Lavu review
Bottom line
Lavu is an iPad-based restaurant POS that bundles payments and an AI layer called Marty, which produces a daily list of recoverable revenue and cost fixes. Its clearest strength is that operators get concrete labor, menu, and slow-hour actions rather than raw reports, with 24/7 live phone support behind it. The main cost to watch is that pricing is provided on request beyond a $69 per month starting point, and full automation requires running Lavu POS rather than another system. It suits bars and restaurants that want the POS, payments, and profit recommendations under one vendor.
What is Lavu?
Lavu is a restaurant point-of-sale system that runs on iPads, with Marty AI layered on top to analyze POS, labor, and void data overnight. It addresses the gap between reports that show what already happened and the specific actions an operator needs before service. The core promise is recovering money that restaurants are already losing through menu pricing, labor scheduling, slow hours, and server performance.
Day to day, the POS handles order entry, table management, split and separate checks, tips, kitchen and menu management, and transaction history, with offline access and real-time updates. Each morning, Marty delivers a Morning Deposit, a summary of recoverable dollars with prioritized fixes such as overstaffed shifts, items to 86, and invoice prices above market. Six agents cover marketing, menu, labor, inventory, server coaching, and finance. Operators can start with insights on another POS, but full automation of those fixes requires switching to Lavu POS.
Lavu is built for bars, breweries, food trucks, fast casual, full-service restaurants, wineries, and other food and beverage formats. Its stated starting price is $69 per month, and a free trial is available. Payment processing, Tap to Pay, and Dual Pricing, a cash discounting program, sit alongside the POS, so a single provider handles both the till and the card terminal.
Many restaurant POS tools focus on ringing orders and producing reports. Lavu bundles payments, payroll, online ordering, and an AI analysis layer in one system, and its integration library covers inventory, reservations, loyalty, accounting, and third-party delivery. An open API supports custom connections, and live phone support is offered 24/7.
Who it's for
- Single-location bars and restaurants
- Multi-unit groups tracking labor and menu cost
- Food trucks and mobile concepts
- Operators who want POS and payments from one vendor
Who should look elsewhere
- Businesses that need a free plan
- Buyers who want published tiered pricing upfront
- Operators who want automation without changing POS
Typical uses
- Daily labor and prime cost review
- Offsetting card fees with cash discounting
- iPad table service with split checks
- Routing online and delivery orders to the kitchen
- Connecting loyalty and reservations to the POS
Lavu user reviews
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Lavu alternatives and comparisons
Lavu is the only restaurant pos product we list so far. Browse the category as more are added.