privacy policy
cooked is a free app that shows you new york city restaurant health-inspection grades. this policy explains, in plain english, what the app does and does not do with your information.
account-less by design
- no sign-up, no login — we don't even know who you are.
- camera images never leave your phone, and saved spots stay on your device.
- no advertising id, no cross-app tracking, no ad profile.
here's the long version — the same promise, clause by clause.
no account, no sign-in
cooked has no accounts. it never asks for or collects your name, email, or phone number. there is nothing to sign up for.
location
when you use the camera “scan the block” feature or view the map, the app sends your precise location to the cooked backend (cooked-api.vakilventures.com) to find nearby restaurants and calculate where each grade should appear on screen. it is used only to answer that request.
your location is not tied to any account or identity, not used to build a profile, and not used to track you across other apps or for advertising.
camera
“scan the block” uses your camera for a live street view so grades can float over storefronts in the AR overlay. the camera image is used on-device for that overlay only. it is never stored and never sent to any server.
saved spots
spots you save are stored locally on your device only. they are not uploaded to the backend.
analytics
cooked uses google analytics for firebase. google collects:
- a pseudonymous app-instance identifier (the firebase installation / app-instance id — it identifies your install, not you);
- in-app usage and interaction events (which screens you view, and features you use such as scanning or searching);
- a coarse, approximate location that google derives from your IP address.
this is processed on google's servers and used only for aggregate, anonymous usage to improve the app. it is not linked to your identity and not used to track you across other companies' apps or for advertising. cooked does not collect the device advertising identifier (IDFA on iOS, Advertising ID on Android).
learn more: Google Privacy Policy and “How Google uses information from sites or apps that use our services”. you can limit analytics via your device privacy settings.
notifications
notifications are optional. if you save a spot and allow notifications, the app registers an anonymous device push token so it can alert you when that saved restaurant's grade changes. this is keyed to an anonymous device identifier — not to your name, email, or any account.
where the grades come from
all grades and inspection results come from NYC Open Data — the NYC DOHMH Restaurant Inspection Results (public data). grades may be out of date or may not reflect current status, so always verify with the official NYC source. cooked is independent and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or representing the City of New York or NYC DOHMH.
children
cooked is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13.
changes
we may update this policy. when we do, we will change the effective date at the top.
contact
questions? email [email protected].
📅 effective June 27, 2026