Pizza Today -December 2022 - 14

MAN ON THE STREET SCO TT WIENER
as a result of scanning a QR code should
be optimized for mobile. Just this week
I scanned a QR code at a restaurant and
landed on a gallery of photos of their
menu. I had to pinch and enlarge just to
read the dang thing. And every time I did
so the pixelation made the menu
impossible to read. If you're sending
people to a page on their mobile device,
make sure they can read it once they land.
No more PDFs or clunky web pages; just
give me the info in straight text.
People are constantly on mobile
QR Codes
Use them! But use them correctly
don't want to love QR codes, but
I just can't help myself. Th ey used
to be outcasts, but now everybody
wants to be their friend. Just in case
you've been living under a rock, QR codes
are those glitchy black and white squares
we all have to scan with our phones if
we want to get more information about
something. Th ey didn't catch on until a
little pandemic came along and taught us
that everything we touch can put us in
grave danger. With our lives already
revolving around the little supercomputers
in our pockets, it wasn't a far step to
give in and become completely addicted.
I
Pizzerias' fi rst step into QR codes was
as a replacement for paper menus. No
more need to reprint every time prices
change or a new item gets added, QR
codes gave pizzerias license to make
changes in real time. Customers like
me were already used to ordering food
online, so viewing a menu on a phone isn't
anything new.
I'm glad that pizzerias have embraced
QR codes, but I'm worried they're not
always using them correctly. Customers
interact with QR codes on their mobile
devices, not on desktop or laptop computers.
Th at means that any page I land on
devices, so it might seem smart to
replace everything with QR codes. But
I'm afraid we've tiptoed into the realm
of overuse. Just last week I was testing
out a new frozen pizza. I didn't see any
instructions for how to heat the pizza -
just a QR code. I thought I'd land on a
detailed page with diagrams and charts,
but instead I got to a page that just told
me to preheat my oven to 450 F and
bake the pizza for 6-8 minutes. Th at was
it. Just one sentence. In this case, the QR
code inserted an unnecessary hurdle.
If I didn't have my phone on me or the
battery was dead, I wouldn't have known
how to deal with the pizza.
Th e beauty of QR codes is that they
remove the stumbling block of having to
type in a URL. You can direct customers
to enter a competition for a free pizza
by scanning a QR code on your wall.
Attract direct business from third party
delivery customers by off ering them
10 percent off when they scan the QR
code on the fl yer you place on their box.
Provide a QR code printed right on the
box so customers can directly access your
pizzeria's amazing 80s hair metal playlist.
As much as we may have resisted,
the QR code is now en vogue. Use it to
simplify your business, but beware of
letting the cute little glitchy square create
unnecessary barriers for your customers.
SCOTT WIENER is the founder of Scott's Pizza Tours in New York City and SliceOutHunger.org Instagram: @scottspizzatours
14 / PIZZATODAY.COM / DECEMBER 2022

http://www.SliceOutHunger.org http://www.PIZZATODAY.COM

Pizza Today -December 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pizza Today -December 2022