Legal Documents

Welcome to Restaurants.mu ("Platform", "Site", "we", "us", "our"). Restaurants.mu is Mauritius's premier online restaurant discovery and dining guide platform, offering a comprehensive range of services including restaurant discovery, editorial content, user reviews, recipe resources, dining event listings, table booking facilitation, restaurant owner tools, AI-powered features, and related services.

This Agreement ("Terms", "Terms and Conditions") constitutes a legally binding agreement between you ("User", "you", "your") and Restaurants.mu governing your access to and use of the Platform, its content, features, tools, and services. By accessing, browsing, registering on, or otherwise using the Platform, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms and all policies incorporated herein by reference, including our Privacy Policy and Disclaimer.

If you do not agree to these Terms, you must cease using the Platform immediately. Use of the Platform constitutes your ongoing acceptance of any amendments to these Terms.

1.1 Governing Language

These Terms are published in English. Where translations are provided for convenience, the English version shall govern and prevail in all cases of inconsistency or dispute.

1.2 Amendments

Restaurants.mu reserves the right to amend, update, or modify these Terms at any time at its sole discretion. Material changes will be communicated via email to registered users or by prominent notice on the Platform. Your continued use of the Platform following notice of changes constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.

Restaurants.mu operates as a multi-service digital platform serving the Mauritian food and dining community. The Platform provides the following core services:

2.1 Restaurant Directory

A comprehensive, searchable directory of restaurants, cafes, bars, food businesses and dining establishments across Mauritius. Listings are populated through multiple sources including Google Places API data, direct restaurant owner submissions, and editorial research. The Platform currently features over 2,400 listings with advanced search and filter functionality.

2.2 User Reviews and Ratings

A community-driven review and rating system enabling registered users to submit, read and interact with reviews of listed establishments. Ratings are presented alongside data sourced from third-party platforms including Google Reviews and TripAdvisor where applicable. Review content reflects solely the opinions of individual users and not those of Restaurants.mu.

2.3 AI-Generated Content

The Platform employs artificial intelligence tools to generate editorial content including restaurant descriptions, feature articles, editorial reviews, and recipe content. AI-generated content is produced to assist and enhance the user experience and is clearly identified where applicable. Restaurants.mu does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness or currency of AI-generated content.

2.4 Chef Zil — AI Dining Copilot

Restaurants.mu features "Chef Zil", an AI-powered conversational assistant designed to help users discover restaurants, navigate the Platform, and answer food and dining-related questions. Chef Zil is powered by AI and is intended for customer-facing assistance only. Interactions with Chef Zil are logged for quality improvement and platform analytics purposes.

2.5 Recipes Section

A library of over 370 Mauritian and international recipes, including community features such as ratings, "I Made This" submissions, photo uploads, cooking challenges and a recipe recommendation engine.

2.6 Book a Table

A table reservation facilitation service enabling users to submit booking requests to participating restaurants via WhatsApp-based notifications. Restaurants.mu acts solely as an intermediary and booking facilitator.

2.7 Dining Events Directory

A curated directory of food-related events, dining experiences, and hospitality events across Mauritius.

2.8 Restaurant Owner Dashboard

A suite of tools enabling verified restaurant owners to manage their listings, publish menus, respond to reviews, access analytics, and subscribe to promotional packages.

2.9 Deals and Promotional Packages

Where applicable, Restaurants.mu may offer discounted dining packages, vouchers or promotional products in partnership with listed establishments.

2.10 Third-Party Data Integration

The Platform integrates data from third-party sources including Google Places API, TripAdvisor Content API, and other data providers to enrich restaurant listings. Such data is provided by third parties and may not always reflect current conditions.

3.1 General User Eligibility

You must be at least 18 years of age to register an account, submit reviews, make bookings or engage with transactional features of the Platform. Minors under 18 may browse public areas under parental supervision but may not register accounts.

3.2 Business and Restaurant Owner Eligibility

Eligible service providers include restaurants, bars, cafes, clubs, food retail establishments, culinary institutions, catering businesses, and any food and beverage related enterprise operating in Mauritius. All service providers must hold all required permits and licences under the laws of Mauritius.

3.3 Account Registration

To access features including submitting reviews, making bookings, uploading content, or accessing owner dashboard tools, you must create and maintain a registered account. You agree to provide accurate, complete and current information and maintain the confidentiality of your credentials.

3.4 Account Security

You are solely responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your login credentials. Restaurants.mu will not be liable for any loss arising from unauthorised access to your account.

4.1 User Responsibility

You are solely responsible for any content you submit, post, upload or transmit through the Platform, including reviews, ratings, photographs, comments, recipe submissions, and event listings.

4.2 Licence Grant

By submitting User Content, you grant Restaurants.mu a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable licence to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, translate, distribute and display such content across the Platform and in associated marketing materials.

4.3 Prohibited Content

You must not post content that is false, misleading, defamatory, abusive, obscene, promotes violence, infringes intellectual property rights, contains personal data of third parties without consent, or constitutes spam. AI-generated reviews are strictly prohibited.

4.4 Content Moderation

Restaurants.mu employs automated AI moderation and human editorial oversight to review User Content. We reserve the right to remove, edit, or reject any User Content without prior notice.

4.5 Photo Submissions

Photos must be original and taken by the submitting user. Photos must not contain identifiable persons without their explicit consent and are subject to AI-assisted moderation before publication.

4.6 Watermarking of Submitted Photographs

You acknowledge and agree that Restaurants.mu may apply its branding, logo or a watermark to any photograph you submit through the Platform, including photographs submitted with reviews, restaurant galleries, event listings and recipe submissions. Watermarking is applied automatically at the time of upload, and the watermarked version of the photograph may be stored, displayed and used across the Platform and in associated promotional and marketing materials in accordance with the licence granted at clause 4.2.

You retain ownership of and copyright in the underlying photograph you submit. The Restaurants.mu name, logo and watermark, together with the resulting watermarked composite image as published on the Platform, remain the property of Restaurants.mu. You must not remove, obscure, crop out or otherwise alter the watermark on any image published on the Platform, and you must not reproduce watermarked Platform images outside the Platform without our prior written consent.

4.7 Conduct Standards

You must not attempt to manipulate ratings or rankings, create multiple accounts, engage in coordinated review manipulation, solicit or offer payment for reviews, or use the Platform to harvest data.

5.1 Nature of AI Content

Restaurants.mu uses artificial intelligence tools to generate editorial content, restaurant descriptions, article summaries and conversational responses. Users acknowledge that AI-generated content may contain inaccuracies or outdated information and does not constitute professional advice.

5.2 Chef Zil AI Copilot — Usage Terms

The Chef Zil AI copilot is designed for general dining guidance, site navigation assistance, and food discovery. Conversations with Chef Zil may be logged for platform improvement. Chef Zil sessions are limited to 20 messages per session.

5.3 TripAdvisor Integration

Where TripAdvisor ratings and data are displayed, such content is sourced via the TripAdvisor Content API and is subject to TripAdvisor's own terms of service.

6.1 Platform Content

All content on the Platform is the property of Restaurants.mu or its content suppliers and is protected under the intellectual property laws of the Republic of Mauritius.

6.2 Limited Licence to Users

Restaurants.mu grants you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable licence to access and use the Platform for personal, non-commercial purposes only. You must not reproduce, distribute, or commercially exploit any Platform Content.

6.3 Trademarks

The Restaurants.mu name, logo, and all related product and service names are trademarks of Restaurants.mu. You must not use these marks without prior written authorisation.

The collection, use and protection of your personal data is governed by the Privacy Policy set out in Part Three of these Terms and by the Data Protection Act 2017 of Mauritius. By using the Platform, you consent to the collection and use of your data as described in the Privacy Policy.

The Platform may contain links to or integrate with third-party websites and services. Restaurants.mu is not responsible for the availability, content, privacy practices, or accuracy of any third-party service. Use of third-party services is at your own risk and subject to their respective terms.

10.1 Governing Law

These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Republic of Mauritius.

10.2 Dispute Resolution

Parties shall first attempt to resolve disputes amicably. If unresolved within 30 days, the matter shall be submitted to the exclusive jurisdiction of the competent courts of the Republic of Mauritius.

10.3 Limitation Period

Any claim must be brought within one (1) year of the date on which the claim arose.

Restaurants.mu reserves the right to suspend, restrict, or permanently terminate your access to the Platform at any time without prior notice if you violate any provision of these Terms, engage in harmful conduct, or if continued provision of services creates legal or reputational risk. You may close your account at any time by contacting info@restaurants.mu.

12.1 Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy and Disclaimer, constitute the entire agreement between you and Restaurants.mu.

12.2 Severability

If any provision is found to be unlawful or unenforceable, it shall be deemed severable and shall not affect the remaining provisions.

12.3 Waiver

Failure to enforce any right shall not constitute a waiver of such right.

12.4 Assignment

Restaurants.mu may assign its rights without restriction. You may not assign your rights without prior written consent.

12.5 Newsletter Communications

Where you subscribe to newsletters, you consent to receiving such communications. You may unsubscribe at any time.

12.6 Contact

Restaurants.mu offers restaurant owners and their authorised representatives a choice of listing plans: Listed (free), Premium and Diamond (paid). Plans are assigned per venue. Prices are quoted exclusive of VAT and may be revised with prior notice.

13.1 What a Plan Includes

Each plan defines the volume of content a venue may publish, including the number of menus, photos, videos, announcements and offers, events, content pages, and access to tools such as table reservations, the enquiry form, translation assistance, menu text recognition and the owner copilot. The published plan comparison on the Platform forms part of these Terms. Restaurants.mu may adjust plan contents, allowances and tooling from time to time; material reductions will be notified to affected owners.

13.2 Verification Is Free

The verified badge confirms that a venue has been claimed and its ownership checked. It is granted at no cost on every plan, including Listed, and is never sold.

13.3 Rankings Are Not for Sale

Positions in Best-Of rankings, curated collections, search results and recommendation features cannot be purchased and are never reordered in exchange for payment. Ranking scores are produced by the Platform's own methodology, which is published on the Platform, and a venue's plan is not an input to that methodology.

13.4 Listing Completeness

Where browse and search results are not sorted by an explicit user choice, the Platform may favour listings that are more complete and useful to visitors — for example those with a description, current opening hours, quality photos, a menu, and the ability to take a reservation or enquiry. Completeness is measured from published content only. Any venue may improve its completeness, and owners on the free plan can do so without payment, subject to the content allowances of their plan.

13.5 Paid Promotional Placements

Certain clearly separated promotional areas of the Platform — including selected homepage feature blocks and advertising placements — are commercial and are allocated to paid plans and advertisers, with Diamond taking precedence over Premium. These areas are distinct from rankings, collections and search results described in clause 13.3.

13.6 Downgrades, Expiry and Non-Payment

Where a paid plan ends, expires or is not renewed, the venue reverts to the Listed plan. No content is deleted. Content that exceeds the allowances of the lower plan is hidden from public view or returned to an unpublished state and can be restored by upgrading again or by removing surplus items. Reservations already accepted are honoured, while new reservation and enquiry requests are closed where the lower plan does not include those tools.

13.7 Owner Responsibilities

Owners remain responsible for the accuracy, legality and rights clearance of everything they publish, including offer terms, prices, opening hours, menus, photographs, logos and videos. Restaurants.mu may moderate, decline, hide or remove owner content that breaches these Terms, misleads consumers, or infringes third-party rights, and may suspend a venue's publishing tools in cases of repeated or serious breach. Paid plans do not exempt owner content from moderation.

18.1 Information You Provide

• Account registration details (name, email address, username, password)
• Profile information (avatar, bio, food preferences)
• User-generated content (reviews, ratings, photographs, recipe submissions)
• Booking details (name, contact number, party size, date/time, special requests)
• Communications with us and with other users
• Survey responses and feedback

18.2 Information Collected Automatically

• Device information (browser type, operating system, device type)
• Usage data (pages visited, features used, session duration, search queries)
• IP address and approximate geolocation
• Referral source and browsing patterns
• Cookie and similar technology identifiers

18.3 Information from Third Parties

Where you register or log in via a third-party service (e.g. Google OAuth), we receive limited profile information as authorised by you through that service's permissions.

18.4 Restaurant Enquiries

When you send an enquiry to a restaurant through the Platform, we record the details you submit (your name, email address and/or telephone number, enquiry type, party size, preferred date, occasion and message) together with a one-way hashed form of your IP address used solely to prevent abuse. These details are shared with the verified owner of that restaurant so they can reply to you directly, and a copy is sent to you by email. Enquiries are retained for 24 months for dispute resolution and service-quality purposes, after which they are deleted or anonymised. You may request deletion of an enquiry at any time by contacting info@restaurants.mu. Restaurant owners' personal contact details are never disclosed to you through this form; replies come directly from the restaurant.

19.1 Core Platform Services

• To operate, maintain and improve the Platform
• To create and manage your account
• To process and facilitate table bookings
• To display your reviews, ratings and photos
• To personalise your experience and recommendations

19.2 Safety and Moderation

• To moderate user-generated content
• To detect and prevent fraud, abuse, or violations of our Terms
• To maintain Platform security and integrity

19.3 Communications

• To send booking confirmations and reminders
• To send notifications about reviews, badges, and community activity
• To send newsletters and marketing communications where you have opted in

19.4 Legal and Compliance

To comply with applicable laws and regulatory requirements of the Republic of Mauritius, including the Data Protection Act 2017.

19.5 AI Feature Operation

Conversation data from interactions with our Chef Zil AI copilot is used in anonymised, aggregated form to improve quality and relevance of AI responses.

20.1 Restaurant Partners

Where you submit a booking request, we share your name and contact details with the relevant restaurant for confirming and managing your reservation.

20.2 Service Providers

We share limited personal data with third-party service providers including cloud hosting providers, AI service providers, communication services, payment processors, and analytics providers.

20.3 Legal Disclosures

We may disclose your personal data to law enforcement authorities or regulatory bodies where required by law.

20.4 Business Transfers

In the event of a merger, acquisition or sale, your personal data may be transferred to the acquiring entity.

20.5 No Sale of Personal Data

Restaurants.mu does not sell, rent or trade your personal data to any third party for their own marketing or commercial purposes.

Restaurants.mu uses cookies and similar technologies to enhance your browsing experience, understand usage patterns and improve Platform performance.

21.1 Types of Cookies We Use

• Essential cookies: required for Platform operation, login authentication and security
• Functional cookies: remember your preferences and settings
• Analytics cookies: help us understand how users interact with the Platform
• Third-party cookies: from integrated services such as Google Maps and analytics providers

21.2 Managing Cookies

You can control and manage cookies through your browser settings. Disabling certain cookies may affect Platform functionality.

Restaurants.mu implements appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration or destruction. Our security measures include encrypted data transmission, secure database hosting, access controls and regular security reviews.

While we take all reasonable steps to protect your data, no method of internet transmission or electronic storage is 100% secure. In the event of a data breach, we will notify you and the Data Protection Commissioner of Mauritius as required under the Data Protection Act 2017.

We retain your personal data for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected. Specifically:

• Account data: retained for the duration of your account and a reasonable period following closure
• Booking records: retained for a minimum of 3 years for legal and tax compliance
• Review content: retained until you delete your content or close your account
• AI interaction logs: retained in anonymised form for up to 12 months
• Marketing consent records: retained for the period of the marketing relationship

You may request deletion of your personal data at any time by contacting info@restaurants.mu.

Subject to the Data Protection Act 2017 of Mauritius, you have the following rights:

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at info@restaurants.mu. We will respond within 30 days.

The Platform is not directed at or intended for use by children under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe we have inadvertently collected data from a child, please contact us immediately at info@restaurants.mu.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, or legal requirements. Material changes will be communicated via email to registered users or by prominent notice on the Platform.

Restaurant information displayed on the Platform including opening hours, menus, pricing, contact details, features, availability and location, is sourced from multiple parties. Restaurants.mu does not independently verify all restaurant information and cannot guarantee its accuracy, completeness or currency.

Users are strongly advised to contact restaurants directly to verify current information before making dining decisions.

Reviews, ratings and opinions published on the Platform are submitted by individual users and are the sole opinion of the submitting user. They do not represent the views or endorsements of Restaurants.mu. Restaurants.mu does not independently verify the accuracy of user reviews.

The Platform integrates data from third-party sources including Google Places API and TripAdvisor Content API. Such data is provided by the respective third party and is subject to their accuracy standards. Restaurants.mu makes no warranty as to the accuracy of third-party sourced data.

Where TripAdvisor ratings, review counts, rankings and review excerpts are displayed, such content is sourced via the TripAdvisor Content API. This content is the intellectual property of TripAdvisor and its review contributors. Restaurants.mu displays this content under a licensed arrangement and is not responsible for its accuracy or currency.

Restaurants.mu does not warrant that the Platform will be available at all times, free from interruptions, errors or security vulnerabilities. We shall not be liable for interruptions, data loss, errors in search results, failures of third-party integrations, or consequences of security breaches despite reasonable protective measures.

The Platform contains links to external websites. These links are provided for user convenience only. Restaurants.mu has no control over, and accepts no responsibility for, the content, privacy practices, or availability of any externally linked website.