Quick Answer
Memory Corner's Richmond and Coquitlam tables both have QR codes — right now they're used for ordering, like at most restaurants. But because they're dynamic QR codes, the same printed card works across both stores and seasonal menu swaps need no reprint. We're also planning to extend the same interface into dish-story pages, so guests can scan and read where each dish came from in Taiwan. The tool we use is OwnQR (ownqrcode.com): a one-time-purchase dynamic QR service, no monthly fee, sub-100ms edge redirects.
QR codes entered the restaurant world during COVID as an emergency "no-contact ordering" tool. But industry tracking shows QR code usage has kept growing year over year since 2020, with North American smartphone QR scan users reaching a new high in 2025[1], and in restaurants specifically, QR-based menus have moved from a stopgap to a permanent fixture[2] — yet most restaurants still treat them as nothing more than "digital menus."
That's a waste. Every restaurant operator knows this awkward fact: every word on a menu is expensive. One extra line of text pushes out a photo; one extra paragraph of story costs you a dish slot. For us — cooking Taiwanese food carried from a 1975 Kaohsiung lamb hot pot shop — this hurts, because every dish has a story worth telling, and the menu only has room for names, prices, and one small photo.
We tried the usual workarounds: bigger menus, a separate brand booklet on each table, even a hardcover "stories of our dishes" book at the entrance. The problem is the same — when guests sit down, they pick up their phone, not a brochure.
So we flipped the angle: don't make guests flip through stories, let them scan stories — upgrade the QR code already on every table from "digital menu" to "story doorway."
To be clear about what we currently do — today's QR codes on Memory Corner's tables work the same as most restaurants': scan and you land on the order page. It's a habit we kept from COVID. Useful, functional, but stuck at the utility layer.
After living with it for a while, we started seeing the same interface could do more. The 90 seconds a guest spends waiting for food is currently spent scrolling Instagram — it could be spent reading that dish's Taiwan story. So here's what we're planning to extend the same table-side QR into:
Part of this article shares what we're already doing with QR (ordering, cross-location design); part of it documents the next steps we're planning — and along the way, lays out how to design this for any restaurant operator wanting to try the same.
QR codes aren't new in restaurants — almost everyone tried digital menus during COVID. Most didn't keep them, and the reason is always the same: once you print a QR code, the destination is locked. Change the menu, change the page, change the URL — and you reprint every card.
Dynamic QR codes fix exactly this. The encoded URL is a relay URL; the actual destination is editable in a dashboard, while the printed pattern never changes. For a restaurant, that gives you four concrete benefits:
Before getting to "which one we picked," it's worth scanning the market. Dynamic QR tools differ on four things that matter: pricing model (subscription vs. one-time purchase), scan limits, redirect speed, and built-in safety detection. For restaurants, the first two drive long-term cost; the last two drive guest experience.
| Tool | Pricing model | Dynamic edit | Scan limit | Redirect speed | Safety check |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OwnQR | One-time USD $15 | ✅ Editable for life | Unlimited | <100ms (edge redirect) | ✅ Google Safe Browsing[3] |
| QR Tiger | Monthly subscription | Paid plans | Tiered by plan | Standard | Partial |
| Uniqode (formerly Beaconstac) | Monthly + enterprise | ✅ | Tiered by plan | Standard | ✅ |
| Bitly QR | Subscription (Bitly plans) | ✅ | Tiered by plan | Standard | Partial |
| QR Code Generator | Freemium + paid | Paid plans | Limited on free | Standard | Partial |
For restaurants, the single biggest differentiator is the pricing model. Table cards live on for years; a subscription means "the moment you stop paying, every printed card on every table goes dead." That's an unacceptable long-term risk for a small operator. A one-time purchase eliminates it — which is the main reason we ended up with OwnQR (and the conclusion this comparison points to on its own).
Most dynamic-QR services on the market are subscription-based — $9, $19, $39 per month. If you stop paying, the QR codes either break or get hijacked to a paywall. For a restaurant, the real risk isn't the monthly cost — it's the prospect of every printed card going dead if that company shuts down or changes terms.
So we picked a one-time-purchase tool: OwnQR. USD $15 once, QR codes editable for life, no monthly fee, no scan limits, no "upgrade to unlock" tiers. For small operators this pricing model is much safer than subscriptions — print the cards once and use them forever.
A few details that matter in practice:
(Disclosure: OwnQR is a tool we work with, and the founder is a regular at our Richmond location. We chose it because the buy-once pricing fits restaurant timelines — not as a paid placement.)
If you run a restaurant and want to try this, we'd recommend starting in four steps — you don't have to do them all at once:
After the first three dishes work, expanding to more is just repetition — same tool, same dashboard, same workflow.
Not every restaurant needs dynamic QR codes — but these five operator types tend to see results quickly:
Few dishes, many stories. Each signature dish deserves its own story page — QR is the cheapest way to bring that story to the table.
No menu wall, limited surface area. One QR sticker holds the full menu, allergen info, and payment link.
Daily-rotating items, frequent seasonal specials. Dynamic QR switches today's menu in one click — no reprinting POP cards every morning.
Delivery-platform links, seasonal launches, loyalty points — three entry points through one QR; the cup sticker stays the same forever.
Different events, different locations, different menus. The QR image stays fixed; the back end switches destinations — print one batch of cards, use them for a whole year.
Next time you're at Memory Corner, the QR codes on the table will get you to the order page — that interface is what we're slowly extending, with dish-story pages, seasonal-menu entry points, and membership all rolling in over time. If you run a restaurant yourself and want to push the same table-side QR further, OwnQR is the lowest-risk way in — a buy-once tool means even a failed experiment only costs USD $15.
For the full Memory Corner brand story, see the Richmond flagship three-generation guide, or the Coquitlam North Rd soft-opening article.
Memory Corner Group locations across Richmond and Coquitlam, BC.