Digital business cards for restaurants, cafés and pubs: a practical guide

By Online Business Cards Editorial Team | Published 2026-10-31 | Updated 2026-11-01 | By profession

Guests want your hours, menu, address and a way to book in one place. How hospitality businesses can use a digital business card for that, and where it fits alongside the systems they already use.

Most questions a restaurant, café or pub gets are the same few: are you open, where are you, what is on the menu, can I book, and do you do private parties. A digital business card gives all of those answers one link and one QR code, which guests can open on their phone and staff can share in seconds.

This guide covers what to put on a hospitality profile, where to show it, and what it should not replace.

What the profile is for

Think of it as a pocket version of your venue's front door: the page you send when someone phones to ask for details, the code on the counter, the link in your Instagram bio. It should answer the common questions in a few seconds and give one clear next step, whether that is booking, calling or finding your address.

It is not a till, an ordering system or a booking system for every table. If you already use those, the profile links to them.

What to put on it

Using the sections our profiles include:

Details. Address, phone number and email, with one-tap call and email. Put your opening hours where guests will see them straight away, and update them for bank holidays.
Documents. Your menus as PDFs: main menu, drinks, set menus, Sunday lunch, seasonal specials. Name each file clearly, such as "Lunch menu, autumn".
Gallery. Real photos of your dishes, your room and your outside space. Recent and honest photos set the right expectations.
Products and services. Private hire, outside catering, gift vouchers, cookery classes or event nights, each with a short description.
Social links. Instagram, Facebook, TikTok or wherever you post daily specials.
Testimonials. Short quotes from guests who have agreed to be quoted.

On the Business Plan you can also use:

Enquiries and forms. A private-hire or catering form that asks for the date, numbers and budget, so you get the details you need first time.
Bookings. Lets people book a time from your card. If you already use a table-booking system, link to that instead, so there is only one place bookings come in and you never double-book.
Get Reviews. A place on your profile for your Google review link.
Subscribers. Let guests sign up to hear about new menus and events. Make sure they agree to it clearly; our guide to collecting contacts under UK GDPR explains what that means.

Where to show it

On the counter and at the till, with a short line such as "Menus, opening hours and private hire".
On table cards, if you have them, alongside anything you already show there.
On receipts and takeaway bags.
In your window, for people walking past when you are closed.
In your Instagram and Facebook bios, and in your email signature.
In replies to phone and message enquiries: "Here is our menu and private-hire form."

Our QR code size and placement guide explains how big a code needs to be to scan from a table or through a window.

Reviews, and the rules around them

A profile makes it easy to point happy guests at your Google review form, for example from a code at the till or a link sent after a private event. Two rules matter here. Google does not allow you to offer anything in return for a review, so no free dessert or discount for leaving one. And you should ask every guest the same way, rather than only the ones you expect to be positive. Our guide to asking for Google reviews covers this in detail.

Menus and allergen information

A menu on your profile is convenient, but it does not change your legal duties. Food businesses in the UK must give customers information about the 14 major allergens, and the Food Standards Agency publishes guidance on how to do this for different kinds of food. If you put allergen information in an online menu, keep it as up to date as the paper version and make sure guests can still ask staff. This is general information, not legal advice.

Keeping it current

The value of the profile is that it is always right, so build updating it into your routine:

When the menu changes, replace the document the same day.
Before bank holidays and seasonal closures, update your hours.
Use the visibility and order settings to move this month's event or new menu to the top, and hide sections that are out of season.
Check the analytics now and then to see how often your profile is opened.

Venue profile or staff profiles?

Most venues start with one profile for the business. If a manager or events coordinator meets people for private hire, weddings or corporate bookings, a personal card for them that links back to the venue's profile can help, so enquiries reach the right person.

What guests ask, and where the answer goes

Guest question | Where to answer it on your card

Are you open? | Opening hours in your details

What is on the menu? | Menu as a dated document

Can I book? | Booking link or bookings (Business Plan)

Do you do private parties? | Enquiry form (Business Plan)

As a mini-website for a local business

Local search matters for hospitality: people choose where to eat from their phone, often nearby. Linking your card from your Google profile, menus and table QR codes keeps your menu, hours and booking options in one place that you can update in minutes.

Which plan suits a hospitality business?

Brand Presence (£45, one-off) covers details, menus as documents, gallery, social links, testimonials and analytics, which is enough for many cafés and small venues. The Business Plan (£90, one-off) adds enquiry forms, bookings, reviews, subscribers and a CRM for private hire and events. Profiles are built and hosted by our platform partner. See the digital business card page for details.

For menus, VAT-inclusive prices and allergen notes, see our guide to a price list on an online business card. If people find you on Maps, our guide to the online business card and Google Business Profile shows how to link the two.

Frequently asked questions

Can guests order or pay through the profile?

No. The profile is for information, enquiries and bookings. If you use an ordering or payment system, add a link to it from your profile.

Do guests need an app to open it?

No. Guests scan the QR code with their phone camera, or tap the link, and the profile opens in their browser.

Can we update the menu ourselves?

Yes. You edit the profile in the profile editor, so you can replace a menu document whenever it changes, and the same QR code keeps working.

Can we offer a discount for a Google review?

No. Google does not allow incentives for reviews. Ask every guest in the same way, without offering anything in return.

Can guests book a table from the card?

Yes, if you add a link to your booking system on either plan, or use the built-in bookings on the Business Plan for things like private parties.