At noon, Rebecca Kottke arrived at Gray's, a cafe in Dinkytown, and went to the counter to buy coffee. Because it was off-peak hours, a staff member took her to a table where she could use her smartphone to scan a black and white pixelated square to order a drink.

The University of Minnesota student said that such QR codes are very common in restaurants she frequents, and she often uses them with little difficulty. But this is not always the case. "The first time I used them, I gave up on them," Kotke admitted. "I really left the store once because I didn't have time to figure it out."

As early as the early 2000s, QR codes began to be seen everywhere, from print ads to product labels to signs. Companies trying to show their technological proficiency even slapped them on bananas and tombstones.

Over time, QR sightings became rare. But when the pandemic turned shared surfaces and personal interactions into potential spreaders, QR codes reappeared as a safer alternative. They are now part of city life, posted in parking meters and retail stores. Improved smartphones have transformed the much-maligned marketing gimmick into a relatively seamless DIY digital transaction channel.

Digital widgets are especially popular in the hotel industry. The National Restaurant Association reports that half of all full-service restaurants have adopted them.

On the one hand, QR codes can become a fast, convenient, and independent choice for customers, helping companies reduce staff costs and collect customer information. On the other hand, they can make diners more worried about ordering and paying, divert their attention from people to the screen, and alienate 15% of Americans who don’t have smartphones.

The existence of QR codes depends on how and where they are used.

QR codes or quick response codes are similar to two-dimensional barcodes and can store more information. QR codes were invented by a Japanese auto parts manufacturer in 1994 to track inventory.

These codes were widely adopted by consumers in Asia before arriving in the United States. Their function is essentially a mobile, "real world" hyperlink; scanning the symbol with a smartphone will load a web page.

In some applications, QR codes are meaningful. For example, you can board a plane without a paper ticket. Or find properties for sale or rent without clicking on a long URL. But usually QR codes feel like finding a solution to a problem, which brings unnecessary frustration and trouble.

When QR codes were first introduced, a separate application was required to read them. Early mobile phone cameras had difficulty deciphering these images. From highway billboards to employee uniforms, overzealous marketers slap squares in ridiculous places, as if scanning or scanning a person while driving is a safe or humane thing.

Their revival has been welcomed by the wider public, although they are far from being universally loved.

Kottke is not really a fan of QR codes, but if it helps the business, she is happy to use them. She said: "I think they don't have so many waiters, cashiers, chefs and baristas responsible for them when they are not so busy." (Mobile ordering and payment system Cheqout claims that restaurants can save 30- by QR code menus. 50% of labor costs.)

The preference for digital transactions or manual transactions may depend on your personality.

"I have some friends who say'I don't want to talk to people', so if they have a QR code, they will use it," Kotke said. "But I'd rather go up and order with someone."

There is also a technological-perhaps generational-gap.

Austin Doan is a young University of Michigan alumnus who hangs out at Gray's. He prefers QR code ordering instead of ordering in person. But he admits that people who don't know much about technology may feel different. "My mother doesn't use them. She said,'Let me see the real menu.'"

Eric Carrara, who runs three Twin Cities restaurants with his wife Vanessa, said that context also plays a role in customers' acceptance of QR codes. In the high-end Italian restaurants near Nokomis Lake, they rely on traditional service. "People are starting to let waiters take them to experience the dining experience," he said. "If this is an exquisite restaurant, sit down and you put a QR code on the table, you will alienate your customers."

But in Un Dito, the casual snack bar Carraras opened next to an Italian restaurant this summer, QR codes are a win-win situation.

Un Dito diners first place an order with the staff at the counter, but they can choose to place the order through the QR code on the table. The customer's response was very positive. "It's not just Millennials or Xers, it's everyone," Carrara said.

Carrara explained that in the counter ordering system, diners considering another round of drinks or food usually abandon them and don't want to leave the table and wait in line. Using QR codes, nearly 40% of Un Dito diners reordered, and the merchant’s higher fees for QR codes were offset by the increase in customer spending. "If they don't have the QR code, they will leave," he said.

Chef Daniel del Prado uses QR codes in three other casual restaurants of his six Twin Cities restaurants. But he has removed them from Colita and Cardamom in Minneapolis. He plans to eliminate them from Rosalia soon.

Although these codes reduced the contact between employees and customers during the pandemic, customers found the system to be messy and cumbersome. When Del Prado tried it himself, he agreed. ("If you have a group of people at a table, everyone must create an account," he exclaims.)

In addition, as a heavy phone user, Del Prado likes to keep his social time away from technology. "When I go out to eat, I don't want to call because I might see a text message or an email, which would ruin my night," he explained. In addition, it is "weird" to look around his restaurant and see that customers are engrossed in their screens.

Del Prado said that in theory, the server can handle more guests at the same time through the QR code system, but some people say this reduces the interaction they like. "Pro servers hate it," Del Prado said. "It's kind of impersonal."

Del Prado said that QR codes might make sense in some restaurants—in his three recent trips to New York City, QR codes were everywhere—but not his. Perhaps this is because, for del Prado, even the atmosphere of the pizzeria is more like high heels and wine than sweatshirts and beer, which means that guests expect more attention.

"On paper, this sounds good," Del Prado said of the QR code. "But I think people prefer regular services. So we give people what they want."

Rachel Hutton (Rachel Hutton) is a general assignment reporter for the "Star Tribune" special issue. 

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