QR-code queue tutorial: set up online waitlists in 5 minutes
A single QR code, one tent card, zero hardware — a step-by-step walkthrough for any Hong Kong restaurant front of house.
Want guests to take their own ticket and skip the door queue? Stick one QR code at the entrance — 5 minutes of setup, screenshots and a step-by-step included.
- Restaurant
- QR code
- Tutorial
You do not need a kiosk, an app, or a dedicated tablet to get your guests taking their own digital tickets. All you need is one QR code on a tent card, a phone, and five minutes. This tutorial walks through the exact steps our team uses when onboarding a new Hong Kong restaurant — from printing the QR code to handling the first call of the evening. Follow along and your restaurant queue system will be live before the dinner rush, and your host stand will look noticeably calmer by the second service.
Step 1: create your branch and session
Sign in to your TickIt Easy merchant account, click 'New branch', give it a name (e.g. 'Mong Kok Main Street') and a slug. Add a session for lunch (11:30–15:00) and another for dinner (17:30–22:30), and pick the time zone (Asia/Hong_Kong — so daylight-saving never bites you). Set your daily ticket categories — usually party-size buckets like 1–2, 3–4, 5+ — and you're done. The whole step takes about 90 seconds; you can do it on your phone from the back of the kitchen before the lunch rush even starts.
Step 2: print the QR-code tent card
From your branch dashboard, download the QR-code tent card as a PDF. Print it on a folded A5 card (works on a regular office printer — no special stock required) and stand it on the host stand. The QR code points to your branch's ticketing page — guests scan it with their phone camera, pick a party size, and get a digital ticket in seconds. No app, no sign-up, no typing. The tent card template is bilingual (TC / EN) by default and includes a friendly instruction line for older guests, so even a 70-year-old aunty can take her own ticket the first time.
Step 3: set up the calling station and display
On a tablet at the host stand (or any browser), open the calling station and sign in. In a second browser tab, open the display board in fullscreen on the TV in your waiting area. The two sync in real time. When a guest scans your QR code, the host sees them appear in the queue, and the guest sees the queue length update on their phone. Nothing to install, no app to update — if your tablet dies, open the calling station on a phone; if the TV is busy, the queue still works without the wall display.
Step 4: take your first call
When a table is ready, the host taps 'Call next' on the calling station. The display board flashes the new number, the guest's phone buzzes (if they've allowed notifications), and the guest walks in from wherever they were waiting. If the guest misses the call, the host marks them as missed after a short grace period (5 minutes by default); the guest can tap 'Rejoin' on their phone to slip back into the queue without arguing with the host. The full restaurant queue system keeps state on the server, so a flaky connection at the door will not lose anyone's ticket.
Step 5: scale up gradually
Once you're comfortable, add more categories (VIP / walk-in), enable a second daily session, or hook up a kiosk via the Partner API for venues with a wider door frontage. The free Starter trial gives you 30 days to try every feature — no card required, no commitment. By the end of week one, you should see shorter perceived wait times, fewer walk-aways, and a noticeably calmer front of house. From there, Pro unlocks paid tickets and promos for tasting events, and Enterprise opens up multi-branch rollouts and white-label displays.
Frequently asked questions
How long does the whole setup really take?
About five minutes for the basic flow: create a branch, set a session, print the tent card, and open the calling station in a browser. Most of that is printing.
What hardware do I need?
A phone, a tablet or computer for the calling station, and any TV or monitor for the display. The QR-code tent card can be printed on a regular office printer.
Do guests need to download an app?
No. They scan the QR code with their phone's camera, pick a party size on a web page, and get a digital ticket. That's the entire flow.
What if a guest does not have a smartphone?
For very rare cases, staff can issue a ticket on the guest's behalf from the calling station. Most venues find they never need to do this once the tent card is up.
Can I customise the QR-code tent card?
Yes. The default template is bilingual, but you can swap in your logo, change the headline, or print a larger version. The QR code itself is fixed — it always points to your branch's ticketing page.