User Reviews Overview

About Lavu POS

Lavu is a Point of Sale solution designed for use by restaurants, bars, and nightclubs - from full-service, quick-service, and franchise restaurants, to food trucks, coffee shops, and lounges. Users can choose between bar,...

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Feature ratings

Value for Money
4.0
Features
4.1
Ease of Use
4.3
Customer Support
4.1

Browse Lavu POS Reviews

173 of 173 reviews
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Angel
  • Industry: Restaurants
  • Company size: 11–50 Employees
  • Used Daily for 2+ years
  • Review Source
Value for Money
5
Features
5
Ease of Use
5
Customer Support
5

5
Reviewed on 16/02/2022

Excellent POS for beginners

Pros

Is an easy to use, easy to program POS system. We use it from the beginning of our opening. Easy to use for employees and low cost for owners.

Cons

Probably make improvement on the schedule part to be more robust.

Alternatives Considered

Avaya UCaaS, Clover and Toast POS

Reasons for Switching to Lavu POS

Prices, and easy use and opportunity to grow

Response from Lavu

Hi Angel, thank you for your feedback! We are always trying to improve our POS system, and scheduling is on that list!

Replied 22/02/2022
Philip
  • Industry: Restaurants
  • Company size: 2–10 Employees
  • Used Daily for 1-5 months
  • Review Source
Value for Money
4
Features
5
Ease of Use
4
Customer Support
5

5
Reviewed on 03/03/2022

New User Review

Overall, we have great support. all specialists are knowledgeable and helpful to resolve any issues, questions or concerns that come up.

Pros

Ease of use is important to a beginner in the field.

Cons

Backend layout is a bit clunky, too many drop down and making groups and stuff is a bit of a pain. Also when saving sometimes it seems to not save.

Alternatives Considered

Linga rOS System

Reasons for Switching to Lavu POS

Easier platform that Linga and pricing was better. also online ordering w/doordash integration with lavu was a must and they offered it but with much higher fees.

Response from Lavu

Hey Philip, thank you for your feedback! We're happy that you are satisfied with Lavu and our customer support team!

Replied 04/03/2022
Guy
  • Industry: Food & Beverages
  • Company size: 2–10 Employees
  • Used for 1+ year
  • Review Source
Value for Money
1
Features
2
Ease of Use
3
Customer Support
1

1
Reviewed on 23/10/2020

Stay Away!

I purchased a complete system from LAVU on April 2019 with the intent to upgrade my existing POS from CAKE which served me well the first 4 years of running my restaurant, but being somewhat of a basic system I started feeling like it was holding me back. LAVU was running a 50% off on hardware so I called and spoke to a salesperson. Let me tell you, I wish I had recorded the conversations, as there was very little in common between what was verbally promised and what was actually delivered, VERY LITTLE! Typical sales tactics, they put extreme pressure on you to sign up (do it in the next 6 hours or the promotion expires), give you practically no time to read the fine print, and all of a sudden you find yourself in a 3 years contract with ridicules early termination penalties and a service provider that is incapable of delivering half of what was promised. They count on you not having the time or resources to take them to court. Last remaining hardware piece originally promised arrived 5 months later! Thank god I kept my CAKE system going or I would have gone out of business. Their customer service is of the lowest level you would ever see, especially from an IT company, they provide practically no solutions to issues or a very vague future fix, and their system keeps crashing leaving you with no ability to run your business mid-day and with no warning, time after time. They send you system-wide emails apologizing saying their system was hacked and therefore the interruption i

Pros

There are no Pros, this is an awful system and the worst customer service / sales team in the industry

Cons

Be very careful when they offer you interest free financing for the hardware, that's how they trick you into paying the software fee for 3 years in advance with NO way out

Alternatives Considered

Toast POS

Reasons for Choosing Lavu POS

Was looking for a more robust system

Reasons for Switching to Lavu POS

Their sales people promise the world and then some. You find out way too late they can't deliver.

Response from Lavu

Hi Guy, thank you for your feedback. We really appreciate hearing how Lavu worked for your business, and what can be improved.

Replied 11/07/2022

Top Lavu POS Alternatives

Tom
  • Industry: Restaurants
  • Company size: 11–50 Employees
  • Used Daily for 2+ years
  • Review Source
Value for Money
3
Features
5
Ease of Use
5
Customer Support
5

5
Reviewed on 08/03/2023

Lavu Review

The ease of training a 16-year-old worker on how to use the system. See live data and track history and react to the business trend.

Pros

The ease of going back to items ordered and changing modifiers.

Cons

Needs to improve on the reporting, lack of enterprise, and consolidated multiple store reports

Response from Lavu

Hi Tom - thank you for reaching out, we appreciate the feedback. We are glad to hear that Lavu is working so well for you.

Replied 10/04/2023
Mark
  • Industry: Restaurants
  • Company size: 2–10 Employees
  • Used Daily for 2+ years
  • Review Source
Value for Money
5
Features
5
Ease of Use
5
Customer Support
5

5
Reviewed on 13/01/2023

We love it

We have been using it for 6 years and think it is great. When we have new employees, most of them have never heard of Lavu, but after using it they typically remark at how easy it is to update and how easy it is to use

Pros

It is very intuitive with a simple and easy to use layout. Pretty much everything is easy to find and easy to customize. It feels light and responsive where other, more expensive options often feel cumbersome. The chat and phone based service have also proven very useful at times

Cons

The online ordering platform didn't work very well for us, unfortunately, so we abandoned that. We love the everything else, though

Response from Lavu

Hi Mark,

It's great to hear how well Lavu has worked for you. Thank you for being a loyal customer for 6 years!

Replied 27/02/2023
John
  • Industry: Food & Beverages
  • Company size: 11–50 Employees
  • Used Daily for 1+ year
  • Review Source
Value for Money
1
Features
1
Ease of Use
1
Customer Support
1

1
Reviewed on 21/08/2018

UNBELIEVABLE!!!

But wait there's more! How about the fact that the kitchen printer prints two checks, that no one can seem to fix. Not only does it waste an enormous amount of paper but it is confusing as the checks are not identical and it blows through a ribbon in 3 or four days!
Occasionally it will resend an order back yo the kitchen that has already been made, etc...
The is no individual item printer assignment either which means that you have to send an entire category instead of just one item to a screen or printer.

Pros

The iPhone app. Really nothing else, really.

Cons

WOW! Where do I begin? Should I start with how they outright lied to me to make the sale? How about sending a completely incompetent tech support personnel company to help me with my network? Maybe I should start with the fact that they billed me today for Quickbooks integration that I DON'T EVEN HAVE!
Let's start with the outright misrepresentation of their product. I specifically asked if they had online ordering and I was told yes we do. After I had purchased the system and went to set it up I asked "Well how do I set up the credit card integration for the online ordering?" Then I was told "Oh we have online ordering but we don't have online payment" WHAT!!? This is 2017 not 1999 what do you mean you don't have online payment? "We had a problem with it and had to take it off line, we should have it back up by Nov."
Well today is 08-21-2018 and guess what I still don't have? You got it - online payment.

Response from Lavu

Hi John,
We are very sorry to hear about the problems you are experiencing. I will have someone from our care team look into this and get back to you as soon as possible.
Thank you

Replied 11/07/2022
Mia
  • Industry: Restaurants
  • Company size: 11–50 Employees
  • Used Daily for 2+ years
  • Review Source
Value for Money
4
Features
5
Ease of Use
5
Customer Support
5

5
Reviewed on 12/08/2022

Seafood restaurant

Lavu has made it much easier for our restaurant to handle the influx of customers during the summer months

Pros

Used Lavu as our Point of Sale for years, I really like how easy it was to use and how portable the iPads are. Simple setup, we got it done ourselves in a few hours. Support team always there if we need it.

Cons

If wifi is flaky, system slows done, especially in busy times

Response from Lavu

Hi Mia, thank you for your feedback! It's great to hear how well Lavu has worked for your restaurant and staff. Please reach out if you have any questions!

Replied 17/08/2022
Malaika
  • Industry: Restaurants
  • Company size: 2–10 Employees
  • Used Daily for 2+ years
  • Review Source
Value for Money
5
Features
4
Ease of Use
5
Customer Support
5

5
Reviewed on 04/12/2022

Customer service

Great

Pros

Always prompt and efficient . They walknuoubthrough to make sure that you have gotten through, and that you are comfortable.

Cons

It does not link my inventory and doesn't have the capacities to do so

Alternatives Considered

Lightspeed

Reasons for Switching to Lavu POS

Customer support and price

Response from Lavu

Hi Malaika,

Thank you so much for your feedback! We really appreciate it. It is great to hear how well Lavu is working for you. If you ever have any issues, please do not hesitate to reach out.

Replied 07/12/2022
Deanna
  • Industry: Wine & Spirits
  • Company size: 11–50 Employees
  • Used Daily for 2+ years
  • Review Source
Value for Money
4
Features
4
Ease of Use
4
Customer Support
4

4
Reviewed on 14/07/2022

requested

Pros

The reports are extremely useful. I like the option to put recipes with the individual menu item.

Cons

When the system is overloaded and goes down, it never comes at a convenient time, generally Friday at 5pm

Alternatives Considered

Square Point of Sale and Toast POS

Response from Lavu

Hi Deanna, thanks so much for your feedback! We're glad to hear that Lavu helps specifically with your reporting! If you have any questions, please reach out!

Replied 15/07/2022
Scott
  • Industry: Food & Beverages
  • Company size: 51–200 Employees
  • Used Daily for 1+ year
  • Review Source
Value for Money
4
Features
5
Ease of Use
5
Customer Support
5

5
Reviewed on 22/08/2022

Great customer service

Using Lavu has made it easier to do online ordering and takeout meals. Reports are much better than our last POS.

Pros

Easy to use and train staff on. Customer service is always nice and helpful, stays on the phone, and then follows up afterward. Like the control panel and reporting.

Cons

Price point - it can be more pricey than expected.

Response from Lavu

Hi Scott,

Thanks for letting us know how well Lavu has worked for your restaurant! It's great to hear from our customers about what they specifically love about Lavu. Please reach out if you need anything!

Replied 23/08/2022
Stephanie
  • Industry: Food & Beverages
  • Company size: 2–10 Employees
  • Used Daily for 2+ years
  • Review Source
Value for Money
2
Features
4
Ease of Use
4
Customer Support
2

3
Reviewed on 27/10/2020

Not really for Bars

We're a high volume craft beer bar. It can start tabs. It works for now. If the complaint list keeps growing, we'll have to switch. It works fine, but when it doesn't work, it totally halts service.

Pros

I guess it's easy to use, but it's kinda clunky. Programming is inconsistent across different devices. The speed is ok. It does what I need it to do, which the #1 reason I went with Lavu over Square was that you could start a bar tab with a preauthorization.

Cons

LAVU complaints

Should get Free set up support 1 month a year; if there is an update we should get free support
Quick serve shouldn't disappear
Can't Add a cc to an existing tab - currently deletes the new order
Needs Select and Repeat button
Needs Fewer approval buttons
Should Show change on screen
Should add auto grat to total tips
Can't Change auto grat, % or amount
On tip page, be able to enter tip or total, and show total.
Entered tips should disappear from screen - be able to filter list
On End of Day reports page, discounts and auto grat need to be included. Auto grats dont go to the business. Service charges do.
Auto grats need to show on payments page
Chip cards cant start tabs. Cant have 2 processors in lavu - chip card and swipe card types
Tip screen times out , and deletes entered tips

Response from Lavu

Hi Stephanie, thanks for your review. It's extremely helpful for us to hear how Lavu works for all restaurant types, including bars. We are constantly improving our product so that it runs seamlessly for every customer.

Replied 11/07/2022
Wes
  • Industry: Restaurants
  • Company size: 51–200 Employees
  • Used Daily for 2+ years
  • Review Source
Value for Money
1
Features
1
Ease of Use
4
Customer Support
2

1
Reviewed on 27/11/2017

STAY AWAY

Pros

The interface is user friendly, and tickets get sent to kitchen without many problems. But we could do this with paper

Cons

Everything else! Whenever we have a issue they send it to the "developmental team" also known as the black hole. When we signed up they said "offline processing was in the works" that was 2 years ago. Reports are literally ALWAYS wrong. If you look at sales on two different reports they never are the same. For a span of about three months they miscalculated sales tax, having us over pay hundreds of dollars! For a long time they randomly doubled numbers on server reports, and now there is a random .50 added to numbers on servers reports. I have a tax background an I informed them the liability they were putting on us and our servers by misreporting so they showed me on the IRS website where they were right, THEY SET UP THERE SYSTEM BASED OFF THE WRONG PART OF THE IRS CODE. Not to mention that it randomly opens tickets from all different times that we have to re-close and I'm not sure we get paid for them or not. When we call customer support they are really nice, but our issues always get sent to the "Developmental Team" to never be heard about again!

Response from Lavu

Hi Wes, we are sorry to hear that your experience Lavu was less than perfect. We are constantly working to improve our product and fix bugs as fast as possible. We encourage you to reach out to our customer support team for any other questions.

Replied 11/07/2022
patty
  • Industry: Restaurants
  • Company size: 11–50 Employees
  • Used Daily for 2+ years
  • Review Source
Value for Money
4
Features
4
Ease of Use
5
Customer Support
5

5
Reviewed on 15/06/2022

Great on-line ordering system for Breakfast/Lunch restaurant

We are happy with Menudrive, the cost is acceptable and we like how our staff doesn't need to answer the phone to get the order. Our diner is loud and it's hard to hear the order, get the payment info, delivery address etc. Plus they often want to know their total price. Menudrive allows them to easily place their order & pay for their order - without taking up staff time. We wish all of our take out and delivery orders would be via Menudrive.

Pros

Menudrive is easy to program; took some time but our menu is large and we being a breakfast diner we had many options for customers ie: how do they want their eggs cooked, meat type, bread type, etc. Menudrive allows an unlimited amount of items & required info

Cons

when entering items it was redundant having to enter the time available (if it wasn't an all day availability). Lots of key strokes but once it's done, it's done.

Response from Lavu

Hi Patty, thank you for your feedback! We love to hear from our MenuDrive customers, and how the product can help out businesses like yours!

Replied 16/06/2022
Dennis
  • Review Source
Value for Money
N/A
Features
N/A
Ease of Use
5
Customer Support
5

5
Reviewed on 28/09/2015

Saves us time and money, works great for us!

I started using Lavu Point of Sale about 2 years ago. Before switching to the system we were using paper tickets, I didn't realize how inefficient this really was until I made the switch to an electronic system. Not only are we now spending less time managing each order, accuracy has gone up, and my shrinkage has gone down. The kitchen is only allowed to make items that are rung into the system and print out which has help cut down on theft or giving items away. The biggest time savings is getting the customers checked out. Previously during our lunch rush we would have a line of people waiting to pay and leave, now we are able to handle them as they come up to the counter since everything is already totaled up in the system.

Another big help has been the ability to use iPods to take orders at the table. We usually have a rush after church on Sundays, sometimes a line at the door. Before my servers had to go to the table, take the order, then take the ticket back to the kitchen. Now my servers go to the table, take the order, hit send and it prints in the kitchen. Then they can go straight to the next table. Anything we can do to speed up the time it takes to turn a table is a plus.

The amount of features that have been added in the last couple years has been amazing, it's nice to see that they are actively working on the software. The biggest thing for us has been the addition of 'always offline mode'. You just use the system and the orders go to the cloud in the background. When we first got setup we had some issues with the internet which interfered with using the system. They offered us a local server option but I did not want to install more hardware. While my internet situation was much improved by switching from DSL to cable I always worried that my connection going out could be a possibility. With the new version (3.0.3) the system keeps working even if my internet connection were to go out.

The Lavu POS software has worked great for us and I highly recommend it.

Response from Lavu

Hi Dennis, thanks so much for your feedback. We're so happy that you chose to use Lavu for your restaurant, and that it is working well for your operations. Please reach out if you have any questions!

Replied 11/07/2022
Sean
  • Industry: Restaurants
  • Company size: 2–10 Employees
  • Used Daily for 2+ years
  • Review Source
Value for Money
1
Features
2
Ease of Use
2
Customer Support
1

1
Reviewed on 05/05/2021

Great solution....as long as you never plan on leaving!

Multiple price increases with no communication. Have tried to cancel for 5 months, multiple emails, cases, conversations and promises to cancel, just got our 4th email this week that they can't process our card. No access to accounting, don't believe me call their number. Had to fight charges and cancelled the credit card to stop them from billing. Do yourself a favor pick something else. We moved to Square for everything!

Pros

Used the software for 9 years, pretty easy to use and setup decent feature set, great that it was Ipad/iphone based instead of having to buy specific hardware.

Cons

Light to non-existent integration to Square for credit card processing.

Response from Lavu

Hi Sean, first off we would like to thank you for your business and for being with Lavu for 9 years. We are very sorry to hear you went elsewhere. We apologize about the billing discrepancies. Please reach out if we can do anything for you.

Replied 07/07/2022
Ahmad
  • Industry: Restaurants
  • Company size: 11–50 Employees
  • Used Daily for 2+ years
  • Review Source
Value for Money
5
Features
5
Ease of Use
5
Customer Support
5

5
Reviewed on 11/02/2022

Best software and easy.

Easy to use and the customer service are amazing.

Pros

Easy to use the pos while you are busy.

Cons

The customer service is one of the best customer service ever.

Response from Lavu

Hi Ahmad, thank you for reaching out and letting us know how happy you are with Lavu! We're always eager to help if you have any issues.

Replied 14/02/2022
Heather
  • Industry: Restaurants
  • Company size: 11–50 Employees
  • Used Daily for 2+ years
  • Review Source
Value for Money
3
Features
4
Ease of Use
5
Customer Support
2

4
Reviewed on 05/01/2018

A good system but customer support is most often disappointing

Pros

Ease of use
Joshua Maestas from customer service was so incredibly helpful. He took time to listen to the complicated scenario we were trying to resolve. He followed up when and how he said he would. Most of the time our customer service experience is frustrating but he was truly a breath of fresh air.

Cons

Back end reporting; customer service. There are programming bugs and we continuously are told "development is working on it" but never saw any resolution. If it isn't a priority for you and not intended to be fixed then don't tell us it is being fixed.

Response from Lavu

Hi Heather, thanks for leaving us feedback. It's great to hear that Lavu is easy to use for your staff. We are constantly working to improve both the product and our customer support, which is now 24/7.

Replied 11/07/2022
Russell
  • Industry: Restaurants
  • Company size: 11–50 Employees
  • Used Daily for 1+ year
  • Review Source
Value for Money
N/A
Features
4
Ease of Use
5
Customer Support
4

4
Reviewed on 15/06/2017

Online all inclusive restaurant POS

There is an open ended API for other application integration, but we are not savvy enough to do this ourselves. It would be great if there were more companies and different aspects of integration on the back end for more high end analytics and functionality. (IE: Quickbooks, Simple Order, Etc.).

Pros

Very versatile and easy to use. Easy to make modifications and adjustments within the system and customize to our specific operation.

Cons

Sometimes connection of iPads can be a little shotty as it goes for the order takers communicating with LAVU KDS, and it has been hard to get the problem fully resolved, but it only creates a mild irritant and not a full distraction from the overall business.

Response from Lavu

Hi Russell, thank you for your feedback. We really appreciate hearing how much Lavu is working for your restaurant. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you need anything.

Replied 11/07/2022
Samson
  • Industry: Food & Beverages
  • Company size: 11–50 Employees
  • Used Daily for 2+ years
  • Review Source
Value for Money
5
Features
4
Ease of Use
3
Customer Support
4

4
Reviewed on 14/05/2022

Customer service

Overall it works well. There are small glitches but the latest update seems to have taken care of many of them. It works for our situation.

Pros

[SENSITIVE CONTENT] and [SENSITIVE CONTENT] are very helpful and knowledgeable in their fields. Great service and pleasant to speak with.

Cons

Menu drive online ordering needs to be more user friendly when updating items for pricing changes and adding pictures or descriptions.

Response from Lavu

Hi Samson - thank you so much for your feedback! We truly appreciate it, and your business. We are constantly working on making MenuDrive as user-friendly as possible for all customers.

Replied 17/05/2022
Dana
  • Industry: Restaurants
  • Company size: 11–50 Employees
  • Used Daily for 2+ years
  • Review Source
Value for Money
2
Features
4
Ease of Use
4
Customer Support
1

2
Reviewed on 26/10/2019

Great, when it works (which is seldom does anymore)

Pros

Ease of use, flexibility, competitive pricing.

Cons

For three weeks in a row it has stopped working during peak hours on weekends. Customer service is a voice mail saying "we know there is a problem. This has become more of a sales organization than a tech and service one. Just horrible. Ruining our business. Stressing us out.

Response from Lavu

Hi Dana, thanks for your review. We are constantly working to improve our product, including networking issues. We do have a 24/7 customer support line that will always be answered, so please do not hesitate to reach out.

Replied 11/07/2022
Candy
  • Industry: Restaurants
  • Company size: 11–50 Employees
  • Used Daily for 2+ years
  • Review Source
Value for Money
5
Features
5
Ease of Use
5
Customer Support
5

5
Reviewed on 10/02/2022

Lavu saves the day!!!

My overall experience has been very good. If I don't understand something, I call [SENSITIVE CONTENT] at customer service. Or [SENSITIVE CONTENT].... I can call or email. They are ALWAYS very quick to respond!!!

Pros

Customer service and ease of use for both administrative and staff.

Cons

Hmmmm....
That's a hard question to answer.

Response from Lavu

Hi Candy, thank you so much for your feedback! We're happy to help you grow your business, and customer service will always be there for you if you need anything!

Replied 11/02/2022
Mark
  • Industry: Food & Beverages
  • Company size: 2–10 Employees
  • Used Daily for 2+ years
  • Review Source
Value for Money
N/A
Features
5
Ease of Use
5
Customer Support
4

5
Reviewed on 07/03/2022

Happy Customer!

Pros

I like the ease of which the system is set up, its very user friendly. Even for people who struggle with this new technology.

Cons

I kind of liked the old set up, it was less complicated. The new updated version is good, but it makes you have to add unnecessary steps. Which sometimes adds to unneeded stress, especially when its busy.

Response from Lavu

Hi Mark, thanks for letting us know how satisfied you are with Lavu! We are always looking for feedback so it's great to hear how happy you are!

Replied 14/03/2022
John
  • Industry: Restaurants
  • Company size: 2–10 Employees
  • Used Daily for 2+ years
  • Review Source
Value for Money
3
Features
3
Ease of Use
2
Customer Support
3

3
Reviewed on 23/04/2022

Lavu

Tracking sales, payroll etc. very easy

Pros

I've had lavu for 15 years. It was great in the beginning easy to use, reasonably priced. Best of its kind.

Cons

Has become more complicated. Increased price. Ability to use multiple devices taken away. Crashes too often

Response from Lavu

Hi John, thank you for your feedback, and your loyalty of 15 years! We are constantly trying to make improvements so that we can be the best of our kind, and we appreciate your patience while we make those improvements.

Replied 28/04/2022
Julie
  • Industry: Restaurants
  • Company size: 11–50 Employees
  • Used Daily for 2+ years
  • Review Source
Value for Money
1
Features
3
Ease of Use
4
Customer Support
1

1
Reviewed on 26/10/2017

Worst customer service

Do not even bother!

Pros

Easy to adjust and change things.
Ability to access tabs on cell phone.
Nothing else to say...

Cons

Raised their service fee twice in several years.
Lots of glitches over the years.
Sales team always available but always have to leave message for billing and customer support.

Response from Lavu

Hi Julie, we're sorry that your experience with Lavu was less than optimal. We are constantly making strides towards a perfect experience for our customers, including with our 24/7 support team.

Replied 11/07/2022
Rebecca
  • Used Daily for 1+ year
  • Review Source
Value for Money
5
Features
4
Ease of Use
4
Customer Support
5

4
Reviewed on 01/12/2017

Jessica Schell is TREMENDOUSLY helpful and knowledgeable!

Pros

Ease of use. New employees can figure things out quite easily.
Integrates smoothly with Vantiv (Mercury) including their gift program.

Cons

Until just this week, I would have said that the inability to take EMV, Apple Pay, etc. through our current merchant processor was my biggest challenge.
Thankfully for the support staff, I was able to purchase the equipment necessary and will be up and running with our new terminal and it's new features soon!

Response from Lavu

Hi Rebecca, thanks for your feedback! We're really happy that customer support could help get you a new reader that meets your payment needs.

Replied 11/07/2022
173 reviews