QR table games: how exactly does it work?

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

Step by step

1. Every table gets its own QR code. It's 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's no moment at which your staff need to do anything.

What you need to arrange yourself

One-off: print or have the QR codes printed and place them on the tables. After that, you choose in the customer portal which games you want switched on. Turn a game off, and it disappears immediately from all tables.

There's 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 reception. Guests play on their own mobile connection, so your wifi isn't needed. The games are deliberately built to be lightweight, precisely for places where reception isn't great.

So are guests on their phones all evening then?

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

What happens with data

Guests don't have an account and only fill in a nickname. No names, email addresses or phone numbers of your guests are stored. What is stored and why is explained in the privacy statement.

The three ways of playing, and when to use which

Playing solo

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

Together on one phone

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

Against another table

Two or more tables compete against each other, with a live-updating scoreboard. This is the form that creates noise in the venue, and businesses choose it when they want atmosphere on a quiet evening.

You decide yourself which games are switched on, and therefore which forms 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 can see within two weeks whether it's a hit with your guests, instead of having to guess.

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 choose how it looks yourself; you set the size and layout in the customer portal.

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

Then they play from that table. This is rarely a problem, and with table-versus-table it's actually the point. 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 that means almost any device from the last six years.

Can I see which table is playing what?

You see the number of games, the games played, and the playing time. You don't see who is playing: guests don't have an account and only enter a nickname.

What happens if the system goes down?

Then a guest sees a short maintenance message letting them know they can try again in a few minutes. Nothing happens to your table, your menu or your till, as they operate independently of 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.