Privacy Policy

Last updated: May 13, 2026

This Privacy Policy describes how Appetell (“we”, “us”, “our”) collects, uses, and protects information when you use our website, dashboard, desktop application, and AI phone ordering service (collectively, the “Service”).

1. Information We Collect

Information you provide

  • Account information: Name, email address when you create an account
  • Restaurant information: Restaurant name, address, menu items, prices, operating hours, greeting messages, and custom AI instructions
  • Payment information: Credit or debit card details, processed and stored by Stripe (we do not store full card numbers)
  • Contact form submissions: Name, email, restaurant name, and message content

Information collected automatically

  • Call data: Caller phone numbers, call duration, call timestamps, and call direction
  • Call recordings: Audio recordings of all calls handled by the AI agent
  • Call transcripts: Text transcriptions of all calls
  • Sentiment analysis: Automated assessment of caller sentiment (positive, neutral, or negative)
  • Order data: Customer names, phone numbers, ordered items, order totals, and special instructions provided by callers
  • Usage data: Call minutes used for billing purposes

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

  • Provide and operate the AI phone ordering service
  • Process orders and route them to your kitchen printers
  • Display order history, call recordings, and transcripts in your dashboard
  • Process payments and manage subscriptions
  • Send order notification emails
  • Improve the AI agent’s performance and accuracy for your restaurant
  • Provide customer support and respond to inquiries
  • Ensure service reliability and security

3. Call Recording Notice

All calls to your Appetell phone number are automatically recorded and transcribed. These recordings are used to:

  • Provide accurate order records
  • Enable call review and quality assurance
  • Improve AI performance

As a restaurant operator using Appetell, you are responsible for complying with applicable call recording consent laws in your jurisdiction. Some states require all-party consent for call recording. We recommend including a recording disclosure in your AI greeting message.

4. Data Sharing

We do not sell your personal information. We share data only with the following third-party service providers who help us operate the Service:

  • Retell AI — processes phone calls, generates recordings and transcriptions, and provides call analytics
  • Anthropic — processes call conversations through their Claude AI language model to understand and respond to callers
  • Stripe — processes payments, manages subscriptions, and stores payment method information
  • Amazon Web Services (AWS) — hosts our infrastructure and stores data in DynamoDB databases in the US (us-east-2 region)
  • Clerk — manages user authentication and account security

Each provider processes data in accordance with their own privacy policies and data processing agreements.

5. Data Storage and Retention

Your data is stored on servers located in the United States (AWS us-east-2 region). We retain your data as follows:

  • Account and restaurant data: Retained while your account is active and for a reasonable period after cancellation
  • Order and call data: Retained while your account is active for business record-keeping purposes
  • Call recordings: Stored by Retell AI and accessible through your dashboard while your account is active
  • Application logs: Retained for 90 days
  • Contact form messages: Retained until reviewed and resolved

When you delete a restaurant or cancel your subscription, associated data is scheduled for deletion after the billing period ends.

6. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your data, including:

  • Encrypted data transmission (HTTPS/TLS)
  • Server-side encryption for stored data (AES-256)
  • Authentication-protected API endpoints
  • Per-restaurant API key authentication for the Appetell Client

No method of transmission or storage is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your information, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

7. Your Rights

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal information:

  • Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
  • Correction: Request correction of inaccurate data
  • Deletion: Request deletion of your personal data
  • Export: Request your data in a portable format

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us through our contact page.

California Residents (CCPA)

If you are a California resident, you have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act, including the right to know what personal information is collected and the right to request deletion. We do not sell personal information.

8. Cookies and Tracking

Our website uses essential cookies for authentication and session management (via Clerk). We do not use advertising cookies or third-party tracking pixels. The Appetell Client application does not use cookies.

9. Children’s Privacy

The Service is not intended for use by individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of material changes via email or through the dashboard. The “Last updated” date at the top of this page indicates when the policy was last revised.

11. SMS Verification

When you sign in to a loyalty rewards account or request a sample demo phone call from our marketing site, you provide your mobile phone number so we can send a one-time SMS verification code via our messaging provider, Twilio. We collect and process the following:

  • Phone number: the mobile number you enter on appetell.com
  • Verification code: a six-digit one-time passcode, stored as a bcrypt hash and discarded after the verification window closes (typically five minutes)
  • Consent record: for the demo-call flow, the timestamp and IP of the consent checkbox interaction, retained for up to seven years for TCPA audit purposes

We do not share phone numbers with marketers or third parties for promotional purposes. Phone numbers are passed to Twilio solely to deliver the verification SMS. Message and data rates may apply per your mobile carrier plan. Message frequency: one verification message per request you initiate.

Reply STOP to any verification message to opt out of future verification SMS; reply HELP for support. You can also contact us at appetell.com/contact.

12. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your data, please contact us at appetell.com/contact.