Lightspeed Restaurant vs. Toast Point of Sale

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¢
Toast Point of Sale
Score 7.1 out of 10
N/A
Toast Point of Sale is a cloud-based restaurant point of sale solution provided as the foundation for Toast's all in one restaurant management solution which supports payment processing, as well as customer care, gift cards and loyalty, as well as back of house and back office (HR, payroll, schedule and shift management, etc.).
$69
per month
Pricing
Lightspeed RestaurantToast Point of Sale
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
Starter
$69
per month
Essentials
$99
per month
Growth
$199
per month
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Lightspeed RestaurantToast Point of Sale
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
Community Pulse
Lightspeed RestaurantToast Point of Sale
Top Pros

No answers on this topic

Top Cons

No answers on this topic

Best Alternatives
Lightspeed RestaurantToast Point of Sale
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 RestaurantToast Point of Sale
Likelihood to Recommend
9.0
(25 ratings)
5.1
(14 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
-
(0 ratings)
8.0
(1 ratings)
Usability
8.5
(3 ratings)
6.0
(1 ratings)
Support Rating
8.9
(9 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Lightspeed RestaurantToast Point of Sale
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.
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Toast
For restaurants it's great, and that's the only scenario I'm really use to seeing it. However I do have to say that during Christmas time, our city has a craft bizarre where local artists are featured and sell their wares, and this Bizarre was using Toast POS. Therefore, I think it can really span across all avenues. It's great because of how it categorizes menus, and how you can run reports like a p-mix to see your top sellers, and bottom sellers, etc. The more I think of it, now, really any business that sells something and needs to track those sales, could use this POS. A tire store? Sure. A hat shop? Absolutely. The great thing about Toast is that it is just SO customizable! You can even make the buttons different colors, that's how customizable it is. Lastly, the ability to sell online has been a game-changer. I wish there was a little bit better formatting for online ordering, but really, you can add pictures, descriptions, modifiers, use discount codes, and accept gift cards all online. We didn't have to build out an online store, we just had to build out our menu buttons and we were all set.
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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.
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Toast
  • The ability for guest to select a receipt type.
  • Allowing to enter in different types of orders (current in-store orders, future orders, house account orders, and more).
  • The convenience of touch screen use and strong calibration.
  • Ability to swivel tablet from employee to guest.
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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.
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Toast
  • Though sales details are available in real time, the analytics take 2-3 days to post. So if you are looking for specific modifications you'll have to wait.
  • Though you can edit the menus directly from the devices and move them around like you do on a smartphone, it doesn't give you a sorting option. If you're OCD like me, you have to alphabetize my hand.
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Likelihood to Renew
Lightspeed
No answers on this topic
Toast
There are many features I wish Toast had that it currently does not, but we are likely to renew this year because given Toast's recent increase in funding and expanding of their staff, we are hopeful some of these issues will finally be resolved in 2019. Plus, though I've never done it, I'd imagine that switching to another POS system would take a ton of time, money, and resources---things most businesses don't have a lot of. So we'll sit tight with Toast for now and see what they come up with this year in terms of fixing our biggest pain-points.
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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
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Toast
Toast POS is a great basic POS tool, having some features I didn't think would be possible at this price point, such as:
  • processing CC payments in "offline mode" in case there is an internet outage
  • kitchen display screens
  • collecting payment from customers using a handheld right at their table
  • pre-approving card payments to assure the customer has enough money to pay for their order, etc
That being said, I still feel that Toast misses the mark on some things that I truly would consider 'common-sense' features, such as:
  • providing hardware that connects the Register Screen (Elo) to the Cash drawer so it doesn't fall off the table when flipped over for customer signature
  • accepting physical and e-gift cards as payment on their own online ordering platform (ToastOO)
  • a Rewards Program that allows for online enrollment, rather than holding up quick-serve lines to sign up
  • a Promo code feature that allows you to add basic restrictions such as Limit 1 per customer, or date/time limitations
  • increasing in-store operations efficiency by creating more straight-forward ways to manage restaurant/ToastOO hours, and Delivery/Takeout quote estimates
Facing these issues after 3+ years has been a frustration. We hope Toast has some solutions in mind that they will be implementing in 2019.
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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
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Toast
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.
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Toast
Toast is so much easier to use than Breadcrumb. The display is so much easier to navigate. The card readers are more quality with Toast. Chownow was hard because it had its own printer, different than our kitchen printer, for to go orders, but now with Toast's all in one ordering we get the to go orders sent to the kitchen with the same ease as if they were getting fired from the main floor.
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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.
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Toast
  • Offline mode has helped with ROI, as we are still able to process credit cards, whereas before we could not and would have to accept cash only.
  • A streamlined and integrated online ordering platform has cut down on the need of a third-party platform.
  • Customer loyalty program has really motivated customers to order more often with higher ticket averages.
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ScreenShots