Privacy policy
ChainQuest ("we") is a free app for tracking the chain restaurant and food gas station locations you visit. This policy explains, in plain English, what the app stores, where, and who can see it. Questions: hello@thechainquest.com.
The short version
- You can use ChainQuest without an account. Then your visits stay in your browser on your device.
- If you sign in, your visits, notes, orders, amounts and receipt photos sync to your private account. Only you can read them.
- Public parts are opt-in: a leaderboard nickname with visit counts, and anonymous store ratings.
- We don't sell your data, show ads, or use third-party trackers or analytics.
- You can delete your account and server data at any time from inside the app.
What's stored on your device
Your followed chains, location setting (ZIP or coordinates), search radius, visits with dates, star ratings, notes, orders, amounts spent, and receipt photos are kept in your browser's local storage and IndexedDB. Map tiles and store lists are cached for offline use. Clearing your browser data removes them, so use Export backup or sign in to keep a copy.
If you create an account
| What | Why |
|---|---|
| Email address (if you sign in by email) | To send one-time sign-in links. Stored only as needed to look up your account. |
| Passkey public keys (if you add a passkey) | To sign you in. Your device keeps the private key; we never see it or any password. |
| A recovery code (stored only as a one-way hash) | So you can regain access if you lose your passkeys. |
| Your synced visits, notes, orders, amounts, preferences and receipt photos | Cloud sync between your devices. Private to your account. |
What's public
Leaderboards (opt-in). If you join a board, we store and show your nickname, visit and verified counts per chain, and last visit date. Amounts spent are shown only if you turn on sharing. We don't publish your location, store list, notes, orders or photos.
Store ratings. When you rate a store, we store the stars and quick details (like bathroom, speed, accuracy, problems, order type, amount spent, and whether the visit was verified) under an anonymous identifier. Others only see averages and counts per store, never who rated. Orders, notes and photos are never uploaded with ratings.
Verification. GPS verification compares your location with the store's location on your device, and only the result (verified or not) is saved. Receipt scanning runs on your device; the photo is uploaded only if you are signed in, and only to your private account.
Reports
If you report a missing or closed store, or report a player or a store's ratings, we store the report, your note and, if you choose to attach it, your current location, so we can review it.
Abuse prevention
To limit spam and fake ratings, our servers keep short-lived rate-limit counters and a one-way hash of your IP address alongside ratings. We don't store your raw IP address with your data.
Services we use
| Service | What it gets |
|---|---|
| Netlify (hosting, functions, storage) | Hosts the app and stores account, sync, leaderboard, rating and report data. Sees standard web request info such as IP address. |
| Resend (email delivery) | Your email address and the sign-in link, only when you ask for one. |
| OpenStreetMap tile servers | Map image requests from your browser (includes your IP and the area you view). |
| OpenStreetMap Nominatim | The ZIP or address you type to set your location. |
| US Census geocoder | Addresses from missing-store reports, when we review them. |
| Apple Maps / Google Maps | Only if you tap directions; the store address opens in that app. |
Keeping and deleting your data
We keep account data until you delete it. In the app, go to Me › your account › Delete my account. This removes your account, synced data, receipt photos, passkeys, recovery code, ratings and leaderboard entries from our servers. You can also wipe this device in the same step. See How to delete your account, or email us and we'll do it for you.
Children
ChainQuest isn't directed to children under 13, and we don't knowingly collect their personal information. If you believe a child has created an account, contact us and we'll delete it.
Changes
If we change this policy, we'll update the date above and, for meaningful changes, note it in the app.