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Data Usage Policy

Detailed rules for data ownership, permitted uses, advertising, AI, analytics, retention, sensitive data, exports, deletion, and restaurant guest data.

Version 2026.06.07 | Effective June 7, 2026 | Last updated June 7, 2026

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Data ownership and roles

Restaurants own or control their restaurant content and guest/customer relationship data, subject to their own legal obligations and customer promises.
HostKit uses restaurant and guest data to provide contracted services, maintain the platform, comply with law, improve products, and conduct disclosed marketing and advertising activities.
Where HostKit processes guest data only on restaurant instructions, HostKit acts as a service provider/processor. Where HostKit uses data for its own security, analytics, marketing, legal compliance, or product improvement, HostKit may act as an independent business/controller.

Permitted data uses

Operate digital menus, QR/NFC links, review tools, reservations, missed-call workflows, SMS/email campaigns, websites, checkout, onboarding, support, analytics, reporting, and billing.
Build restaurant segments, insights, conversion reports, attribution, recommendations, service health reports, and AI-assisted drafts.
Use aggregated or de-identified data for benchmarking, internal product improvement, forecasting, quality assurance, and AI feature improvement.

Advertising and retargeting

HostKit may use restaurant account data, client data, guest data, cookies, pixels, hashed contact data, and conversion events for HostKit marketing and restaurant marketing when enabled and legally permitted.
Users can opt out of sale/sharing, targeted advertising, and marketing communications through privacy choices, cookie preferences, GPC, unsubscribe links, STOP messages, or support requests.
Opt-outs do not stop transactional service messages, security notices, legal notices, billing messages, or messages needed to complete requested services.

AI and automation

AI features may draft review responses, menu descriptions, marketing copy, insights, segmentation suggestions, summaries, and operational recommendations.
HostKit may use aggregated or de-identified data to improve AI-assisted features and product quality. Sensitive guest information is excluded from advertising and model-training use.
Human review is required before sending customer-facing AI-generated messages, publishing AI-generated content, or acting on AI-generated legal, pricing, safety, allergen, or customer-service recommendations.

Retention schedule

Account, restaurant, billing, and contract records: For the active account term plus up to 7 years for tax, dispute, audit, and business records.
Restaurant guest CRM, reservations, messages, reviews, preferences, and segments: For the active restaurant account plus up to 5 years unless deletion, opt-out, law, or contract requires a shorter period.
Marketing, advertising, and consent records: For as long as needed to honor opt-outs, prove consent, prevent suppression-list reimport, and comply with messaging/email rules.
Analytics, QR/menu events, conversion data, and product telemetry: Up to 7 years in identifiable or account-linked form, and longer when aggregated or de-identified.
Privacy, accessibility, security, legal, and support requests: Up to 7 years after closure for proof of handling, disputes, audits, and compliance operations.
Security logs, abuse records, and fraud prevention signals: Up to 5 years, or longer when needed to protect the service, investigate incidents, or comply with law.
Deleted or canceled accounts: Deletion begins after account closure and legal hold checks; backups expire on their normal cycle.

Deletion, exports, and legal holds

Verified privacy requests can trigger export, correction, deletion, opt-out, or limitation workflows unless an exception applies.
HostKit may preserve data needed for fraud prevention, security, tax, billing, legal claims, chargebacks, audit, suppression lists, or compliance records.
Deleted data may remain in backups until backup cycles expire.