Is Lavu a Good POS Choice for Your Restaurant?

Updated: September 26, 2025

Maintained Since: August 9, 2019

We take our role in providing guidance and education regarding the card payment industry very seriously. At our own expense, we have vigorously defended our right to continue expose unethical and predatory practices in the industry, successfully defeating every attempt to silence us. However, fending off frivolous lawsuits is costly. To sustain these efforts, one of the ways we generate revenue is through affiliate partnerships with ethical providers. This means that some of our outgoing links connect business owners to trustworthy, low-cost payment processors, which is what most of our readers seek. We see this revenue channel as a win-win-win for everyone involved. Business owners find good processors, processors get good clients, and we are able to continue to provide a valuable service to the small business community. We also recommend and link to many services that do not compensate us. Our priority is to guide you to the best solutions for your needs, regardless of potential revenue. If you have questions, please feel free to contact us.

All mentions of rate and fee costs are estimations based on publicly available information and client feedback. Actual costs may vary based on a variety of factors unique to your business.

Lavu

Rating

4.8/5

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Pros

User-friendly interface

Integrated payment processing

Online ordering support

Inventory management tools

24/7 customer support

Cons

Steep pricing tiers

Hardware limitations noted

Potential hidden fees

Limited offline functionality

Customer support delays

Overview

In this review of Lavu, we take a closer look at the company’s point-of-sale (POS) system designed for the restaurant industry. Their features include order management, payment processing, inventory control, and customer relationship management tools. We’ll highlight which types of restaurants may benefit most from these features. We’ll also review client and customer feedback to identify common trends and concerns. In addition, we’ll cover pricing, contract terms, and included features. By the end, you’ll know whether Lavu is the right fit for your restaurant’s POS needs.

About Lavu

Screen Capture of Lavu Homepage — Lavu Homepage

Founded in 2010, Lavu is a cloud-based, mobile point-of-sale product intended for restaurants and bars. Lavu is currently only available for the iPad. The company offers its own merchant account solution called LavuPay as well as integrations with Heartland, Moneris, Square, PayPal, Vantiv, and EVO Snap. Lavu also offers management features, kiosks, and a loyalty app. 2019 saw Lavu acquire MenuDrive and Sourcery. In 2022, Lavu partnered with Verifone.

Customer Reviews & Sentiment

Low-to-Moderate Complaint Volume

We have identified over 30 negative Lavu reviews, with some characterizing the company unfavorably. However, Lavu holds a 3.6 out of 5 rating on the Apple App Store from 27 ratings. Recurring issues raised by customers include sporadic software performance, less responsive customer support, limited features, and a perceived mismatch between monthly cost and product value. On the positive side, several reviewers commend Lavu for its effectiveness in restaurant settings, suggesting its performance may vary with the usage environment. If you have an experience to share, feel free to add your Lavu review in the comments.

Lavu Lawsuits

No major class-action lawsuits or FTC complaints have been found against Lavu. The company was involved in a legal matter regarding office rent, but this does not pertain to its core merchant services and thus isn’t included in this review. Merchants preferring non-litigious resolutions are advised to consider reporting issues to relevant supervisory organizations.

Industry Scores & User Ratings

Online Ratings Summary
PaymentPop	3
BBB Rating	1
Trustpilot	4.4
Google Maps	4.3
Average Rating	3.17

PaymentPop Rating for Lavu

Negative Feedback

I’ve notice .05 percent added to my menu items cost before taxes then the extra fee for use of credit card in lieu of cash. My menu you prices are inconsistent because of this causing loss of customers

Positive Feedback

There are no positive reviews published about Lavu on the PaymentPop website.

Lavu BBB Rating

Lavu has been accredited with the Better Business Bureau since 2015 and its profile is showing an “A+” rating. The company has received 7 complaints in the past 36 months. 1 of these 7 complaints was resolved by the company to the satisfaction of the merchant. The remaining 6 were resolved to the dissatisfaction of the merchant or received no final response. Lavu has a 1 out of 5 star rating based on 11 user reviews on the Better Business Bureau website.

What Merchants Say

Lavu has also received 6 negative informal reviews through the BBB. The most recent review describes unexpected charges and poor customer service:

Jan 2021, prepaid for a year of software at two locations. Starting February, got charged ~$80 monthly software at both locations. Called, emailed, refunded, made clear to remove my payment info, etc. Happened again in March. (Added a 3% processing fee with no prior disclosure too!) Then every month thru July. Called and emailed them every time, eventually refunded with slower and slower responses.In Aug, I just started disputing transactions as threatened. Random multiple terminal fees now popping up, still charging monthly. (We only have one terminal.) Also a random $50/mth per location charge for using PayPal for processing was added in July; that was never disclosed to or approved by me. I implemented a credit card stop-pay from the merchant. They have multiple merchant accounts; kept charging. Literally put Lavu on an unnecessary card and closed it just to get them to stop charging me random amounts. Now, Dec 2021, switching back to our former POS and processor now that our year is over despite the extra cost per month because Lavu cannot be trusted with credit card information and does not disclose their charges. Do not ever provide Lavu your credit card information.

Merchants may be able to avoid these situations by seeking top-rated payment processors with excellent customer service.

An “A” Performance Overall

In light of the company’s time in business and complaint rate, we agree with the BBB’s rating at this time, but merchants should be aware that there are good reasons to be skeptical of the BBB’s reviews.

Trustpilot Rating for Lavu

Lavu has a 4.4 out of 5 star rating based on 435 user reviews on Trustpilot.

Positive Feedback

Reliable, customizable, modern technology! Love our Lavu system

Negative Feedback

If I could give them a negative star I would. They keep billing me random charges when I have been assured my account was cancelled 2 years ago! Each year a new random amount shows up on my credit card. They are difficult to get a hold of, call wait times over 30 minutes. I’m contacting my attorney.

Google Maps Rating for Lavu

Lavu has a 4.3 out of 5 star rating based on 110 user reviews on Google Maps.

Positive Feedback

Lavu Customer service is on point! For a busy business that needs dependable POS at all times, it is beyond nice to be able to reach someone so easily to help with ANY questions you have about their award winning POS system.

Negative Feedback

Worst company ever! McDonalds would treat you better then this horribly run company. They expect you to know everything after just a few days but don’t train you properly because no one is around, due to the training staff fooling around with each other, and management is too stupid to realize or care.

Processing Rates & Fees

Lavu POS Pricing

Lavu offers three pricing plans for its POS systems: single terminal, multiple terminal, and enterprise. The single terminal plan costs $69 per month per terminal billed annually. The other two plans charge less per terminal depending on the number of locations and devices required. We would encourage merchants to check out our list of the providers of the best merchant services.

LavuPay Pricing

Lavu’s in-house payment processing, LavuPay, appears to come with custom rates based on each merchant’s business type and processing history. Lavu also offers integrated payment processing through Heartland, Moneris, PayPal, Square, Vantiv, and EVO Snap. Merchants can expect the pricing offered by each of these partners to be similar or identical to that company’s standard merchant account pricing. If you have any knowledge of Lavu’s rates, please share it in the comment section below this review.

No Red Flags

We are unable to locate any Lavu complaints that describe excessive fees or unreasonable pricing. To minimize costs, merchants should first secure a merchant account from a restaurant-friendly merchant account provider and then inquire as to whether Lavu can offer a custom integration for that provider.

Lavu’s advertised pricing tiers

Employee Reviews & Sales Practices

Lavu Features

Lavu offers multiple features optimized for all restaurant operations:

Front of house – Layout and menu customization, menu item hotkeys, hold and fire, offline orders, order status updates, custom discounts, and preauthorized drink tabs
Back of house – iPad kitchen displays, integrated ticket printing, paid and unpaid identifiers, and order timers
Management – Shift scheduling, QuickBooks integration, labor and sales reporting, customer database, multi-language support, access levels, and a pizza-building module
Inventory – Consolidated vendor relationship management, real-time menu integration, location transfer, and warehouse management
Tracking – Real-time reporting of earnings, labor, inventory, and long-term trends

No Deceptive Advertising

Like most other POS providers, Lavu markets itself primarily through an in-house sales staff, a referral program, and resellers. The company does not publicly list any promotions or rate quotes that we consider to be deceptive. We have found no Lavu reviews that mention deceptive sales techniques. This compares favorably to our list ofbest credit card processors. If you suspect that Lavu has misrepresented your rates and fees, we recommend seeking a third-party statement audit to find and eliminate billing errors.

Lavu Competitors

Compare Lavu to competitors that earned top marks.

Pricing

Bottom Line

Lavu currently rates as a reliable point-of-sale system for restaurants. The company maintains a generally positive reputation, avoiding predatory sales tactics or unfair contractual conditions. However, it has faced a moderate number of public complaints specifically regarding the product’s functionality and user experience. Therefore, it’s essential for merchants to meticulously review the terms of their agreement with Lavu to ensure it aligns with their specific needs.

Given the competitive landscape of iPad POS systems, restaurant owners should compare Lavu’s offering against other leading options to identify the most suitable solution. This due diligence can help businesses strike a balance between cost and feature set, ultimately securing a POS system that streamlines operations and enhances customer satisfaction. By staying informed and proactive in their selection process, merchants can ensure they choose a system that will best support their restaurant’s unique workflows and growth objectives.

Read Actual User Reviews

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All user reviews have been moved to our partner, PaymentPop.com

Contact Lavu

Contact & Customer Support
CEO	Saleem S. Khatri
Headquarters	2632 Pennsylvania St NE, Suite D, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87110
Toll-Free General Customer Service	(855) 767-5288
Additional Support Channels	Online Contact Form and Live Chat
Website	lavu.com

About Us

CardPaymentOptions.com

Established 2009

My name is Phillip Parker, and I started this website back in 2009 as a simple blog to call out shady credit card processors that were taking advantage of small business owners. At the time, I had no idea this side project would grow into a leading voice pushing for transparency and integrity in the payment processing industry. I also didn't anticipate just how far some of these companies' owners would go to try to silence me.

I was recruited out of college for a sales role with a credit card processor. At the time, I didn't realize the “training” was really about tricking me... into selling business owners expensive processing with hidden fees and long-term service agreements. In my first few sales, I unknowingly cost friends and family thousands of dollars after they trusted me to switch their services. When it finally clicked that something was seriously wrong, I was furious. I quit immediately and made a promise to expose that company and any others operating the same way. That promise is what led to the creation of this website.

As I wrote about these processors, their tactics, and the people behind them, the articles started to spread among business owners. News organizations picked up the stories, readers shared them online, and traffic to the blog took off. Unsurprisingly, that also caught the attention of the companies and individuals I was exposing.

Over the last 17 years, I've received several anonymous death threats and defeated four lawsuits meant to intimidate me into taking my blog down. Their efforts to muzzle me only made my determination to expose them even stronger, leading me to work with state authorities to help shutdown some of the worst offenders.

I'm proud to say that of the millions of people who have read my work, thousands have taken the time to write and thank me for helping them narrowly avoid a very costly mistake. This blog has played a small role in pushing the industry toward more ethical practices - but there are still bad actors out there, which means the work isn't done.

If I can offer one piece of advice, it's this: get every promise in writing, and take the time to review contracts carefully. Tools like ChatGPT can help surface red flags and uncover expensive surprises buried in the fine print.

If you've made it this far, thank you for reading. I truly appreciate you being here, and I wish you every success with your business.

Our Research Methodology

Pricing & Fees

We analyze all costs including rate structures (interchange-plus, tiered, flat-rate, etc), monthly fees, equipment costs, early termination fees, and hidden charges. This data is gathered from service agreements, statements and client feedback.

Features & Technology

Evaluation of POS systems, e-commerce integrations, mobile capabilities, reporting tools, recurring billing..., and developer resources. When possible, we directly test services and hardware. Otherwise, we rely on client feedback and public information.

Customer Support

We evaluate availability across phone, email, chat, and social channels. Measuring hold times, night and weekend availability, and client feedback regarding effectiveness, professionalism, and resolution rates.

Contract Terms & Conditions

We review service agreements and equipment contracts for reasonability, transparency, and fairness. We focus on uncovering any predatory clauses, such as unjustified early termination fees, hidden costs, and unclear cancellation policies.

User Experience

We comb the internet and interview current and former clients to evaluate the overall user experience and identify any common pain points that may impact the user experience.

Sales & Marketing Practices

We evaluate sales tactics, marketing materials, and client feedback to determine the level of transparency and ethical nature of the provider's approach. Does the provider publicly disclose pricing? Do they use teaser rates? We score based on these and other factors.

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