Privacy Policy

Last Updated: 24 September 2026

1. Who We Are

MelonRouge ("we," "our," or "us") is the Responsible Party as defined by the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA). We are committed to protecting your personal information and your right to privacy.

MelonRouge
T2 Bekker Schools Rd
Magaliesburg, 1791, South Africa
Email: bookings@melonrouge.co.za
Phone: +27 79 680 6050

2. Information We Collect

We may collect the following categories of personal information:

  • Identity and Contact Data: Your name, phone number and email address when you book a table or contact us via WhatsApp or email.
  • Booking Details: The date, time and number of guests for your booking, and anything you add in the notes, such as an occasion.
  • Chat Messages: The questions you type into the chat assistant on our website, and its answers.
  • Technical Data: Your IP address, browser type, device information, and browsing activity on our website. This is collected automatically via cookies and analytics tools.

3. How We Use Your Information

We process your personal information for the following purposes:

  • To take, confirm and manage your table booking, and to let our team prepare for your visit.
  • To email you a booking confirmation, an update if your booking changes, a reminder the day before, and one request for feedback after your visit.
  • To answer your questions via WhatsApp, email, or the chat assistant on our website.
  • To improve our website, services, and customer experience.
  • To send you marketing communications (only with your explicit consent).

4. Our Booking System and Service Providers

Our online bookings and website chat assistant are run for us by x Create, acting as our operator under POPIA. This means x Create processes your booking details and chat messages on our behalf.

To do this, x Create uses the service providers below. They may store or process your information outside South Africa.

  • Convex: The database and servers that store bookings and chats. View their Privacy Policy.
  • Vercel: Hosts this website and our booking pages. View their Privacy Notice.
  • Postmark: Sends our booking emails. View their Privacy Policy.
  • Cloudflare Turnstile: Checks that bookings and chats come from a real person, not a bot. It looks at technical information about your browser and device. View their Privacy Policy.
  • OpenAI: Writes the chat assistant's answers from the questions you type. The name, phone number and email you enter to book are not sent to OpenAI. Answers are AI-generated and can be wrong, so please don't share personal or health details in the chat. View their Privacy Policy.

We also use these services on our website:

5. Cookies

Our website uses cookies to enhance your browsing experience and collect analytical data. You can control cookie preferences through your browser settings. Please note that disabling cookies may affect website functionality.

6. Data Retention

We keep your personal information only for as long as we need it:

  • Reservation Data: 12 months after your last booking (longer only while you have an upcoming booking). After that we remove your name, phone number, email and booking notes, and keep only anonymous totals, such as how many guests we served.
  • Booking Emails: Our booking system deletes the contents of the emails it sends, including email addresses, after 30 days, and keeps only a record that an email was sent.
  • Chat Assistant: Chats are deleted 90 days after the last message.
  • Marketing Preferences: Until you withdraw consent.
  • Analytics Data: Anonymized and retained indefinitely.

7. Your Rights Under POPIA

As a data subject in South Africa, you have the right to:

  • Access: Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
  • Correction: Request that we correct any inaccurate or incomplete information.
  • Deletion: Request the deletion of your personal information, subject to legal obligations.
  • Objection: Object to the processing of your personal information for direct marketing purposes.
  • Complaint: Lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa.

To exercise any of these rights, including for your booking details and chats, please contact us at bookings@melonrouge.co.za. We'll handle your request together with x Create, which runs our booking system.

8. Information Officer

For any POPIA-related queries, please contact our designated Information Officer:

Information Officer
MelonRouge
Email: bookings@melonrouge.co.za

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any significant changes by posting the new policy on this page with an updated "Last Updated" date.