Food Safari Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy explains how Food Safari collects, uses, shares, stores, and protects personal information when you use our website, mobile applications, and related services.
1. Introduction and Scope
Welcome to Food Safari (“Food Safari,” “we,” “our,” or “us”). Food Safari is a social dining platform that helps adults discover, host, request to join, and participate in real-life dinners and food experiences.
This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, retain, and protect personal information when you use the Food Safari mobile applications, website, and related services (collectively, the “Services”), or communicate with us.
By using the Services, you acknowledge the practices described in this Privacy Policy. Where consent is required by law, we will request it separately and will not rely only on your general acceptance of this policy.
2. Who Operates Food Safari
Food Safari is currently operated by Mihai Leontescu as an individual founder.
For users in the European Union, European Economic Area, or United Kingdom, Food Safari is the controller of the personal information described in this Privacy Policy unless otherwise stated.
3. Personal Information We Collect
3.1 Information You Provide
We may collect information that you provide directly, including:
- First name or profile name
- Email address and phone number
- Profile photograph
- Age range and confirmation that you are at least 18 years old
- City, country, and general location
- Languages spoken
- Food and dining preferences
- Dietary preferences, allergies, or restrictions that you choose to provide
- Profile descriptions, interests, reviews, and onboarding answers
- Dinner requests, applications, attendance selections, and cancellations
- Dinner details, instructions, and content created by hosts
- Messages exchanged through Food Safari
- Reports, complaints, safety information, feedback, and support communications
We use phone numbers to verify accounts, reduce spam and fraud, deliver service messages, and support trust and safety. A user’s phone number is not displayed to other hosts or guests through Food Safari unless the user separately chooses to share it.
3.2 Dinner and Participation Information
When you use Food Safari, we may collect information about:
- Dinners you create, view, request to join, are approved for, attend, or cancel
- Hosts, guests, and selected companions associated with a dinner
- Reviews, attendance records, feedback, and reports
- Public, private, or access-code dinner settings
- Approval status and relevant participation history
We use this information to operate the Services, manage invitations and approvals, support hosts and guests, improve recommendations, and maintain trust and safety.
3.3 Location Information
Food Safari may collect or infer approximate location information to display dinners in a relevant city or area, support map-based discovery, reduce irrelevant listings, and support basic security and fraud-prevention functions.
We do not display your exact real-time device location to other users.
- For a home dinner, the exact address is disclosed only to approved guests.
- For a restaurant dinner, restricted details such as the exact time or instructions may be disclosed only after approval, depending on the dinner settings.
You can manage device-location permissions through your device settings. Some location-based features may not function correctly if location access is disabled.
3.4 Messages and Communications
We store in-app messages so hosts and guests can coordinate, receive updates, and maintain a record of relevant communications.
We may access or review messages when reasonably necessary for:
- Customer support
- Safety investigations
- Fraud prevention
- Dispute resolution
- Legal compliance
- Enforcement of our Terms, Safety Policy, or Community Guidelines
We do not use private messages for third-party advertising.
3.5 Photos and Other User Content
We process profile photos, dinner images, descriptions, reviews, and other content you upload to display profiles and dinner listings and to operate the Food Safari community.
Content may be reviewed by automated tools or people when it is submitted, reported, or reasonably suspected of violating our rules.
3.6 Technical, Device, and Usage Information
We may automatically collect:
- Device type and model
- Operating system and app version
- Browser type
- IP address
- Language, country, and time zone
- Account login and authentication events
- Screens, pages, buttons, or features used
- Crash reports, performance data, and diagnostic logs
- General usage and security data
We use this information to authenticate users, maintain and secure the Services, diagnose errors, understand feature performance, prevent abuse, and improve the user experience.
3.7 Artificial Intelligence Processing
Food Safari may use the OpenAI API to provide AI-generated or AI-assisted recommendations and to review activity or dinner names during creation for potentially inappropriate, unsafe, or prohibited content.
Depending on the feature, the text you submit and limited contextual information may be transmitted to OpenAI for processing.
Do not include unnecessary sensitive or confidential information in text submitted to AI-assisted features. AI outputs may be incomplete, inaccurate, or inappropriate and may be reviewed or overridden by Food Safari.
Food Safari does not currently make decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects based solely on automated processing.
3.8 Payment Information
Food Safari does not currently process payments through the Services.
If a host suggests a meal contribution, the contribution is arranged directly between the host and approved guests outside Food Safari. Food Safari does not collect, hold, process, refund, or guarantee those payments.
If Food Safari introduces subscriptions, booking fees, in-app purchases, payment processing, or host payouts, we will update this Privacy Policy and the applicable app-store disclosures before or when those features launch.
4. How We Use Personal Information
We may use personal information to:
- Create, verify, secure, and manage accounts
- Provide dinner discovery, hosting, approval, attendance, messaging, and companion-selection features
- Display relevant dinners based on general or approximate location
- Provide approved users with restricted dinner details
- Send verification codes, confirmations, reminders, safety notices, updates, and cancellation notices
- Generate or assist with recommendations and moderate activity or dinner names
- Operate maps, databases, storage, backend functions, analytics, and crash reporting
- Personalize and improve the Services
- Detect spam, fraud, abuse, security incidents, and policy violations
- Investigate reports, disputes, and safety incidents
- Enforce our Terms, Community Guidelines, and Safety Policy
- Comply with legal obligations and protect users, Food Safari, and the public
5. Legal Bases for Processing
Where the GDPR, UK GDPR, or similar laws apply, we rely on one or more of the following legal bases:
- Performance of a contract – To create and maintain accounts and provide hosting, joining, messaging, and dinner features.
- Legitimate interests – To secure the Services, prevent spam and fraud, improve the product, investigate reports, and enforce our rules.
- Consent – Where required for location permissions, optional sensitive information, marketing, or other consent-based processing.
- Explicit consent – Where required for optional allergy, dietary, health-related, or other sensitive information.
- Legal obligation – When processing is necessary to comply with applicable laws or lawful requests.
We do not currently make decisions with legal or similarly significant effects based solely on automated processing.
6. How We Disclose Personal Information
6.1 With Other Users
Depending on the feature and privacy setting, hosts may see:
- Your first name or profile name, profile photo, and public profile details
- Your request to join and answers or preferences you choose to submit
- Reviews, attendance-related information, and cancellation status
- Information about a companion selected for the dinner, where applicable
Depending on the feature and approval status, guests may see:
- Host profile information
- Dinner description, type, topic, language, general location, rules, and expectations
- Profile information of other approved or participating guests
- Exact home address, exact time, access instructions, or other restricted details only when authorized by the host and relevant to participation
Food Safari does not provide guest phone numbers or email addresses to hosts through the Services. Users may nevertheless choose to share contact details directly in messages or in person.
6.2 Third-Party Service Providers
We use third-party providers to operate, secure, support, and improve the Services. These providers may process personal information only as needed to perform services for Food Safari, subject to their agreements and applicable law.
- Firebase (Google LLC) – Provides authentication, database hosting, cloud storage, backend functions, usage analytics, crash reporting, and related app infrastructure. The exact Firebase services enabled in production determine the information processed.
- OpenAI API (OpenAI) – Processes limited text and contextual information submitted through relevant features to generate AI-assisted recommendations and help review activity or dinner names for potentially inappropriate or prohibited content.
- Mapbox, Inc. – Provides interactive maps, location search, geocoding, and location-based discovery. Mapbox may process location, IP address, device, and map-interaction information when these features are used.
- Twilio Inc. – Provides communications and verification functions such as SMS messages and one-time verification codes. Twilio may process phone numbers, message-delivery records, and related technical information.
Tailscale is generally used as an internal secure-networking tool. It should be included here only if Food Safari routes, stores, or otherwise exposes end-user personal information through Tailscale-managed infrastructure.
6.3 Legal, Safety, and Security Disclosures
We may disclose information when reasonably necessary to:
- Comply with applicable laws, court orders, subpoenas, and lawful government requests
- Investigate fraud, abuse, threats, security incidents, or harmful conduct
- Enforce our Terms, Safety Policy, and Community Guidelines
- Protect the rights, safety, and property of Food Safari, users, hosts, guests, and the public
- Establish, exercise, or defend legal claims and resolve disputes
6.4 Business Transfers
If Food Safari is involved in a merger, acquisition, financing, asset sale, restructuring, bankruptcy, or similar transaction, personal information may be disclosed or transferred as part of that transaction, subject to applicable legal requirements.
7. Sale, Sharing, Advertising, and Tracking
Food Safari does not sell personal information.
Food Safari does not currently share personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising and does not currently use personal information to serve third-party targeted advertisements.
If our practices change, we will update this Privacy Policy, provide legally required choices, and update the Apple App Privacy and Google Play Data Safety disclosures.
8. Data Retention
We retain personal information for as long as reasonably necessary to provide and secure the Services, comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, prevent fraud, enforce our policies, and protect users.
Retention periods may depend on:
- How long the account remains active
- Whether the user has hosted, requested, or attended dinners
- Whether reports, disputes, or safety matters remain unresolved
- Security, fraud-prevention, legal, tax, accounting, and regulatory needs
- The nature of the data and the reason it was collected
When an account is deleted, we will delete or anonymize associated personal information and user-generated content unless retention is reasonably necessary or legally required.
Limited records may be retained for safety, fraud prevention, dispute resolution, legal compliance, or the establishment or defense of claims. Backup copies may remain for a limited period before deletion or overwriting.
9. Account and Data Deletion
Users may request deletion through the profile settings in the App or by emailing the request to mihai@joinfoodsafari.app
Deletion ordinarily includes the account, profile, uploaded content, dinner content, reviews, and other data associated with the account, subject to disclosed legal, security, safety, fraud-prevention, and dispute-resolution exceptions.
Deleting the App from a device does not by itself delete the user’s Food Safari account.
10. Your Privacy Rights and Choices
Depending on your location, you may have the right to:
- Access personal information we hold about you
- Correct inaccurate or incomplete information
- Delete personal information and your account
- Receive a portable copy of certain personal information
- Object to or restrict certain processing
- Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent
- Opt out of marketing communications
- Opt out of sale, targeted advertising, or certain profiling if those practices are introduced and the law provides such a right
- Appeal a decision concerning a privacy request where required
To exercise a privacy right, contact us at mihai@joinfoodsafari.app or use available in-app controls. We may need to verify your identity and may decline or limit a request where permitted by law.
You may manage location, photo, camera, and notification permissions through your device settings. You may also manage certain profile information, communication preferences, and account settings in the Services.
11. Marketing Communications
Where permitted, we may send information about Food Safari features, communities, events, dinners, or offers.
You may unsubscribe from marketing email using the unsubscribe link or by contacting us. We may continue to send non-marketing messages concerning your account, safety, service operation, legal notices, and dinners you host or join.
12. International Data Transfers
Personal information may be processed in countries other than the country where you live, including countries whose privacy laws may differ.
Where required, we use recognized safeguards such as contractual protections, standard contractual clauses, adequacy decisions, or other lawful transfer mechanisms.
13. Security
We use reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational measures designed to protect personal information from unauthorized access, loss, misuse, alteration, and disclosure.
Measures may include access controls, secure authentication, encryption in transit, restricted administrative access, logging, and monitoring.
No system is completely secure. You are responsible for safeguarding account credentials and promptly notifying us if you believe your account or communications have been compromised.
14. Children’s Privacy and Age Restrictions
Food Safari is intended only for individuals who are at least 18 years old.
We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 18. If we learn that we collected such information, we will take reasonable steps to delete it and terminate the account.
15. External Services and User-Arranged Activities
The Services may contain links to restaurants, event organizers, maps, websites, payment services, or other third parties. Information you provide directly to another user or third party is governed by that recipient’s practices, not this Privacy Policy.
Food Safari facilitates introductions and dinner coordination but does not control users, venues, off-platform payments, or conduct occurring outside the Services.
16. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy as the Services, providers, and legal requirements change.
We will update the “Last updated” date and may provide notice by email, in-app message, website notice, or another reasonable method when changes are material.
17. Contact Us
- Email – mihai@joinfoodsafari.app
- Operator – Mihai Leontescu, operating Food Safari as an individual founder