Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy describes how ForknFind ("we," "us," or "our") collects, uses, discloses, retains, and protects your personal information when you access or interact with our website, mobile application, and QR-based ordering services (collectively, the "Services"). This Privacy Policy applies to all users of our Services, including customers who scan QR codes at participating restaurant locations, visitors to our website, and users of our mobile application.

By accessing or using our Services, scanning a QR code, entering your personal details, or placing an order, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy in its entirety. If you do not agree with the practices described in this Privacy Policy, please do not use our Services or provide any personal information through the platform.

1. Information We Collect

We are committed to collecting only the minimum amount of personal information necessary to operate our Services effectively and to provide you with a seamless ordering experience. The information we collect falls into two categories: information you provide directly to us, and information that is collected automatically when you use our Services.

Information You Provide Directly

When you place an order through our platform, you are asked to provide your name and email address. These are required to identify your order, communicate with you about its status, and send you a digital receipt or confirmation. In addition, we collect the details of your order, including the items you select, quantities, any special instructions or customization requests, and your order reference number. If you contact us with a question, concern, or support request related to your order, we also collect the content of that communication, including any additional details you choose to share. It is important to note that we do not collect, process, or store your full payment card details, including your complete credit or debit card number, CVV code, or banking information on our servers. For your convenience and to help you identify past transactions, we may retain only the last four digits of your payment card number along with the card type (such as Visa or Mastercard). This limited information is stored solely for order reference, receipt generation, and customer support purposes, and cannot be used to initiate any payment or transaction. All other payment-related data, including your full card number and sensitive authentication details, is handled exclusively by our third-party payment service providers, as described further in Section 4 of this Privacy Policy.

Information Collected Automatically

When you access our Services through a web browser or mobile device, certain technical information is collected automatically. This includes your device type and model, operating system and version, browser type and version, the date and time you accessed the Services, your general geographic location (derived from your IP address, not precise GPS coordinates), the pages or screens you viewed within the Services, and referring URLs or links that directed you to our platform. This automatically collected information is used for technical troubleshooting, to ensure the Services function correctly across different devices and browsers, and to generate aggregated, non-identifiable usage statistics that help us improve the platform. We do not use this automatically collected information to build personal profiles, track your activity across other websites, or serve targeted advertisements.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the personal information we collect for specific, limited purposes that are directly related to providing and improving our Services. Below is a detailed explanation of each purpose for which your information may be used.

Order Processing and Fulfillment

Your name, email address, and order details are used to process your order accurately, relay it to the appropriate restaurant kitchen, and ensure the correct items are prepared for you. Your name is used to identify your order at the pickup point, and your email address is used to send you an order confirmation and a digital receipt upon completion of your transaction.

Order Communication and Status Updates

We use your email address to communicate with you about the status of your order, including confirmation that your order has been received, updates on preparation progress where available, notification that your order is ready for pickup, and any issues or changes that may affect your order such as item unavailability or unexpected delays. These communications are transactional in nature and are limited to information directly related to your order. We do not use your email address to send unsolicited marketing emails, promotional offers, newsletters, or advertising content unless you have separately and explicitly opted in to receive such communications.

Customer Support and Dispute Resolution

If you contact us with a question, concern, or complaint, we use the information you provide, along with your order history, to investigate and resolve the matter. This may include reviewing your order details, coordinating with restaurant staff, and corresponding with you via email to reach a resolution.

Service Improvement and Analytics

We may use your information in an aggregated and anonymized form, where you cannot be personally identified, to analyze ordering patterns and trends, evaluate menu performance, improve the functionality and user experience of our website and application, and generate internal operational reports. This aggregated data helps us understand how our Services are used and where improvements can be made, but it does not reveal your individual identity or personal details.

Legal and Regulatory Compliance

We may use or disclose your personal information where necessary to comply with applicable federal, state, or local laws, regulations, or legal processes, to respond to lawful requests from government authorities or law enforcement agencies, to enforce our Terms and Conditions, and to protect our rights, property, or safety, or the rights, property, or safety of our users or the public.

What We Do Not Do With Your Information

We want to be clear about the boundaries of how we use your data. We do not sell, rent, lease, or trade your personal information to any third party for any purpose. We do not share your information with advertisers or marketing companies. We do not use your information to create personal advertising profiles or to serve you targeted advertisements. We do not use your email address for unsolicited marketing communications unless you have given separate, explicit consent to receive them.

3. Legal Basis for Processing Your Information

We process your personal information on the basis of one or more lawful grounds, depending on the specific context in which it is collected and used.

Consent

When you voluntarily enter your name and email address and proceed to place an order through our Services, you provide implied consent to the collection and use of your information as described in this Privacy Policy. You may withdraw your consent at any time by contacting us at support@forknfind.com, though please be aware that withdrawing consent may affect your ability to use certain features of the Services or to place future orders through the platform.

Contractual Necessity

Certain processing of your personal information is necessary to fulfill the transaction you have initiated. When you place an order, we need your name and email address to process, prepare, and deliver that order to you, and to communicate with you about it. Without this information, we would be unable to complete the service you have requested.

Legitimate Interest

We may process certain information, particularly aggregated and anonymized data, on the basis of our legitimate business interests, including improving our Services, understanding usage trends, and maintaining the security and integrity of the platform. In these cases, we ensure that our interests do not override your fundamental rights and freedoms.

Legal Obligation

In some circumstances, we are required by law to collect, retain, or disclose certain information. This includes compliance with tax and accounting regulations, responding to valid legal requests or court orders, and meeting any other obligations imposed by applicable federal, state, or local law.

4. Payments and Third-Party Services

When you make a payment through our Services, the transaction is processed by a secure third-party payment service provider. These providers are responsible for collecting, processing, and storing all payment-related information, including your credit or debit card number, expiration date, CVV code, and billing address. This payment data is transmitted directly to the payment provider through encrypted channels and is never stored on ForknFind's servers.

Each third-party payment provider operates under its own privacy policy and terms of service, which govern how they handle your payment information. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any payment provider you interact with through our Services. While we select payment providers that maintain industry-standard security practices, including compliance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), ForknFind does not control and is not responsible for the privacy or security practices of these third-party providers. For your reference, we retain only the last four digits of your card number and the card type to help you identify transactions on your receipts and to assist with customer support inquiries. This limited data is stored securely and cannot be used to process payments or access your financial accounts.

In addition to payment processors, our Services may rely on other third-party service providers for functions such as email delivery, web hosting, and analytics. Each of these providers is contractually obligated to use your information only for the specific purpose for which it was shared with them and to maintain appropriate security measures to protect your data.

5. Information Sharing and Disclosure

We treat your personal information with care and share it only in limited, specific circumstances that are necessary to provide our Services or to comply with legal requirements.

Restaurant Staff

Your name and order details are shared with the staff at the restaurant location where you placed your order. This information is necessary for the kitchen to prepare your order accurately and for the front-of-house team to identify you at the pickup point. Restaurant staff do not receive your email address unless it is necessary to resolve a specific issue with your order.

Payment Service Providers

As described in Section 4, your full payment information is shared directly with our third-party payment processors for the sole purpose of completing your transaction. ForknFind retains only the last four digits of your payment card number and the card type for order reference and receipt purposes, and does not have access to or store your full card number, CVV, or other sensitive payment credentials.

Service Providers and Contractors

We may share limited personal information with trusted third-party service providers who assist us in operating the platform, such as email delivery services that send your order confirmations and receipts, cloud hosting providers that store our application data, and analytics tools that process aggregated usage data. Each of these providers is bound by contractual obligations to use your information only as directed by us and to implement appropriate security safeguards.

Legal and Regulatory Authorities

We may disclose your personal information to law enforcement agencies, regulatory bodies, courts, or other government authorities if we are required to do so by applicable law, regulation, or legal process, such as in response to a subpoena, court order, or government investigation.

Business Transfers

In the event that ForknFind undergoes a merger, acquisition, reorganization, or sale of all or a portion of its assets, your personal information may be transferred as part of that transaction. In such a case, we will take reasonable steps to ensure that your information continues to be protected in accordance with this Privacy Policy, and we will notify you of any material changes to how your data is handled.

No Sharing for Advertising or Marketing

We want to emphasize that your personal information is never shared with third parties for advertising, marketing, or promotional purposes without your separate and explicit consent. We do not participate in data brokerage or sell access to our user data.

6. Data Retention

We retain your personal information only for as long as it is reasonably necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, as described in this Privacy Policy.

Order and Transaction Records

Your name, email address, and order details are retained for a period of up to twelve (12) months from the date of your most recent order. This retention period allows us to provide customer support for past orders, maintain accurate transaction and accounting records, and comply with applicable tax and financial reporting requirements.

Communication Records

If you contact us with a support request or inquiry, the content of that communication and any related correspondence is retained for up to twelve (12) months from the date the matter is resolved, or longer if required for ongoing legal or regulatory purposes.

Automatically Collected Technical Data

Technical data such as device type, browser information, and access timestamps is typically retained in an aggregated and anonymized form for up to twelve (12) months and is used solely for analytics and service improvement purposes.

Deletion and Anonymization

When your personal information is no longer required for any of the purposes described above and is not subject to any legal retention obligation, it will be securely deleted from our systems or irreversibly anonymized so that it can no longer be associated with you. You may request early deletion of your personal data at any time by contacting us at support@forknfind.com, subject to any legal obligations that may require us to retain certain records.

7. Data Security

We take the security of your personal information seriously and implement reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect it against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, loss, or destruction.

Technical Safeguards

Our platform uses industry-standard encryption protocols, including SSL/TLS encryption, to protect data transmitted between your device and our servers. Access to personal information stored on our servers is restricted to authorized personnel who require it to perform their job functions, and access is protected by strong authentication mechanisms. Our systems are regularly monitored for vulnerabilities and potential threats, and we apply security patches and updates in a timely manner.

Organizational Safeguards

All employees, contractors, and third-party service providers who have access to personal information are subject to confidentiality obligations and are required to handle data in accordance with this Privacy Policy and applicable data protection laws. We conduct periodic reviews of our data handling practices to ensure ongoing compliance with our security standards.

Limitations

While we strive to protect your personal information using commercially reasonable measures, no method of electronic transmission or data storage is completely secure. We cannot guarantee the absolute security of your information, and any transmission of personal data through our Services is at your own risk. In the event of a data breach that affects your personal information, we will notify you and the appropriate regulatory authorities in accordance with applicable law.

8. Your Rights Regarding Your Personal Information

Depending on your location and applicable laws, you may have certain rights with respect to the personal information we hold about you.

Right of Access

You have the right to request a copy of the personal information we hold about you, including the categories of data collected, the purposes for which it is used, and the third parties with whom it has been shared.

Right to Correction

If any of the personal information we hold about you is inaccurate, incomplete, or outdated, you have the right to request that we correct or update it.

Right to Deletion

You have the right to request that we delete your personal information from our systems, subject to any legal obligations that may require us to retain certain records for a specified period. Upon receiving a valid deletion request, we will delete or anonymize your data within 30 days, unless an exception applies.

Right to Restrict Processing

In certain circumstances, you may have the right to request that we limit the processing of your personal information, for example while we verify the accuracy of your data following a correction request.

Right to Data Portability

Where technically feasible, you may request that we provide your personal information in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format so that you can transfer it to another service provider.

Right to Withdraw Consent

Where our processing of your information is based on your consent, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time. Withdrawal of consent does not affect the lawfulness of any processing carried out before the withdrawal.

Right to Non-Discrimination

We will not discriminate against you for exercising any of your privacy rights. You will not receive a different level of service or pricing based on your decision to exercise your rights under this Privacy Policy.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at support@forknfind.com with the subject line "Privacy Rights Request." We will respond to your request within 30 days of receipt. We may ask you to verify your identity before processing your request to ensure the security of your personal information.

9. Cookies and Website Usage

Our website uses a limited number of cookies and similar technologies that are necessary for basic functionality, security, and performance of the Services.

Essential Cookies

These cookies are required for the core operation of our website, including maintaining your session while you browse the menu and place an order, ensuring the security of your interactions with the platform, and remembering basic preferences during your browsing session. These cookies are strictly necessary and cannot be disabled without affecting the functionality of the Services.

Analytics Cookies

We may use minimal, privacy-focused analytics tools to understand how visitors interact with our website in aggregate. These analytics do not collect personally identifiable information and are used solely to identify technical issues, measure overall traffic and usage trends, and improve the layout and functionality of our platform.

What We Do Not Use

We do not use cookies for targeted or behavioral advertising. We do not use tracking technologies that follow your activity across other websites or applications. We do not participate in third-party ad networks or allow advertising cookies on our platform.

Managing Cookies

You can manage or delete cookies through your browser settings at any time. Most browsers allow you to block or delete cookies, view which cookies are stored, and set preferences for specific websites. Please note that disabling essential cookies may impair the functionality of the Services and may prevent you from placing orders through our website.

10. Children's Privacy

Our Services are not directed at or intended for use by children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 years of age. If we become aware that we have inadvertently collected personal information from a child under 13, we will take immediate steps to delete that information from our systems. If you are a parent or guardian and believe that your child has provided us with personal information without your consent, please contact us at support@forknfind.com and we will promptly investigate and take appropriate action.

11. California Privacy Rights

If you are a resident of the State of California, you may have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA). These rights include the right to know what personal information we collect, use, disclose, and sell (though we do not sell personal information), the right to request deletion of your personal information, the right to opt out of the sale or sharing of your personal information (we do not sell or share your information for cross-context behavioral advertising), and the right to non-discrimination for exercising your privacy rights. To submit a request under California privacy law, please contact us at support@forknfind.com with the subject line "California Privacy Request." We will verify your identity and respond to your request within the timeframes required by applicable law.

12. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy, your personal information, or our data practices, please do not hesitate to contact us. We are committed to addressing your inquiries promptly and transparently.

We aim to respond to all privacy-related inquiries within two business days. For formal data rights requests, we will respond within 30 days as outlined in Section 8 of this Privacy Policy.