The rise of QR code menus has changed the food and beverage industry, especially in the post-COVID-19 context. While much research has focused on generational differences in technological adoption, examining the effectiveness of QR code menu ordering relative to perceived usefulness (PU), ease of use (PE), social influence (SI), technological anxiety (TA), and technological knowledge (TK) has been overlooked. This quantitative study employs a three-phase quasi-experimental study to examine QR code effectiveness across 153 Gen X, Gen Y, and Gen Z respondents. The results of this study provide evidence of how customers across the generations increasingly supported utilising the QR code menu when ordering at quick-service restaurants. However, Gen Zs have higher preferences than Gen Xs, while Gen Ys are fence-sitting over traditional and digital ordering. Significantly, this study's novelty lies in the multiple regression analysis results, which show that PE and SI had the strongest positive impact on QR code effectiveness, while TA provided a negative influence. As such, this study recommends that quick-service restaurants enhance the QR ordering system’s interface to make it easier to use while mitigating customers’ anxiety about QR code adoption through positive social interactions.