Privacy Policy

How we collect, use, and protect your information

Our Promise: We will never sell, distribute, or disclose your personal data to third parties unless required by a lawful court order or as specifically described in this policy regarding St. Thomas High School. Period.

Who We Are

HTX Dining Guide is an independent, community-driven restaurant directory celebrating Houston restaurateurs connected to St. Thomas High School. Our website address is htxdiningguide.com. The site is not affiliated with St. Thomas High School, the Catholic Diocese of Galveston-Houston, or the Basilian Fathers.

Information We Collect

We collect information in three ways:

1. Information from publicly available sources:

  • Restaurant details sourced from public websites, Google Maps, news articles, and social media — including addresses, phone numbers, hours of operation, menus, and publicly available photos
  • Alumni connection information compiled from public records, school archives, news coverage, obituaries, and community knowledge

2. Information you provide directly:

  • Restaurant submission form data (restaurant name, address, phone, website, alumni connection, photos, and your contact email)
  • Contact form messages (your name, email, and message content)
  • Account information when a restaurateur profile is created (email address and display name)

3. Information collected automatically:

  • Standard web analytics data through Google Analytics (pages visited, time on site, general geographic location, device type, and referral source)
  • WordPress login cookies for registered restaurateurs

How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes only:

  • To display your restaurant listing on the site as you submitted it
  • To create and manage your restaurateur account
  • To respond to your contact form messages
  • To understand how visitors use the site so we can improve it
  • To communicate with you about your listing (updates, corrections, or questions)
  • To verify alumni connections with St. Thomas High School

Information Sharing

We do not sell, rent, trade, or distribute your personal information to any third party for marketing or commercial purposes.

We may share information only in these limited circumstances:

  • With St. Thomas High School: We may share alumni-related information with St. Thomas High School for the purpose of verifying alumni connections and supporting the STHS community.
  • Legal compliance: We will disclose information if required by a lawful court order, subpoena, or other legal process.
  • Service providers: Our website is hosted by InterServer (United States). Google Analytics processes anonymous usage data. Google Maps displays restaurant locations. These providers only access data as necessary to perform their services and are governed by their own privacy policies.

Cookies

We use cookies in two limited ways:

  • WordPress login cookies: If you are a registered restaurateur and log in to manage your listing, WordPress sets a session cookie to keep you signed in. This cookie is deleted when you log out or close your browser. If you check “Remember Me” when logging in, your login will persist for two weeks.
  • Google Analytics cookies: These track anonymous usage patterns (which pages are popular, how long visitors stay, etc.). No personally identifiable information is collected through analytics cookies.

This site does not allow public comments, so no comment cookies are set. We do not use advertising cookies or third-party tracking cookies.

Embedded Content

Restaurant pages on this site include embedded Google Maps showing the restaurant’s location. Embedded content from Google Maps behaves in the same way as if you visited Google Maps directly — Google may collect data about your interaction with the map, set cookies, and track your activity. Google’s privacy policy governs the data collected through these embeds.

Restaurant listings may also link to external websites (restaurant websites, social media profiles, reservation platforms). When you click these links, you leave our site and are subject to those sites’ privacy policies.

How Long We Retain Your Data

We retain your data for as long as it serves the purpose for which it was collected:

  • Restaurant listings: Retained indefinitely as part of the public directory, including listings for permanently closed restaurants which are preserved as part of Houston’s culinary history.
  • Alumni records: Retained indefinitely as part of the alumni directory.
  • Contact form messages: Retained for up to one year, then deleted.
  • Restaurateur accounts: Retained as long as the associated restaurant listing is active. You may request account deletion at any time.
  • Google Analytics data: Governed by Google’s data retention policies (default 26 months).

Where Your Data Is Stored

Your data is stored on servers located in the United States, hosted by InterServer. Google Analytics data is processed by Google in the United States. If you are accessing this site from outside the United States, please be aware that your information may be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States.

Your Rights

You have the right to:

  • Access the personal information we hold about you
  • Correct any inaccurate information in your restaurant listing or profile
  • Request export of your personal data in a portable format
  • Request deletion of your account, listing, and associated personal data
  • Opt out of Google Analytics tracking by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at info@htxdiningguide.com. We will respond to requests within 30 days.

Data Security

We take reasonable measures to protect your information, including secure hosting, encrypted connections (HTTPS), and limiting access to personal data to site administrators only. Restaurateur passwords are stored in hashed form and cannot be read by administrators. However, no method of electronic transmission or storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Children’s Privacy

HTX Dining Guide is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will promptly delete it.

Photos and Images

Restaurant photos and alumni portraits displayed on this site are provided by the restaurateurs themselves through the submission process, sourced from publicly available materials, or used with permission. If you believe an image is used without proper authorization, please contact us immediately and we will remove it.

If you upload images to this site through the submission form, you should avoid uploading images that include embedded location data (EXIF GPS) as other visitors may be able to download and extract location data from images on the website.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated effective date. We will not reduce your rights under this policy without your explicit consent. Your continued use of the site after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

Questions About Your Privacy?

Contact us at info@htxdiningguide.com or use our contact form.

Effective Date: March 25, 2026