Lightspeed Restaurant vs. Northstar Restaurant POS

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
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¢
Northstar Restaurant POS
Score 6.0 out of 10
N/A
Custom Business Solutions (CBS) in Irvine, California offers Northstar, a restaurant dedicated point of sale system supporting all restaurants from quick serve to fine dining, as well as bars, cruises, and amusement parks.N/A
Pricing
Lightspeed RestaurantNorthstar Restaurant POS
Editions & Modules
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
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Lightspeed RestaurantNorthstar Restaurant POS
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
YesNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Best Alternatives
Lightspeed RestaurantNorthstar Restaurant POS
Small Businesses
Square POS
Square POS
Score 9.1 out of 10
Square POS
Square POS
Score 9.1 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
Lightspeed RestaurantNorthstar Restaurant POS
Likelihood to Recommend
9.0
(25 ratings)
6.0
(1 ratings)
Usability
8.5
(3 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
8.9
(9 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Lightspeed RestaurantNorthstar Restaurant POS
Likelihood to Recommend
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.
Read full review
Custom Business Solutions (CBS)
The Northstar Restaurant POS is the POS system specifically designed for Country Clubs. It works well in a Country Club scenario where things need to be customized to member preferences, and there are a large number of menu items. If there is a restaurant where the menu is simpler, without as much customization needed, the Northstar Restaurant POS may be a bit too large and cumbersome. The Northstar Restaurant POS is good for detail but not necessarily speed.
Read full review
Pros
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.
Read full review
Custom Business Solutions (CBS)
  • Very Customizable
  • Allows for a large number of items to be added
  • Same system can be used at multiple locations
Read full review
Cons
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.
Read full review
Custom Business Solutions (CBS)
  • Once an item is in the system it cannot be removed
  • Can be complicated on the back end if prices need adjusted
  • If you have a large customized menu, the tableside POS does function properly
Read full review
Usability
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
Read full review
Custom Business Solutions (CBS)
No answers on this topic
Support Rating
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
Read full review
Custom Business Solutions (CBS)
No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
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.
Read full review
Custom Business Solutions (CBS)
I have not used any other restaurant POS systems. I have heard there are more robust restaurant POS systems available; however, very few of them are so customizable for our needs. Being a Country Club, our focus is on member service. Northstar Restaurant POS allows us to have a large number of menu items available so we can serve our members effectively.
Read full review
Return on Investment
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.
Read full review
Custom Business Solutions (CBS)
  • Northstar Restaurant POS has allowed us to track sales items, remove poor sellers, and add new items to keep our menu fresh.
  • We are able to easily adjust pricing to reflect current market trends.
  • We are able to do a mass price adjustment to our entire menu if necessary.
Read full review
ScreenShots