Privacy Policy

Overview

FeastSoul LLC ("we," "our," or "us") respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal data. This privacy policy explains how we collect, use, store, and safeguard information when you use our website and services at feastsoul.com and app.feastsoul.com (collectively, the "Service").

Information We Collect

Information You Provide

• Account information (name, email address) when you create an account
• Contact information when you reach out to us
• Restaurant information if you submit or claim a listing
• Taste preferences if you complete the onboarding profile
• Reviews, corrections, or other content you submit
• Removal request information (name, email, relationship to restaurant)

Information Collected Automatically

• Device information (browser type, operating system)
• Usage data (pages visited, features used, search queries)
• Location data (city-level, only with your explicit permission, used to show nearby restaurants)
• IP address

Restaurant & Cultural Data

FeastSoul collects and displays information about restaurants, including names, addresses, cuisine types, hours, and cultural classifications. This information is sourced from:

• Public business directories — Google Places, business websites, and other publicly available sources
• Community contributions — user-submitted suggestions and corrections
• Owner-verified data — information provided directly by restaurant owners through our claim process

Cultural classifications (such as cuisine type and cultural identity) are inferred from public information unless explicitly confirmed by the restaurant owner. These classifications are used to help users discover restaurants and are not intended as definitive statements about any individual's identity or heritage.

Cultural classification data is used internally for search ranking, content recommendations, and aggregated analytics. On public-facing pages, cultural identity is only displayed for restaurants where the owner has verified their listing. Unverified restaurants display cuisine type and neighborhood only.

Restaurant Owner Information

When a restaurant owner claims their listing, we may collect:

• Owner or representative name and email address
• Phone number (for verification purposes only)
• Self-identified cultural classification
• Business details (hours, website, social media links)

Owner contact information (phone, personal email) is stored securely and is never displayed publicly. It is used solely for account verification, communication about the listing, and service improvements.

How We Use Your Information

• To provide and improve our restaurant discovery service
• To personalize restaurant recommendations based on your taste profile
• To verify restaurant ownership claims
• To send you updates about new features, restaurants, and recommendations (with your consent)
• To respond to your inquiries, corrections, and removal requests
• To generate aggregated, anonymized analytics about restaurant and food culture trends
• To prevent fraud, abuse, and ensure security

Information Sharing

We do not sell your personal information. We may share your information with:

• Service providers: Companies that help us operate our service (hosting, analytics, email delivery)
• Aggregated data: Anonymized, aggregated restaurant and food culture analytics may be shared with research organizations, city agencies, or business partners. This data never identifies individual users or restaurant owners.
• Legal requirements: When required by law, court order, or to protect our rights
• Business transfers: In connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets

Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services:

• Mapbox: Maps and location services
• Google Places: Restaurant photos, hours, and business information
• Supabase: Database and user authentication
• Resend: Transactional and marketing email delivery
• Vercel: Website hosting
• Railway: API hosting

Each of these services has their own privacy policy governing their use of your data.

Cookies & Local Storage

We use cookies and browser local storage to remember your preferences (such as dark mode and saved restaurants), maintain your session, analyze traffic, and improve your experience. You can control cookies through your browser settings. Disabling cookies may affect some features of the Service.

Your Rights

You have the right to:

• Access — request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
• Correct — update or correct inaccurate data, including cultural classifications
• Delete — request deletion of your account and personal data
• Opt out — unsubscribe from marketing communications at any time
• Remove your restaurant — request removal of your restaurant listing through our removal request form
• Correct cultural classification — if your restaurant is listed, you can claim your listing to correct or opt out of any cultural classification

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at hello@feastsoul.com. We will respond within 48 hours.

Illinois Privacy Rights

FeastSoul is based in Illinois and respects state privacy laws:

• Biometric data: FeastSoul does not collect biometric information (fingerprints, facial recognition, voiceprints, etc.) as defined under the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA).
• Data transparency: We are committed to transparency about what data we collect and how it is used, consistent with the principles of the Illinois Personal Information Protection Act.
• Correction rights: Restaurant owners and users may request corrections to their data at any time.

Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. This includes encrypted connections (HTTPS), secure database hosting, and access controls. However, no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Data Retention

We retain your personal data for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide you services. Restaurant listing data is retained until a removal request is approved. You may request deletion of your data at any time by contacting us.

Children's Privacy

Our Service is not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe we have collected such information, please contact us and we will promptly delete it.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new policy on this page and updating the "Last updated" date. Material changes will be communicated via email to registered users. Your continued use of the Service after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

Contact Us

If you have questions about this privacy policy or how we handle your data, please contact us at:

Email: hello@feastsoul.com
Mailing Address: FeastSoul LLC, 1821 W Hubbard St, Suite 209 PMB 559, Chicago, IL 60622