SpotOn vs Lavu for Pub & Gastropubs: Which POS System Wins in 2026?

Balancing your food and beverage revenue mix challenges every pub and gastropub owner. Maximize profit from craft beer and elevated food menus. This requires precise tools. You need systems to track sales, manage inventory, and empower staff.

Controlling late-night labor costs is hard, especially after 10 PM. Returns shrink. You need smarter scheduling and efficient operations. Your POS system must offer insights here.

Draft beer waste and keg inventory also drain profits. Accurate tracking prevents losses. It ensures you always have popular brews on tap. Let’s compare SpotOn and Lavu. Find the best system for your pub or gastropub.

FAQ

Can Lavu track my draft beer inventory down to the ounce?

Yes. Lavu provides detailed tracking for beverage inventory. This helps you monitor pours and identify discrepancies quickly.

Does SpotOn offer specialized reporting for gastropubs balancing food and alcohol sales?

SpotOn offers standard sales reports. These reports show food and alcohol sales data. Deeper F&B mix analysis may require manual interpretation.

Will Lavu help me reduce late-night labor costs?

Yes. Lavu’s labor management tools and Marty’s analytics provide insights into peak and slow periods. This helps with smarter staffing decisions to prevent unnecessary labor spend.

Is it easy to set up complex happy hour promotions with Lavu?

Yes. Lavu’s menu management allows for customizable happy hour rules. You can apply specific discounts or pricing based on time, day, and item.

Can I integrate my existing loyalty program with Lavu?

Yes. Lavu offers native loyalty features. It also integrates with many third-party loyalty platforms.

Does SpotOn require me to use their payment processor?

SpotOn usually bundles its payment processing with its POS system. This simplifies initial setup for operators.

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FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Get answers to common questions about Marty, Lavu POS, and how they work together.

What is Marty and what does it actually do?

Marty is your restaurant’s intelligence engine. It watches every sale, shift, hour, item, and
trend inside your POS and gives you clear, actionable direction.

Marty informs. Lavu automates.
Together they act like a digital GM that never sleeps.

Marty gives you:

  • Daily morning briefings
  • Real time sales and labor insights
  • Forecasts and schedule recommendations
  • High margin bundle suggestions
  • Menu and pricing guidance
  • Server performance insights
  • Alerts when something is off


No spreadsheets. No reports. Just clarity and next steps.

You can run basic reporting and audits without Lavu.

But the full power of Marty only unlocks when paired with Lavu POS.

Why?
Because Marty needs real-time, restaurant-wide data to give you accurate insights and
recommendations.
With Lavu, Marty can see everything that happens in your restaurant and Lavu can instantly automate the action.

Marty informs.
Lavu executes.

Three things owners consistently call out:

It runs on iPads
Staff learn it fast. Training drops from days to hours.

It is flexible and not hardware locked
You are not forced into proprietary hardware. You can buy replacements anywhere.

It is the only POS designed to work with Marty
Other POS systems show you what happened.
Lavu plus Marty tells you what to do next.
This is what restaurants actually need to increase profit

Marty analyzes everything happening in your restaurant.
Lavu automates the work behind it.

Examples:

  • Marty flags high food cost items. Lavu shows the exact recipe cost and usage.
  • Marty spots slow periods. Lavu triggers targeted outreach or bundle suggestions.
  • Marty forecasts sales. Lavu generates the schedule with labor control.


It feels like hiring an analyst and an operations manager without adding payroll

Yes. Lavu uses PCI compliant, encrypted payment processing trusted in restaurants
worldwide.

Secure card handling, safe mobile payments, and no risky shortcuts

Most servers pick it up within one shift because it mirrors real restaurant workflows.

Managers love how much time they get back during onboarding

Lavu offers flexible plans for single location operators and multi location brands.

Pricing depends on your configuration, number of devices, and whether you activate Marty.

We will help you select the right setup based on your volume and goals.

Almost always yes.

Lavu works with major EMV readers, printers, KDS screens, and delivery platforms.
We are partnered with Apple to deliver the best-in-class iPad hardware experience.
For payments, Lavu integrates with Adyen, a global leader in secure restaurant payment
processing.

Because the system is open, you are not trapped buying expensive proprietary hardware.

Yes. Online orders flow straight into the POS with no extra steps and no chaos.

You can manage curbside, pickup, and delivery from the same screen.

Inventory updates in real time as items are sold.

Marty then analyzes the trends and highlights waste, low stock, or margin issues so you can
correct them early.

Yes. Lavu tracks time, wages, overtime, and labor percentage.

Marty adds intelligence on top of it by showing staffing efficiency, server performance, and when labor is running high.

Worldwide.

Both support restaurants across the globe with the infrastructure and partnerships needed
for international operations.

While Lavu is purpose built for restaurants, it works with other businesses too.
Drop us a line to find out more

Hit us on Marty Chat or reach support at support@lavu.com or 505-559-5100

Need help?

Call our award-winning support team 24/7 at 1 (505) 535-5288

Lavu POS Dashboard Image