Lightspeed Restaurant POS Review: Is Lightspeed Restaurant Right for Your Business?

The Lightspeed Restaurant POS system is a fast, flexible point of sale that has been praised as the best in its class. We review what it’s like to use this software and how you can benefit from using it alongside your existing vendor systems.

Lightspeed Restaurant is a restaurant software company that specializes in POS systems. The company provides an app, website, and cloud-based solutions for restaurants of all sizes. Lightspeed offers a range of features, including online ordering and payment processing., Read more in detail here: lightspeed restaurant reviews.

Lightspeed Restaurant is an all-in-one iPad restaurant POS solution that is cloud-based. This system is very economical for small eateries, beginning at $59 per month. Online ordering and bookings, inventory, loyalty, the kitchen display system (KDS), and other features are all included into Lightspeed Restaurant. Lightspeed purchased both ShopKeep and Upserve POS towards the end of 2020, so it will be interesting to watch how all three systems progress in the next year.

Lightspeed Restaurant is worth a visit.

Lightspeed Restaurant is a restaurant that we recommend for a variety of reasons.

Overall, the Lightspeed POS brand is typically one of our top-rated small company point-of-sale systems. Lightspeed Restaurant is no exception, as this iPad POS system is a comprehensive all-in-one solution with plenty of customisation options.

Lightspeed Restaurant is especially recommended for:

• Brick-and-mortar bakeries: Lightspeed’s inventory features, along with its low pricing, make it a perfect bakery POS.
• Quick Service Restaurants (QSRs) that employ a KDS include the following: One of our favorite restaurant KDS is Lightspeed Restaurant’s vibrant and easy-to-use KDS, which makes this POS a perfect choice for QSRs who depend on them.
• Self-service kiosks for restaurants: Lightspeed Restaurant’s self-service kiosk screens for fast service and tableside self-ordering screens for full-service restaurants are also popular.

When a Lightspeed Restaurant Isn’t the Right Fit

As of this writing, I would not suggest Lightspeed Restaurant for the following reasons:

• Restaurants looking for a driver manager include: While Lightspeed Restaurant includes two built-in online ordering and delivery options, none enables driver management or GPS monitoring at this time. Toast and Revel are good options for such purposes.
• Large restaurants that need vendor management: Lightspeed’s ingredient level inventory module is not automated, making it impossible to generate orders and handle invoices with a single click. You may acquire this feature via a third-party integration or by using Upserve (which Lightspeed recently purchased).
• Those that demand workforce management: Third-party integrations are required if you want built-in personnel scheduling and digital staff onboarding. Toast could be a better option for you.

To recap, Lightspeed bought ShopKeep and Upserve, two rival restaurant POS systems, in December 2020, and Upserve’s POS includes facilities for in-house delivery, in-depth reporting, and vendor management. As a result, Lightspeed may soon enhance some of the Lightspeed Restaurant POS’s features.

Do you wish you had more options? To choose the ideal POS system for your restaurant, check out our guide to the top restaurant POS systems.

Lightspeed Restaurant is worth a visit.

Restaurant Pricing at Lightspeed

• The software for a single terminal begins at $59 a month, which is a very reasonable pricing.
• Prices transparency: On the Lightspeed Restaurant website, Lightspeed explicitly shows pricing for POS software and add-on modules.

• Lightspeed pricing are available in a variety of add-on tiers. Basic add-ons are available for as little as $12 a month. The price of a separate tier of Premium features begins at $39.
• Lightspeed provides a 14-day free trial of their restaurant POS system.

When you’ve been looking for a restaurant POS for hours, discovering Lightspeed’s simple price structure is like finding water in the desert. As a result, any software supplier that makes price information freely available gets my highest recommendation. Lightspeed Restaurant now sells their basic POS at $59 per month for a single terminal, which is one of the lowest entry-level costs for a restaurant POS.

Optional add-ons are divided into two categories by Lightspeed Restaurants: Basic and Premium. The Basic list includes the majority of the tools that a small to medium restaurant would need to grow their POS, but the Premium list is a bit more specialist. Basic add-ons cost $12 per month, while Premium add-ons cost $39.

Remember that the rates given are simply estimates; you’ll need to contact Lightspeed for a firm quotation. However, by exploring about with the free trial, you may get a head start on the product demo.

Restaurant Payments at Lightspeed

• Lightspeed Payments is built-in, but you can also interface with prominent processors like Worldpay or TSYS.
• Chargebacks are less probable when your responsibility is protected by EMV and PCI compliance.

• End-to-end data encryption enables secure mobile payments and protects against possible fraud.
• Lightspeed Payments supports smartphone tap readers as a payment method. It also has an Order Ahead feature that accepts online and mobile payments using Stripe.

The Lightspeed POS includes Lightspeed Payments. Its transaction rates are a flat, custom-quoted charge depending on the kind of company and number of sales. User evaluations and previously stated rates I’ve seen are competitive, with swiped, dipped, and tapped in-person transactions beginning at 2.6 percent + Lightspeed Payments is built into the Lightspeed POS. Its transaction rates are a flat, custom-quoted rate based on your business type and sales volume. User reviews and previously quoted rates I have seen are competitive, starting around 2.6% + $0.10 for swiped, dipped, and tapped in-person transactions and 2.6% + $0.30 for manually-keyed transactions. Lightspeed Restaurant also integrates with Worldpay and TSYS, so you can shop around to get the best rate for your restaurant..10 and manually-keyed transactions starting at 2.6 percent + Lightspeed Payments is built into the Lightspeed POS. Its transaction rates are a flat, custom-quoted rate based on your business type and sales volume. User reviews and previously quoted rates I have seen are competitive, starting around 2.6% + $0.10 for swiped, dipped, and tapped in-person transactions and 2.6% + $0.30 for manually-keyed transactions. Lightspeed Restaurant also integrates with Worldpay and TSYS, so you can shop around to get the best rate for your restaurant..30. Lightspeed Restaurant also works with Worldpay and TSYS, allowing you to compare prices and get the best deal for your restaurant.

However, there is one little snag with Lightspeed Restaurant’s payment scheme. Only Stripe payments are accepted by the Order Ahead module. So, in addition to any other payment processor you use for your standard POS operations, you’ll need a Stripe account if you wish to take online payments through your own online ordering menu.

Restaurant Equipment from Lightspeed

• Lightspeed Restaurant uses iOS devices for tableside ordering, including iPads, iPhones, and iPod touches.
• KDS screens, customer-facing displays, self-ordering kiosks, bar code scanners, and numerous printer settings may all be used to customize your POS system.

• Custom-quoted: Pricing for Restaurant Equipment from Lightspeed is available via Lightspeed’s sales department.
• Bring your own iPad: iOS devices running iOS 12.2 or above are required.

Because Lightspeed Restaurant is browser and cloud-based, you may use it with iPads running iOS 12.2 or above. Lightspeed Restaurant offers POS gear such as the following:

• Handheld cases and iPad stands
• Epson printers for receipts and kitchens
• Card readers that swipe, tap, and dip

• Scanners for bar codes that are Bluetooth-enabled and USB-enabled
• Cash drawers built-in
• Card readers with a PIN pad from Verifone Mobile

Aside from basic POS terminals, the platform allows you to:

• iPads may be set up as KDS screens, self-order kiosks, and customer-facing displays.
• To place orders, use iPhones and iPod touch devices as handheld POS devices.
• Process payments using card readers connected to terminals (tap, dip, and swipe) or portable Verifone PIN pad devices.

The hardware of Lightspeed Restaurant is sleek and sophisticated. (Photo courtesy of Lightspeed)

The basic terminal package from Lightspeed Restaurant includes an iPad stand, receipt printer, kitchen printer, cash drawer, and a “Lite Server.” The Lite Server is an add-on that enhances the Lightspeed Restaurant’s offline capabilities. It will keep printing tickets in your kitchen during an internet outage, but it will not process credit card transactions. This will never be an issue if your restaurant has a reliable internet connection. If you don’t, a system like Revel, which has more extensive offline features, would be a better fit.

Features of Lightspeed Restaurant POS

Lightspeed Restaurant offers a great level of functionality at a minimal cost. The POS software comes with everything a small restaurant requires, and these functionalities may be readily expanded with optional add-ons and third-party connectors.

The basic Lightspeed Restaurant POS enables you to do the following:

• You must produce precise, specific floor plans that match the location of your business.
• To provide in-house dining, takeout, catering, or retail products, you may design several menus and product categories.
• Your workers may clock in and out directly in the POS, and you can specify what duties each of your team members can access with a number of access rights.
• In full-service restaurants, your employees can ring in orders with seat and course numbers, while quick-service restaurants can simply assemble combos.
• With only a few touches, check splitting and payment splitting may be performed.

Below, we’ll look at the inventory, online ordering, and customer and worker management of Lightspeed Restaurant. Lightspeed Restaurant also contains the following new features:

• To view reports, alter menus, and manage inventory, you may access the restaurant management dashboard from any internet-enabled device.
• Controls for numerous locations: From a single, browser-based administration dashboard, track the performance and manage the menus of various locations.
• Accounting integration: For accounting accuracy, Lightspeed Restaurant interfaces with QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop, Xero, and Sage One.
• Lightspeed Restaurant integrates with over 50 popular third-party applications, including Homebase (staff scheduling), Restaurant365 (restaurant accounting), and MarketMan (inventory management).

Restaurant Inventory at Lightspeed

• Stock levels are updated in real time to reflect sales at the ingredient level.
• Bulk updates: In the restaurant management dashboard, bulk import menu items from a.csv file and bulk modify ingredients.
• Short stock alerts: Notify you when supplies are running low in real time.

• Inventory is centralized and synced with all of your ordering channels, including in-house, online, and delivery.
• Permissions on a per-employee basis: Allow certain workers to update inventory.
• Ready-to-eat (RTE) sales in a hurry: To make grab-and-go products scannable, assign bar codes.

The built-in, ingredient-level inventory of Lightspeed Restaurant is comparable to those of rivals TouchBistro and Rezku. All three systems enable you add bulk materials into a virtual inventory and link them to particular menu items, allowing you to watch supply depletion as things sell. Like the others, you’ll have to manually update product levels when new orders come, make physical counts on paper, and handle vendor orders offline in Lightspeed Restaurant.

Small, targeted eateries like coffee shops and burger joints won’t be hampered by these restrictions, but if your restaurant has an enormous menu that changes often, you’ll feel the pressure. If vendor management and physical count tools are critical to your business, Lightspeed Restaurant’s MarketMan integration can help you get them.

The back office of Lightspeed Restaurant has a product editing view that looks like a POS order screen. (Photo courtesy of Lightspeed)

The product management interface of Lightspeed Restaurant is much more aesthetically oriented than those of other comparable priced systems. The editing page is designed to seem like a POS order screen, making it simple to find the item you need to change. Users who prefer a spreadsheet-style view may use the bulk editor to make changes to several items at the same time.

Restaurant Reporting at Lightspeed

• You can get the image at any time: Hourly, daily, weekly, and monthly views are shown in snapshot reports.
• Shift summaries by server, shift snapshots, and end-of-day reports are all foundational features that help with day-to-day operations.
• Dynamic graph and chart visual for quick analysis.

• Decide on a format: Select reports may be exported as CSV or PDF files.
• Optional two-tier reporting: Select the degree of analytics you need.
• Drag-and-drop design tools in advanced reporting allow for quick customization.

In the basic POS, Lightspeed Restaurant provides numerous pre-built reports:

• Sales and cost summaries by hour, day, week, or month are covered in basic reports.
• Product report: Tracks individual item sales and displays them in bar graphs and pie charts to show which goods are the greatest and worst sellers.
• The category report divides your income into sales categories (appetizers, entrees, desserts, lunch, catering, and so on) so you can understand where you may enhance your business.

You’ll need to install the Advanced Reports module to modify reports. The Advanced Reports add-on lets you to build custom reports using a drag-and-drop report designer, in addition to tax summaries, tip reports, and a top-selling goods graph. I’ll be honest: the report designer is a lot of fun to use, particularly if you’re trying to keep a big management group or several locations on the same page with sharp-looking reports.

Most small to medium eateries will be satisfied with the basic reports. Colorful charts and graphs are used in all reporting levels to give visual richness and reveal your restaurant’s success at a glance. Small businesses won’t be charged for reports they don’t utilize because of the multi-tier reporting structure.

Mobile Ordering at Lightspeed Restaurants

• Integrated or built-in: Use third-party integration or depend on built-in order and delivery management components.
• Lightspeed Delivery: From a single dashboard, this built-in module controls all of your third-party orders. There’s no need to handle several devices.
• Lightspeed Order-Ahead: A mobile web app allows customers to place orders directly online from any web-enabled device.

• Take charge of your pricing: To keep your expenditures in check, create a delivery-only menu with distinct rates.
• Keep in touch: Automated SMS text message informs clients that their orders have been received.

Lightspeed provides two unique digital ordering and delivery management alternatives. Lightspeed Delivery, the initial module, simplifies a restaurant’s engagement with third-party delivery providers. The Lightspeed Order Ahead module is required to handle in-house deliveries. Both are available as Premium add-ons, with monthly subscriptions starting at $39 per month.

Working with third-party delivery systems is made easier with Lightspeed Delivery. Orders from third-party delivery systems may now be immediately added to your POS order stream. Lightspeed Delivery may also build a distinct delivery menu with delivery-only pricing, allowing you to manage all of your third-party menus from a single dashboard and specify delivery-platform order acceptance hours.

The Delivery add-on for Lightspeed Restaurant facilitates orders from third-party platforms. (Photo courtesy of Lightspeed)

Most other POS software would call this online ordering, therefore Lightspeed Order Ahead is a bit awkwardly termed. Order Ahead, whatever it’s called, allows you to publish a menu online so that clients may make orders from any web-enabled device. When you accept it orders, they are folded into your in-house order stream and printed in your kitchen. Customers may choose between in-house pickup, curbside pickup, or in-house delivery for these items. To accept online orders, you may opt to automate order acceptance or demand a personal acknowledgement from your personnel. Lightspeed Restaurant does not have built-in driver management or GPS monitoring at this time.

Order Ahead needs a Stripe account to accept online payments. Stripe’s transaction processing costs are normally 2.99 percent + Accepting online payments via Order Ahead requires a Stripe account. Stripe’s processing fees are typically 2.99% + $0.30 per transaction, but it offers volume discounts for businesses that process a lot of payments. You’ll need to reach out to Stripe directly to set up an account and finalize your processing rate. Lightspeed Restaurant does not charge any additional processing fees on these payments and does not receive any portion of the Stripe transaction fees..30 per transaction, however it provides volume discounts to firms who execute a large number of transactions. To set up an account and settle your processing rate, you’ll need to contact Stripe directly. On these payments, Lightspeed Restaurant does not charge any extra processing costs and does not collect any of the Stripe transaction fees.

You could want to utilize Lightspeed Restaurant’s interface with Mobi2Go or Seat if you wish to combine Lightspeed Delivery and Order Ahead functionalities. All orders from third-party platforms are funneled into your POS using these connections, which also permit direct online orders and payments through your restaurant’s website. Mobi2Go does have a monthly membership fee, so you’ll need to get in touch with them to find out how much it costs.

Customer Service at Lightspeed Restaurants

• Customers may earn points in a variety of ways, and you can reward them with percent discounts, cash discounts, or special products.
• Enroll clients using POS pop-up prompts or a QR code on their scannable receipt.

• Reward yourself: If you choose, you may accept Loyalty Points as payment.
• Create customized marketing emails or SMS and deliver them to filtered consumer lists.

Lightspeed’s Loyalty features are flexible, offering options for rewarding loyal customers and tailoring promotions to their preferences. The Loyalty module is a paid Premium add-on that costs $39 a month. You may now divide your customers into specific categories based on their purchases, eating frequency, birthday month, or any criteria you like. If you want to build a bourbon-drinking client base, send them an invitation to a whiskey tasting. Lightspeed Loyalty provides all the tools you’ll need.

You may instruct your employees to encourage consumers to join the loyalty program at the conclusion of a sale transaction, and they can enroll the client in the POS immediately. Customers that are loyal to you may be monitored in your system using their telephone numbers, or you can hand them custom-designed loyalty cards.

Lightspeed Loyalty enables you to give consumers personalized incentives. (Photo courtesy of Lightspeed)

Choose whether to provide a promotional item or a cash or percentage discount to visitors who accomplish particular milestones. If you want, you may take rewards points as a method of payment.

Restaurant Workforce Management at Lightspeed

• User rights that may be customized: Prevent mistakes by limiting which functions each employee has access to.
• Lightspeed Restaurant’s timeclock serves as a tink-keeping device for logging staff hours.

• Lightspeed Restaurant interfaces with a variety of third-party scheduling tools, including Homebase, 7shifts, Shiftbase, and others.
• Built-in “IRS” and “Tax” reports let you compute necessary taxes and W-2 withholding information.

Lightspeed Restaurant handles the basics, such as enabling several user roles with adjustable permissions and functioning as a time clock to track staff hours. Employee hours may be exported as a CSV or PDF file for easy transfer to your payroll system. Anything more complex, such as creating personnel timetables and preventing early clock-ins, requires the use of a third-party integration.

Lightspeed Restaurant, like other restaurant POS systems, allows for tip reporting and basic tip monitoring. It can’t compute multiple forms of tip pools automatically (unlike rival Revel Systems), but tip requirements vary so greatly from state to state that you may wish to monitor them manually to guarantee your restaurant remains compliant.

Ease of Use in a Lightspeed Restaurant

• Streamlined user interface: Use easy taps, swipes, and smartphone motions to navigate across displays and menus.
• Image-based: Food photographs appear on menu displays, and selections appear as thumbnail icons on back-office panels.
• On your kitchen line, use printers or KDS screens to customize it. For printers, create names for kitchen-only menus.

• Managers may access the browser-based management dashboard from wherever there is an internet connection.
• Strong support: Customer service is accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and the manager dashboard includes training videos.

Lightspeed Restaurant, like TouchBistro, is an iOS-based restaurant. Lightspeed Restaurant’s user interface, on the other hand, is much more dynamic than TouchBistro’s, since it deviates from the standard iOS gridded navigation menus, producing a richly textured visual environment that is considerably simpler to comprehend at a glance.

Consumers can see what they’re purchasing on self-service kiosks, and employees can display customers photos tableside, thanks to image-based order screens. You may even give meals a unique name that will only print in the kitchen, so if your line cooks are more proficient in French or Spanish than English, you can offer them tickets in their native tongue. Lightspeed’s KDS displays are exceptionally simple to use for restaurants that use a KDS, with clear color-coding that divides orders as they reach completion.

The KDS at Lightspeed Restaurant employs colors to clearly distinguish between various ticket kinds. (Photo courtesy of Lightspeed)

Lightspeed Restaurant’s management dashboard is accessible from any browser, allowing owners and managers to examine reports from the back office, their home computer, or any web-enabled mobile device. Reports are extremely visual, showcasing your performance measures at a glance with colourful graphics to highlight data, and the report layout is simplified and easy to explore.

Lightspeed’s customer service staff is accessible via phone 24 hours a day, seven days a week, except on holidays. During regular business hours, they also provide live online chat and answer to emails within a day. The manager dashboard has a number of training films, and Lightspeed maintains an online archive of useful training materials that you may access at any time.

Alternatives to Lightspeed Restaurant Software

Lightspeed Restaurant covers a lot of ground for a cloud-based POS, but it may not be ideal for every style of restaurant. You could find a better match in another system if you require complete capabilities for managing suppliers or an in-house delivery team without having to install third-party connectors.

What Customers Have to Say About Lightspeed Restaurant POS

Users of the Lightspeed Restaurant system adore it. Almost every Lightspeed Restaurant POS review you’ll read online is positive—and consumers aren’t the only ones who like it; industry professionals like it as well.

• Awards in Finances Online Lightspeed POS has a very high user satisfaction rating of 100 percent. 11 customer evaluations on the site give the system a 4.6 out of 5 rating, while Finances Online specialists give it an 8.6 out of 10 rating.
• Lightspeed Restaurant is a Frontrunner software solution that has received a 4.46 out of 5 star rating based on 22 user evaluations.
• Lightspeed Restaurant is ranked as a 2021 Leader by G2, with a 4.6 out of 5 star rating based on 31 customer reviews.

However, there are certain limits to be aware of. Offline functionality is the most frequent issue leveled with Lightspeed Restaurant. It is simply not a good match for you if your restaurant does not have reliable and regular internet connectivity.

Conclusion

Lightspeed Restaurant is a simplified restaurant POS with a purpose to give independent businesses with inexpensive software. Restaurants that depend on peripheral gear like KDSes and self-service kiosks will benefit from this easily accessible solution. It’s also a cost-effective, feature-rich option for eateries with reliable internet connectivity. A 14-day free trial allows you to test the system before committing. Contact Lightspeed for a demo or free trial to see whether it’s a good match for your business.

Lightspeed Restaurant is worth a visit.

Lightspeed Restaurant POS is a point of sale software that allows restaurants to manage their entire business. Reference: lightspeed restaurant pos demo.

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