QR Code Ordering That Follows the Guest, Not the Table
Guests order and pay from their own phone — no app to download, no re-scanning every time they move, and staff freed up for real hospitality.
What is QR code ordering?
QR code ordering lets a guest scan a code, open the menu in their own phone's browser, and order and pay without downloading an app or waiting for a server. GoTab has worked this way since 2016 — years before QR ordering became commonplace everywhere else. A quick scan or a text opens the menu, and from there guests can order, reorder, and close out whenever they're ready. That head start shows up in the details: the tab is tied to the guest, not the table, so it moves with them instead of resetting every time they change seats.
One Tab, Wherever the Guest Goes
Most QR ordering treats the table as the unit of service: scan, order, pay, done — and if the guest moves, that ticket closes and the next one starts from zero. GoTab treats the tab itself as the unit of service, tied to the guest rather than the seat. They can scan a new QR code anywhere in the venue — a different table, the patio, a second round at the bar — and the same tab, the same order history, and the same open balance follow them there.
How GoTab's QR Code Ordering Works
No app, ever
A scan or a text link opens the menu directly in the guest's own browser — nothing to download, nothing to set up.
The tab follows the guest, not the table
Scan a new QR code anywhere in the venue and the same open tab comes along — no restarting, no separate ticket to track down.
Guests close out without flagging down a server
Easy Tab puts the check on the guest's phone, so they can review it, add a tip, and pay whenever they're ready — no waiting for a card machine to make the rounds.
Splitting a group tab doesn't take a server either
Guests don't need to already be sitting together to share one — anyone can text a link so a friend can join the same tab and order on their own, then split by item, by seat, or by percentage whenever they're ready to close out.
This is built to add to service, not replace it. The goal isn't guests sitting down, scanning a code, and never talking to staff — it's taking the transactional part off a server's plate so they have more time for the part of the job that actually needs a person.
Want the straight talk on QR ordering? See QR Code Ordering in Restaurants: Straight Talk →
Modern, Flexible Hardware for Every Service Environment
GoTab's hardware is built to be flexible. You're not locked into one brand or one device.
Handheld POS
Your full point of sale in a server's pocket — orders, tap-to-pay, and kitchen alerts from anywhere on the floor.
Kitchen Display System (KDS)
See every order the moment it's placed whether from the counter, handheld, kiosk, QR, or online.
Manager Dashboard
Live sales, labor, and product-mix data in any browser, plus a Manager App for iOS and Android.
The GoTab Difference
There's no proprietary app or device standing between your guest and their order — just their own phone's browser, pointed at your menu.
Point of Sale POS
Connect ordering, payments, kitchen operations, and guest tabs in one flexible platform.
Simple and Transparent Pricing
Our pricing is simple: we make money when you do. With our transaction-based processing fees, GoTab is your all-in-one POS and much more.
Open APIs To Connect Your Entire Tech Stack
GoTab is an open platform. Its API connects to the tools you already use — loyalty programs, accounting software, and reservation systems — so you can build the exact setup your business needs, instead of settling for whatever one vendor happens to offer.
Bring Your Systems Together
Connect reservations, events, accounting, loyalty, inventory, self-pour, gaming, property management, and more.
Work With Leading Hospitality Platforms
Including Tripleseat, Intercard, Amusement Connect, PourMyBev, CourtReserve, Mews, and other specialized technology providers.
Keep Data Moving Across Your Operation
Reduce disconnected systems and manual work by sharing critical information between GoTab and the tools your teams rely on.
Build for What Comes Next
Open APIs give operators and technology partners more flexibility to support new experiences and evolving business needs.
Built QR-first, not bolted on
GoTab launched mobile ordering in 2016 — years before it became commonplace everywhere else.
One tab, wherever the guest goes
The tab is tied to the guest, not a table, so it travels with them through the venue instead of resetting.
No extra fee
Mobile ordering is part of the base platform, not a paid add-on.
Frees staff for hospitality
Guests handle the transactional parts themselves, so servers spend more time on the parts of the job that need a person.
How GoTab's QR Code Ordering Compares to Traditional POS Platforms
Toast's group ordering still anchors to a table and assumes the group is already seated together; GoTab's tab travels with the guest even if the group never sits down at the same time.
Square's QR closes out with every scan; GoTab's tab stays open across scans, so guests can keep ordering instead of starting a new ticket each time.
Clover's QR ordering is tied to the table or order, not a guest tab that travels with them through the venue.
Explore GoTab by Business Type
Every venue runs differently. See how GoTab fits your type of business.
See all business types
Trusted by Hospitality Leaders
“Now we're selling more food. All the vendors are noticing more food sales based on our numbers and the guest experience.”
“One of the great things about the QR codes and how well that system functions is that it has enabled us to save on labor because we don't need to have waitstaff in the traditional sense.”
“People used to spend 40 minutes of their visit waiting in line. Now they're just sitting with their family and their beer arrives. Before, they'd walk out. Now they stay.”
“Before, we were doing $2,000 to $3,000 a day in reservations. When we switched to this simplified all-inclusive model, we started booking more than $30,000 a day.”
“We tried another QR code ordering system in another store and it fell flat. But with GoTab, we're seeing triple or quadruple the sales compared to that other store, and that's with less attendance. Guests love it.”
“Attendance for some events can soar from 5,000–7,000 on an average day, to an astonishing 110,000 guests for our annual Breeders Cup event. GoTab helps the team achieve exceptional agility”
View case study
Watch the story
2,100
ordering interactions moved out of food lines on a 7,000-visitors
Mobile ordering offers numerous benefits for breweries. It provides customers with convenience and flexibility, allowing them to browse beer selections, place orders, and schedule pickups or deliveries directly from their smartphones. This streamlines the ordering process, reduces wait times, and enhances customer satisfaction.
Here are some key features and benefits of mobile ordering at breweries:
- Convenience: Allow customers to easily browse and order beers from their smartphones.
- Efficiency: Reduce wait times and streamline the ordering process which can typically involve long lines at the counter and wait times to get the beer at the counter or table.
- Customer Satisfaction: Enhance the overall customer experience with shared tabs and seamless re-ordering.
With GoTab’s QR Ordering and Payment, breweries and taprooms can often get that critical first beer order to the table in less than two minutes, a huge impact to customer satisfaction and check sizes.
Hotel mobile payments in GoTab work the same as general GoTab mobile payments orders. Guests simply open a tab using their credit or debit card. Guests can easily add to their tab throughout their visit at your hotel. When they’re ready to leave, guests can simply close out their tab and walk out; no need to wait in line or flag down a server. Guests can also choose to have their orders charged back to their room via integration with common Property Management Systems (PMS).
Mobile ordering offers significant benefits for coffee shops by providing customers with the convenience to order their favorite drinks ahead of time from their smartphones. This reduces wait times during peak hours, ensures orders are ready for quick pickup, and enhances customer satisfaction. For coffee shops, mobile ordering can streamline operations, manage order volumes efficiently, and generate valuable customer data for personalized marketing and inventory planning.
Here are some key features and benefits of mobile ordering for coffee shops:
- Convenience: Allows customers to order ahead from their smartphones, reducing wait times.
- Efficiency: Streamlines order management, especially during busy periods.
- Data Insights: Provides valuable customer data for personalized marketing and inventory planning.
Learn about GoTab’s POS solutions for Coffee Shops.
The typical food hall might implement a QR code at every merchant’s location. Consumers then scan, order and pay separately at each location. With GoTab for Food Halls, consumers get a unified QR ordering experience for all merchants. By scanning a single QR, consumers can access each merchant’s unique menu, order, reorder and pay through a single experience.
A mobile POS system lets guests place orders and pay directly from their own phones, without downloading an app. With GoTab, guests scan a QR code to browse the menu, order, and check out — while everything syncs in real time with your core POS and kitchen display system, so staff see the same order data whether it came from a server or a guest's phone.
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