Welcome to the ultimate guide for Lightspeed POS for restaurants review. This is a comprehensive and in depth look at Lightspeed for those of you considering it for your business. As I always say, your POS system is the central nervous system of your restaurant, so bar and restaurant owners looking to stay ahead of the competition had better get a good one.
The key question in most people’s mind of course is: is this piece of software worth your time and money? From ease of use, pricing & plans, security & compliance, customer reviews and integrations – we take a look at what makes Lightspeed restaurant POS stand out from other POS systems on the market. Join me as we dive into our Lightspeed Restaurant Review to see if it can meet all your needs.
Lightspeed POS for Restaurants
Product Description: An extremely versatile and affordable restaurant POS system that adapts to what you need.
Offer price: Starting at $69/month
Currency: U.S.
Overall
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Ease-of-Use
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Features
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Pricing
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Integrations
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Customer Support
Lightspeed POS
Since merging with Upserve, Lightspeed POS is arguably the BEST restaurant POS system on the market, bar none.
Pros
- Extremely intuitive and easy-to-use
- Available on both iOS and Android devices
- Outstanding reporting & analytics
- Loaded with features
- Excellent support
- Free trial
Cons
- Must use their payment processor
- Not best for small mom & pop locations
Table of Contents
Overview of Lightspeed Restaurant POS
In basic terms, Lightspeed POS is a comprehensive point-of-sale (POS) system designed for restaurants, bars, and other hospitality businesses. It offers an intuitive user interface that makes it easy to manage orders, process payments, run your inventory management and more. Lightspeed’s cloud-based platform allows you to access your data from anywhere with an internet connection.
If you’d like to see an iPad demo and Lightspeed Restaurant POS review from the server and bartender’s viewpoint, you can watch my video here:
Lightspeed iPad Demo (Watch Here)
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As far as POS systems go, Lightspeed has powerful reporting tools that provide insights into sales trends and customer behavior. You can also customize the look of your menus with photos and descriptions of each item. Plus, integrated payment processing lets you accept credit cards quickly and securely without having to switch between systems or use multiple terminals.
Now, pay attention here, because this is important: Not too long ago, Lightspeed purchased Upserve POS and all of its greatness. For those of you who don’t know, Upserve was my #1 POS system for some time. Lightspeed was #4 on the list. Now that they have purchased Upserve merged the two together, Lightspeed is my uLightspeed Restaurant POS is my undisputed #1 system by a long shot. 2nd place sits on a cliff ledge far below Lightspeed.
With its vast number of features and powerful reporting and analytics, it simply can’t be beat in my opinion. Still, it is your responsibility to find what works best for you, so make sure to book a demo so you can get answers to your questions.
Overall, Lightspeed is the most powerful and user-friendly point of sale system to help restaurant owners and managers streamline their operations.
Who is Lightspeed Restaurant For?
Lightspeed Restaurant POS works great for practically any sized restaurant, but they’re specialty is:
- Independent full-service restaurants
- Family restaurants
- Breweries
- Bars and clubs
- Restaurant groups
- Chains
- Hotels (Great for Hotels)
- Quick Service Restaurants
If you plan on running a serious business and not just a hobby, then should definitely take a hard look at Lightspeed for Restaurants.
Ease-of-Use
Rating: Excellent
As with all the POS systems I review, I dive in and use them myself. This means I have either used them in my own bars and restaurants where I’ve worked or the company allows me to jump on their app. I even go to the bars and restaurants of owners and managers that I know and use them there.
As far as ease-of-use goes, Lightspeed Restaurant POS is about as easy as it comes when it comes to restaurant POS systems. It offers an intuitive user interface and plenty of features to help streamline operations, from inventory management tracking to customer loyalty programs. Even if you’re not tech-savvy, you can quickly learn how to set up and use the software. And of course the Lightspeed support team is always right there to help, if need be.
The Setup Process is Simple and Straightforward:
Seriously, set-up is easy as pie. Once you’re all signed up, simply download the app on to your mobile device. From there, you can add items to your menu, create categories for them, and customize settings like taxes and discounts. You can also add employees with different access levels so they only have access to the information they need.
Once everything is set up, using Lightspeed Restaurant is a breeze thanks to its simple design. The dashboard shows all relevant information at a glance such as sales reports and employee hours worked; menus are easy to navigate; customers can pay in multiple ways (cash or card); staff members can easily find orders placed by customers; and more.
Plus, it’s compatible with various hardware options such as barcode scanners and receipt printers so you don’t have any trouble setting up additional equipment either.
But perhaps most importantly of all, Lightspeed Restaurant has great customer support available 24/7 via phone or email should anything go wrong during setup or while using the system itself. This means that no matter what issue arises – whether it be technical difficulties or questions about how certain features work – someone will always be there ready to help get things back on track quickly. Y’all know how much I like a good support team when it comes to purchasing a new POS system.
Pros and Cons
As you will see, the pros for Lightspeed greatly outweigh the cons. But once again, you just need to make sure while you are exploring POS systems that you find the one that fits your needs the best.
Pros
- Built by restaurant people for restaurant people
- Extremely intuitive and easy-to-use for both FOH and BOH
- Perfect for any sized bar/restaurant
- Lightspeed Live App allows you to manage and view your reports from anywhere 24/7
- Reporting and analytics is head and shoulders above the rest
- Loaded with features
- Compatible with most major credit cards as well as Apple Pay and Google Wallet
- Multiple integrations
- Great for hotel restaurants
- Offline mode
- Offered in more than 100 countries
- Excellent support
Cons
- Lightspeed Payments means you must use their payment processing
- iOS only, so if you’re an Android lover, you’ll need to convert or move on
- Since merging with Upserve it is a bit pricier because of everything it can do
- Reports of some slow loading times in certain parts of the system
Lightspeed Restaurant Features
Rating: Excellent
Lightspeed’s features are vast and many. Whether you need a boatload of features or only a few, Lightspeed has you covered.
- Table Management: Lightspeed Restaurant offers a highly intuitive table management feature that allows restaurant staff to assign, move, and merge tables with ease. This feature also enables restaurant staff to view real-time status updates on each table, which helps reduce wait times and improve the overall guest experience.
- Menu Management: The Menu Management feature allows restaurant owners and managers to easily customize their menus, add items, update prices, and manage inventory. This feature also makes it easy to create special menus for holidays, happy hours, or events.
- Order Management: With the Order Management feature, restaurant staff can easily take orders and send them directly to the kitchen. Orders can be customized with specific instructions or dietary restrictions, and staff can view order history and track which items are the most popular.Lightspeed also has QR code order and pay at the table for the guests. This means they can peruse the menu, add them to the cart themselves, modify the order. They can add upsells and then those orders are sent to the kitchen and bar. When they are ready, runners run the food and drinks out to them.
- Lightspeed Payments: Lightspeed Payments offers secure, efficient payment processing that accepts a wide range of payment options, including credit and debit cards, gift cards, and mobile payments. This feature also supports split checks, which allows diners to pay for their portion of the bill separately.
- Loyalty Program: Lightspeed Restaurant includes a built-in loyalty program that rewards customers for their repeat business. Restaurant owners and managers can create custom loyalty programs with rewards, points, and promotions to incentivize repeat visits.
- Inventory Management: Lightspeed’s inventory management allows you to track ingredients in each dish so as orders go through, those ingredients will automatically be depleted from the inventory to assist with ordering and track any items that need to be 86’d.
- Staff Management: The Staff Management feature allows restaurant owners and managers to manage their staff’s schedules, track their hours, and create custom roles and permissions. This feature also offers a time clock that employees can use to clock in and out of their shifts.
- Reporting and Analytics: With Lightspeed, restaurant owners and managers can access real-time sales reports and analytics to help them make informed business decisions. Reports can be customized to show data on specific time periods, menu items, and customer behavior.You can click here if you want to watch my video on the backend reporting and analytics.
- Online Ordering: The Online Ordering feature allows customers to place orders directly from the restaurant’s website or mobile app. Orders can be customized and sent directly to the kitchen, and customers can pay online for a seamless ordering experience.
- Kitchen Display System: The Kitchen Display System (KDS) feature offers a digital display of all incoming orders, which helps reduce errors and improve order accuracy. This feature also offers real-time updates on order status and estimated completion times.
- Customer Management: Lightspeed Restaurant includes a customer management feature that allows restaurant staff to collect customer information, track order history, and send targeted marketing campaigns. This feature also includes built-in customer surveys that help restaurant owners and managers collect feedback and improve their service.
- Offline Mode: Lightspeed Restaurant has “offline mode” which allows servers and bartenders to still enter orders that will be sent to the bar and kitchen. In addition, guests can still run their credit cards, and then once the internet connection is made again, all information is updated inside the system.
Lightspeed Restaurant Reporting
Rating: Excellent
Since merging with Upserve, Lightspeed Restaurant now has the most advanced reporting capabilities in the universe. Other restaurant POS systems simply can’t hang. Using credit card information from Lightspeed Payments, they are able to identify returning guests and pinpoint multiple areas of data such as how often they visit, how much they spend, what they like to eat, how much they tip.
By using Lightspeed Payments, not only can you customize the guest experience, but they can optimize their menu by removing unpopular items, as well as keep items that get the guests to come back again and again.
The Magic Quadrant (Menu Optimization)
Lightspeed Restaurant Reporting Features
Sales Reports: Lightspeed allows restaurant owners and managers to generate sales reports based on various criteria, such as date range, employee, or menu item. These reports provide insights into the restaurant’s revenue and can help identify trends in customer behavior.
Inventory Reports: Lightspeed provides detailed inventory reports that allow restaurant owners and managers to track their stock levels and monitor product usage. These reports can help identify items that are selling quickly and those that are not, allowing for more efficient purchasing and inventory management.
Labor Reports: Lightspeed allows restaurant owners and managers to track their employees’ work hours and generate labor reports. These reports can help identify areas where labor costs can be reduced, such as by optimizing staff schedules.
Menu Analysis: Lightspeed’s menu analysis reports provide valuable insights into the performance of individual menu items. Restaurant owners and managers can use this information to optimize their menu offerings and pricing.
Customer Analytics: Lightspeed’s customer analytics reports provide information on customer behavior and demographics, such as their average spend per visit and the time of day they typically visit. This information can be used to tailor marketing efforts and promotions to specific customer segments.
Mobile Reporting: Lightspeed offers a mobile reporting app that allows restaurant owners and managers to access key business metrics and reports from their smartphones or tablets, giving them greater flexibility and control over their operations.
Again, if you want to see more details on Lightspeed’s advanced reporting capabilities, check out this video:
Lightspeed POS Analytics and Admin Demo
Lightspeed Restaurant Pricing & Plans
Rating: Very Good
When it comes to pricing Lightspeed Restaurant, they offer a variety of pricing plans to suit the needs of any restaurant. The most basic plan is the “Starter” package. This includes unlimited users, secure payment processing, real-time inventory tracking and reporting, customer loyalty programs, and more. The Starter package starts at $69 per month with no setup fees or long-term contracts required.
For those looking for more advanced features such as online ordering integration or gift card support, Lightspeed Restaurant also offers a “Plus” package starting at $189 per month. This plan comes with everything included in the Starter package plus additional features like integrated delivery services and third-party integrations. It also allows up to 10 locations to be managed from one dashboard so you can easily keep track of multiple restaurants if needed.
If your restaurant has higher volume sales or requires custom solutions then Lightspeed’s “Pro” plan may be right for you. Starting at $399 per month this plan provides access to all available features including priority support and custom development options when needed. It also comes with dedicated account management so that your team can get help quickly when they need it most without having to wait on hold or search through documentation trying to find answers themselves.
LIGHTSPEED RESTAURANT PRICING
Additionally Lightspeed offers discounts for non-profits, so make sure to ask a rep if you are a non-profit. Additionally, customers who sign up for annual billing receive two months free on their subscription, making it even easier to save money while using Lightspeed POS systems in their restaurants.
But best of all, if you click the link in the blue box below, Lightspeed will give you up to $2,000 off of your hardware (assuming you need that much), just for reading TheRealBarman’s article. You aren’t going to find a deal like that anywhere else, so take advantage.
Overall, Lightspeed POS offers great pricing plans and packages that are tailored to the needs of any business. With their advanced security features and compliance standards, they make sure you can rest easy knowing your data is safe.
Security & Compliance
Security & Compliance is a key factor for any restaurant or bar owner to consider when choosing a POS system. Lightspeed POS takes data security seriously, with features like encrypted credit card processing and secure cloud storage of customer information. All transactions are PCI compliant, meaning they meet the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS). This ensures that customers’ sensitive financial information is safe from fraudsters and hackers.
For restaurants that need additional compliance measures, Lightspeed has partnered with Trustwave Trusted Commerce™ to provide Level 1 PCI certification. This helps protect against potential data breaches by ensuring all payment processes comply with industry standards and regulations set forth by the Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council (PCI SSC).
Lightspeed provides robust security measures designed to not only keep your business protected but also ensure compliance with industry standards set forth by governing bodies such as PCI SSC and Trustwave Trusted Commerce™.
Lightspeed POS Customer Reviews
Rating: Very Good
Before we tackle Lightspeed’s customer support, let me just say this: POS companies suck. Does that shake your confidence? Maybe, but most likely most of your won’t be shocked by that statement. In fact, if I were to throw a rock into a crowd of restaurant owners and managers, it would be nearly impossible not to hit someone who hasn’t had a negative experience with a POS company.
Why is that? Well, first off, we’re talking about technology, and learning new technology can be difficult for many so the need to be educated is VAST. In other words, the need for answers and help is in a lot higher demand than the supply of support from a technology company. That’s not making excuses for the company. It’s just a fact.
With that said, Lightspeed’s customer support is FANTASTIC. and continues to make concerted efforts to be even better. Anytime I receive personal complaints from Lightspeed customers who either email me or put a comment on my YouTube channel, I contact Lightspeed and they immediately track down the customer and the rep helping them. Once they even hired ten new customer service reps when I showed them an email from someone stating that the wait times were too long. That’s amazing! They truly care about their customers and want to make sure they are taken care of. I’ve seen it firsthand.
You can also see that customers have shared their experiences with the software on review sites like Trustpilot and G2 Crowd.
Overall, customers report that Lightspeed Restaurant is easy to use and provides helpful features for restaurant management. Many appreciate its intuitive interface and find it straightforward to set up new menus or change existing ones. The reporting capabilities are also praised as being comprehensive yet simple to understand. Some users note that they can easily keep track of sales trends over time using the analytics dashboard.
Customers also highlight how well Lightspeed integrates with third-party services such as accounting programs. This makes it easier for them to manage their finances without having to switch between multiple systems constantly. Additionally, many customers say that customer service has been extremely responsive when they’ve had questions about setup or usage of the software.
All of that is to say that customer reviews provide valuable insight into the effectiveness of Lightspeed Restaurant and are an essential factor to consider when deciding if it is right for your business.
Lightspeed Integrations
Rating: Excellent
Lightspeed for restaurants offers a wide variety of integrations to help streamline operations, enhance the customer experience, and grow the business. Here are some of the most popular Lightspeed integrations for restaurants:
- 7shifts: a scheduling and labor management platform
- Avero: a restaurant analytics and insights tool
- Bevager: a beverage inventory management solution
- Deliverect: a delivery integration platform that aggregates orders from multiple online delivery services
- Grubhub: an online food ordering and delivery integration platform
- MenuDrive: an online ordering and delivery integration solution
- OpenTable: an online reservation system
- QuickBooks: an accounting and financial management software
- SevenRooms: a reservation, waitlist, and guest management platform
- Square: a payment processing and point of sale solution
- Tock: a reservation and ticketing system for fine dining and events
- Uber Eats: an online food ordering and delivery platform
- Zomato: an online food ordering and delivery platform
- Chowly: a platform that integrates third-party delivery service orders into the restaurant’s POS system
- KitchenSync: a kitchen display system that helps to manage orders and tickets in real-time
- Paytronix: a loyalty and gift card program to help retain customers and encourage repeat business
- QSR Automations: a kitchen display system that streamlines communication between the kitchen and front-of-house staff
- Shogo: a financial integration tool that connects Lightspeed POS with accounting software
- SimpleOrder: an inventory management solution that helps restaurants to optimize purchasing and reduce waste
- xtraCHEF: a restaurant invoice management system that helps to streamline accounts payable processes.
Lightspeed also offers PMS integrations with hotels, which is rare for POS systems. They also have integrations for employee management, marketing, and reporting. Many of these integrations are designed to help restaurants automate and optimize their workflows, reduce manual data entry, and improve accuracy and efficiency.
By integrating these tools into their POS system, restaurants can gain better insights into their operations and make data-driven decisions that help them to succeed.
Lightspeed Add-ons
Restaurant owners can customize their plans even more by purchasing additional add-ons. Options include:
- Customer-facing displays
- Kitchen Display Systems
- Advanced reporting
- Loyalty
- Gift cards
- Accounting
- Delivery integration
- Order ahead
Lightspeed Customer Service
Rating: Very Good
Overall, the customer service team at Lightspeed is outstanding. They provide 24/7 support via phone or email so you never have to worry about being left without assistance when you need it most. They offer onsite training sessions for new users so they can get up to speed quickly with the software’s features as well as one-on-one consultations if any additional help is required during setup or troubleshooting issues down the line.
In addition to these services they also provide online resources such as tutorials videos and user guides which are available anytime from anywhere making them easily accessible no matter where your business may be located geographically speaking.
Lightspeed Hardware
For the most basic setup, Lightspeed provides the iPad Hardware Kit which includes a stand with a built-in card reader and printer. This is ideal for smaller establishments that don’t need additional features like kitchen display systems or multiple cash drawers.
Here are Lightspeed’s other hardware options. *Note that pricing may or may not have changed since the writing of this post, so don’t hire a mob to string me up if the pricing doesn’t exactly match what’s listed below. **Additionally note that the pricing for hardware can vary depending on the features and accessories you choose. Also, Lightspeed offers financing options to help spread out the cost of hardware purchases.
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Lightspeed Restaurant POS Terminal – Starting at $1,699: This is a touch-screen terminal that runs the Lightspeed software. It includes a built-in receipt printer, cash drawer, and credit card reader.
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Lightspeed iPad POS Kit – Starting at $769: This kit includes an iPad stand, a credit card reader, and a cash drawer. You can choose to add a receipt printer and a kitchen printer as well.
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Lightspeed Kitchen Display System – Starting at $1,199: This system replaces traditional paper tickets with a digital display that shows order information in real-time. It includes a display screen, a mount, and a controller.
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Lightspeed Order Display System – Starting at $499: This system allows customers to place orders directly from a self-service kiosk or a digital menu. It includes a display screen, a mount, and a controller.
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Lightspeed Card Reader – Starting at $79: This is a wireless credit card reader that connects to the Lightspeed software via Bluetooth.
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Lightspeed Receipt Printer – Starting at $299: This printer connects to the Lightspeed POS software via Ethernet or Wi-Fi and can print receipts, order tickets, and labels.
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Lightspeed Label Printer – Starting at $299: This printer can be used to print labels for ingredients, products, and takeout orders. It connects to the Lightspeed POS software via Ethernet or Wi-Fi.
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Lightspeed Customer Facing Display – Starting at $249: This display allows customers to view their order information as it’s being entered into the POS system. It can be mounted on a stand or attached to the back of the terminal.
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Lightspeed Cash Drawer – Starting at $129: This is a cash drawer that can be connected to the Lightspeed POS system via USB. It includes adjustable coin and bill compartments and a lockable lid.
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Lightspeed Barcode Scanner – Starting at $199: This scanner can be used to scan barcodes on products, tickets, and loyalty cards. It connects to the Lightspeed POS system via USB.
Installation & Setup:
Installing your new Lightspeed POS is easy thanks to their intuitive setup wizard which walks you through each step of the process including connecting your peripherals like printers and cash drawers as well as setting up user accounts and payment methods within minutes. Plus they offer free training sessions to help get your staff up to speed quickly so they can start using it right away without any hiccups along the way.
All data collected by Lightspeed POS is securely stored in their cloud servers, meaning there is no need to worry about backups or manual updates – everything happens automatically behind the scenes, keeping your information safe at all times. Furthermore, since it runs over WiFi networks rather than traditional wired connections, you don’t have to worry about messy cables cluttering up countertops either.
Final Ruling
I’ve said it before, but this is really no contest for me. Lightspeed POS is easily the best overall POS system because of everything it has to offer. The POS system is fully customizable, with features like table-side ordering and checkout, kitchen display system, online ordering, loyalty program, inventory management, employee scheduling, with reporting that will increase your ROI three-fold at minimum.
In addition, it offers an intuitive user interface, competitive pricing plans, robust security features and excellent customer service. The integrations with other software solutions make it even more powerful and versatile.
What it comes down to is that it’s easy to use, highly efficient, and highly intelligent, and it’s going to help streamline your business and help you make a lot of money.
With that said, if you are a mom and pop operation, the pricing may be just out of your range. In addition, you may not need so many features, but even if you are a coffee shop or a midsized independent restaurant, it’s well worth it to schedule a demo to determine if it’s the best option for you.
Thanks for being here. We hope this Lightspeed restaurant POS review helped. We’ll see you next time.
Cheers,
TheRealBarman Team