How Happy Moon's Group Created the Largest AR-Powered QR Menu in the World

Food tech is revolutionizing the food industry by leveraging technology to deliver more convenient and personalized services. Over the past decade, the food delivery industry has transformed its business model, moving beyond traditional delivery services to provide personalized experiences through technologies like augmented reality (AR) and artificial intelligence (AI).

Technology has impacted nearly every aspect of restaurant operations, from food preparation to customer relations and staff management. Restaurants are enhancing the customer experience by integrating mobile apps and QR menus, allowing users to place orders from their phones, receive personalized recommendations, and access loyalty programs.

One standout example is Happy Moon's Group, which introduced an AR-powered QR menu that lets customers view 3D models of dishes before ordering. This innovative approach not only improves decision-making but also creates a more immersive dining experience. In today’s world, technology is no longer optional for restaurants—it has become an essential part of their operations, driving both efficiency and customer satisfaction.

Key Insights

• Technology is Revolutionizing the Restaurant Industry: With innovations like augmented reality (AR), artificial intelligence (AI), and digital QR menus, restaurants are enhancing customer experiences and operational efficiency. These technologies have become essential in modern dining, reshaping how food is prepared, ordered, and served.

• Augmented Reality Enhances Customer Engagement: AR is transforming the dining experience by allowing customers to view 3D models of food before ordering. This immersive technology helps diners make more informed choices, improving their overall satisfaction and engagement with the restaurant.

• Artificial Intelligence for Personalization and Efficiency: AI is helping restaurants better understand customer preferences and optimize operations. By analyzing data on customer orders and preferences, AI can recommend dishes, replicate favorite meals, and even improve menu offerings based on feedback.

• Digital QR Menus Drive Convenience: Digital QR code menus, which became popular during the COVID-19 pandemic, offer a contactless, real-time solution for updating menu items and prices. This technology simplifies ordering and enhances hygiene, while also allowing restaurants to easily update their offerings across multiple locations.

• COVID-19 Accelerated Digital Transformation: The pandemic rapidly pushed restaurants to adopt digital solutions, with QR menus and other contactless technologies becoming the norm. This shift has not only improved customer safety but also streamlined operations and reduced costs.

Why In-store Technology is the Future of Restaurants

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), technology is reshaping the food industry. It also allows for a more sustainable future.

What’s better than grabbing a quick bite to eat on the go? How about enjoying your meal with the latest technology enhancing the experience? Every restaurant is unique, offering different customer experiences, and to create standout, desirable interactions, restaurants must carefully consider how they integrate technology into their operations. The use of technology in restaurants is rapidly growing, and for good reason.

Among the many innovations transforming the industry, the three technologies with the most potential to boost revenue are Augmented Reality (AR), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Digital QR Menus. These tools not only improve efficiency but also elevate the overall dining experience.

The Technologies that Restaurants Should Be Using

Here are the innovative technologies that restaurants should start leveraging to improve customer experience:

1. Augmented Reality

AR is quickly becoming the trend of choice among businesses and individuals. Augmented reality technology has fundamentally altered how we interact with people, brands, foods, products, and most especially each other.

Using AR can help create a more immersive customer experience for restaurants. This is because customers can look closely at all the details of the food before ordering. With AR-enabled smart glasses, customers will be able to see menus and other helpful information right in front of their eyes.

2. Artificial Intelligence

The secret of artificial intelligence in hospitality is that it is a service that can help restaurants respond to the needs of diners before they even finish them. If a particular dish is served, it can be documented and learned to replicate it perfectly or make improvements.

This technology can also tell restaurant owners what types of dishes customers prefer, for instance, if they like a particular flavor or whether they prefer sugar for their coffee.

3. Digital QR Menu

One of the company's main goals is to give its clients a fast way to receive their food at any restaurant, which is achieved using digital QR code menu technology. In this way, the customer only has to scan the code while ordering. Besides, if a restaurant wants to update a special, they add the code of the accompanying item, along with its price, and finally click on Save. This means it will be effortless for owners to keep their menus updated in real-time across all channels, but there is no need to install updated menu inserts in diners manually.

How Covid-19 Accelerated the Digitalization Of Restaurants

COVID-19 has accelerated digital transformation across all industries, including restaurants. Changes that were originally planned to occur over the next five years have been fast-tracked and are now being implemented within months—and this shift is ongoing.

Restaurants that were already exploring digital transformation before the pandemic adopted these changes more quickly. For instance, many restaurants have replaced traditional paper menus with QR codes—a trend that has gained significant traction since the pandemic. If you haven’t noticed this shift yet, you likely will soon. Restaurant owners are moving away from paper menus due to safety concerns and cost-efficiency, and there’s no longer a need to carry around bulky stacks of menus.

In the drive toward digitalization, many restaurants that prioritize customer experience have enhanced their QR menus with additional technology. A great example is Happy Moon's in Turkey, which has pioneered the use of augmented reality (AR) in their digital menu, creating a more engaging and interactive dining experience.

How Happy Moon's Created their QR Menu

Happy Moon's Group is the first restaurant chain in the world that lets you order a meal from a 3D menu (no glasses needed). Happy Moon's is presenting 170+ 3D visuals of foods and desserts on the Menu! 170+ items are available in 3D, one by one, down to the finest detail. Don't you believe it?

Check out their 3D menu, or you can scan the QR code above. The best way to experience this is by visiting one of Happy Moon's restaurants, indeed. +30,000 people have already experienced 3D Menu +160,000 times in only 1 month!

"Our 3D menu is an interactive solution that adds a new level of engagement to the dining experience in a digital world." says Tuğba Şen Demirci, the Marketing Director.

By implementing the application "3D Menu", Happy Moon's, which has 33 branches across two countries, broke new ground by steering the sector with technology-oriented investments.

The group left behind 22 years of its establishment without interrupting its investment and launched the application "3D Menu" to reopen cafes and restaurants with the newest technologies.

Customers visiting Happy Moon's Cafe can access the 3D menu by scanning a QR code via their phones. Thus, customers can choose the product they will order by looking at the 3D model or by reflecting the exact size of the product on their tables thanks to the augmented reality technology.

Customers can see the food, dessert, breakfast, or any product they prefer as if they came to the table, and they can look closely at all the details of the product. Thus, they can foresee what size the product will come in and what will be inside. In addition, customers can see the 3D dishes anywhere in the Diner App.

Marketing Director Tuğba Şen Demirci says that 'Our 3D menu is an interactive solution that adds a new level of engagement to the dining experience in a digital world.'

Happy Moon's mainly aims to improve the interaction between customers and merchants through augmented reality technology and believes that it could play a pivotal role in their marketing.

Happy Moon's started to use the Diner Digital QR Menu to make hygiene and experience more effective together by focusing on the needs of its customers during the pandemic period.

It is possible to say that today's trend of digitalization and the Z-generation, who constitute the majority of Happy Moon's customer base, are open to innovations, and their desire to have digital experiences in the brands they prefer, encourages restaurants even more in this regard.

Thus, the Diner 3D QR menu clearly expresses the importance they give to the customer experience. Using augmented reality technology allows customers to choose the product they want without touching the old and traditional hard copy menu.

Via the Diner AR menu, customers do not have difficulty choosing the product, making their choice more conscious and easy, and spending time with their friends at the table while waiting for their order.

Happy Moon's renowned for its high-quality food, Tuğba Şen Demirci says that "If we want to ascertain that we're consistently on top of our game, we need to know what's trending and how other people feel about the work we do."

Happy Moon's has managed to attain critical information through analytical data while staying focused on the most important goal- pleasing its customers. According to the data obtained last month, Happy Moon's menus were viewed +160,000 times in only 1 month during the pandemic! Users spend about 2 minutes at the Menu and decide on their orders.

Considering the trend of the massive conversion rate increase and the fact that this trend is remarkably stable, Happy Moon's will begin implementing their data-driven results on a larger scale across all channels. Happy Moon's helps track customer behavior analytics and customize their menus according to the customer preferences via their Digital 3D Menu

How Can I Integrate Diner AR-Powered QR Menu into my restaurant?

Although the AR menu in a restaurant is a new trend, it is super easy to create a Digital AR Menu for your restaurant. Diner-Dining Assistant is an easy-to-use solution that lets you create a Digital AR Menu your customers can enjoy. Our Mobile App & Web platform powered by ART Labs enables simply creating and managing your 3D Menu.

We provide all the services. Including photo-shooting, creating 3D visuals, printing QR codes, etc. You just have to sit and rest.

After one day, you will have your 3D Menu in your restaurant. What comes next? It is not over!

We create simple yet functional and customizable restaurant management panels.

Our panels support highly advanced features without being too complicated to use and are meant to be customized by our clients as much as possible to fit their needs. If you want a restaurant, which will look great pleasure for the customers, our product is what you need.

On the other hand, whether you plan to run a restaurant on the side to increase your income or start your franchise chain, our product can be a great addition to help you manage it all in one place.

One of the things we provide to our customers is an easy way to update their prices. You can add a product, set the price, and instantly change it during some discount sale!

Have you encountered any problems? Don't worry. We have a customer support team always waiting to help you. You can contact us at any time. The main priority of our company is to facilitate the work of our partners. To do that, we have a special offer for hotels, chains, and big groups.

We provide you with such a level of quality, professionalism, and fastness at that fantastic price. We're delighted to help you, contact us now!

FAQs

How is augmented reality (AR) used in restaurants?

AR is used to provide an immersive dining experience by allowing customers to view 3D models of menu items before ordering. With AR-enabled apps or devices, diners can explore food details, see accurate portion sizes, and get a better understanding of the dishes.

What role does artificial intelligence (AI) play in restaurants?

AI helps restaurants analyze customer preferences, suggest personalized menu items, and streamline operations. It can also track data to improve menu development and even replicate popular dishes with consistency.

What are the benefits of digital QR menus?

Digital QR menus offer a contactless, efficient way for customers to browse and order food. They can be updated in real-time, making it easier for restaurants to add new items, change prices, and manage specials without reprinting physical menus.

How did COVID-19 impact restaurant technology adoption?

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of contactless technologies in restaurants, particularly digital QR menus. These solutions not only improved hygiene but also helped restaurants quickly adapt to changing regulations and customer expectations.

What is the impact of 3D AR-powered menus on customer experience?

3D AR-powered menus allow customers to see realistic, interactive models of food items, improving decision-making and enhancing the overall dining experience. Restaurants using this technology have seen increased engagement, higher satisfaction, and more informed customer choices.