Breadcrumb POS Review

Breadcrumb POS Overview

Breadcrumb POS (now known as Lightspeed Restaurant) was a restaurant-focused point-of-sale system originally developed by Upserve. The platform was designed specifically for the food service industry, offering table management, menu customization, and integrated payment processing. Breadcrumb was acquired by Lightspeed Commerce, a Canadian technology company, and has been rebranded under the Lightspeed name.

Merchants previously using Breadcrumb POS now operate on the Lightspeed Restaurant platform, which continues to offer similar functionality with enhanced features.

Breadcrumb POS Products

According to our review, Breadcrumb POS offered the following products:

Restaurant POS System: A full-featured point-of-sale system designed specifically for restaurants, bars, and food service establishments.

Table Management: Built-in table mapping and management tools for optimizing seating and service flow.

Payment Processing: Integrated credit and debit card processing directly through the POS system.

Reporting and Analytics: Real-time sales reporting, labor cost analysis, and menu performance insights.

Online Ordering:E-commerce integration for online ordering and delivery services.

Low-Moderate Complaint Total

There are currently over 25 negative Breadcrumb and Upserve POS reviews filed on this and other reviews of the service. These complaints mention several different issues, ranging from fund holds and account freezes to hardware malfunctions. Other complaints also cite poor customer service from the company’s representatives.

Customer Support Options

Upserve provides a dedicated support team reachable by both phone and email seven days a week, which may be advantage over competitors. This compares favorably to what we expect from top-rated merchant accounts for great customer service. In general, the company has a low complaint total, but some severe complaints have lowered its score to a “B” in this category.

Under 10 Complaints

Upserve has been an accredited business with the Better Business Bureau since 2010. and currently has an “A+” rating with the BBB with two complaints filed against it in the last 36 months. One complaint was categorized as a product or service issue while the other stemmed from problems with billing or collections. One complainant felt that Upserve resolved the issue to their satisfaction, while the other issue was either resolved to the merchant’s dissatisfaction or did not receive a final response from the merchant.

What Merchants Say

One merchant mentions service issues and continued billing after account cancellation:

First let me say that the POS system was not working more of the time than actually working, their system issues always happen in the peak hours of lunch when it needs to be used, it is mostly offline. When I contacted the customer service department a month before I was going to close the location, they told me it would not be a problem. However, they continued to bill me for the upcoming month and refused to give me a refund for service that I canceled and am not using. I am now paying for service in a store that is closed, and their resolution is “too bad, we are not refunding the money we took out of your account after the service was canceled because we already collected it, and even though you told us you were closing the store a month prior, we are keeping your money, but we will leave access to the site open for you for the month since we charged you”. Do not do business with these crooked thieves.

Merchants who find themselves in this situation may benefit from knowing how to cancel their merchant account without paying a fee.

An “A” Performance Overall

In light of the company’s complaint total and resolution ratio, we agree with the BBB’s rating at this time.

Two Pricing Plans

Upserve now offers two (instead of three) pricing packages, each of which is intended for a different size of restaurant. The “Core” plan costs $65 per terminal per location and offers the Upserve POS license, mobile dashboard, sales analytics, basic customer profiling, server performance tracking, menu optimization, daily reports, a logbook, basic reputation management, marketing tools, EMV processing, and phone and email support. The “Pro” plan costs $100 per terminal per location and includes all of the Core plan’s features plus advanced sales analytics, tracking of new vs. repeat guests, advanced customer profiling, labor tracking, reservation management, void/discount tracking, advanced reputation management, loyalty programs, unlimited integrations, and priority support. Under both plans, the first terminal license is free; additional licenses are $50 for each additional terminal license.

Additional Hardware Costs

The above prices represent the cost of Upserve’s software. Hardware costs are charged separately, and Upserve offers iPads, routers, stands, printers, EMV readers, and kitchen display systems for purchase at various prices.

Upserve Contract Terms

In general, Upserve’s pricing and fees appear to scale up appropriately for the services it provides. Upserve is probably not a good fit for most small restaurant locations and single-register shops, as these locations likely won’t make enough use of Upserve’s features to justify its monthly cost. Upserve’s previously advertised per-transaction fee ofinterchange plus $0.15 was very competitive for the industry, but the removal and replacement of this rate quote with the words “transparent fixed rate” could indicate that this rate has changed. Upserve provides surprisingly little information about its standard contract length, early termination fees, PCI compliance fees, monthly minimum fees, and other potential fees, so it is unclear how its terms compare to the cheapest merchant accounts.

No Contract Complaints

We have not found any Upserve complaints that mention excessive costs or hidden fees, but merchants should still be sure to inquire about these potential costs before signing up. If you have any knowledge of the exact fees and contract terms that accompany Upserve’s merchant account, please leave that information in the comment section of this review.

No Known Legal Actions

We have not identified any significant lawsuits or regulatory actions directly involving Breadcrumb POS or Upserve at the time of this review. The company has since been acquired by Lightspeed Commerce.

No Sales Complaints

Breadcrumb previously used an in-house sales team as well as ISOs, agents, and resellers to sell its products, and it appeared to disclose most of its pricing on its website. While the use of independent resellers often correlates with high complaint rates for a given company, we had not found any Upserve POS complaints related to its sales tactics. As part of Upserve, the service seems to be marketed largely through traditional advertising and its website.

Transparent Pricing

With its acquisition and transition to Upserve POS, the service is now listed under two transparent pricing plans through Upserve’s website. This would seem to render most previous Breadcrumb complaints about rate disclosures irrelevant. In light of this information, we have assigned the company an “A” rating in this category.

A Solid POS System

Upserve POS rates as a reliable point-of-sale system for mid-size and larger restaurants. Its acquisition by Upserve has recently resulted in the retirement of the “Breadcrumb” brand name, and merchants are encouraged to ask about all payment-related fees before signing up with Upserve POS. Breadcrumb previously rated well as a top iPad POS System, and it has yet to be determined how the service will fare under the Upserve name.