Migration guide
How to switch from Square for Restaurants to Lightspeed
A step-by-step playbook for migrating your pos data, team, and workflows from Square for Restaurants (Free) to Lightspeed ($89/mo).
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Why teams switch from Square for Restaurants to Lightspeed
Square for Restaurants is strong on free plan available and easy hardware setup, but teams often hit limits on reporting less deep than toast. Lightspeed addresses this — it's best for full-service restaurants and multi-location groups needing serious inventory and reporting.
From
Square for Restaurants
Free
To
Lightspeed
$89/mo
7-step migration plan
- 1
Export your data from Square for Restaurants (contacts, jobs, invoices, payments) as CSV files.
- 2
Sign up for Lightspeed — most teams use the free trial to test the migration safely.
- 3
Clean your CSVs: dedupe contacts, standardize phone numbers, fix date formats.
- 4
Import customers and historical jobs into Lightspeed. Match custom fields carefully.
- 5
Run Square for Restaurants and Lightspeed in parallel for 1–2 weeks so your team can validate data.
- 6
Train your office staff and field crews on the new Lightspeed workflows.
- 7
Cancel Square for Restaurants once you've confirmed all reporting and integrations work.
What you'll gain with Lightspeed
- Strong multi-location reporting
- Ingredient-level inventory tracking
- Good online ordering integrations
- iPad-based, modern hardware
Ready to switch?
Start a free trial of Lightspeed — most teams run it alongside Square for Restaurants for 1–2 weeks before fully cutting over.
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Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to switch from Square for Restaurants to Lightspeed?+
Most teams complete migration in 1–3 weeks: data export, import/cleanup, team training, and a parallel-run period. Larger teams (10+ users) typically need 4–6 weeks.
Can I import my Square for Restaurants data into Lightspeed?+
Lightspeed accepts CSV imports for contacts, jobs, and invoices. Export from Square for Restaurants, clean the file, then import. Custom field mappings may require their support team for accounts >5,000 records.
Why switch from Square for Restaurants to Lightspeed?+
Common reasons: full-service restaurants and multi-location groups needing serious inventory and reporting. Plus better pricing fit ($89/mo vs Free) and feature differences in pos.
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Read more reviews: Square for Restaurants · Lightspeed