Privacy & Data Protection
Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy explains how The River House collects, uses, discloses, and protects your personal information when you visit our website, dine with us, or participate in our curated poker and event experiences in Australia.
Privacy Policy Overview
The River House ("we", "us", or "our") is committed to protecting the privacy of our guests, website visitors, and community members. This Privacy Policy outlines how we handle personal information in connection with our fine dining restaurant, bar, curated poker evenings, private events, and our website at https://theriverhousse.com.
We collect and use personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs), and other applicable data protection laws. Our goal is to be transparent about the information we collect, why we collect it, how we use it, and the choices available to you.
By accessing our website, making a reservation, attending an event, or otherwise interacting with us, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.
Information We Collect
We may collect personal information directly from you, from someone acting on your behalf, or automatically when you use our website. The types of information we collect can include:
Information you provide to us
- Identification and contact details such as your name, email address, phone number, and postal address.
- Reservation and booking details including preferred date and time, party size, seating preferences, occasion notes, and any special requests.
- Dining preferences such as dietary requirements, allergies, menu interests, and wine preferences shared with our team.
- Event and poker night participation details including RSVP information, event selections, and relevant eligibility confirmations for age-restricted experiences.
- Account and subscription information if you subscribe to our newsletter or join a VIP or loyalty program (for example, your subscription preferences and areas of interest).
- Communication content including enquiries sent via our Contact Us form, email correspondence, feedback, testimonials, or reviews.
Information collected automatically
When you visit our website, we may automatically collect certain information about your device and usage, such as:
- IP address, browser type, operating system, and device details.
- Pages viewed, referring URLs, time and date of visits, and time spent on our pages.
- General location data inferred from your IP address (for example, city or region).
Sensitive information
We generally do not seek to collect sensitive information (such as health information) beyond what is reasonably necessary to accommodate your dining requirements (for example, allergies or dietary needs). Where we do collect sensitive information, we do so with your consent or as otherwise permitted by law, and we use it only for the purpose for which it was provided.
How We Use Your Information
We use your personal information to deliver refined hospitality experiences and manage our operations. This may include:
- Managing reservations and bookings for our restaurant, bar, poker nights, private dining, and VIP events.
- Providing guest services such as confirming bookings, handling seating preferences, organising dietary accommodations, and tailoring your visit.
- Communicating with you about reservations, changes to booking details, waitlists, or follow-up after your visit.
- Sending marketing communications (where permitted) about seasonal menus, chef’s collaborations, wine events, and special experiences, in line with your preferences.
- Improving our website and services through analytics and feedback to refine our menu, wine program, poker lounge, and guest journey.
- Managing legal, security, and risk obligations, including preventing fraud, enforcing our Terms and Conditions, and complying with applicable laws.
We may also use aggregated or de-identified information (which does not identify you personally) for statistical, research, and business planning purposes.
Disclosure of Information
We treat your personal information with care and only share it when necessary for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, or as required or authorised by law.
Third parties and service providers
We may disclose personal information to trusted third parties who assist us in operating our business and delivering our services, such as:
- Reservation, booking, and table management platforms.
- Email and communication service providers used for confirmations and updates.
- Payment processors and financial institutions (for example, in connection with deposits or prepayments).
- IT hosting, analytics, and website maintenance providers.
- Event and hospitality partners involved in co-hosted experiences, where necessary.
Where practical, we require these third parties to handle your personal information in accordance with applicable privacy laws and to use it only for the specific services they provide to us.
Legal and regulatory disclosures
We may disclose personal information if we reasonably believe it is necessary to:
- Comply with applicable laws, regulations, or legal processes.
- Respond to lawful requests from law enforcement or regulatory authorities.
- Protect the rights, property, or safety of our guests, staff, or the public.
- Enforce our Terms and Conditions or other agreements.
In the event of a business restructure, merger, or acquisition, your personal information may be transferred to the relevant third party as part of the transaction, subject to applicable privacy requirements.
Data Security Measures
We take reasonable steps to protect the personal information we hold from misuse, interference, and loss, as well as from unauthorised access, modification, or disclosure.
Measures we may use include:
- Using reputable third-party reservation and payment platforms that apply industry-standard security controls.
- Restricting access to personal information to authorised staff and service providers on a need-to-know basis.
- Implementing technical safeguards such as encryption in transit where appropriate, secure authentication, and network safeguards.
- Applying internal policies and training to help ensure our team handles personal information responsibly.
While we strive to protect your information, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is completely secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security, but we are committed to maintaining and reviewing our security measures regularly.
International Data Transfers
Our restaurant and primary operations are based in Australia. However, some of our trusted service providers (such as cloud hosting, analytics, or email platforms) may store or process personal information on servers located outside Australia, including in countries with different data protection regimes.
Where we disclose personal information to overseas recipients, we take reasonable steps to ensure that they handle your information in a manner consistent with this Privacy Policy and applicable privacy laws. By providing your personal information to us, you consent to the possible transfer of your information to overseas locations as described in this section.
International guests who interact with our website or make reservations from outside Australia should be aware that their information will be processed in accordance with Australian privacy law and any additional requirements under local law where applicable.
Age Restrictions
The River House is a hospitality venue that includes age-restricted experiences such as bar service and curated poker evenings.
- Alcohol service: You must be at least 18 years of age to purchase or consume alcohol on our premises.
- Poker nights and related lounge experiences: Participation is restricted to guests who are 18 years of age or over. We may request proof of age before confirming certain bookings.
Our website is not intended for children under the age of 16, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under this age. If we become aware that personal information has been collected from a child without appropriate consent, we will take reasonable steps to delete that information.
Parents or guardians who believe that a minor has provided personal information to us are encouraged to contact us via the details in the Contact Information & Policy Updates section so we can assist.
Access & Correction Rights
You have the right, subject to certain exceptions under Australian privacy law, to request access to the personal information we hold about you and to ask that it be corrected if it is inaccurate, out of date, incomplete, or misleading.
To request access or correction, please contact us using the details in the Contact Information & Policy Updates section. For security reasons, we may need to verify your identity before actioning your request.
In some cases, we may be permitted or required by law to refuse access (for example, if providing access would unreasonably impact the privacy of others or reveal commercially sensitive information). If we refuse your request, we will provide you with a written explanation and outline the available options, which may include requesting that we attach a statement to your record noting your requested correction.
Data Retention Policy
We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, or as otherwise required or permitted by law.
This may include:
- Retaining reservation and transaction records for a period required for accounting, taxation, or regulatory compliance.
- Maintaining a limited history of your dining preferences to enhance future visits and provide a more personalised experience.
- Holding contact details for guests who have opted in to receive communications about our seasonal menu, wine collection, events, and poker nights, until you choose to unsubscribe.
When personal information is no longer required for these purposes, and we are not required by law to retain it, we will take reasonable steps to securely destroy or de-identify the information.
Your Choices & Opt-Out
We aim to offer you clear choices in relation to how we use your personal information, particularly for marketing and preference-based communications.
Marketing communications
If you receive marketing emails from us, you can opt out at any time by using the unsubscribe link provided in each message or by contacting us directly using the details in the Contact Information & Policy Updates section.
Cookie and tracking preferences
You can manage or disable cookies through your browser settings. Further information is set out in our Cookie Policy. Please note that disabling cookies may impact your experience on our website and could affect functionality related to Reservations or other interactive sections.
Requests for deletion
Subject to legal and operational requirements, you may request that we delete certain personal information we hold about you. We will assess such requests on a case-by-case basis and respond in accordance with applicable law.
Contact Information & Policy Updates
If you have questions, concerns, or feedback about this Privacy Policy or how we manage your personal information, you can contact us via:
The River House
Sydney, NSW, Australia
Email: [email protected]
You may also reach us through the Contact Us page on our website for general enquiries, including privacy-related questions.
Complaints
If you believe your privacy has been compromised or that we have breached our obligations under the Australian Privacy Principles, please contact us using the details above. We will acknowledge your complaint, investigate the matter, and respond within a reasonable timeframe. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may be able to lodge a complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC).
Updates to this Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, or legal requirements. The updated version will be posted on this page with a revised "Last updated" date. We encourage you to review this page periodically, especially when making a new reservation, attending a poker night, or booking events or private dining experiences.
Explore our dining, wine, and poker lounge experiences
Now that you understand how we protect your information, we invite you to discover the stories behind our restaurant, cellar, and curated poker evenings.