How to make restaurant QR code magnets customers can use to reorder

A customer unpacks Tuesday’s takeout, puts the leftovers away, and sees your magnet on the refrigerator that weekend. They scan it and land on the correct ordering page. No search, no guessing which listing belongs to your location, and no old menu between them and dinner.

That is the whole job of a restaurant QR code magnet. Give customers a useful shortcut back to a place they already chose.

Start with the reorder destination

Use the mobile ordering start page for the location that handed out the magnet. A good destination shows current availability, pickup or delivery choices, and a clear way into the cart. Test it while signed out and on a phone. If the first screen asks the customer to find the restaurant again, choose a better URL.

If your hours, menu, phone number, and ordering service live in different places, a simple mobile page can put the choices together. Keep it short: Start a pickup order, Call this location, hours, and the address. The page should link to the tools you already use. It does not need to replace your ordering system.

A Graklink dynamic QR code includes unlimited scans, destination editing and basic scan counts. Give the magnet its own QR code and you can see whether customers keep using it after the handout period ends. That helps you decide whether to make another batch. If you later move ordering providers, the magnets already on refrigerators can open the new address.

A free static QR code can open the same ordering page. Choose it when your existing measurement answers the question and you do not need separate QR counts or destination controls.

Fit one clear action on a 3-by-3-inch magnet

Start with a 3-by-3-inch square. It leaves room for the restaurant name, one action, the QR code, and a short fallback URL without turning the magnet into a tiny menu.

Use an action such as Order here again. It tells the customer what happens next. “Scan me” describes a motion but gives no reason to do it. The QR code call-to-action guide has more examples.

Keep the QR code dark on a quiet, light background. Give it clear space on every side and keep text or logo artwork out of that space. Start with a QR code around 1.25 inches square, then judge the printed sample rather than trusting the design canvas. Put a readable short URL underneath for customers who cannot or prefer not to scan.

For multiple locations, print the location name or neighborhood and use a location-specific destination. Do not make a customer choose again after scanning.

Buy a small physical sample first

Two current US supplier paths show the tradeoff between a cheap test and a larger first run. These are advertised prices and conditions checked on September 19, 2026, not delivered quotes.

Printer path	Size and quantity	Advertised condition	What to confirm
Sticker Mule sample run	Enter 3 by 3 inches, 10 magnets	$9 with free shipping; online proof advertised within four hours with free changes; standard US timing is four business days of production plus two-day shipping	Confirm the price after entering the size, approve the proof promptly, and use the checkout delivery date for your address
Magnets USA full-custom run	3 by 3 inches, 18 mil, 100 magnets	$0.53 each, or a $53 merchandise subtotal; shipping is calculated at checkout; FedEx delivery averages one to three business days after production	Confirm proof inclusion, setup or customization charges, current production time, tax, and the delivered total

The 10-piece route is useful because you can inspect the real object before buying 100 or 500. If you compare printers, quote the same size, artwork, quantity, finish, proof terms, and delivery address. A low unit price does not include costs that appear later at checkout.

Approve the proof, then test the actual magnet

Check the digital proof slowly. Read the restaurant name, location, action line, and fallback URL. Confirm the trim and safe area. Open the destination and place a test order far enough to verify that the location and fulfillment choices are correct.

Then test the physical sample on a real refrigerator. Some stainless-steel fronts and other common surfaces are not magnetic, so check the surface rather than assuming. Leave one sample up for a week and make sure it stays flat, legible, and in place when the door closes.

Scan it with an iPhone and an Android phone if you have both. Try normal daytime and evening kitchen light, straight on and at a slight angle, from roughly 6, 12, and 18 inches. Ask three staff members to try without instructions. Every scan and every typed fallback URL should reach the correct location on a usable mobile page.

Put another sample through the real packing routine. Condensation, a warm container, or rubbing against paper can reveal a finish or handling problem before the larger run. If scanning fails, work through the print troubleshooting checklist before approving more copies.

Distribute for four weeks and count the right things

Give one magnet with each direct pickup order for four weeks. For delivery, add one only where your fulfillment agreement allows bag inserts. Record how many went out by week and location. Use one QR code across every copy for the same placement. Five hundred identical magnets do not need 500 separate QR codes.

Basic scan counts tell you whether people use the magnet. They do not tell you that someone completed an order. Add a placement-specific UTM campaign when your ordering page preserves it. If your ordering system supports promotion codes, print one on the magnet and count completed redemptions there. Review distribution quantity, scans, tagged visits, and completed orders together.

Give takeout magnets, counter cards and curbside signs separate QR codes if you want to compare their use. You could then check whether take-home magnets bring people back on later evenings, alongside the orders your system records.

Review the first four weeks before choosing the next print quantity. Compare the cost of the magnets with the orders you can attribute to them, allowing for customers who order later. If scans continue with few orders, try the ordering process on a phone and check availability, pickup settings and checkout before changing the offer.