This Privacy Policy describes how Menu Mate collects, uses, and protects your personal information when you use our mobile application or web guest portal. By using Menu Mate, you agree to this policy.
1. Information We Collect
Information You Provide
- Account Information: Email address, display name, and password (encrypted). OAuth sign-in via Google or Apple stores only your provider ID and public name — we never receive your third-party password.
- Dietary Preferences: Optional. Saved to personalize your search results (e.g., gluten-free, vegetarian).
- Saved Plans: Your dining budget plans, including selected dishes, guest count, and calculated totals.
- Menu Contributions: If you submit a menu photo, we store the image and the resulting structured menu data.
- Restaurant Ownership Claims: Verification documents submitted to confirm your association with a restaurant.
Information Collected Automatically
- Location Data: With your permission, GPS is used to show nearby restaurants. Location is not stored on our servers.
- Usage Data: Aggregated, non-identifiable analytics about feature usage (search terms, screen views) to improve the product.
- Device Information: Device type and OS version, used for debugging.
- Guest Session Identifiers: For users without accounts, we use anonymous device fingerprinting stored in your browser's localStorage. This is cleared when you wipe your browser cache.
Information from Third-Party Services
- Maps (Mapbox): Location data is transmitted to Mapbox for map rendering. Subject to Mapbox's Privacy Policy.
- Search (Typesense): Search is powered by Typesense hosted on our own private server. No data is sent to third-party Typesense services.
- Image Storage: Menu photos are stored on our private infrastructure and retained for up to 2 years, then archived or deleted.
2. How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect to:
- Display nearby restaurants and searchable menus.
- Personalise search results based on your dietary preferences.
- Enable the Pre-Dining Budget Calculator.
- Allow you to save, name, and share dining plans.
- Process menu contribution photos into structured, searchable data.
- Enable restaurant owners to manage their listings.
We do not sell your personal data, use it for advertising profiling, or share account data with restaurants without your explicit consent.
3. Location Data
Location access is optional. The "Near Me" feature requires it, but you can use the app's search and budget calculator without granting location access. We do not track your location in the background.
4. Menu Contribution Data
When you contribute a menu:
- The original photo is stored privately on our servers.
- The extracted menu data is attributed to your account for quality tracking.
- Photos may be reviewed and rejected if blurry, irrelevant, or inappropriate.
- Approved menu data becomes part of the shared restaurant database visible to all users.
5. Shared Dining Plans
When you share a plan, a time-limited link is generated. Anyone with the link can view or interact with the shared plan. Shared plans expire automatically and you can cancel sharing at any time. Guest participants are tracked only by an anonymous session identifier.
6. Data Retention
| Data Type | Retention Period |
|---|---|
| Account data | Until account deletion |
| Dietary preferences | Until you remove them or delete account |
| Saved plans | Until you delete them or delete account |
| Menu photos | Up to 2 years, then archived |
| Shared plan links | Until expiry or manual cancellation |
| Usage analytics (aggregated) | Indefinite (not linked to you personally) |
| Guest session identifiers | Browser localStorage only; cleared on cache wipe |
7. Children's Privacy
Menu Mate is not intended for children under 13 (or 16 in the EEA). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. Contact us immediately if you believe a child has used the service.
8. Data Security
We use encrypted password storage, HTTPS-only transmission, and private server infrastructure. No internet transmission is 100% secure, but we take reasonable measures to protect your data.
9. Third-Party Services
| Service | Purpose | Privacy Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Mapbox | Restaurant maps | mapbox.com/legal/privacy |
| Google / Apple (optional) | OAuth sign-in | Their respective policies |
10. Your Rights
You may have the right to access, correct, or delete your personal data, or to restrict our use of it. Contact us and we will respond within 30 days.
11. Changes to This Policy
We may update this policy from time to time. Significant changes will be communicated by updating the "Last updated" date.
12. Contact Us
Questions or concerns? Contact us at:
hello@obsidianprime.dev