Glossary
Introduction
This article provides definitions for terminology used when discussing the Lightspeed Restaurant K-Series APIs. It also provides links to useful resources.
General Lightspeed Restaurant Terms
| Term | Description |
|---|---|
| Business | A business unit that can have one or more locations (Business Locations) attached to it. The business is country-specific, with associated currency and taxes. |
| Business Location | Part of a business, it might represent a single restaurant location, or a separate location within the same property. See Business Locations |
| Accounting Group | Accounting groups contain the items and tax rates. Different tax rates can be used for the same items, even on the same bill. Accounting groups have a unique ID within a business and all connected Business Locations. See About Accounting Groups |
| Account Profile | A feature that allows users to specify a set of settings to be applied to a transaction. See Account Profiles |
| Tips/Gratuity | Tips are part of the payment, and are shown tax-free in a separate line. Tips are not linked to an accounting group and are not listed as an item. See Service Charges and Tips |
| Service Charge Item | A special type of item, which allows a percentage surcharge to be added to an order. See Service Charges and Tips |
Online Ordering Terms
| Term | Description |
|---|---|
| To Go Order | An order type that may contain address details. Can be used for takeaway or delivery orders. See Create To Go Order |
| Local Order | An order type that does not contain address details. Can have a table number assigned. Used for dine-in orders. See Create Local Order. |
| Menu | In Lightspeed Restaurant POS K-Series, a menu is used to create a user interface with items available as buttons on the iOS device. They can also be used to determine the items available for a particular order integration. When multiple delivery platforms are being used (e.g., UberEats, Deliveroo, TakeAway.com), menus can be used to control how items are displayed for each platform, as items and prices may differ. |
| Main Screen | This is the top-level menu screen and includes menu screens that sort buttons into groups, such as Starters, Soups, Drinks, and Menus. |
| Sub-Screen | A screen within a menu screen, often used to further categorize or organize menu items or options. |
| Item | A single menu item in the Lightspeed POS system, such as a burger, salad, or drink. |
| Modifier (Production Instruction) | Allows the addition or pre-configured preparation details to the order. For example whether to serve a burger "rare", "medium rare", or "well done". They do not have an associated price. See Modifiers |
| Sub-Item (Sometimes referred to as a "modifier") | A type of item linked to a main item but listed separately. For instance, if a customer orders a burger, they might have the option to add bacon as a sub-item. Sub-items can only be sold in combination with an item. See Modifiers |
| Combo | Combos are used to combine multiple items for a fixed price or to calculate the final price of a combo, like a "Meal Trio" or "Build your own Pizza". See About Combos |
| Item-Group | In a menu, an item group is like a sub-screen, containing items like extra cheese, extra olives, etc. In a combo (menu deal), an item group is used to define the rules of the combo, such as selection policy (select zero or one item, exactly one item, zero or more items) and price policy (forced price for items in this group). See Item Groups |