Privacy policy

Who we are

[Business name, e.g. Once, operated by Bonolo ...] (“Once”, “we”) is the responsible party for the personal information described here. You can reach us about anything in this policy at [privacy@your-domain.co.za].

What we collect, and why

We only ask for what we need to arrange your dinner or look after your account:

• Booking requests: to book you need an account, and each request is saved to it. We keep your name, email address, mobile number, number of guests, the date and time you want, and for dinners at your home, the address. You may also tell us the occasion and any dietary needs or allergies. We use this to confirm and run your evening, and to contact you about it.
• Dietary information can reveal something about your health. We ask for it only so the food is safe for you and your guests, we ask for your clear consent to use it (the tick box on the form), and we use it for nothing else.
• Your mobile number: kept on your account as your contact number for bookings. When number checks are switched on we text you a 6-digit code to confirm it is yours; we keep only a scrambled copy of that code for ten minutes.
• A saved address (only if you choose): on the booking form you can tick “Save this address on my account for next time”. Nothing is saved unless you tick it. We keep that one address on your account only to fill in your next booking, until you remove it under Settings (“Remove my saved address”) or delete your account. We do not use it for anything else.
• The newsletter (only if you choose): if you subscribe, we keep your name and email address on the newsletter list, with the date you agreed. We use it to email you news of new dates, menus and seasons; every email has an Unsubscribe link, and you can also turn it off under Settings at any time.
• Messages you send us: if you use the enquiry form in the Questions box on the website we keep your name, email address and message so we can answer you, and send you a short confirmation. We keep messages for [24 months].
• Newsletter sign-up without an account: if you give your email address on the newsletter page we send you one email to confirm it is yours. You are only added to the list once you confirm; an address that is never confirmed is deleted after a week.
• Paying for a seat: if you pay for a Once seat online, the payment itself is taken by Paystack on their page. We never see or keep your card details. We keep only the payment reference, the amount and the date, as a record of the sale.
• Your feedback: if you answer the thank-you email we keep your rating and what you wrote, with the booking it is about. We quote it on the website only if you tick the box that allows it (and then only your first name). Deleting the booking deletes the feedback.
• Gift vouchers: if you buy or receive a gift voucher we keep the buyer's name and email, the recipient's name and email (if given), your message, the amount and the code, as a record of the sale. Payment is taken by Paystack; we never see card details. A voucher nobody paid for is deleted after a week.
• Deposits and refunds: for home evenings we keep the payment reference, the amount and the date of a deposit, and of any refund.
• Changes you ask for: if you ask to move a booking we keep the request until we answer it.
• Our own log: the administration area keeps a short log of who changed what (not message text), for [12 months].
• Your account: name, email address, and either a password (stored only as a one-way hash, never in readable form) or your Google sign-in. We use it to keep your details for next time and to show your requests and their status.
• Security records: when you sign in we keep a session record (browser and approximate network address), and on the booking form a scrambled one-way code derived from your network address, used only to stop floods of fake requests. We cannot turn that code back into your address.
• The proof you agreed: the date and time you ticked the privacy consent box.

On your device

We use one cookie, a sign-in cookie, only if you sign in. While you fill in the booking form we keep your answers in your browser tab's temporary storage (so closing the form by accident does not lose them). That copy never leaves your device, disappears when you close the tab or after two hours, and is wiped when you send the request or choose “Start over”. We do not use advertising or tracking cookies. The full list is in our cookie policy.

Who else sees it

We do not sell your information. A few service providers handle it for us, only to run the site:

• Cloudflare: hosts the website and stores our database.
• Resend: sends our emails (confirm your email address, reset a password).
• Paystack: takes card payments for Once seats and tells us whether a payment went through.
• Twilio: sends the text message with your confirmation code to your mobile number.
• Google: only if you choose “Continue with Google”; Google tells us your name and email address.
• Cloudflare Turnstile: a privacy-friendly check that you are a person, on the booking form.

Some of these providers process information outside South Africa. We choose providers that protect it to a comparable standard.

Only the people who run Once can see booking requests.

How long we keep it

Booking requests are kept for [24 months] after the date of the event (or, for a waitlist request that never became a booking, [12 months]), then deleted. Account details are kept until you delete your account. You can ask us to delete any of it sooner (see below).

Your rights

Under the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) you can ask to see what we hold about you, have it corrected, have it deleted, object to how we use it, and withdraw your consent at any time.

• If you have an account, you can do the main ones yourself: under Settings you can change your details, remove a saved address and switch the newsletter and booking emails on or off. Also under Settings, “Download my data” gives you a copy, and “Delete my account and data” erases your account and every request linked to it, immediately and permanently.
• If you cannot sign in, or made a request before accounts were needed, email [privacy@your-domain.co.za] from the address you used and we will send you a copy or delete it.

If you think we have handled your information wrongly, you can complain to the Information Regulator of South Africa (inforegulator.org.za). We would like the chance to put it right first.

How we protect it

Everything travels over an encrypted (HTTPS) connection. Passwords are stored as one-way hashes. Sign-in attempts are rate-limited. Access to the admin area is limited to named staff. No system is perfectly secure; if something goes wrong that puts your information at risk, we will tell you and the Information Regulator as the law requires.

Changes

If we change this policy we will update the date at the top, and tell you if the change matters.