“Why should we be scared to go back to touching a communal piece of paper when we’re already breathing one another’s theoretically more dangerous air?”
The QR menu made sense when everyone feared surfaces. That fear faded, and the codes stayed. About a quarter of adults in households under $30,000 a year lack a smartphone or a decent data plan, so they have to ask for special treatment just to order. A menu that needs a phone is a cost cut dressed up as safety.