Hermes QR
Can we introduce a new way to handle orders to a market unfamiliar with it?
- 2025–2026
- 5 min read
- Startup
- Product research
- Hospitality
- Role
- UX/UI Designer
- Team
- 1 UX/UI designer · 1 backend developer · 1 frontend developer
- Timeline
- 6+ months
- Year
- 2025–2026
- Contribution
- Research & data analysis · User interface design · Product design
Hermes QR lets hospitality guests scan, browse, order, and pay from their phones, without downloading an app or waiting for staff.
- 14
- venue owners interviewed
- 64%
- interested in QR ordering
- 5
- local pilot venues
01, Overview
Can we introduce a new way to handle orders to a market unfamiliar with it?
Hermes QR is a digital ordering platform for hospitality venues. Guests scan a QR code at their table, browse the menu, and order directly from their phones, with no app download and no need to wait for staff. Orders appear instantly on the venue dashboard, reducing wait times during peak hours and freeing staff to focus on service.
QR ordering is widespread in the US, Australia, and Asia, but remains largely untapped in Europe. Hermes QR brings that model to European cafés, bars, and restaurants looking to increase table turnover, reduce missed orders, and handle busy periods without adding headcount.
Hermes QR is currently in its pilot phase.
02, Verifying the concept
The idea came from personal experience and a common frustration
One co-founder was often frustrated because he struggled to flag down a waiter to order or pay, whether his table was out of sight, the venue was crowded, or staff were simply busy. The other co-founder and I joined at the very beginning, while Hermes was still a napkin concept.
03, Desktop research
First, we needed to know whether the idea had merit
Because QR ordering is uncommon in the parts of Europe we had visited, we began with desktop research. We studied mature markets in the US, Australia, and Asia to understand where the technology was established and what results it produced.
Key findings
- 56% of US restaurant owners and managers use QR codes for digital menus and ordering
- 20% higher ordering through digital channels than in person
- 25% higher table turnover
- 68% of Gen Z and 78% of Millennials in the US prefer QR-code menus
- 30–50% lower labour costs for order taking and payment processing
04, Interviewing venue owners
Fourteen local venues helped us pressure-test the concept
After the idea passed our initial hurdle, I designed a short interview for venue owners and we contacted local businesses. Fourteen agreed to speak with us. The concept was received positively, and the conversations revealed their current pain points and the features that would make Hermes more attractive. Most importantly, the majority were interested in trying it.
Interested
● Interested (64%)
● Interested if a key feature is added (21%)
● Not interested (14%)
per month
Acceptable range: €10–€35
Current pain points
Most requested features
05, Getting started
The MVP had to stay small and manageable for our small team
As three experienced technology professionals, we knew that overambitious scopes delay sprints and that perfect is the enemy of done. We defined an MVP with a genuine emphasis on “minimum,” even removing login and registration from the first version. I created the product information architecture around the agreed scope.
06, Low-fidelity designs
I then created low-fidelity sketches that helped us agree on the structure and layout of the venue and customer-facing apps.
07, High-fidelity and internal testing
The MVP became functional quickly, but significant testing was required
I moved into high-fidelity design while the developers built the backend and prepared the frontend. To keep the effort realistic for a small team, we chose the existing shadcn/ui component library.
The venue side is more complex: staff handle incoming orders, customize menus, and track inventory. The overview is where they spend most of their time, managing tables and incoming orders at a glance.
On the menu screen, venues create categories and menu items. The structure they build here is the same one guests see after scanning the QR code.
Beyond basic details such as image, name, and price, menu items support customizable modifiers. Venues can price options separately and decide whether guests may choose one option or several.
08, Customer-facing side
The guest experience follows the same menu structure, with item details, modifiers, a cart, and checkout available directly on the phone. To avoid clashing with each establishment’s brand, we kept the customer-facing palette neutral until menu customization became available.
09, Pilot phase
The pilots showed us which features venues wanted most
We offered the MVP free for four months to five local food and drink establishments. We chose places we already frequented, giving us an existing rapport with staff and allowing us to experience Hermes naturally as customers. Beyond the usual bugs and device-specific issues, the pilots revealed which features venues valued most and shaped our next priorities.
Feature 1, Tipping. Mobile payment initially reduced tips for service staff. Because our goal was to assist staff rather than replace them, a tipping flow inspired by other service apps became the first priority. Negative feedback decreased after release, and early signs suggest tips may now exceed their previous level.
Feature 2, Analytics. Owners wanted a clearer view of how each service was performing, so we turned the order data Hermes already captured into a dashboard: order volume, busy periods, best-selling items, and turnover at a glance, numbers they could act on.
Feature 3, Running promotions. Venues repeatedly asked for ways to fill quieter periods and highlight specials, so we added discounts, seasonal promotions, and combination deals that they can schedule and surface directly in the guest menu.
10, Current status
Piloting continues as we prepare for a full release
The pilot phase has been instrumental in improving the product quickly. Even when we thought we had anticipated most issues, real-world use showed how much remained to learn. Despite occasional problems, pilot venues are happy with Hermes QR and continue to ask for new features.
Beyond the product itself, the team is preparing marketing, client outreach, and administrative work. We plan to launch Hermes QR in Q2 2026.