Lightspeed Restaurant

Great Product

Aspetti positivi:

Being a Hospitality professional for 20 years I have dealt with numerous POS systems. Kounta is relatively straight forward and has the functionality and flexibility to run your business with ease. The support offered by Kounta day and night has been at an exceptional standard. The understanding and support during setup, implementation and to now has been a suprise in this all to modern world. This holistic approach will keep Kounta ahead of the pack for quite some time.

Aspetti negativi:

Some of the language with respect to Hospitality is not not necessarily how we refer to how things are done in my experience however it is only a minor issue.

!!SMALL BUSINESS WARNING!! NOT FAIR

Commenti: !!WARNING!!! THIS COMPANY IS NOT FAIR!
They bundled in the loyalty program in our automatic renewal. We were looking into the addition to see if it fits our business. Another $800 was tacked on to our renewal for the Loyalty program that I did not authorize. They are refusing to refund the Loyalty program fee say that we are in a contract and they have a phone recording committing to the contract (they won't actual share the recording though). We have no need for this extra program at the moment, have not used it and do not plan to use it at this time as our business volume has a ceiling and the margins do not support it at this time. We understand the value in the loyalty program by cannot presently justify it. I have not worked for or worked with a company that does not work fairly with their customers. I do not recommend LightSpeed and am stuck with them for another 11 months and plan to find a better POS partner.

Aspetti positivi:

The software is comprehensive. Many add-ons are available at high costs.

Aspetti negativi:

It can get complicated and takes some effort to train new staff. Support is good for the software although I have found that are led down the wrong path and wast time. Some of the representatives are not knowledgeable enough.

Lightspeed

Commenti: ok

Aspetti positivi:

It integrates with Resnexus, it has most of the things we need

Aspetti negativi:

Hard to use, goes down all the time, many issues... lacks some functionalityy

Lightspeed POS for Restaurant

Commenti: Overall, our experience has been great, but no software is perfect. Their rates are comparable, but the customer support is phenomenal.

Aspetti positivi:

Lightspeed is sleek, very professional look and feel. Although it does take a number of buttons to run through a transaction, it's definitely an upgrade to what he had prior. The loyalty program integration is amazing, as customers earn points on the spot without any manual entry.

Aspetti negativi:

Although not directly related to POS, their payment processing dose not allow partial refunds which causes us headaches at times.

Makes Perfect Sense!

Commenti: We have been using Lightspeed for 2+ years now and absolutely love it! We are able to utilize many of their components to assist us not only in the basics (inventory, sales) but analytics and E-Comm. LS staff are very knowledgeable, friendly and quick to respond to our needs.

Aspetti positivi:

We are able to customize according to our needs. We utilize many of the components and are constantly learning.

Aspetti negativi:

Sometimes we have recommendations and submit them.

Fantastic POS

Aspetti positivi:

Lightspeed is very reliable, easy to program good functionality. In 3 years our POS has not crashed or stalled. Customer support is remarkable. The team is knowledgeable and professional. My questions are answered the same day.

Aspetti negativi:

Most of the reporting is very good. I would like more one page style reports, for example all servers that worked yesterday lists total sales, category sales, average check. I can get this information but each server is listed separately so analysis is time consuming.

Lightspeed at the speed of light!

Aspetti positivi:

The set up was easy with great support from the staff at Lightspeed. Great ability to handle multiple floor plans, products, users and reporting. Very full featured software that should be able to handle any restaurant's business.

Aspetti negativi:

It can be a little confusing when first starting to use the ordering piece on the ipad, a bigger learning curve than some other POS systems, but once you practice with it a bit, it makes sense.

Would (and have) recommeded

Commenti: With thoughtful planning and set up, we have seen a lot of value from the on-board features. We run a loyalty program using just the basic features of the POS.

Aspetti positivi:

The setup took time, but with good planning, we are able to get a lot of value out of the back-end reporting without the add-on module.

Aspetti negativi:

I wish our Chase payment system could be integrated.

Real people who know their stuff

Commenti: Impressed

Aspetti positivi:

From day one Kounta had the support and real sales staff in place to help me set it all up, even organising all the hardware, and saving me money. Support is brilliant. Love the app, easy to use, and staff have taken to it really quickly.

Aspetti negativi:

The cost to add extra terminals is quite expensive.

Setting up and Training it for Clients

Aspetti positivi:

Easy to use, adaptable in most situations. Any staff member should be able to use it especially on the visual side of things. Links to the accounting programs.

Aspetti negativi:

A few little enhancements would be nice to give the client and few extra reporting outcomes but I'm being a little picky.

Best Supported POS System

Commenti: Very easy to use, easy to get help specific to your problem

Aspetti positivi:

How easy it is to get support, how knowledgeable the support staff is with the software & shortcuts to use it. Also, it tracks inventory across multiple platforms so you don't sell inventory you don't have.

Aspetti negativi:

It's fairly expensive in comparison to what we were using in the past (quick books POS - doesn't track inventory across multiple platforms but cheaper)

The POS We've Been Waiting For

Aspetti positivi:

I manage a restaurant called Eclipse Chocolate, and I was uncertain that Lightspeed would be able to meet all of our needs. We're a full service dining concept with brunch and dinner daily, a cafe, a bakery, an event space, a confectioner, and a wholesaler; we needed a POS that would be intuitive and adaptable to a very dynamic menu, and usable by professional servers, as well as kitchen and production staff. We got it! The customer service is outstanding, and offered hands-on support with our setup. We'd had some initial miscommunications and misunderstandings, and we found we needed some additional functionality out of the software. However, the team has always been very helpful and fast to respond; I'm also very pleasantly surprised how much development is being done with the app. This is definitely a well-supported POS that is constantly being improved. I'm extremely impressed by how well it works for our unique "combo based" menu. Lightspeed has helped close a lot of simple human error loopholes! We also decided to invest in the "Liteserver," which was an expensive piece of hardware, but a welcome relief during internet outages. Losing WiFi during a busy brunch was disastrous with previous cloud-based POS'es, but now we don't even miss a beat (or a ticket).

Aspetti negativi:

There are some minor missing features I would still like to see, like better development of Labor Reports to help calculate overtime, but I have confidence that they will be added in time. I see an update every couple weeks, so I do believe the dev team is working through a list.

Horrendous POS System.

Commenti: DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY ON THIS!!! MOVE ON TO THE NEXT!

Aspetti positivi:

Nothing to say here. There is nothing good about this system except for the promptness of my customer service, who usually has bad news. But as I now understand my customer service rep doesn't ACTUALLY work for Kounta, she works for the company that sold it to me. I wish they would have sold me one of their other POS options.

Aspetti negativi:

Server level order control is an upgrade, they don't tell you that when purchasing, even though that is one of the most basic things. Check splitting is the most laborious I have ever experienced, if you have a table that needs multiple splits get them a refill of their coffee because it will take a while. No over all system close out, no way to re-open a check. In lieu of that simple option they have a refund button, but, guess what if you had multiple pay types IE Cash and CC that doesn't work, can only refund whole amount to one pay type, which then screws up the server report(one of the biggest reasons to have a POS system) Integrated credit card system has worst customer service ever. If you need to get someone after 9 good luck. Randomly loses checks! Have no idea how that happens but if you are on a check and the system reloads(which it does a lot) bye bye order!

Easy to use, excellent reporting features.

Aspetti positivi:

We like the ease with which new staff can learn to use this software. We also like the clarity with which the back end is organized, and the support available to help us learn the various features. It is simpler and easier to follow than Lightspeed Retail's back end. Reporting features are extremely helpful. It is all very customizable.

Aspetti negativi:

I don't like that the the software is not linked directly to Lightspeed Retail, and that when we lose internet connection we lose access to our POS.

How Lightspeed will help improve your business.

Commenti: I signed up with Lightspeed back in Nov 2016 and I have never looked back. Lightspeed gives me accuracy and analysis. Through Lightspeed's data I was able to save costs through employee shrinkage. Combined with Lightspeed's great customer and tech support, you've got a winning combination that no one can beat.

Aspetti positivi:

They are accuracy and analysis. With Lightspeed each and every order is entered with 100% accuracy, so you don't have to worry about wrong items or amounts being entered. And with their integrated system you can manage your inventory, and analyze your sales patterns. All because Lightspeed gives you sophisticated and detailed sales reports at your fingertips all while saving time and money and reducing costs.

Aspetti negativi:

There was no onsite tutorial on how to access certain data, but a quick call with tech support and within a few minutes I mastered the system and where everything is placed.

Highly adaptable and intuitive POS

Commenti: Kounta as a POS system has been able to grow with us, providing flexibility and ease of use that is a massive relief when you have the pressures of an expanding business to contend with. The ability to simply add or subtract registers, combined with the functionality of a internet based system makes change relatively pain free. Wireless waiter stations, Albert pay terminals, Bluetooth printers (which I don't have but am excited about and will probably get), its all so easy to use. Why pay thousands of dollars in cabling, installation costs and labour in setting up your system? Good question - i'm not sure! Just research what you want - call Kounta, put it in and download the software... add your products, tailor it the way you want, and go for it!

Aspetti positivi:

Ease of alteration and basic use for staff

Aspetti negativi:

The back end of product input is a little cumbersome - a simply category/sub-category/sub-sub category system works best. Sometimes this is represented by Department/category/sub-category either way, it is far more flexible for product input, button organisation and more granular for reporting.

great service

Aspetti positivi:

lightspeed has been wonderful to work with. easily update and change menu its at the Chilliwack airport restaurant. customer service is always easy to deal with

Aspetti negativi:

needs to have easier ways to upgrade equipment,

Kounta customer review

Commenti: Product is good but not all encompassing.
We need to be able to amend previously finalised takings if changes or errors are made. This has been communicated to Kounta and apparently will be looked at and hopefully rectified in a further release??
The price schedules are limited and not really applicable for my size organisation. I would like to have 2 x POS devices however paying more than $50 per month would lead me to making the once of purchase for a non-cloud customised POS system. The fact you need to add a new register to have an additional device seems ludicrous to me and I would beleive would limit your customer base. What about all the cafes out there that want one register but multiple devices to take orders. Sorry to be critical but it appears to be a mechansim of revenue raising, albeit you could get the same results from just growing your customer base by having a more universal and cost effective product.
I'd suggest you could come up with some alternate pricing schedules where adding an additional device for $10 per device per month versus a whole register would add value to your product. I'd happily pay $60 per month to have one register and two devices to take orders to that register.
Maybe I'm missing some sort of constraint hindering you from enabling multiple devices on the one register however in this day and age I would have thought it would be easy.
Food for thought, I won't be increasing my subscription but rather work around this limitation.
Again, I'm not trying to be critical but what I get for $50 per month from Xero for a cloud based accounting software versus what I currently receive from Kounta for $50 is a month, the difference in value us astounding.
The reason for an overall rating of 3 stars primarily relates to your pricing schedule.
Don't hesitate to contact me if you wish to clarify any of this feedback.

User friendly and great customer service

Aspetti positivi:

We've been using Lightspeed at our Marina/Restaurant/Bar for 3 years now and have nothing but good things to say about it. The setup was really straight forward and there has been such great customer service for any questions or issues that have come up. It's very user friendly and easy to train new staff on. Very simple when it comes to changing prices or adding new products. We are very happy we went with Lightspeed at Marina Knowlton!

Aspetti negativi:

I'm not a very "techie" person so there have been some issues that have come up (that would have come up with any POS) that I wasn't able to figure out on my own. But any time we have called customer service for support they have helped fix the problem. So in the end, not really a con!

Great product and good support

Commenti: great experience, ease of product use, and good support along with it.

Aspetti positivi:

Makes managing reservations very easy. d

Aspetti negativi:

needs to have an integrated widget for websites not supported by their software. or a link where clients can book a reservation.

LightSpeed Success

Commenti: LightSpeed support is superior to all other product support I am getting both from a business standpoint as well as personal. Their response is quick and understandable.

Aspetti positivi:

Easy to use backed up by professional support. Conversion and training was excellent.

Aspetti negativi:

Consignment reporting requires a couple extra steps from my previous product.

User Friendly

Aspetti positivi:

Great POS system with a very user friendly app! Simply made it easy to look after my business :)

Aspetti negativi:

Not sure what to say. All is just good. That is all

Incredible Platform

Aspetti positivi:

The user friendly back end and POS display are exceptional! Very easy to use, and very easy to keep updated!

Aspetti negativi:

Some reporting could be more details - a few items are tough to track!

Affordable and reliable

Commenti: Been reliable part of our business for over 4 years now.

Aspetti positivi:

Most affordable option for POS on the market that is compatible with revenue Quebec and MEV machines.

Aspetti negativi:

Occasionally updates take a few minutes, otherwise we have very few issues in the last 4 years since we started using Lightspeed

It is the only cloud based pos for hospitality I think we could use and run our business

Commenti: It allows us to easily manage customer transaction and to report on total sales and products in a really efficient way. We've grown in our understanding of our business enormously just reusing kounta

Aspetti positivi:

The sales transaction from start to checkout is great. The printing of customer orders in multiple locations plus the kitchen. Modifier are also the best in the market.

Aspetti negativi:

Scales and scanner integration for use with a retail store. Scales can't be and scanner with Windows is clunky