Google review QR code for restaurants: make it free in Google
Google makes a review QR code for your restaurant itself, free: in your Business Profile, open Read reviews, then Get more reviews, and save the QR code or copy the link [1]. It only works on a computer browser, not a phone [1]. Print it on receipts, table cards and takeout bags, and ask every guest the same way: Google doesn't allow rewards for reviews or asking only the happy ones [2].
Below: the steps, how to make one with a generator if you want your logo on it, the rules, wording and print sizes that work, where to put it in each kind of place, and how to tell if it's bringing reviews.
What you need first
- A verified Google Business Profile. Only verified profiles get the review link. If yours isn't there yet, see how to get your restaurant on Google Maps.
- A computer. Google's QR code can only be made in a desktop browser [1]. The link can be copied on a phone in some views, but the QR needs a computer.
- A profile from after March 2025. Google added review QR codes to Business Profiles that month [3]; any active profile has it now.
- Each location separately. Every location has its own profile, link and QR code. Don't send diners at your second site to your first site's reviews.
How to make the QR code in Google, step by step
- On a computer, sign in to the Google account that manages your restaurant's profile.
- Search your restaurant's name on Google, or go to business.google.com, to open your Business Profile.
- Select Read reviews.
- Select Get more reviews (the share icon) [1].
- Right-click the QR code and choose Save image as. To copy the link instead, select Copy [1].
Scan the saved code with your own phone before you print anything. It should open the review box for your restaurant, with the stars ready to tap. Google doesn't publish the link's format, so always copy it from this screen rather than building it by hand [1].
Making it with a QR generator instead
Google's code is plain black and white. If you want your logo in the middle, a colour, or a code you can repoint later, paste the review link you copied into a QR generator.
| Kind of code | What it is | Good for | Watch out |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google's own | Made by Google from your profile | Most restaurants | No logo or colour |
| Static code from a generator | The review link baked into the code | A logo, your colours | Can't change where it points |
| Dynamic code | Points to the generator's address, which forwards to Google | Counting scans, changing the link later | Often a monthly fee; stops working if you cancel |
A dynamic code that dies when a subscription ends leaves dead codes on every table. For something printed by the hundred, the free static code is the safer choice.
Google's rules when you ask for reviews
Asking for reviews is allowed and Google encourages it [1]. What breaks the rules, from Google's policy [2]:
- Rewards. No discount, free dessert, raffle entry or anything else in exchange for a review, or for changing or removing one.
- Asking only happy guests. Google prohibits discouraging negative reviews or selectively asking for positive ones. A card that says "Happy? Review us on Google. Not happy? Tell us privately" filters reviews; ask everyone the same way.
- Pressure on the premises. Don't require or press guests to leave a review while they're in the restaurant. A card on the table is fine; standing over someone until they post isn't.
- Staff quotas and scripts. Don't set staff a target number of reviews, or ask them to get reviews that mention particular things.
- Reviews from staff, family or friends. These are conflicts of interest and get removed.
Reviews that break the rules are removed, and Google can restrict profiles that keep doing it. A slower stream of real reviews is worth more than a burst that disappears.
What to write next to the code
The code alone doesn't tell people what it does. A short line does:
- "Enjoyed your meal? We'd love a Google review." (A question about the meal, asked of everyone, is fine. Don't add a second path for unhappy guests.)
- "Tell others what you ordered: scan to review us on Google."
- "Reviews help a small kitchen. Scan to leave yours."
Keep it under 12 words, put your restaurant's name on the card, and add the short link under the code for guests who don't scan.
Print sizes that scan
| Where | Code size (guide, not a rule) | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Receipt | About 1 in (2.5 cm) | Read at arm's length; receipt printers blur small codes |
| Table tent or card | 1.5 to 2 in (4 to 5 cm) | Read from a seat |
| Takeout sticker or bag insert | 1.25 to 1.5 in (3 to 4 cm) | Scanned at home, close up |
| Counter sign | 3 in (7.5 cm) or more | Read from a step back in the queue |
| Window or door | 6 in (15 cm) or more | Read from the pavement |
Dark code on a light background, a white margin around it, and no glossy laminate glare under your lights. Test every printed size with two different phones before you order a stack.
Where to put it, by kind of place
| Kind of place | Best spots | When guests see it |
|---|---|---|
| Sit-down restaurant | Check presenter, bottom of the printed receipt | When the meal is over |
| Café or counter service | Counter sign by the pickup point, cup sleeve sticker | While waiting for the order |
| Takeout and pickup | Bag insert, sticker on the box | At home, after eating |
| Food truck | On the window, on the napkin holder | While waiting in line |
| Bakery | Box sticker, a card in cake boxes | When the box is opened |
| Any place | Order confirmation email or text, your website footer | Later, at home |
Google itself suggests thank-you emails and receipts [1]. The best moment is after the guest has eaten, not before the food arrives.
Don't put the review code on the same card as your menu QR code if you can avoid it; a guest scanning to see the menu shouldn't land on a review box. If both must share a card, label each code clearly. Our free QR code menu covers the menu side.
What staff can say
A spoken ask works best with the code in hand. Give every guest the same line, without pressure:
"Thanks for coming in. If you have a minute later, the code on your receipt takes you to our Google reviews."
Say it to every table, not only the happy ones, and don't set staff a number of reviews to collect [2].
How to tell if it's working
- Count reviews before you start: how many new reviews a month you got over the last three months.
- Put the codes out and change nothing else for a month.
- Compare the month's new reviews with your average. Your profile's Read reviews screen lists them by date.
- If you used a dynamic code, compare scans with new reviews. Many scans and few reviews means the review box is the problem (guests not signed in to Google: Google says they need a Google Account, which can use any email [1]).
- Move the codes that don't work. A code nobody scans is in the wrong place or too small.
More reviews mean more replies. Our guide to restaurant Google review replies has examples for every kind of review, including what to do with fake ones.
Common mistakes
- A code that opens your Maps listing instead of the review box. Guests have to find the review button themselves and most give up. Use the Get more reviews link [1].
- Offering something for a review. Prohibited [2], and the reviews get removed.
- A happy/unhappy split that sends only happy guests to Google [2].
- Printing before scanning. Test the printed proof, not the screen.
- One code for every location. Each location needs its own.
- A paid dynamic code on 500 printed bags, then cancelling the plan.
Questions
How do I get a QR code for Google reviews for my restaurant?
On a computer, open your Business Profile, select Read reviews, then Get more reviews, and save the QR code or copy the link [1].
Is the Google review QR code free?
Yes. Google makes it from your profile at no cost [1]. Generators that add logos are often free for static codes.
Why can't I find the QR code on my phone?
Google makes the review QR code only in a computer browser, not on mobile [1].
Can I give a discount for leaving a Google review?
No. Google's policy prohibits offering anything in exchange for a review [2].
Where should a restaurant put its review QR code?
Where guests are after they've eaten: the receipt, the check presenter, the takeout bag, the order confirmation email.
Do guests need a Google account to leave a review?
Yes, but it can be made with any email address, not just Gmail [1].
Reviews make diners pick you on Google; your own page lets them order without an app's fee. Build your menu site free from a photo of your menu, and see Google Business Profile for restaurants for every other field worth filling in. More answers are in all our guides.
Sources
- Create a Google link or QR code to request reviews, Google Business Profile Help, read Nov 3, 2026; and Tips to manage and reply to reviews, Google Business Profile Help, read Nov 3, 2026.
- Prohibited and restricted content (Maps user-generated content policy), Google, read Nov 3, 2026.
- Google Business Profiles create QR codes for reviews, Search Engine Roundtable, Mar 4, 2025.