QR games on the table: how exactly does it work?

Games via a QR code sound like something that requires a project: equipment, installation, explaining it to staff. In practice it is a card on the table and nothing else. This explanation walks through the whole chain, so you know exactly what you're saying yes to.

Step by step

1. Each table gets its own QR code. It is unique per table, so the system knows which table someone is sitting at.
2. A guest scans it with their own phone's camera. Nothing needs to be installed; it opens in the browser.
3. They enter a nickname. No account, no email address, no password.
4. They choose how they want to play: alone, together with their own table, or against another table in the venue.
5. They choose a game and start. A round takes two to five minutes.

That's it. There is no moment at which your staff need to do anything.

What you need to arrange yourself

One-off: printing or having the QR codes printed and placing them on the table. After that, you choose in the customer portal which games you want switched on. If you switch a game off, it disappears immediately from all tables.

There is no equipment, no installation and no training. The only physical action is putting a card on the table.

What if the wifi is poor?

This is the question asked most often, and rightly so: many venues have a basement, a terrace or a back room with poor coverage. Guests play on their own mobile connection, so your wifi is not needed. The games are deliberately built to be lightweight, precisely for places where coverage isn't great.

Do guests then spend the whole evening on their phones?

That depends entirely on the length and format. A round of two to five minutes fills the gap between ordering and serving and then stops. And two of the three ways of playing are specifically built so people aren't sitting apart: together on one phone, or a whole table against another table. That produces noise and laughter, not silence.

What happens with data

Guests have no account and only enter a nickname. No names, email addresses or phone numbers of your guests are stored. What is stored and why is set out in the privacy statement.

The three ways of playing, and when you want which one

Playing alone

One guest, one phone. Suitable for the gap between ordering and serving, and for the guest sitting alone. Puzzles, memory games and reaction tests fall under this category.

Together on one phone

The whole table joins in, taking turns on the same device. This is the format that least matches the objection about phones: there's one phone on the table and everyone watches together. Works well for families and groups.

Against another table

Two or more tables compete against each other, with a leaderboard that updates live. This is the format that creates noise in the venue, and venues choose it when they want atmosphere on a quiet evening.

You decide yourself which games are switched on, and therefore also which formats your guests get to see.

What you see from it

• How many games have been played, per day, week, month and year.
• Which games are played most and how long is spent per game.
• How many different guests have taken part.
• How many reviews and order requests have come out of it.

This way you'll see within two weeks whether it appeals to your guests, instead of having to sense it.

The questions everyone asks before getting started

Do my tables need to look different?

No. The QR code can go on a standing card, on a sticker, or be printed into a menu or coaster. You decide how it looks; you set the size and layout in the customer portal.

What if a guest scans the QR code from another table?

Then they play as part of that table. This is rarely a problem, and with table-versus-table it's actually the intention. If you're worried about confusion, you can switch off that game mode.

Does it work on older phones?

Everything runs in the browser and nothing is installed, so the requirement is a phone with a modern browser. In practice this means virtually any device from the past six years.

Can I see which table is playing what?

You can see the number of games, the games played and the playing duration. You cannot see who is playing: guests have no account and only fill in a nickname.

What happens if the system goes down?

A guest will then see a short maintenance message stating that they can try again in a few minutes. Nothing goes wrong with your table, your menu or your till, as these are separate from it.

What it costs

The price depends on the number of tables and can be cancelled monthly. The overview is on the pricing page; all games are listed on their own page.