Mountain restaurants: 4 essential digital tools for a successful winter season
09 February 2026
Over a week's skiing, a family spends an average of €267 on out-of-home catering. The restaurant is an integral part of your stay and the memories you take home with you.
As all resort managers know, the winter season is moving at breakneck speed. Visitor numbers, sales, customer satisfaction and working conditions are all concentrated in a very short space of time, with no room for error.
This article reviews 4 digital tools for greater service comfort and efficiency throughout the winter season.
01. The QR Code to view the menu
In the resorts, paper maps have a hard life: snow, humidity, fast rotations, frequent updates...
The digital QR Code menu eliminates these constraints and keep the card accessible and legible throughout the service.
Information is always up to date. You can modify a dish, a price or report a shortage in real time, without reprinting or repeated explanations in the dining room. The service becomes smoother, and your teams spend less time on product management.
The feature that makes all the difference: the multilingual menu
International clientele is a fact of life in our resorts. In Val Thorens, over 60% of winter nights are spent by foreign customers. Your teams often speak English, which covers part of their needs, but this is not always enough when faced with Dutch, Italian or Russian customers, who are present in large numbers depending on the period.
Some restaurants opt for multilingual menus. The intention is logical, but the exercise quickly shows its limits. Either the menu stretches over dozens of pages, or some translations remain partial. In both cases, the customer is more hesitant and order-taking slows down, sometimes to the detriment of the sale.
Visit multilingual digital menu accessible by QR Code provides a more flexible response. Customers select their language from their mobile, take the time to understand the dishes and options, then order with greater confidence. You'll immediately reduce misunderstandings and dish returns, both of which are highly appreciated by your teams when the season is in full swing.
02. Table ordering by QR Code
In the resort, meals are often taken in groups. The sun is shining, discussions are stretched out and not everyone arrives at the same time. Between a final descent and a later return, the table sometimes forms in fits and starts.
QR Code ordering at the table adapts to this rhythm. Everyone consults the menu when they want and orders, without waiting for everyone else to be ready. The customer remains autonomous, without interrupting the discussion or the time spent together.
This autonomy continues throughout the meal. Customers can order as soon as they arrive, and then make recommendations during the meal, including drinks, without having to ask for service. Order-taking becomes more natural, in tune with the resort's vacation atmosphere.
The feature that makes all the difference: product pushes
The context is clearly in favor of buying for pleasure. 37% of French people on ski vacations say they pay less attention to their food budget than at home, and 53% allow themselves more pleasures during their stay. It's a time for spontaneous pleasure.
Visit product pushes are a natural part of the order-taking process. You can highlight a starter to share, a dessert, a hot drink or a supplement. The customer sees the proposal when he orders, when he's receptive.
For you, it's a simple way to enhance the value of certain dishes, sell off stock or work on the average basket without any sales pitch. When spending becomes more spontaneous, these discreet suggestions weigh down the basket, while remaining consistent with the rhythm and mood of the winter season.
03. QR Code payment at the table
The moment of payment often arrives when the table is still animated. We chat, enjoy the sunshine, some are ready to go skiing again, others are still hanging around.
QR Code payment at the table avoids breaking this rhythm. Customers pay from their mobile, without having to go to the counter or wait for the bill. Departure is quicker, without creating a bottleneck in the dining room or on the terrace. For you, the flow of arrivals and departures remains fluid, even during busy services.
The feature that makes all the difference: bill sharing
Large tables bring together families, groups of friends or colleagues. Not everyone pays their bills together, and checkout time can quickly become a laborious affair.
Thanks to the sharing the billeveryone pays their share from their cell phone. Payment is simple, without disrupting the dynamics of the table.
Want to find out more? See our resource ➜ Grouped orders and shared billing: digital solutions that change everything
04. QR Code tip management
In addition to supplementing wages, tipping is a real mark of recognition for teams, especially in short but intense seasons.
Customers are receptive. In Val d'Isère, they leave an average of 12.7% of the bill in tips. The desire to say thank you is there, but the gesture has to be simple when it comes to paying.
Tipping by QR Code is automatically displayed at checkout. The customer selects a suggested amount or enters the desired amount, then validates in a few seconds. The gesture is part of the continuity of the meal.
More regular tips mean tangible additional income for your teams, a signal of recognition and a real lever for building loyalty from one season to the next. At a time when recruiting and retaining staff remains a sensitive issue in resorts, this detail is more important than you might think.
Want to find out more? See our resource ➜ Restaurants: how to boost tips?
Make the most of the high season
The season flies by. It's best to manage it with solutions that enhance the customer experience, team comfort and your facility's performance.
