Inspect My Chef is a product of SimTech Affiliates LLC, a North Carolina limited liability company. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and protect information when you use our website at inspectmychef.comor the Inspect My Chef mobile application (together, the “Service”). The short version: the app works without an account, most of your data stays on your device, we don’t run ads, and we don’t sell your information.

Information we collect in the app

Anonymous identifier. When you first open the app we create an anonymous account with a random identifier (via Google Firebase). It contains no name, email, or contact details, and we use it to associate the content you choose to share and, once subscriptions launch, your subscription status.

Location.With your permission, the app uses your device’s location to show distances to restaurants and sort results near you. Location is processed on your device for these features — it is not stored on our servers.

On-device data. Your favorites, Dining Diary entries and photos, trips, watch list, and app settings are stored locally on your device. They are not uploaded to our servers unless a feature below says otherwise.

Community Notes (opt-in).If you turn on sharing, the rating and note you write for a restaurant, your chosen display name, and your anonymous identifier are stored in our database (Google Firebase) and shown publicly in the app’s Community Notes feed. Diary photos are never shared. You can edit a shared note for 24 hours after posting, un-share notes at any time, and turning sharing off removes your shared notes.

Restaurant owner accounts. If you are a restaurant owner and create an owner account, we collect your email address and password (managed by Google Firebase Authentication) and the information you submit in an ownership claim (your name, an optional phone number, a short statement, and an optional supporting link). We use this solely to review and manage your claim and Verified listing.

Purchases.Subscriptions are processed by Apple’s App Store or Google Play — we never see or store your payment card details. We receive subscription entitlement status (for example, “Premium active”) through RevenueCat, our subscription-management provider, tied to your anonymous identifier.

Website. On this website we collect only the email address you submit to join the waitlist, plus standard server logs (IP address, user agent, referrer) used to detect abuse.

What we don’t do

We do not sell or rent your personal information. We do not run third-party advertising or cross-app tracking. We do not use third-party analytics trackers on this site or in the app today; if that changes, we will update this policy first.

Restaurant inspection data

The inspection scores and grades shown in the app are public records published by government food-safety authorities. They are information about restaurants, not about our users, and we always link to the issuing authority as the source of truth.

Service providers

We use Google Firebase (authentication and database), RevenueCat (subscription status), Apple and Google (app distribution and billing), and Vercel (website hosting). Each processes data only as needed to provide their service to us.

Retention & deletion

On-device data lives on your device and is deleted when you delete it or uninstall the app. Shared Community Notes remain until you un-share or delete them (or turn sharing off), and you can also delete them from the app’s settings. To delete an owner account or an ownership claim, or to request deletion of any data we hold, email Simtechaffiliate@simtaff.com — we will complete verified requests within 30 days. Waitlist emails are deleted within 30 days of an unsubscribe request.

Security

Data we store is protected by access rules that limit reads and writes to what each feature needs (for example, only you can edit your own shared notes). No system is perfectly secure, but we design features to collect the minimum data necessary in the first place.

Children’s privacy

The Service is not directed to children under 13 and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13.

Your rights

Depending on where you live (including the UK, EU, and certain US states), you may have rights to access, correct, or delete personal information we hold about you. Because the app is designed around an anonymous identifier and on-device storage, the fastest path for most requests is the deletion contact above — we honor these requests regardless of where you live.

Changes

We will post any changes to this policy on this page and update the effective date above.

Contact

SimTech Affiliates LLC · Charlotte, North Carolina, USA. Questions about this policy? Email Simtechaffiliate@simtaff.com.