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Privacy Policy

Last Updated: August 13, 2026

Introduction

Dining Buddy is a restaurant discovery service operated by Dining Buddy Inc. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, why we use it, when we share it, and the choices available to you. Questions can be sent to contact@diningbuddy.ca.

Information We Collect

Account and Sign-In Information

Chat access requires an account created through Google or Apple. The sign-in provider and Supabase Auth may provide or record:

  • Email address and account identifier used to authenticate you and associate your data with your account.
  • Display name and profile image when supplied by your sign-in provider.
  • Provider and sign-in records needed to create and secure your account, including account creation and authentication timestamps.
  • Account preferences, including selected dining locations and marketing-consent status.

Dining Buddy does not receive or store your Google or Apple password.

Legacy Signup Information

If you joined Dining Buddy before accounts launched, we keep your legacy waitlist record so your prior signup date, dining preferences, consent record, referral attribution, and eligible conversation history can be linked when you first sign in with the same email address. The legacy email is stored in encrypted form and as a one-way hash. The account provider also stores the email needed for authentication. Legacy records remain available for people who have not yet returned, so they are not deleted as part of the account launch.

Conversations and Search Data

  • Search queries, chat messages, and AI responsesare stored to provide conversation context, preserve history, and improve search quality. After sign-in, new conversations are linked to your account. Eligible earlier conversations may be linked during the legacy claim process.
  • Query analytics and result data include parsed search intent, filters, result sets, timing, and quality measurements.
  • Feedback includes upvotes, downvotes, and any optional written feedback you submit.

Consent and Attribution Data

  • Marketing-consent records may include your choice, the text shown, form version, and IP address recorded at the time of consent.
  • Referral and first-touch attribution may include a referral token and UTM source, medium, or campaign values.
  • Dining location interests, device category, and signup intent may be stored when provided.

Analytics and Technical Data

  • Google Analytics 4 records page views and interaction events only under the consent choices described below.
  • IP addresses and request information may be processed for security, abuse prevention, rate limiting, and operational logs. Consent records can retain the IP address captured when you made the consent choice.
  • We record technical performance, error, and API-cost information associated with request, user, or conversation identifiers as needed to operate the service.

How We Use Information

  • Authenticate accounts and protect account access
  • Provide restaurant search, conversation history, and account features
  • Link eligible legacy signup information and conversation history on first sign-in
  • Improve search quality, reliability, accessibility, and product performance
  • Prevent abuse, investigate errors, and manage service costs
  • Send service communications and, with consent, marketing communications
  • Understand how people find and use Dining Buddy

Cookies and Local Storage

Dining Buddy uses the following browser storage:

  • Authentication cookies are secure cookies used by Supabase Auth to keep you signed in and refresh your session.
  • Visitor binding and visitor ID values maintain a consistent pseudonymous browser identity for attribution and eligible conversation linking.
  • Analytics consent records whether you accepted or declined persistent analytics storage.
  • Theme and referral preferences support your display choice and first-touch attribution.

Clearing browser storage can sign you out, reset local preferences, and create a new visitor identifier. It does not delete information already associated with your account.

Third-Party Services

We use service providers to operate Dining Buddy. Information is shared only as needed for the function described. Providers can process data in Canada, the United States, or other locations where they operate.

  • Supabase for authentication, database, and backend services
  • Vercel for application hosting, delivery, performance measurement, and the AI Gateway
  • Google for Google sign-in, Google Analytics, Google Maps, and location services
  • Apple for Apple sign-in
  • Anthropic and other AI providers routed through Vercel AI Gateway for conversation processing
  • Parallel for web search used to support restaurant answers
  • Langfuse for AI quality tracing and observability
  • Loops for transactional and consent-based marketing email delivery

AI-Powered Features

Dining Buddy sends the content needed to answer a restaurant query to its AI and search providers. Dining Buddy does not use your conversations to train its own AI models. Provider handling is governed by the commercial service terms and privacy policies that apply to Dining Buddy's accounts with those providers.

Analytics Choices

Google Analytics persistent storage is denied by default until you accept analytics through the consent banner. If you decline, Google may receive limited cookieless measurements for aggregate reporting, but analytics cookies and persistent analytics storage remain disabled. You can change your choice using Cookie Preferences in the site footer on supported pages.

Retention and Account Deletion

We retain account, conversation, analytics, consent, security, and operational records for as long as they are needed to provide the service, maintain its integrity, meet documented legal or business requirements, and resolve disputes. Legacy signup records are retained so people who have not yet returned can still recover eligible history and consent information.

You can request account deletion from the account page or by contacting us. An account deletion request enters a 30-day cooling-off period before hard deletion. Signing in during that period cancels the deletion request and restores the account. Some records can be kept longer when required for security, fraud prevention, legal obligations, or the defence of legal claims. Legacy waitlist records can also remain available so people who have not yet returned can recover their eligible history and consent records. We will tell you when an exception affects your request.

Your Choices and Rights

  • Request access to or correction of personal information we hold about you.
  • Request deletion of your account and associated personal information.
  • Withdraw marketing consent through your account settings, an unsubscribe link, or a direct request to us.
  • Change analytics consent through Cookie Preferences.

Canadian privacy law provides rights concerning access, correction, consent, and appropriate handling of personal information. Additional rights may apply depending on where you live. We do not claim that every regional privacy law applies to Dining Buddy. To make a request, email contact@diningbuddy.ca. We may need to verify your identity before completing it.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy as Dining Buddy changes. We will update the date shown on this page and provide additional notice when a change materially affects how we handle personal information or the choices available to you.

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