Your kitchen stays yours.
This policy explains how The Menu: Virtual Kitchen handles information in the iPhone app, including optional cloud scanning and The Chef.
Your ingredients, recipes, preferences, and meal plans stay on your iPhone. Optional cloud features send only the information needed to complete the request you choose.
Information stored on your phone
You can enter ingredients and best-use dates, make recipes, choose eating preferences and allergies, and plan meals. The app saves those choices locally on your iPhone. Only ingredients you review and confirm are added to your kitchen.
Standard scanning
Standard kitchen and receipt scanning uses Apple’s on-device Vision tools. The selected image and scan result stay on your device and are not sent to VIA Engine LLC.
Optional Detailed Scanning
Detailed Scanning is optional and stays off until you consent. When you choose it, The Menu sends the kitchen or receipt images you selected, and text read from them, through VIA Engine LLC’s secure scanning service to OpenAI. This information is used only to suggest ingredients for your review. You can switch back to on-device scanning at any time.
VIA Engine LLC’s scanning service processes the request in memory and does not save the images, extracted text, or scan results. The request is sent to OpenAI with response storage disabled. OpenAI may temporarily retain API data for abuse monitoring under its data controls, generally for up to 30 days unless different controls apply. See OpenAI’s API data controls.
The Menu does not require an app account, so Detailed Scanning information is not linked to your identity by the app. It is not sold, used for advertising, or used to track you across apps or websites.
The Chef
When you send a message to The Chef, The Menu securely sends the information needed to answer your request through VIA Engine LLC’s service to OpenAI. This may include your message, recent messages in the current Chef conversation, ingredient names and quantities, best-use information, food preferences, dietary goals, allergies, recipe favorites and dislikes, and available recipe details.
This information is used to answer your question, recommend suitable recipes, and avoid ingredients you have identified as allergens or dislikes. VIA Engine LLC does not keep a server-side Chef conversation history. The app’s Chef conversation disappears when you close The Chef. Requests are sent to OpenAI with response storage disabled. OpenAI may temporarily retain API data for abuse monitoring under its data controls, generally for up to 30 days unless different controls apply.
The Menu does not require an app account, so Chef information is not linked to your identity by the app. It is not sold, used for advertising, or used to track you across apps or websites. Please do not include unrelated personal, payment, or medical information in scans or Chef messages.
Reminders, sharing, and your choices
If you enable best-use reminders, The Menu schedules notifications on your device. If you share a shopping list, iOS lets you choose another app, which handles what you share under its own privacy practices. This version does not connect to retailer accounts or import order histories.
You can edit or remove kitchen items and recipes in the app. Removing The Menu from your iPhone removes its local app data from that device. Device backups are controlled by your Apple settings; The Menu does not operate its own cloud sync.
Support
Email admin@via-engine.com. If you contact us, we receive the address and information you choose to send so we can reply. That support message is separate from information stored inside the app.
Changes to this policy
We will update this page when the app’s data practices change. Features such as retailer connections, cloud accounts, or additional remote services will require a new review of this policy and the App Store privacy details before release.