During the COVID era, the QR code became a standard for restaurants looking for flexibility and a way to support contactless dining (1). While necessary in 2020 and 2021, the widespread adoption of the QR code menu has created a digital ordering experience that, at times, feels bloated.  

Born of necessity, QR code menus have received criticism from patrons, who struggle with them when there isn’t reliable WiFi or reception. For restaurateurs, the digital formatting of menus isn’t standardized, and on mobile devices, it can be a nightmare for design and legibility. Diners are also tired of the constant need to look at screens (2). 

One of the most common criticisms of digital menus, from both diners and restaurateurs, regardless of medium, is that they hinder the dining experience. While digital menus offer efficiency, diners in restaurants no longer perceive them as stylish or innovative, which resonates with spaces striving for a luxurious or trendy design. 

So while touchscreen and wall-mounted digital menus are often selected to accelerate and streamline the ordering process, there’s a significant trade-off. Digital menus are often perceived as impersonal and unfashionable. In terms of legibility, they can be highly inaccessible, especially if installed at poor viewing angles or with harsh glare. In addition to digital menus consuming significant energy and generating heat (3), digital dining is now considered a “socially deadening” experience (4).

Image Credit: Buck & Rider in Gilbert

In popular culture, the “analog aesthetic” is in heavy pursuit. The definition of “analog” had shifted significantly, appearing in design magazines and on lifestyle podcasts. It’s become a hot topic in urban planning conversations and brand strategy decks. Analog no longer exclusively describes technology and has begun to describe a way of living.

This economic phenomenon has extended to food and beverage, with restaurants bringing “analog” touchpoints back into the dining experience. From paper and laminated menus to static signage, restaurants are prioritizing screen-free, sensory spaces. With art, curation, and storytelling at the core of restaurant design, restaurants are returning to a hospitality-first feel in both aesthetics and experience. 

The Buck & Rider menu ranges from Maine Lobster to Georgia Shrimp, Alaskan King Crab to California Halibut, and everything in between. Their non-seafood claim to fame is their LGO Reserve Beef, as the first restaurant in Arizona to be awarded a private label USDA certification. The beef is a very rare cut from the Midwest, where only three in ten cattle meet the criteria for consideration. This attention to detail and commitment to a better dining experience are a part of the Buck & Rider brand. 

Buck & Rider say they wouldn’t put their name on anything they don’t stand by, and that includes the interior design of their restaurants. Following an “industrial lite” design style, the restaurants balance steakhouse sophistication with the vibe of East Coast and West Coast canneries (5). So when seeking a signature focal point, Buck & Rider wanted an analog-style menu that could still provide the flexibility of its digital counterparts. 

For Buck and Rider, the solution was an interactive Split Flap style menu from Oat Foundry. With an analog interface and updates made from a digital content management system, Split Flap brings movement and subtle sound into the space without losing the analog aesthetic. Oat Foundry’s large-scale Split Flaps feature a metal frame and modules with screen-printed flaps that rotate to display messages using kinetic energy. 

For Buck & Rider, this translates to real-time updates to their menus, which need to change frequently to display featured dishes and “catch of the day”. Content can also be scheduled in advance (with functionality similar to Google Calendar). Aside from being used as a menu, Split Flap can also transition between messages, such as reservations, guest shout-outs, custom messages for large groups, and 86ing menu items.

Image Credit: Gil’s Thrilling And Filling Blog

Split Flaps actually have a tie back to the hospitality industry. The original Solari boards, displayed through departures and arrivals in old train stations and airports, had their signature “Split Flap click”. With a style and sound that were part of the 1950s travel aesthetic, Split Flap is still associated with sensory travel ephemera such as paper tickets, punch-hole stubs, pocket maps, and luggage stickers. 

As the Solari brand no longer fabricates mechanical Split Flaps, Oat Foundry has stepped in with a modernized version. Using the same large-scale, yet minimal style as the Solari boards, Oat Foundry is the only US brand that creates custom Split Flaps for brands. Legible from up to 100 ft away with a standard ADA-compliant font, Oat Foundry’s Split Flaps also outpace small off-the-shelf signage positioned towards home use. 

A custom Oat Foundry Split Flap is mounted at each of Buck & Rider’s Arizona locations, with a 6 Row x 40 Column display in Classic Black in Phoenix and Camelback, as well as a 5 Row x 40 Column in Gilbert. Serving as both an interactive menu and a signature focal point at their restaurants, the Split Flaps are prominently displayed within sightlines of the entire restaurant. 

For Hi Noon, the Split Flap isn’t just a fun element. It’s a core part of their brand identity. The marriage of form and function meets the needs of a modern bar seeking a vintage aesthetic. The parent company of Buck & Rider recently opened Pinyon, a coastal Mediterranean restaurant specializing in spritzes, hummus, and open-flame meat and seafood. 

Buck & Rider, as well as its parent brand, Hi Noon, has made headlines for everything from its nationwide expansion to accolades for its seafood and steak dishes. Biz Journal reported that Buck & Rider is expanding into Texas (7), and Gulf Shore Business also reported that the restaurant is opening in Naples, FL. (8) In 2025, the restaurant made Yelp’s list of the top 20 oyster restaurants in the US and Canada, based on “ the volume and ratings of reviews given by Yelp Elite Squad members.” (9) Pinyon was reviewed by Phoenix, calling it “the most appealing and accessible” Mediterranean restaurant in Phoenix. (10)

Image Credit: Buck & Rider

A custom Split Flap from Oat Foundry can hold its own against stationary menus and hot screens. As the only US-based manufacturer of large-scale Split Flaps fully customizable for brands, we’re proud to create mechanical displays that become “brand builders,” as signature focal points in modern restaurants, bars, and cafes.  

Resources

1. It’s Time to Say Goodbye to the QR Code Menu, Food & Wine 
2. The QR Backlash Has Won. Restaurants Are Ditching Them for Good, WSJ
3. The Consequences Of Digitalization In The Culinary Industry, Cape Creative Collective
4. Bring Back Menus! I am sick of the QR codes, Slate
5. Cannery, The Baltimore Museum of Industry
6. Why Berkel vintage slicers are chosen by Europe’s most prestigious restaurants, Original Slicers
7. Arizona upscale seafood chain inks first expansion into Texas, Biz Journals
8. Buck & Rider seafood restaurant replacing Brio at Waterside Shops, Gulf Shore Business
9. Top 20 oyster houses in US & Canada, according to Yelp Elites
10. Dining Review: Pinyon, Phoenix Mag
11. Buck & Rider
12. The Vendry
13. Gil’s Thrilling (And Filling) Blog