Was at a restaurant with a QR code that led to a PDF if their paper menu. It was horrible. For reference it was the Ralph Lauren Cafe in Omotesando Tokyo.
All that, VS a PDF that shows the entire menu that I can navigate spatially, show as much as I want depending on light levels, interest, and screen size, and can all fit in one, static tab.
Of course, the real answer is that electronic menus at sit down restaurants opened with QR codes are trash. Paper never really had these problems unless the restaurant was bad at menu design. I dislike being forced to use my phone at all when I'm out with friends or family for a nice dinner. Growing up, if I used my phone at the dinner table I would've been scolded.
The PDF format can’t necessarily be blamed for its inability to be responsive to screen size, but that’s one of several good reasons to discourage the use of PDFs for purely digital documents. Its design is linked to a specific historical context, and it should be limited to that context.
(Of course, I imagine the actual reason for the PDF is that it’s just an export of the InDesign/Photoshop/whatever file that was used to create the original paper menus. There probably is no “database.”)
Easily? Because it's not a fraction of the work. Let's just assume you mean to use someone else's solution (of the literal thousands, each with their own quirks), to make your bespoke website.
PDFs have a standard. Libraries to resize are not difficult to find. Most people are able to run a PDF through their printer driver for a resize, because it's a solved problem.
I would say creating a job that outputs a bunch of PDFs is going to be easier than a build system for different devices (CMS or not), every time.
If it's PDF or nothing, I'll be glad to take the PDF.