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Jack Green
Jack Green

Posted on Originally published at tools.jackgreen.top

I Built a Free Restaurant Menu QR Generator (Because Square Charges $588/year)

#javascript #webdev #productivity #opensource

I Built a Free Restaurant Menu QR Generator (Because Square Charges $588/year)

Last year I was helping a friend set up their new restaurant. They wanted a digital menu customers could scan with their phones. Square Menus looked perfect — until they saw the price tag. $49/month. Or $100/month for the full package. That's $588 a year for something that's really just a webpage with a QR code.

I thought: there's got to be a better way.

The Problem

Services like Square follow the same playbook:

  1. Let you build your menu in their editor (investment of time)
  2. Let you customize everything (attachment)
  3. Put a QR code behind a paywall (frustration)
  4. Demand $49-100/month to unlock it (rage quit)

It's a subscription trap disguised as a restaurant tool. And it preys on small restaurants that can't afford $588/year for a digital menu.

But why pay $588/year for a tool you'll use once to set up?

What I Built

Restaurant Menu QR Generator — a completely free, zero-signup, browser-based menu builder with QR code generation.

  • No account. Open the page, fill in your menu, download.
  • No paywall. QR code and HTML export are free. Forever.
  • No vendor lock-in. Download your menu as a self-contained HTML file and host it anywhere.
  • No data collection. Everything runs in your browser. Your restaurant details never touch a server.
  • Works offline. Once loaded, you don't even need internet.

Features

  • Menu builder — add categories (appetizers, entrees, desserts) with items, descriptions, and prices
  • QR code generation — scannable QR code linking to your menu page
  • Theme options — choose color palettes and font styles to match your brand
  • Live preview — see your menu as you build it
  • Instant download — get a self-contained HTML file + QR code as PNG
  • Privacy first — 100% client-side, no server processing

Why It Matters

Restaurants operate on thin margins. Tools shouldn't add to the cost.

Every year a restaurant owner pays for Square Menus, that's money that could go toward:

  • better ingredients
  • staff wages
  • marketing to actual customers
  • equipment upgrades

Our tool does one thing: generates restaurant menu QR pages. It does it well, it does it free, and it does it without asking for anything in return.

The Tech

Built with vanilla HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Uses pdf-lib for any PDF options and a browser-based QR generator — no server required. All formatting happens in the browser. No templates to download, no accounts to create, no subscriptions to manage.

It's a reminder that sometimes the best tool is the one that just works — for free.

Try It

Check it out at tools.jackgreen.top/restaurant-menu-qr-landing-page-as-a-square-menus/ — no account, no payment, no watermarks. Just your menu and a QR code.

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