Industry uses for QR codes and barcodes

Restaurants and cafés

A table tent with a QR code is faster than reprinting paper menus. Guests scan once and land on your current menu, allergen list, or ordering page. You can also print a Wi-Fi QR so they join guest internet without asking staff for the password.

Create a URL QR in the QR generator that points at your menu, for example:

https://your-cafe.example/menu?table=12

That query string lets you know which table scanned. Keep the URL short and stable. If you change dishes daily, update the webpage — you do not need to reprint the QR unless the link itself changes.

Guest Wi-Fi uses the Wi-Fi tool. A typical payload looks like:

WIFI:T:WPA;S:CafeGuest;P:example-pass;H:false;;

Print both codes at least 3–4 cm across so they scan under dim restaurant lighting. Matte card stock helps more than glossy laminate.

Labelling parcels and warehouse stock

Couriers and warehouse guns usually read 1D barcodes, not QR codes. Internal tracking numbers, carton IDs, and location bins fit Code 128 well because it can include letters.

Example internal parcel ID for the barcode generator:

PKG-AU-2026-00481

Put that Code 128 on the shipping label and in your spreadsheet or WMS. When a scanner beeps, staff see the same ID you printed. Leave quiet space on both sides of the bars and keep bar height tall enough for a handheld laser.

If the parcel also needs a customer-facing tracking page, add a small QR next to the barcode:

https://track.example.com/PKG-AU-2026-00481

Same ID, two formats: barcode for the dock scanner, QR for the customer's phone.

Retail shelves and products

Checkout tills expect EAN-13 (or UPC-A). Those numbers come from GS1 — do not invent a random 13-digit code for supermarket sale. Use EAN-13 in this toolkit when you already have a GTIN, and let the check digit validate before you print thousands of stickers.

For your own shop stock that never hits a supermarket till, Code 128 SKUs are simpler:

SKU-TEA-250G-BOX12

Events, offices, and field service

• Name badges — a vCard QR so attendees save your contact without typing.
• Office reception — Wi-Fi QR plus a URL QR to the visitor sign-in form.
• Equipment — Code 128 asset tags on laptops, tools, or hire gear.
• Posters — URL QR to tickets, a map, or a feedback form.

Sample vCard payload (this is what the contact tool encodes):

BEGIN:VCARD
VERSION:3.0
FN:Alex Rivera
N:Rivera;Alex;;;
ORG:Harbour Kitchen
TEL;TYPE=CELL:+61 400 000 000
EMAIL:alex@harbourkitchen.example
URL:https://harbourkitchen.example
END:VCARD

Why this is useful

Typing long URLs, Wi-Fi passwords, or stock numbers is slow and error-prone. A scan copies the exact string you encoded. That is why restaurants, logistics, retail, and events still print codes: fewer mistakes, faster check-in, and one image that works offline once it is on paper.

Generate the image on qrbarcodetool.com, test it with a phone camera and (for barcodes) a scanner if you have one, then print.