LEGAL
Privacy Policy
Effective date: 2 October 2026Last updated: 11 October 2026
Store Management is a staff-operated ordering and management system for a food stall. It consists of a web application at storemanage.ingeniouspe.com and a companion staff mobile application for iOS and Android ("the Apps"). Counter staff use the Apps to take customers' paid orders, manage the kitchen preparation queue, record Cash and Online payments and refunds, and show order-ready numbers on in-store display screens.
Store Management is not a customer-facing food-delivery or self-ordering platform. Customers do not download the Apps, create accounts or sign in. This policy explains what personal information the Apps process, why, who it is shared with, how long it is kept and the choices and rights available to you.
1. Who is responsible for your information
The Apps are operated by Ingenious Power Engineering Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales (company number 10447099), registered office: Unit 26 Robert Cort Industrial Estate, Britten Road, Reading, RG2 0AU, United Kingdom ("we", "us", "our"). We decide why and how the personal information described in this policy is processed and are responsible for it (as "data fiduciary" under India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 and, where applicable, as "controller" under UK data-protection law).
Privacy questions and requests: tech@ingeniouspe.com. Grievances: see Contact us.
2. Information we process
2.1 Staff who use the Apps (Admin and Incharge users)
- Account details: full name, work email address (used as the sign-in name) and role (Admin or Incharge), account status and creation date. Accounts are created by an authorised Admin.
- Authentication information: passwords are never stored in readable form — only a one-way Argon2id hash. We also keep the time of your last sign-in.
- Session and security records: for each sign-in session we keep a session identifier, hashed (non-reversible) session tokens, when it was created and last used, the IP address and the browser/app identification string (user agent). We record sign-in attempts (the email entered, IP address, time and whether it succeeded) to protect accounts against password guessing.
- Activity records: the Apps keep an audit trail of significant actions linked to the staff member who performed them, for example placing or amending an order, recording a payment or refund, cancelling an order, changing an order's status, editing the menu, and creating or changing staff accounts.
2.2 Customers of the food stall (entered by counter staff)
Customers do not use the Apps directly. When a customer places an order at the counter, staff enter:
- Name, so the order can be identified, and the customer's Indian mobile number when provided (stored in the standard +91 format), so the customer can be contacted about the order if needed. Giving a mobile number is optional; an order can be placed with a name only.
- Order details: items, variants, add-ons, quantities, prices charged, any GST included, optional item or order notes (for example "less spicy"), and the order number.
- Order history: each change to an order is kept as a numbered revision (V1, V2, V3 …) together with the status history (Active, Completed, Cancelled), preparation timings and the staff member responsible.
- Payment records: see Payment information.
Staff are instructed not to enter health information or other sensitive details in order notes. The in-store public display shows only the order number and the customer's name, so customers can see when their order is being prepared and when it is ready to collect; the name is removed from the screen about 5 minutes after the order is completed. Customers who prefer not to have their full name shown can give a first name or nickname when ordering. The kitchen display shows only food preparation details. Neither display shows phone numbers, the food ordered (on the public display), prices or payment details.
2.3 Voice recordings (optional)
If a staff member chooses to use voice ordering in the mobile app, a short audio recording of their speech is processed as described in section 4.
2.4 Technical information
- Web server logs: our web server records the IP address, date and time, requested address, response code and browser identification string for each request.
- Application logs: the server logs request method, path and a random request identifier for troubleshooting. Request contents, passwords and access tokens are not logged.
- Display screens: in-store screens are linked using a restricted display link that is stored in that screen's browser.
2.5 What we do not collect
The Apps do not collect location data, contacts, photos, calendars, advertising identifiers, health or fitness data, or browsing history, and do not include analytics, advertising or crash-reporting software development kits. We do not collect card numbers, bank account details or UPI PINs/credentials.
3. How we use information
- To create, identify and manage customers' food orders, prepare them in order and show them as Active or Completed.
- To record payments, additional collections and refunds, and to keep an accurate, tamper-resistant record of every change to an order.
- To produce operational and sales reports, which are available only to authorised Admin users.
- To create and manage staff accounts and restrict what each role can do.
- To provide optional AI-assisted voice ordering.
- To keep the Apps secure, prevent misuse and fraud, troubleshoot problems and keep records needed for accounting, tax and legal purposes.
We process customer and staff information because it is necessary to provide the ordering service the customer requests and to operate our business (including legitimate uses permitted by law and our legal obligations, such as keeping accounting and tax records). Voice ordering is optional and used only when a staff member chooses it.
4. Microphone and AI-assisted voice ordering (Groq)
The mobile app includes an optional voice-ordering feature that helps counter staff build an order by speaking it. It works as follows:
- The counter operator chooses voice entry and presses and holds (or taps) the Push-to-Talk button. The app asks for microphone permission the first time; the microphone is used only while the operator is recording, for up to 60 seconds per recording.
- The recording is sent over an encrypted (HTTPS) connection to our server.
- Our server sends the audio to Groq for speech-to-text transcription, and then sends the transcript together with our published menu (item names, alternative names and internal identifiers — no prices and no customer names or phone numbers) to Groq to interpret which menu items and quantities were requested. When an existing order is being amended by voice, the current items and quantities of that order are also sent. Groq's results are checked against our published menu; anything not recognised is flagged for the operator.
- The operator reviews, edits and confirms the draft. No order is created and no payment is recorded from speech alone.
Retention: our server processes the audio and transcript in memory only and does not store them; our records note only that a voice draft was requested and how many items it contained. On the phone, the recording is held in the app's temporary storage. Groq’s published policy is that it does not retain customer data from these requests by default, but it may temporarily log inputs and outputs for up to 30 days when troubleshooting errors that affect its service or investigating suspected abuse; where Zero Data Retention is enabled for our Groq account, it does not keep them for those purposes either. Under its published terms Groq does not use customer data to train models without permission.
Your choice: voice ordering is entirely optional. Orders can always be entered manually, and the app works fully without microphone permission. Permission can be withdrawn at any time in the device settings.
Staff should avoid saying a customer's name, phone number or other personal details while recording, as anything spoken is included in the recording.
5. Payment information
Customers pay at the counter. Staff record that payment was received and whether it was Cash or Online (for example UPI), the amount, and optionally an external transaction reference. The Apps keep a ledger of collections, additional collections, refunds owed and refunds paid, with the staff member and time of each entry.
The Apps are not connected to any payment gateway, bank or UPI provider: they do not initiate, process or verify payments, and do not receive card numbers, bank account details or UPI credentials.
7. Where information is processed
Our server and database are hosted by Amazon Web Services in the London (United Kingdom) region. Groq processes voice-ordering requests and states that any customer data it retains is stored in the United States. As the food stall's customers and staff are in India, using these services involves processing personal information outside India, which we do in accordance with applicable law and with providers bound by contractual data-protection commitments.
8. How we protect information
- All connections to the Apps are encrypted with HTTPS/TLS.
- Access requires an individual staff account; permissions are enforced on our server for every request, and reports and staff administration are limited to Admins.
- Passwords are stored only as Argon2id hashes. Sign-in attempts are rate-limited, sessions expire and can be revoked, and there is no self-service password reset.
- The database is not reachable from the internet and the application uses a restricted database account. Order revisions, payment records and audit records are protected against alteration or deletion at database level.
- Customer contact details are never shown on the public or kitchen display screens.
- The Groq API key is held only on our server, encrypted, and is never sent to the Apps.
- The database is backed up daily and restoration is tested.
No system is completely secure, but we work to protect personal information and will act promptly if we become aware of a security incident, including notifying affected people and authorities where the law requires.
9. How long we keep information
- Orders, revisions and payment records (including customer names and any mobile numbers recorded with orders): kept for 8 years from the date of the order, to meet accounting and tax record-keeping requirements, and then deleted or anonymised. Order revisions and the payment ledger are deliberately preserved as an accurate accounting and audit record and cannot be edited after the fact.
- Staff accounts: kept while the person needs access. When access is no longer needed an Admin disables the account, which immediately ends all its sessions. The staff member's name and email remain linked to the orders, payments and audit records they created for as long as those records are kept.
- Sign-in, session and audit records: sign-in attempt records and ended or expired session records (including IP addresses and browser identification strings) are deleted automatically after 90 days. The audit trail of actions on orders, payments, the menu and staff accounts forms part of the accounting record and is kept for 8 years.
- Voice recordings and transcripts: not stored by our server (see section 4).
- Web server logs: 14 days.
- Database backups: daily backups are kept for 14 days and then deleted automatically.
10. Staff accounts and deletion requests
The mobile app is an internal staff app. Staff accounts are created only by an authorised Admin in the Store Management web application; there is no public registration, and customers do not have accounts. Staff cannot change or reset their own passwords; a forgotten password is reset by an Admin.
To request that your staff account and associated personal information be deleted, see our Account deletion page or email tech@ingeniouspe.com. We will verify your identity, disable the account and end its sessions, and delete or anonymise the personal information we are not required to keep. Records that we must retain for accounting, tax, legal or fraud-prevention reasons (for example, which staff member recorded a payment) are kept for the period described in section 9 and then deleted. There is currently no automated in-app deletion button; requests are handled by our team.
11. Your rights
Depending on the law that applies to you, you may have the right to:
- obtain a summary of the personal information we hold about you and how it is used;
- have inaccurate or incomplete information corrected or updated;
- have your information erased when it is no longer needed and we are not required to keep it;
- object to or restrict certain processing, and withdraw consent where processing is based on consent;
- have a grievance addressed by us and, if you are not satisfied, complain to the relevant authority — in India, the Data Protection Board of India; in the United Kingdom, the Information Commissioner's Office (ico.org.uk);
- nominate another person to exercise your rights in the event of death or incapacity (India).
Customers and staff can exercise these rights by contacting us (see Contact us) or by asking counter staff. We may need to verify your identity before acting on a request, and we will respond within the time required by applicable law.
13. Children
The Apps are business tools intended for adult staff and are not directed at children. We do not knowingly create accounts for children. Counter staff record only a customer's name and, when provided, mobile number for an order; if a customer is under 18, we ask that the details of a parent or guardian are given where appropriate. If you believe we hold a child's information inappropriately, please contact us.
14. Advertising and marketing
The Apps contain no advertising. We do not use customers' mobile numbers or other information for marketing, and we do not sell or rent personal information. The Apps do not send emails, SMS messages or push notifications.
15. Permissions and withdrawing consent
The only device permission the mobile app requests is the microphone, and only for optional voice ordering. You can refuse or withdraw it at any time in your device settings without affecting manual ordering. Where we rely on consent, you can withdraw it by contacting us; this does not affect processing that took place before withdrawal.
16. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy when the Apps or the law change. The "Last updated" date at the top shows when it was last revised. Significant changes will be communicated to staff through the Apps or by their Admin.
17. Contact us
Ingenious Power Engineering Ltd
Unit 26 Robert Cort Industrial Estate, Britten Road
Reading, RG2 0AU, United Kingdom
Registered in England and Wales, company number 10447099
Privacy enquiries and requests: tech@ingeniouspe.com
Grievance Officer (India): Yogiraj Surti — ysurti@ingeniouspe.com