Cookie Policy

This Cookie Policy explains how GrubScout USA uses cookies, browser storage, and similar technologies on GrubScoutUSA.com. It should be read together with our Privacy Policy.

1. What Are Cookies?

Cookies are small text files placed on your device when you visit a website. Cookies can help websites remember preferences, improve functionality, measure performance, support security, and provide advertising or personalization features.

Similar technologies may include browser local storage, session storage, pixels, tags, web beacons, and scripts.

2. How GrubScout USA Uses Cookies and Storage

GrubScout USA may use cookies and browser storage to support features such as vendor search, map location preferences, login behavior, form functionality, advertising, and website performance.

Essential and Functional Technologies

• Location preferences: May remember your last selected or approved search location so the site can show nearby vendors more quickly.
• Search and filter preferences: May remember cuisine, radius, city, ZIP, or map search choices.
• Login and account tools: May support vendor authentication and account sessions through Firebase or related services.
• Security and abuse prevention: May help protect forms, accounts, uploads, and website functionality.

Analytics and Performance Technologies

We may use analytics or performance tools to understand how visitors use the website, what pages are visited, what features are used, and how the site can be improved. Analytics information may include device type, browser type, general location, referral source, pages visited, clicks, and similar usage data.

Advertising Cookies

GrubScout USA may use Google AdSense or other advertising services. Third-party vendors, including Google, may use cookies to serve ads based on a user’s prior visits to GrubScout USA or other websites.

Google and its partners may use advertising cookies, web beacons, IP addresses, or similar technologies to serve, measure, personalize, and improve ads. These technologies may help with ad personalization, frequency capping, fraud prevention, reporting, and ad performance measurement.

3. Third-Party Cookies and Services

Some cookies or similar technologies may be set by third-party services used by GrubScout USA. These services may include:

• Google / Firebase: Authentication, database, storage, hosting-related tools, and related functionality.
• Google AdSense: Advertising, ad serving, measurement, personalization, and reporting.
• Stripe: Payment or subscription processing for vendor plans or advertising products.
• Formspree: Contact form and submission handling.
• OpenStreetMap / Leaflet: Interactive map display and location-based browsing functionality.
• Social media or vendor links: External platforms may use their own cookies if you click through to them.

4. Local Storage and Location Features

GrubScout USA may use browser local storage to remember location coordinates, search radius, cuisine filters, or map/list handoff settings. This helps the site preserve your search experience between pages such as the map, search list, and vendor profile pages.

If you use “Near Me,” your browser may ask for location permission. You can deny location permission and still search manually by city, ZIP, vendor name, or cuisine.

5. Managing Cookies

You can control cookies in several ways. Most browsers allow you to block, delete, or limit cookies through browser settings. You may also clear local storage from your browser’s privacy or site settings.

• Blocking cookies may affect login, search preferences, map behavior, form functionality, or advertising features.
• Clearing local storage may reset saved location, radius, or filter settings.
• You can manage location permission through your browser or device privacy settings.

6. Managing Personalized Advertising

You may be able to manage personalized advertising through your Google account ad settings or browser privacy controls. You can also choose to block or delete cookies through your browser.

Please note that opting out of personalized ads does not necessarily remove all ads. It may make ads less personalized.

7. Do Not Track

Some browsers offer “Do Not Track” signals. Because there is not a consistent industry standard for responding to these signals, GrubScout USA may not respond to all Do Not Track requests. You can still manage cookies and permissions through your browser settings.

8. Updates to This Cookie Policy

We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time as our website features, advertising tools, analytics tools, or third-party services change. Updates will be posted on this page with a revised effective date.

9. Contact Us

For questions about this Cookie Policy, contact GrubScout USA through our Contact page or email us at grubscoutusa@gmail.com.