Lavu vs. Lightspeed Restaurant

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Lavu
Score 6.7 out of 10
N/A
Lavu is a point-of-sale software solution with features such as an intelligent combination of cloud computing, wireless technologies, and a sleek touchscreen interface for restaurant.
$59
per month
Lightspeed Restaurant
Score 8.8 out of 10
N/A
The Lightspeed Restaurant POS, from Lightspeed in Montreal, is a restaurant POS and management system designed to enable users to sync the user's menu with major food delivery apps, manage all orders and and reach new customers.
$69
per month 2.6% + 10¢
Pricing
LavuLightspeed Restaurant
Editions & Modules
Starter
$59
per month
Growth
$129
per month
Optimize
$279
per month
Lightspeed Restaurant Essentials
$69
per month 2.6% + 10¢
Lightspeed Restaurant Plus
$189
per month 2.6% + 10¢
Lightspeed Restaurant Pro
$399
per month custom per purchase rates
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
LavuLightspeed Restaurant
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
YesYes
Entry-level Setup FeeOptionalNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
LavuLightspeed Restaurant
Top Pros

No answers on this topic

Top Cons

No answers on this topic

Best Alternatives
LavuLightspeed Restaurant
Small Businesses
Square POS
Square POS
Score 9.4 out of 10
Square POS
Square POS
Score 9.4 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Shopify
Shopify
Score 8.8 out of 10
Shopify
Shopify
Score 8.8 out of 10
Enterprises

No answers on this topic

No answers on this topic

All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
LavuLightspeed Restaurant
Likelihood to Recommend
8.0
(3 ratings)
9.0
(25 ratings)
Usability
-
(0 ratings)
8.5
(3 ratings)
Support Rating
-
(0 ratings)
8.9
(9 ratings)
User Testimonials
LavuLightspeed Restaurant
Likelihood to Recommend
Lavu
For a small company with little inventory, Lavu is a great simple POS system. For a larger company or a company where items are always changing, I would not recommend Lavu as more transactions increases room for error and ultimately takes away the time one doesn't have to figure out how to reconcile something. Customer service is not always able to fix the problem right away and can take months getting back to you on the reasoning behind a discrepancy in reports.
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Lightspeed
One thing Upserve [POS (formerly Breadcrumb)] does well is splitting customer checks is very easy and intuitive. We used to host a lot of groups (pre pandemic) and splitting checks can be a nightmare. But they let you split it evenly by number or by item. You can even split one item (say, an app) across multiple checks.
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Pros
Lavu
  • The Lavu system is incredibly easy to use in both front and back of house operations. The format of both sides is very intuitive.
  • Lavu makes it very easy to add real life application to teaching inventory control, schedule control, etc.
  • The fact that it is cloud based makes life much easier. I can make changes on the fly and they update very quickly.
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Lightspeed
  • Reporting: Upserve's backend reporting system is unparalleled in this industry. It's extremely robust and gives us eyes into every nook and cranny of our business.
  • Intuitive: The Upserve POS is nearly as intuitive as Square. The ease of use really helps us provide great service without spending a fortune in training.
  • Extras: A quality POS system is assumed with Upserve. It has all the bells and whistles and it's very effective. What takes Upserve over the top is all the added features. Our online ordering system, loyalty program, delivery platform integration, KDS system, and soon to be inventory management are all provided for free with our system. The other benefit is all these features are seamless and work really well.
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Cons
Lavu
  • Split check credit card transactions, seem to have issues with some of the checks not closing out properly or being charged correctly
  • Servers being allowed to run server summary even though they have unpaid checks (not supposed to happen)
  • Have had the system go out on a weekend and took 20 plus minutes to get back online
  • Calling the help desk on the weekend is a joke, takes 45 to 90 minutes to get help
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Lightspeed
  • On the KDS, the system will re-fire tickets when we split checks and sometimes when simply closing out.
  • On the KDS, when someone adds onto an order that has already been bumped from the screen and doesn't put the new item at the end of the queue. It bumps it to the front and keeps the original time of the original order. This makes it difficult to process the order and determine the priority of which order should be fulfilled.
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Usability
Lavu
No answers on this topic
Lightspeed
Upserve is very intuitive. It utilizes a tab system along the left side of the screen for easy access to menu categories. After choosing the tab you want to view (i.e. Food), all the food items and/or sub categories show up instantly on the screen. once your items are chosen, you are a card swipe away from starting the payment process. Very easy. That said, there are a few minor issues with usability. For example, splitting checks is really quite difficult. You have to create new checks one at a time, then have to go searching for the checks to ring guests up. Really not intuitive on this front. Thankfully, it's not incredibly inhibitive
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Support Rating
Lavu
No answers on this topic
Lightspeed
Seriously, if I could give a 12 rating I would. Upserve support is 24/7 and completely free. No extra fees on evenings or weekends and they are fast. You can actually start a chat support straight from your ipad screen. 90% of our support issues have been solved in just a few minutes from the chat screen. That said, I prefer the phone. Calling into Upserve support is just as easy and everyone is always friendly and fast
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Alternatives Considered
Lavu
Square has a simpler interface but lower quality reporting for accountants.
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Lightspeed
Lavu is the worst POS system I have ever encountered. It was the most frustrating part of everyone’s shift. They were never available for customer service, Upserve is. Their system would shut down across regions, Upserve does not. Upserve (at the time Breadcrumb) was highly rated and praised for simplicity.
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Return on Investment
Lavu
  • LAVU has fit perfectly into both the business and teaching usage areas for me. I feel I got an extra return on investment.
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Lightspeed
  • Bestsellers and slower items rise to the top in reporting features, making analysis quicker.
  • Dramatically reduced server error
  • Posed a challenge to continue face-to-face contact between servers and cooks; the POS tends to end conversations about special orders, special customer requests or restrictions, and generally conveys the nuances that contribute to excellent service. So we have to make a conscious effort to continue talking to each other.
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ScreenShots

Lavu Screenshots

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