacted payments at the restaurants? Split Breads said about 30 percent of its total purchases are made using the codes, and that it hopes to expand that to 100 percent in the future. Melt, meanwhile, said that in some locations, Melt.com already accounts for 5-10 percent of its total transactions.

So while it’s clear QR codes aren’t dominating the market yet, it’s fair to say they have significant payments potential when used correctly.

Do you think QR codes will become a more mainstream method of payments? Do you think they’ll eventually be supplanted by NFC? Let us know in the comments below!