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's a card on the table and nothing more. This explanation walks through the whole 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 needs to do anything.

What you need to arrange yourself

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

There's no equipment, no installation and no training. The only physical action is placing 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.

Do guests then sit on their phones all evening?

That depends entirely on the length and format. A two-to-five-minute round fills the gap between ordering and serving and then stops. And two of the three play formats 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 to data

Guests don't have an account and only enter 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 play formats, and when to use which

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 into this category.

Together on one phone

The whole table joins in, taking turns on the same device. This is the format where the objection about phones applies least: 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 live-updating scoreboard. This is the format that creates noise in the venue, and one that venues choose when they want atmosphere on a quiet evening.

You decide for yourself which games are active, and therefore 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 participated.
• How many reviews and order requests have come out of it.

This way, within two weeks you'll know whether it's landing with your guests, instead of having to guess.

The questions everyone asks before starting

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 of another table?

Then they play from 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 turn that game mode off.

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 virtually any device from the past six years.

Can I see which table is playing what?

You see the number of games, the games played and the play duration. 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 brief maintenance message stating they can try again in a few minutes. Nothing breaks at your table, on your menu or at your till, as these operate independently.

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.