Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

MadhWai ("MadhWai", "we", "us" or "our") operates the madhwai.site website and a set of connected mobile applications — a customer app for ordering food, a vendor app for street-food sellers, and a delivery-partner app — together referred to as the "Services".

This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, disclose and protect information when you visit our website, create an account, place or fulfil an order, register a stall, or otherwise interact with the Services. It applies to customers, vendors and delivery partners alike, except where a section is marked as applying to a specific role.

By using the Services, you agree to the collection and use of information as described in this policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the Services.

2. Information we collect

We collect information that you provide directly, information generated through your use of the Services, and limited information from your device. We only collect what is reasonably needed to operate the Services described on this page.

2.1 Account and profile information

When you create an account, we collect information such as your name, phone number, email address and a password or other sign-in credential. Vendor and delivery-partner accounts may also require a profile photo and identity details needed to verify who you are.

2.2 Contact information

We collect contact details — such as phone number, email address and delivery address — so we can communicate with you about your account or orders, and so delivery partners can reach you or the vendor.

2.3 Location information

With your permission, the customer app uses your device's location to show you nearby stalls and to set your delivery address. The delivery-partner app uses location to route an order and to let a customer or vendor track an in-progress delivery. See Section 6 for details on how location permission works and how to control it.

2.4 Device and technical information

We collect limited technical information needed to run the app reliably, such as device type, operating system version, app version, language setting, and basic crash or error logs.

2.5 App usage information

We collect information about how you use the app — such as pages or screens viewed, searches, items added to a basket, and features used — to help us understand what is working and to fix problems.

2.6 Order and transaction information

We collect information about the orders you place or fulfil: items ordered, order value, order status and timestamps, delivery address, order history, and ratings or feedback you choose to leave.

2.7 Vendor information

For vendors, we collect business and stall information needed to list and operate on the platform — such as stall name and location, menu and pricing, documents related to registration or food-safety compliance that you choose to share with us (for example, in connection with a Certificate of Vending or FSSAI registration), and bank or UPI details needed to settle payments owed to you.

2.8 Communications and support information

When you contact us — for example through the website contact form, in-app support, or email — we collect what you submit (such as your name, email address, role, and message) so we can respond to you.

3. How we use information

We use the information described above to:

• Create and maintain your account and verify who you are;
• Operate core features — discovering nearby stalls, placing and fulfilling orders, routing deliveries, and processing payments and payouts;
• Communicate with you about orders, account activity, support requests, and material changes to the Services;
• Maintain safety and trust on the platform, including verifying vendor registration and food-safety information you provide;
• Monitor, debug, and improve the reliability and performance of the Services;
• Detect, investigate and prevent fraud, abuse, and activity that violates our terms; and
• Meet legal, tax, accounting and regulatory obligations.

We do not use the information described in this policy to make automated decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects on you without human involvement.

4. How we share information

We do not sell your personal information. We share information only as needed to operate the Services, as described below.

4.1 Vendors

When you place an order, we share the information the vendor needs to prepare it — such as items ordered, special instructions, and your first name — with the relevant vendor(s).

4.2 Delivery partners

To fulfil an order, we share the pickup location (vendor stall), delivery address, order contents, and contact details needed for handoff with the assigned delivery partner.

4.3 Payment processors

Payments are handled by third-party, licensed payment processors (for example, to process UPI or other online payment methods). We share the information needed to process a transaction — such as order amount and a reference ID — with these processors. See Section 5.

4.4 Service providers

We may share information with vendors and contractors who perform services on our behalf — such as cloud hosting, customer support tooling, and SMS/email delivery for OTPs or notifications — under confidentiality and data-protection obligations, and only to the extent needed to perform those services.

4.5 Legal and regulatory authorities

We may disclose information if required to do so by law, or if we believe in good faith that disclosure is reasonably necessary to comply with a legal process, enforce our terms, protect the rights, property or safety of MadhWai, our users or the public, or respond to a government or regulatory request.

If vendor financing, working-capital or similar credit products become available on the platform, relevant order and payment history may be shared with a licensed lending partner (such as an NBFC) for credit assessment — but only with your consent at the time such a product is offered.

5. Payments and financial information

We do not store full payment card numbers, UPI PINs, or banking passwords. Payments are processed by third-party, licensed payment gateways and processors, who handle and secure your payment credentials under their own security standards and applicable regulation. We retain only the transaction records needed for order history, vendor settlement, support, accounting, and tax purposes — such as order amount, payment status, and a transaction reference.

Vendor payouts are settled to the bank account or UPI ID the vendor provides to us; we use this information solely to pay out amounts owed for completed orders.

6. Location permissions

The customer app requests location permission so it can show nearby vendors and pre-fill your delivery address. The delivery-partner app requests location permission so it can receive route guidance and share live delivery status with the customer and vendor for the duration of an active delivery.

You can grant, deny, or withdraw location permission at any time from your device's operating-system settings. If you deny or withdraw location permission, the app will ask you to enter your delivery address manually, and features that depend on live location — such as nearby-stall discovery or live delivery tracking — may be limited or unavailable.

7. Notifications

With your permission, we send push notifications for things like order confirmations, order-status updates, and delivery updates. We may also send account- or security-related notifications (for example, an OTP for sign-in) where applicable.

You can turn push notifications on or off at any time from your device's operating-system settings. Disabling notifications will not affect your ability to use the app, though you may need to check order status manually within the app.

8. Cookies, local storage & similar technologies

Our mobile apps use local, on-device storage to keep you signed in and to remember basic preferences (such as your last-used delivery address) between sessions. This data stays on your device and is cleared if you log out or uninstall the app.

Our website (madhwai.site) does not currently set tracking or advertising cookies. If this changes — for example, if we introduce analytics or marketing cookies — we will update this section and, where required, ask for your consent.

9. Data retention

We retain personal information for as long as your account is active and as needed to provide the Services. After you close your account or request deletion, we retain a limited set of records — such as transaction and payout records — for as long as required to meet our legal, tax, accounting, or dispute-resolution obligations, after which it is deleted or anonymised.

10. Data security

We use reasonable administrative, technical and organisational measures intended to protect your information — including access controls and encryption of data in transit — appropriate to the sensitivity of the information involved. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security. If we become aware of a breach affecting your personal information, we will take appropriate steps to address it and notify affected users and authorities where required by law.

11. Your rights and choices

Depending on your location and applicable law, you may have rights to:

• Access the personal information we hold about you;
• Correct inaccurate or incomplete information, most of which you can update directly in your profile;
• Request deletion of your account and associated personal information (see Section 12);
• Withdraw consent for optional features such as location access or notifications, through your device settings;
• Opt out of non-essential communications from us.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us using the details in Section 16. We will respond within a reasonable time and may need to verify your identity before acting on a request.

12. Account and data deletion

You may request deletion of your account and associated personal information at any time by contacting us at the email in Section 16 with the subject line "Account deletion request", using the email address or phone number linked to your account.

Once verified, we will delete your personal information except for records we are legally required to keep — such as transaction, tax and payout records relevant to completed orders — which we retain only for as long as required by law and then delete or anonymise.

13. Children's privacy

The Services are intended for use by individuals who are at least 18 years old and legally capable of entering into a binding contract under Indian law. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us using the details in Section 16 so we can investigate and, if appropriate, delete the information.

14. Third-party services and links

We rely on select third parties to operate the Services — for example, payment processors (Section 5) and infrastructure or communication providers used to send OTPs, emails, or host our systems. These providers process information only as needed to provide their service to us and are subject to their own privacy policies.

Our website or apps may occasionally link to third-party sites or services (for example, app-store listings). We are not responsible for the privacy practices of third-party sites, and we encourage you to review their privacy policies before providing information to them.

15. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time as the Services evolve. We will revise the "Last updated" date at the top of this page whenever we make changes, and for material changes we will provide a more prominent notice — such as an in-app notification or a notice on our website — before the change takes effect.

16. Contact us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, or want to exercise any of the rights described above, please contact us: