Privacy Policy
Last updated: January 11, 2026
At TasteBuddy, we take your privacy seriously. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our menu scanner and dish recommendation service.
1. Information We Collect
Account Information
When you create an account, we collect your email address and basic profile information to provide you with a personalized experience.
Taste Profile Data
We collect information about your food preferences, including taste preferences (sweet, salty, sour, bitter, umami, spicy levels), dietary restrictions, and feedback on dishes you have tried. This data is used to provide personalized dish recommendations.
Menu Images
When you upload menu images for analysis, we process these images using AI to extract dish information and provide recommendations. Images are stored securely to enable your dining history feature.
Usage Data
We collect information about how you interact with TasteBuddy, including dishes you view, restaurants you scan, and recommendations you follow.
2. Third-Party Services
We use trusted third-party services to provide and improve TasteBuddy. Each service has its own privacy policy governing their use of your data:
AI and Machine Learning
- Anthropic (Claude) - Powers our AI menu analysis and dish recommendation engine. Menu text and your taste profile are processed to generate personalized suggestions. Privacy Policy
- Mistral AI - Provides additional AI capabilities for menu understanding. Privacy Policy
- Vercel AI SDK - Abstraction layer for AI model integration, hosted on our infrastructure.
Data Storage and Infrastructure
- Neon - Serverless PostgreSQL database where your account data, taste profiles, and dining history are securely stored. Privacy Policy
- Cloudflare Images - Securely stores and delivers menu images you upload. Privacy Policy
- Railway - Hosts our application infrastructure. Privacy Policy
Authentication
- Stack Auth - Manages secure user authentication and session handling. Privacy Policy
Background Processing
- Upstash - Powers our background job processing, workflow orchestration, and caching via Redis and QStash. Privacy Policy
3. How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect to:
- Provide personalized dish recommendations based on your taste profile
- Analyze menu images and extract dish information
- Improve our AI models and recommendation accuracy
- Maintain your dining history and preferences
- Send you important service updates and notifications
- Ensure the security and integrity of our service
4. Data Retention
We retain your data for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide you with our services. You can request deletion of your account and associated data at any time by contacting us.
5. Data Security
We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your data, including encryption in transit (HTTPS) and at rest, secure authentication, and regular security audits. However, no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure.
6. Your Rights
Depending on your location, you may have the right to:
- Access the personal data we hold about you
- Request correction of inaccurate data
- Request deletion of your data
- Object to or restrict certain processing
- Data portability
- Withdraw consent where applicable
7. Cookies and Tracking
We use essential cookies to maintain your session and provide core functionality. We do not use third-party tracking or advertising cookies.
8. Children's Privacy
TasteBuddy is not intended for children under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13.
9. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any material changes by posting the new policy on this page and updating the “Last updated” date.
10. Contact Us
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at [email protected].