What happened to iKentoo?
iKentoo developed an iPad-based point-of-sale system for restaurants, bars, cafés and hotels. Lightspeed acquired the company and brought the product into its hospitality portfolio.
The relevant comparison today is the current Lightspeed Restaurant package, local availability and migration path.
A business still running a legacy installation should identify its software version, support status, payment integration and data-export options before replacing hardware or signing a new contract.
Ordering, tables and front-of-house workflow
Hospitality EPOS must handle modifiers, courses, table moves, split bills, tips, refunds and communication with kitchen or bar printers. Test the workflow at peak service, not in a slow demonstration.
Handheld ordering can reduce rekeying and speed service, but device battery, Wi-Fi, permissions and staff training matter. Check how the system behaves when a printer, access point or terminal goes offline.
Back office, stock and reporting
Lightspeed's hospitality tools can centralise products, prices, users and sales reporting. Depending on plan and integrations, businesses may add inventory, customer, accounting, reservation or delivery features.
Verify whether stock is ingredient-level or item-level, how recipes and wastage work, and whether theoretical usage can be compared with actual counts. Reports should reconcile to payment settlements and accounting exports.
Payments and integrations
Determine whether Lightspeed Payments is required or optional for the proposed package and region. Compare processing fees, settlement, refunds, chargebacks, contract term and support ownership.
List essential integrations before signing. Booking, delivery, loyalty, payroll and accounting connections may have separate subscriptions and can differ by country or product edition.
Multi-site and remote management
Central products and reporting can help operators with several venues, but permissions and local flexibility need design. Decide which prices, menus and promotions are controlled centrally and which a venue manager can change.
Test consolidated reports, cross-site stock, user access and the time needed to deploy a change. A feature advertised as multi-location may still require manual work between entities or accounts.
Pricing, support and verdict
Lightspeed pricing depends on plan, locations, tills, modules, payments and implementation. Obtain a written quote that separates hardware, licences, installation, support and processing, then model the full term.
The system can suit hospitality businesses needing a mature, connected EPOS platform. A simple single-site café may prefer a lighter system.
The deciding factors are workflow fit, resilience, integration cost and the quality of migration and support.
Frequently asked questions
Is iKentoo now Lightspeed?
Yes. Lightspeed acquired iKentoo and incorporated it into its hospitality offering.
Check current Lightspeed products and migration support for any legacy system.
Does Lightspeed Restaurant work offline?
Offline behaviour depends on the product, devices, payments and task. Ask for a demonstration of the exact failure scenario and how data synchronises.
Is Lightspeed suitable for multiple venues?
It offers multi-location capabilities, but test central menus, permissions, reporting, stock and integrations against your operating model.