Privacy Policy

Information We Collect

Information You Provide to Us

When you fill out a franchise inquiry or “request information” form, contact us, or otherwise communicate with us through the Website, we may collect:

• Contact information, such as your name, mailing address, email address, and phone number.
• Information relevant to evaluating your candidacy as a franchisee, such as your business or management experience, estimated or actual net worth and liquid capital, preferred markets or territories, and timeline to open a location.
• Any other information you choose to include in a message, resume, cover letter, or attachment you send us.

Information Collected Automatically

When you visit the Website, we (and our service providers) may automatically collect:

• Your IP address, browser type and version, device identifiers, operating system, and referring/exit pages.
• Usage data, such as the pages you view, links you click, time spent on pages, and the date and time of your visit.
• Information collected through cookies and similar technologies, described further in Cookies and Similar Technologies below.

Information from Other Sources

We may also receive information about you from franchise brokers, business consultants, referral sources, or publicly available sources (for example, if you are referred to us by a franchise consultant), which we may combine with the information described above.

How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Respond to your inquiry and evaluate your interest in and qualifications for a Better Gourmet franchise.
• Communicate with you about franchise opportunities, including by phone, email, or mail.
• Operate, maintain, analyze, and improve the Website and its performance and security.
• Send you marketing communications about franchise opportunities, where permitted, and in accordance with your choices described in Your Choices.
• Comply with our legal obligations, enforce our Terms and Conditions, and protect the rights, property, and safety of Better Gourmet, our franchise system, and other people.
• For any other purpose disclosed to you at the time you provide the information, or with your consent.

We do not use the information collected through this Website to make any final franchise award decision without further diligence, application, and disclosure processes conducted outside the Website.

Cookies and Similar Technologies

We and our service providers use cookies, web beacons, and similar technologies to operate the Website and understand how it is used. These may include:

• Essential cookies needed for the Website to function properly.
• Analytics cookies (for example, Google Analytics) that help us understand how visitors use the Website so we can improve it.
• Advertising/retargeting cookies, which may be used to show you Better Gourmet franchise advertisements on other websites you visit, based on your prior visit to our Website.

Most browsers accept cookies automatically, but you can usually modify your browser settings to decline cookies or alert you when a cookie is being placed. If you disable cookies, some parts of the Website may not function properly. You can also opt out of interest-based advertising from participating companies through the Digital Advertising Alliance at optout.aboutads.info or the Network Advertising Initiative at optout.networkadvertising.org.

How We Share Your Information

We do not sell your personal information to data brokers or unrelated third parties for their own marketing purposes, and we do not license or resell our contact database the way a marketing data company would. We share personal information only in the following circumstances:

• Service providers. With vendors who perform services on our behalf, such as website hosting, customer relationship management (CRM), email delivery, analytics, and IT support — solely to help us operate the Website and respond to your inquiry.
• Franchise consultants and brokers. With franchise brokers or consultants who referred you to us or who assist us in evaluating candidates, where applicable.
• Professional advisors. With our attorneys, accountants, and other professional advisors as needed.
• Legal and safety reasons. Where we believe disclosure is necessary to comply with the law, respond to legal process, or protect the rights, property, or safety of Better Gourmet, our franchisees, or others.
• Business transfers. In connection with a merger, acquisition, financing, or sale of some or all of our assets, in which case personal information may be transferred as part of that transaction.
• Affiliates. With companies affiliated with Better Gourmet Health Kitchen Franchising, LLC, for the purposes described in this Policy.
• With your consent or at your direction.

Your Choices

• Marketing emails. You may opt out of marketing emails at any time by clicking the “unsubscribe” link included in those emails.
• Direct mail. You may manage direct mail marketing preferences through the DMA Choice service at dmachoice.org.
• Cookies. See Cookies and Similar Technologies above for information about managing cookies and interest-based advertising.
• Phone communications. If we contact you by phone, you may ask us to stop calling at any time.

Your Privacy Rights

Depending on where you live, you may have certain rights regarding your personal information under state privacy laws, including the California Consumer Privacy Act as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (“CCPA/CPRA”), and similar laws in states such as Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, Utah, and others. Where applicable, these rights may include the right to:

• Know/Access the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you.
• Delete personal information we have collected from you, subject to certain exceptions.
• Correct inaccurate personal information we maintain about you.
• Opt out of the “sale” or “sharing” of your personal information, or of “targeted advertising” or certain profiling, as those terms are defined under applicable law. As noted above, we do not sell personal information in the traditional sense; however, our use of advertising/retargeting cookies described in Cookies and Similar Technologies may be considered “sharing” or “targeted advertising” under some state laws, and you may opt out using the methods described in Cookies and Similar Technologies or by contacting us.
• Appeal a decision we make regarding your privacy rights request.
• Non-discrimination for exercising any of these rights.

To exercise these rights, please contact us using the information in Contact Us. You may also designate an authorized agent to submit a request on your behalf, subject to our ability to verify the request. We will verify your identity before fulfilling a request, using information reasonably necessary for that purpose.

Data Retention

We retain personal information for as long as reasonably necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, including to respond to your inquiry, maintain business records, and comply with our legal obligations, after which we will delete or de-identify it.

Data Security

We implement reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect personal information from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure. However, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Children’s Privacy

The Website is not directed to, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from, children under the age of 16. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us so we can delete it.

Storage of Information in the United States

Information collected through the Website is generally processed and stored on servers located in the United States. If you access the Website from outside the United States, your information will be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States, where privacy laws may differ from those in your jurisdiction.

Third-Party Links

The Website may contain links to third-party websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those websites, and we encourage you to review their privacy policies.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The updated version will be indicated by a revised “Last updated” date, and the updated version will be effective as soon as it is posted. We encourage you to review this page periodically.

Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise any of your privacy rights, please contact us at: