Has it ever happened to you? It is possible that you have sat at a table in a bar or restaurant and found, with surprise, that the letter is not printed. Instead, you discover that all they give you is a QR code that you have to read with your smartphone. Well, you have to know that it is not something legal. And now we explain why.
As much as there are catering businesses that comply with all the rules and that strive to provide their customers with good service, there are also exceptions. In reality, unfortunately, there are more cases than just a few isolated ones. And among those things that restaurants do and annoy their customers, is the controversial way to simplify the menu with QR codes.
The OCU pronounces
In the latest summary of the main bad practices carried out by some businesses, the OCU has officially spoken about what happens with the QR codes in question. As mentioned, it is true that from certain points of view it is an interesting decision when it comes to modernizing the way of presenting the menu to diners.
For example, it is a comfortable system to visualize it, since each person at the table does not have to have their own menu to be able to consult the menu. And in times of COVID it was also something that was reasonable in order to avoid printed letters being passed from hand to hand. But today, with the way everything is back to normal, it doesn’t make much sense. At least, not as the only option in the hands of customers.
It is illegal
The OCU makes it clear on its website and says that “it is not legal.” As they explain, older people find themselves with a possible inconvenience that will be difficult to overcome unless they already have advanced knowledge of mobile phone use. But that’s not the only problem. The truth is that having a menu only in QR format is a problem for many other users. Immediately, what it is doing is forcing you to have a smartphone at hand. And if you have wanted to leave home without your mobile? Because you wouldn’t be the first person to do it.
Or maybe your phone has a low battery and you can’t use it to read the QR code or you don’t want to spend what little power it has left to do this. Your option could be to leave the restaurant without further ado, but you have to know that, in this type of situation, you are always right. What’s more, what that store is doing by limiting the letter to a QR code is exposing itself to suffering a sanction because they have not provided all the necessary information to their customers.
In this type of case, you could request the letter of complaints or later contact the Organization of Consumers and Users itself to consult your case and to guide you on how you have to complain to take the situation to the next level.
Are there exceptions where the restaurant may be doing the right thing? Yes, there is one. If the bar or restaurant where you have been given the menu with a QR code has a list with the prices of the entire menu visible, in that case they will not be committing an infraction. This means that, for example, you can see absolutely all the menu prices on a blackboard inside the premises or in another place where it is accessible. Yes, you may have to get up from the table, which will be annoying, but you will have access to the menu. However, in other cases there will be no justification.
