Privacy Policy
1. Who This Policy Applies To
This policy applies to customers who browse kitchens, place orders, book dine-in experiences, request takeaway, or receive host delivery. It also applies to hosts who create kitchen profiles, list food items, manage availability, accept orders, and fulfil orders. It also applies to visitors who use our website, contact us, or interact with our content. We do not operate a separate rider or courier network. Where delivery is available, it is managed by the host kitchen.
2. Information We Collect
We collect only the information we need to provide a safe, reliable, and personalised service. This may include your name, email address, phone number, password or authentication details, profile photo if provided, account preferences, customer or host role information, order details, selected food items, order notes, allergies or dietary preferences you choose to provide, delivery, takeaway, collection or dine-in details, selected date and time, payment status, order total, cancellation details, refund information, dispute information, address details, postcode, approximate location, and device location only if you allow location access.
3. Host Kitchen Information
If you are a host, we may collect information needed to create, manage, and display your kitchen profile. This may include your kitchen name, kitchen description, kitchen address, contact details, menu items, pricing, photos, availability, hygiene information, registration or certification information where required, order fulfilment details, payout-related information, customer ratings, reviews, and feedback.
4. Payment Information
Payments may be processed by trusted third-party payment providers. We do not store full card numbers on our systems. We may receive limited payment information such as payment status, transaction reference, refund status, and the last four digits of a card where provided by the payment processor.
5. Device, Usage, and Communication Information
When you use our app or website, we may collect device and usage information such as device type, operating system, app version, IP address, pages or screens viewed, search activity, crash logs, diagnostic data, date, time, and usage activity. We may also collect messages, support requests, feedback, reviews, emails, or other communications you send to us or exchange through the app.
6. How We Use Your Information
We use your information to create and manage your account, show nearby kitchens and available food, process orders and bookings, share order details between customers and hosts, support host delivery, takeaway, collection and dine-in, send order updates, receipts and important service messages, provide customer support, improve app performance, fix bugs, understand which features are useful, develop new features, and improve search, ordering and host tools.
7. Customer and Host Communication
We may share limited contact and order information between customers and hosts where needed to fulfil an order, arrange collection, support dine-in, or resolve an issue. For example, a host may need the customer’s first name, order details, delivery address, phone number, and order notes to prepare and fulfil an order.
8. Safety, Trust, and Platform Protection
We may use information to verify accounts, detect fraud or misuse, investigate complaints or disputes, enforce our terms and policies, and help keep customers, hosts, and the platform safe.
9. Legal Bases for Using Your Information
Where UK GDPR applies, we rely on one or more lawful bases depending on how we use your information. These may include contract, where we need your information to provide the service, process orders, manage accounts, or support host and customer transactions; legitimate interests, where we use information to improve our service, prevent fraud, protect users, troubleshoot issues, or understand app performance; consent, where you allow optional features such as device location, marketing messages, or certain cookies; and legal obligation, where we need to keep or share information to comply with law, tax, accounting, regulatory, or safety requirements.
10. How We Share Information
We do not sell your personal information. We may share information only where necessary, including with hosts, customers, payment processors, cloud hosting providers, analytics and crash reporting tools, customer support tools, email, SMS or notification providers, fraud prevention and security services, and professional advisers such as accountants or lawyers. These providers must only use the information to provide services to us.
11. Information Shared With Hosts
When a customer places an order, we may share relevant order information with the host kitchen. This may include the customer name, order details, allergies or special instructions provided by the customer, delivery address where host delivery is selected, contact details where needed to fulfil or discuss the order, and collection, takeaway, or dine-in details.
12. Information Shared With Customers
When a customer orders from a host, we may share relevant host information. This may include the kitchen name, kitchen address for collection or dine-in, contact or support information where needed, menu details, availability, and fulfilment details.
13. Legal or Safety Sharing
We may share information if required to comply with the law, respond to legal requests, protect our rights, investigate fraud or misuse, resolve disputes, or protect the safety of customers, hosts, or the public.
14. Cookies and Similar Technologies
Our website and app may use cookies, SDKs, or similar technologies to keep you signed in, remember preferences, understand usage, improve performance, measure marketing effectiveness, and keep the service secure. Where required, we will ask for your consent before using non-essential cookies or similar tracking technologies.
15. How Long We Keep Your Information
We keep personal information only for as long as needed for the purposes described in this policy. This may include keeping information while your account is active, while needed to provide orders, bookings, support, or host services, and for legal, tax, accounting, fraud prevention, or dispute purposes. When information is no longer needed, we delete it or anonymise it.
16. Your Choices and Rights
Depending on where you live, you may have rights over your personal information, including the right to access your personal information, correct inaccurate information, delete your information, object to certain uses, restrict certain processing, request a copy of your information, withdraw consent where processing is based on consent, and complain to a data protection authority. You can also update some account information directly in the app.
17. Location Permissions
You can use the app without allowing precise location access, but some features may be less convenient. If you allow location access, we may use your location to show kitchens near you, improve search results, support delivery, collection or dine-in options, and improve app reliability and safety. You can turn location access on or off at any time in your device settings.
18. Children
Our service is not intended for children under 13, and users under 18 should use the service only with involvement and permission from a parent or guardian. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will take appropriate steps to remove it.
19. Security
We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your information. This includes measures designed to prevent unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. However, no app, website, or online service can be completely secure. You should keep your login details safe and contact us if you believe your account has been compromised.
20. International Transfers
Some of our service providers may process information outside the UK or the country where you live. Where this happens, we take steps to ensure your information remains protected in line with applicable data protection laws.
21. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we make important changes, we will notify you through the app, website, email, or another appropriate method. The updated policy will apply from the date shown at the top of this page.
22. Contact Us
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how we use your information, please contact us at privacy@cooksocket.com. You can also visit our website at https://www.cooksocket.com.