Hill Country Privacy Policy

Effective date: October 8, 2026
Last updated: October 8, 2026

The short version:

We collect the information you give us (for example, when you join our email list, book a table, or plan a catering order or event), plus some information collected automatically when you use our website.
We use it to run the restaurant, answer you, send you news and offers you signed up for, and advertise Hill Country.
We use our email list for advertising on Meta (Facebook and Instagram) and Google. Before we upload email addresses, they are converted into scrambled codes ("hashed"). Meta and Google use the codes to show our ads to people already on our list, to leave them out of certain ads, or to find new people with similar interests. Our website also uses advertising pixels and tags from Meta and Google.
You can opt out of this at any time at hillcountry.com/privacy-choices or by emailing privacy@hillcountry.com.
We do not sell your information for money.

1. Who we are

This Privacy Policy explains how Hill Country Ventures LLC and its affiliates, including 30 W 26th Street OpCo LLC, which operates Hill Country Barbecue Market at 30 West 26th Street, New York, NY 10010, and Hill Country NY LLC ("Hill Country," "we," "us," or "our"), collects, uses, and shares personal information. It covers our website, hillcountry.com; our email list; reservations; catering, private events, and orders; and your visits to the restaurant.

It doesn't cover websites, apps, or services run by other companies, even if you reach them from our site. That includes OpenTable, delivery apps such as Grubhub and Uber Eats, and social media. Those companies' own privacy policies apply to them.

2. Information we collect

Information you give us

Email list sign-up. Email address, plus first and last name and any optional details you choose to share, such as ZIP code, preferred location, phone number, and birthday.
Reservations. When you book a table through OpenTable, that platform shares your name, contact details, party size, reservation date and time, any notes you add, and, if you agreed, whether you want marketing from us.
Catering, private events, and orders. Name, email, phone number, company (if any), delivery or event address, order details, and any notes you send.
Contacting us. What you send us by email, phone, web form, or social media, and our replies.
Payments. Card payments are handled by our payment processors. We do not receive or store full card numbers.

Information collected automatically on our website When you visit hillcountry.com, we and our advertising and analytics partners use cookies, pixels, tags, and similar technology to collect information like:

pages you view, links you click, and actions you take (for example, clicking "Reserve," "Order," or "Sign up");
device type, browser, operating system, and language settings;
IP address and the approximate location it suggests (city or region, not precise GPS location);
the website or ad that brought you to us; and
cookie and advertising identifiers.

Information from other sources

Reservation and ordering platforms, as described above.
Meta and Google, which send us reports about how our ads perform. These reports are usually aggregated and don't tell us who you are.
Social media, when you tag, message, or interact with our accounts.

We do not intentionally collect sensitive information, such as health information, Social Security numbers, or precise geolocation, through our website or email list. Please don't send it to us.

3. How we use your information

We use personal information to:

take and manage reservations, catering, private events, and orders;
respond to questions, feedback, and requests;
send emails you signed up for, such as news, events, menus, offers, and birthday treats;
advertise Hill Country and measure how our ads work (see Section 4);
understand how people use our website and improve it;
protect our guests, staff, and business, and prevent fraud or misuse; and
comply with the law and enforce our terms.

4. How we use information for advertising

4a. Customer lists (hashed list matching)

We may upload the following to Meta (Facebook and Instagram) and Google (including Google Search, YouTube, and Gmail ads) to help with our advertising:

from our email list (managed in Mailchimp): email address and, where we have them, first name, last name, and ZIP code.

How it works. Before upload, this information is converted on our side or in the platform's upload tool into a scrambled code ("hashed") using a standard one-way method (SHA-256). Meta and Google compare these codes with codes made from their own users' information to find matches. Under the platforms' terms, they use our list only to provide this service to us. They do not share it with other advertisers, and they delete the uploaded codes after matching (or keep them only as needed to provide the service).

What we use it for:

Showing ads to people already on our list (for example, to announce events or a new menu);
Leaving people out of certain ads (for example, not showing a "join our list" ad to current subscribers); and
Finding new people with similar interests ("lookalike" or "similar" audiences, or audience-expansion features that Meta or Google build from our list).

We never upload birthdays, payment information, or the content of your messages to us. We do not upload information we know belongs to anyone under 18.

4b. Pixels, cookies, and tags on our website

Our website uses the Meta Pixel and Google tags (including Google Analytics and Google Ads conversion and remarketing tags, managed through Google Tag Manager). These tools let Meta and Google collect information about your visit (see Section 2) and combine it with information they already have. We and they use it to:

measure whether our ads lead to reservations, orders, or sign-ups;
understand how our website is used; and
show you Hill Country ads after you leave our site ("retargeting").

This means other companies (Meta and Google) may collect information about your online activity over time and across different websites when you use our site. Meta and Google also use this information under their own privacy policies:

Meta: https://www.facebook.com/privacy/policy
Google: https://policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites

4c. What the law calls this

Under some state privacy laws, this kind of advertising may be called "targeted advertising," "cross-context behavioral advertising," "sharing," or a "sale" of personal information, even though no money changes hands. We do not sell your personal information for money. Whatever it's called, you can opt out as described in Section 6.

5. How we share information

We share personal information only as described here:

Service providers that work on our behalf and are allowed to use the information only to help us. They include Mailchimp (our email list and email delivery), our website platform and hosting provider, reservation and ordering platforms, payment processors, and IT and professional advisors.
Advertising and analytics platforms (Meta and Google), as described in Section 4.
Delivery and reservation platforms you choose to use, to complete your order or booking.
For legal reasons, such as complying with law, a court order, or a government request, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of our guests, staff, Hill Country, or others.
In a business transfer, such as a sale, merger, or reorganization of our business. Any new owner must handle your information consistently with this policy.
With your permission, or at your direction.

We do not share personal information with other companies for their own direct marketing.

6. Your choices

Opt out of targeted ads / "Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information"

You can ask us to stop using your information for targeted advertising at any time:

Online: hillcountry.com/privacy-choices
By email: privacy@hillcountry.com with the subject line "Opt Out." Please include the email address (and phone number, if any) you've given us.

What happens when you opt out:

We add you to a suppression list so that your email address (and phone number, if any) won't be included in any future customer-list uploads to Meta, Google, or other ad platforms.
We remove you from customer-list audiences we've already uploaded when we next refresh those audiences, and in any case within 15 business days of your request.
You'll keep getting our emails unless you also unsubscribe.

You don't need an account, and you don't have to prove your identity to opt out. We may ask for your email address only so we can find you on our list.

"Do Not Track." Some browsers send a "Do Not Track" (DNT) signal. There's no common industry standard for DNT, so our website doesn't respond to DNT signals.

Other ways to limit ads and cookies

Browser settings: You can block or delete cookies in your browser. Some parts of our site may not work as well if you do.
Meta: Manage ads at https://www.facebook.com/adpreferences
Google: Manage ads at https://myadcenter.google.com, and opt out of Google Analytics at https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout
Industry opt-outs: https://optout.aboutads.info and https://optout.networkadvertising.org

These tools work per browser or device and are run by other companies. We don't control them.

Emails

Email: Click "unsubscribe" in any of our emails or email privacy@hillcountry.com. We only upload current email subscribers, so unsubscribing also keeps you out of future email-list uploads. You'll be removed from existing list audiences at our next refresh. We may still send you messages about a reservation, order, or event you booked.

7. Your privacy rights

Depending on where you live, you may have some or all of these rights:

Know and access: ask what personal information we have about you and get a copy;
Correct: ask us to fix inaccurate information;
Delete: ask us to delete your information;
Opt out of targeted advertising, "sales," or "sharing" (see Section 6); and
Appeal if we turn down your request.

We will honor these requests from anyone, wherever you live, unless the law allows or requires us to keep certain information (for example, records of a transaction, or the suppression list that keeps you opted out).

How to make a request: Email privacy@hillcountry.com or write to us at the address in Section 13. For requests other than opt-outs, we may need to confirm your identity, usually by checking the email address you've given us. An authorized agent can make a request for you with your written permission. We'll respond within 45 days, or tell you if we need more time as allowed by law.

Appeals: If we deny your request, you can appeal by replying to our decision or emailing privacy@hillcountry.com with the subject "Appeal." If you're not satisfied with the outcome of an appeal, you may contact your state attorney general.

No discrimination: We won't treat you differently, deny you service, or charge you more for exercising your privacy rights.

8. Children and teens

Our website and email list are meant for adults and are not directed to children. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. We do not knowingly use personal information of anyone under 18 for targeted advertising. If you believe a child has given us information, contact us and we'll delete it.

9. How we protect information

We use reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect personal information. For example, we limit access to the people who need it, use secure, reputable service providers, and hash contact information before it's uploaded for advertising. No system is perfectly secure, so we can't guarantee absolute security. If a breach affects your information, we'll notify you as required by law.

10. How long we keep information

We keep personal information only as long as we need it for the purposes in this policy, or as required by law. For example:

Email list: while you're subscribed. After you unsubscribe, we keep a minimal record (your email address and unsubscribe date) so we don't email you again.
Opt-out (suppression) list: indefinitely, so we can keep honoring your choice.
Reservations, orders, and catering records: as long as needed for the booking or order and for business, tax, and accounting records.
Website analytics and advertising data: under the retention settings of the tools we use (for example, Google Analytics data retention settings, and Meta's terms for pixel data).

11. Other websites and platforms

Our site links to and embeds other services, such as reservation, delivery, map, and social media tools. Those services collect information under their own privacy policies, and we're not responsible for their practices.

12. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. We'll post the new version here and change the "Last updated" date. If we make material changes, we'll give notice before they take effect, for example by email to subscribers or a notice on our homepage. Where the law requires it, we'll ask for your consent before using information we already have in a materially different way.

13. Contact us

Questions or requests? Contact us:

Email: privacy@hillcountry.com
Mail: Hill Country Ventures LLC / 30 W 26th Street OpCo LLC d/b/a Hill Country Barbecue Market, Attn: Privacy, 30 West 26th Street, New York, NY 10010
Phone: (212) 255-4544