Acceptance of the Terms of Use 

Last Modified: December 9, 2024
These terms of use are entered into by and between You and National Restaurant Association (“Company”, “we” or “us”).  The following terms and conditions, together with any documents they expressly incorporate by reference (collectively, these “Terms of Use”), govern your access to and use of Restaurant.org (the “Website”), including any content, functionality and services offered on or through the Website, whether as a guest or a registered user.
 
Please read the Terms of Use carefully before you start to use the Website. The Terms of Use include a Class Action Waiver. By using the Website or by clicking to accept or agree to the Terms of Use when this option is made available to you, you accept and agree to be bound and abide by these Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy (Opens in a new window), incorporated herein by reference. If you do not want to agree to these Terms of Use or the Privacy Policy, you must not access or use the Website.
 
Changes to the Terms of Use
 
 We may revise and update these Terms of Use from time to time in our sole discretion. All changes are effective immediately when we post them, and apply to all access to and use of the Website thereafter.
 
 Your continued use of the Website following the posting of revised Terms of Use means that you accept and agree to the changes. You are expected to check this page from time to time so you are aware of any changes, as they are binding on you.
 
Accessing the Website and Account Security
 
 We reserve the right to withdraw or amend this Website, and any service or material we provide on the Website, in our sole discretion without notice. We will not be liable if for any reason all or any part of the Website is unavailable at any time or for any period. From time to time, we may restrict access to some parts of the Website, or the entire Website, to users, including registered users.
 
 You are responsible for: 

  • Making all arrangements necessary for you to have access to the Website. 
  • Ensuring that all persons who access the Website through your internet connection are aware of these Terms of Use and comply with them. 

To access the Website or some of the resources it offers, you may be asked to provide certain registration details or other information. It is a condition of your use of the Website that all the information you provide on the Website is correct, current and complete. You agree that all information you provide to register with this Website or otherwise, including but not limited to through the use of any interactive features on the Website, is governed by our Privacy Policy (Opens in a new window), and you consent to all actions we take with respect to your information consistent with our Privacy Policy.
 
 You agree not to share any data with us without first obtaining any and all necessary consents and/or third-party rights to share such data. By sending us any data, you represent and warrant that you have obtained any and all consents and third-party rights which may be required for you to share any data, including any third party’s personal information (such as names, email addresses, or mailing addresses), with us.
 If you choose, or are provided with, a user name, password or any other piece of information as part of our security procedures, you must treat such information as confidential, and you must not disclose it to any other person or entity. You also acknowledge that your account is personal to you and agree not to provide any other person with access to this Website or portions of it using your user name, password or other security information. You agree to notify us immediately of any unauthorized access to or use of your user name or password or any other breach of security. You also agree to ensure that you exit from your account at the end of each session. You should use particular caution when accessing your account from a public or shared computer so that others are not able to view or record your password or other personal information.
 
 We have the right to disable any user name, password or other identifier, whether chosen by you or provided by us, at any time in our sole discretion for any or no reason, including if, in our opinion, you have violated any provision of these Terms of Use.
 
Intellectual Property Rights
 
 The Website and its entire contents, features and functionality (including but not limited to all information, software, text, displays, images, video and audio, and the design, selection and arrangement thereof), are owned by the Company, its licensors or other providers of such material and are protected by United States and international copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret and other intellectual property or proprietary rights laws.
 
 These Terms of Use permit you to use the Website for your personal, non-commercial use only. You must not reproduce, distribute, modify, create derivative works of, publicly display, publicly perform, republish, download, store or transmit any of the material on our Website, except as follows: 

  • Your computer may temporarily store copies of such materials in RAM incidental to your accessing and viewing those materials. 
  • You may store files that are automatically cached by your Web browser for display enhancement purposes. 

You must not: 

  • Modify copies of any materials from this site. 
  • Delete or alter any copyright, trademark or other proprietary rights notices from copies of materials from this site. 

You must not access or use for any commercial purposes any part of the Website or any services or materials available through the Website.  
 
 If you wish to make any use of material on the Website other than that set out in this section, please address your request to: info@restaurant.org.
 
 If you print, copy, modify, download or otherwise use or provide any other person with access to any part of the Website in breach of the Terms of Use, your right to use the Website will cease immediately and you must, at our option, return or destroy any copies of the materials you have made. No right, title or interest in or to the Website or any content on the Website is transferred to you, and all rights not expressly granted are reserved by the Company. Any use of the Website not expressly permitted by these Terms of Use is a breach of these Terms of Use and may violate copyright, trademark and other laws.
 
Trademarks
 
 The Company name and all related names, logos, product and service names, designs and slogans are trademarks of the Company or its affiliates or licensors. You must not use such marks without the prior written permission of the Company or its affiliates or licensors, as applicable. All other names, logos, product and service names, designs and slogans on this Website are the trademarks of their respective owners.
 
Prohibited Uses
 
 You may use the Website only for lawful purposes and in accordance with these Terms of Use. You agree not to use the Website or any communication tools within the Website for any purposes that may be anticompetitive or violate antitrust statutes as referenced below: 

  • In any way that violates any applicable federal, state, local or international law or regulation (including, without limitation, any laws regarding the export of data or software to and from the United States or other countries).  
  • For the purpose of exploiting, harming or attempting to exploit or harm minors in any way by exposing them to inappropriate content, asking for personally identifiable information or otherwise. 
  • To engage in any other conduct that restricts or inhibits anyone’s use or enjoyment of the Website, or which, as determined by us, may harm the Company or users of the Website or expose them to liability. 

Additionally, you agree not to: 

  • Use the Website in any manner that could disable, overburden, damage, or impair the site or interfere with any other party’s use of the Website, including their ability to engage in real time activities through the Website. 
  • Use any robot, spider or other automatic device, process or means to access the Website for any purpose, including monitoring or copying any of the material on the Website. 
  • Use any manual process to monitor or copy any of the material on the Website or for any other unauthorized purpose without our prior written consent. 
  • Use any device, software or routine that interferes with the proper working of the Website. 
  • Introduce any viruses, trojan horses, worms, logic bombs or other material which is malicious or technologically harmful. 
  • Attempt to gain unauthorized access to, interfere with, damage or disrupt any parts of the Website, the server on which the Website is stored, or any server, computer or database connected to the Website.  
  • Attack the Website via a denial-of-service attack or a distributed denial-of-service attack. 
  • Otherwise attempt to interfere with the proper working of the Website. 

Antitrust Compliance 
 
The Company and its affiliates are committed to advancing and protecting the restaurant and hospitality industry, and complying with all applicable antitrust laws and regulations. As an association comprised of competitors, potential competitors, suppliers, and customers, it is extremely important that we steer clear of any discussions that could be interpreted as anticompetitive. You agree to comply with our Antitrust Policy (Opens in a new window) and/or such other antitrust guidance as may be provided for a particular event or service.
 
 As such, you agree not to engage in anticompetitive activities, including but not limited to:  

  • making agreements, or entering into discussions that could lead to agreements, between you and any of your competitors that might restrict trade, set pricing, exclude competitors, or limit competition; 
  • discussing, sharing, collecting or distributing individual company data or other nonpublic, competitively sensitive information, such as: 
  • pricing methods, pricing components (including the costs of materials or inventory, wages, or benefits); 
  • individual company business plans; compensation scales or methods, production figures, or similar proprietary or confidential matters; and 
  • making attempts to limit or restrict competition or new market participants. If you believe that the sharing or benchmarking of confidential information would be useful, please contact a Company staff member who may be able to craft a confidential survey with adequate safeguards to avoid any antitrust concerns. 

Reliance on Information Posted
 
 The information presented on or through the Website is made available solely for general information purposes. We do not warrant the accuracy, completeness or usefulness of this information. Any reliance you place on such information is strictly at your own risk. We disclaim all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on such materials by you or any other visitor to the Website, or by anyone who may be informed of any of its contents.
 
 This Website may include content provided by third parties, including materials provided by other users, bloggers and third-party licensors, syndicators, aggregators and/or reporting services. All statements and/or opinions expressed in these materials, and all articles and responses to questions and other content, other than the content provided by the Company, are solely the opinions and the responsibility of the person or entity providing those materials. These materials do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Company. We are not responsible, or liable to you or any third party, for the content or accuracy of any materials provided by any third parties.
 
Changes to the Website
 
 We may update the content on this Website from time to time, but its content is not necessarily complete or up-to-date. Any of the material on the Website may be out of date at any given time, and we are under no obligation to update such material.
 
Information About You and Your Visits to the Website
 
All information we collect on this Website is subject to our Privacy Policy (Opens in a new window). By using the Website, you consent to all actions taken by us with respect to your information in compliance with the Privacy Policy.
 
Online Purchases and Other Terms and Conditions
 
All purchases through our site or other transactions for the sale of goods, services or information formed through the Website or as a result of visits made by you are governed by our Terms of Sale (Opens in a new window) , unless otherwise agreed to by us in a written agreement governing your purchases or transactions formed through the Website, which are hereby incorporated into these Terms of Use. Additional terms and conditions may also apply to specific portions, services, purchases from or features of the Website. All such additional terms and conditions are hereby incorporated by this reference into these Terms of Use.
 
Linking to the Website and Social Media Features
 
 You may link to our homepage, provided you do so in a way that is fair and legal and does not damage our reputation or take advantage of it, but you must not establish a link in such a way as to suggest any form of association, approval or endorsement on our part.
 
 This Website may provide certain social media features that enable you to: 

  • Link from your own or certain third-party websites to certain content on this Website. 
  • Send e-mails or other communications with certain content, or links to certain content, on this Website. 
  • Cause limited portions of content on this Website to be displayed or appear to be displayed on your own or certain third-party websites. 

You may use these features solely as they are provided by us, solely with respect to the content they are displayed with and otherwise in accordance with any additional terms and conditions we provide with respect to such features. Subject to the foregoing, you must not: 

  • Establish a link from any website that is not owned by you. 
  • Cause the Website or portions of it to be displayed, or appear to be displayed by, for example, framing, deep linking or in-line linking, on any other site. 
  • Link to any part of the Website other than the homepage. 
  • Otherwise take any action with respect to the materials on this Website that is inconsistent with any other provision of these Terms of Use. 

You agree to cooperate with us in causing any unauthorized framing or linking immediately to cease. We reserve the right to withdraw linking permission without notice.
 
 We may disable all or any social media features and any links at any time without notice in our discretion.
 
Links from the Website
 
 If the Website contains links to other sites and resources provided by third parties, these links are provided for your convenience only. This includes links contained in advertisements, including banner advertisements and sponsored links. We have no control over the contents of those sites or resources, and accept no responsibility for them or for any loss or damage that may arise from your use of them. If you decide to access any of the third party websites linked to this Website, you do so entirely at your own risk and subject to the terms and conditions of use for such websites.
 
Geographic Restrictions
 
 The owner of the Website is based in the United States. We make no claims that the Website or any of its content is accessible or appropriate outside of the United States. Access to the Website may not be legal by certain persons or in certain countries. If you access the Website from outside the United States, you do so on your own initiative and are responsible for compliance with local laws.
 
Disclaimer of Warranties
 
 You understand that we cannot and do not guarantee or warrant that files available for downloading from the internet or the Website will be free of viruses or other destructive code. You are responsible for implementing sufficient procedures and checkpoints to satisfy your particular requirements for anti-virus protection and accuracy of data input and output, and for maintaining a means external to our site for any reconstruction of any lost data. WE WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY LOSS OR DAMAGE CAUSED BY A DISTRIBUTED DENIAL-OF-SERVICE ATTACK, VIRUSES OR OTHER TECHNOLOGICALLY HARMFUL MATERIAL THAT MAY INFECT YOUR COMPUTER EQUIPMENT, COMPUTER PROGRAMS, DATA OR OTHER PROPRIETARY MATERIAL DUE TO YOUR USE OF THE WEBSITE OR ANY SERVICES OR ITEMS OBTAINED THROUGH THE WEBSITE OR TO YOUR DOWNLOADING OF ANY MATERIAL POSTED ON IT, OR ON ANY WEBSITE LINKED TO IT.
 
 YOUR USE OF THE WEBSITE, ITS CONTENT AND ANY SERVICES OR ITEMS OBTAINED THROUGH THE WEBSITE IS AT YOUR OWN RISK. THE WEBSITE, ITS CONTENT AND ANY SERVICES OR ITEMS OBTAINED THROUGH THE WEBSITE ARE PROVIDED ON AN “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE” BASIS, WITHOUT ANY WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED. NEITHER THE COMPANY NOR ANY PERSON ASSOCIATED WITH THE COMPANY MAKES ANY WARRANTY OR REPRESENTATION WITH RESPECT TO THE COMPLETENESS, SECURITY, RELIABILITY, QUALITY, ACCURACY OR AVAILABILITY OF THE WEBSITE. WITHOUT LIMITING THE FOREGOING, NEITHER THE COMPANY NOR ANYONE ASSOCIATED WITH THE COMPANY REPRESENTS OR WARRANTS THAT THE WEBSITE, ITS CONTENT OR ANY SERVICES OR ITEMS OBTAINED THROUGH THE WEBSITE WILL BE ACCURATE, RELIABLE, ERROR-FREE OR UNINTERRUPTED, THAT DEFECTS WILL BE CORRECTED, THAT OUR SITE OR THE SERVER THAT MAKES IT AVAILABLE ARE FREE OF VIRUSES OR OTHER HARMFUL COMPONENTS OR THAT THE WEBSITE OR ANY SERVICES OR ITEMS OBTAINED THROUGH THE WEBSITE WILL OTHERWISE MEET YOUR NEEDS OR EXPECTATIONS.  
 
 THE COMPANY HEREBY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, STATUTORY OR OTHERWISE, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, NON-INFRINGEMENT AND FITNESS FOR PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
 
 THE FOREGOING DOES NOT AFFECT ANY WARRANTIES WHICH CANNOT BE EXCLUDED OR LIMITED UNDER APPLICABLE LAW.
 
Limitation on Liability
 
 IN NO EVENT WILL THE COMPANY, ITS AFFILIATES OR THEIR LICENSORS, SERVICE PROVIDERS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, OFFICERS OR DIRECTORS BE LIABLE FOR DAMAGES OF ANY KIND, UNDER ANY LEGAL THEORY, ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH YOUR USE, OR INABILITY TO USE, THE WEBSITE, ANY WEBSITES LINKED TO IT, ANY CONTENT ON THE WEBSITE OR SUCH OTHER WEBSITES OR ANY SERVICES OR ITEMS OBTAINED THROUGH THE WEBSITE OR SUCH OTHER WEBSITES, INCLUDING ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PERSONAL INJURY, PAIN AND SUFFERING, EMOTIONAL DISTRESS, LOSS OF REVENUE, LOSS OF PROFITS, LOSS OF BUSINESS OR ANTICIPATED SAVINGS, LOSS OF USE, LOSS OF GOODWILL, LOSS OF DATA, AND WHETHER CAUSED BY TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE), BREACH OF CONTRACT OR OTHERWISE, EVEN IF FORESEEABLE.
 
 THE FOREGOING DOES NOT AFFECT ANY LIABILITY WHICH CANNOT BE EXCLUDED OR LIMITED UNDER APPLICABLE LAW.
 
Indemnification
 
 You agree to defend, indemnify and hold harmless the Company, its affiliates, licensors and service providers, and its and their respective officers, directors, employees, contractors, agents, licensors, suppliers, successors and assigns from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, judgments, awards, losses, costs, expenses or fees (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising out of or relating to your violation of these Terms of Use or your use of the Website, including, but not limited to, any use of the Website’s content, services and products other than as expressly authorized in these Terms of Use or your use of any information obtained from the Website.
 
Governing Law 
 
 All matters relating to the Website and these Terms of Use and any dispute or claim arising therefrom or related thereto (in each case, including non-contractual disputes or claims), shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the internal laws of the State of Illinois without giving effect to any choice or conflict of law provision or rule (whether of the State of Illinois or any other jurisdiction).
 
Dispute Resolution

If you have any concern or dispute that our Customer Care team is unable to resolve (“Claim”), you agree to first try to resolve the dispute informally and in good faith by contacting us and providing a written notice of your Claim (“Notice of Claim”) to the address below. The Notice of Claim must provide us with fair notice of your identity, a description of the nature and basis of your Claim, and the relief you are seeking, including the specific amount of any monetary relief you are seeking, and cannot be combined with a Notice of Claim for other individuals. Neither party shall initiate legal action until 30 days after the Notice of Claim is received. 

Venue; Jurisdiction 

Any legal suit, action or proceeding arising out of, or related to, these Terms of Use or the Website shall be instituted exclusively in the federal courts of the United States located in Cook County, Illinois or the courts of the State of Illinois. You waive any and all objections to the exercise of jurisdiction over you by such courts and to venue in such courts.
 
 

CLASS ACTION WAIVER

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, YOU AND COMPANY WILL ONLY BRING DISPUTES, CLAIMS, OR CONTROVERSIES BETWEEN YOU AND COMPANY IN AN INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY AND SHALL NOT:

 

  • SEEK TO BRING, JOIN, OR PARTICIPATE IN ANY CLASS OR REPRESENTATIVE ACTION, OR ANY OTHER ACTION WHERE ANOTHER INDIVIDUAL OR ENTITY ACTS IN A REPRESENTATIVE CAPACITY (LIKE PRIVATE ATTORNEY GENERAL ACTIONS); OR
  • CONSOLIDATE OR COMBINE INDIVIDUAL PROCEEDINGS OR PERMIT ANOTHER TO DO SO WITHOUT THE EXPRESS CONSENT OF ALL PARTIES.


Limitation on Time to File Claims
 
 ANY CAUSE OF ACTION OR CLAIM YOU MAY HAVE ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THESE TERMS OF USE OR THE WEBSITE MUST BE COMMENCED WITHIN ONE (1) YEAR AFTER THE CAUSE OF ACTION ACCRUES, OTHERWISE, SUCH CAUSE OF ACTION OR CLAIM IS PERMANENTLY BARRED.
 
Waiver and Severability
 
 No waiver by the Company of any term or condition set forth in these Terms of Use shall be deemed a further or continuing waiver of such term or condition or a waiver of any other term or condition, and any failure of the Company to assert a right or provision under these Terms of Use shall not constitute a waiver of such right or provision.
 
 If any provision of these Terms of Use is held by a court or other tribunal of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable for any reason, such provision shall be eliminated or limited to the minimum extent such that the remaining provisions of the Terms of Use will continue in full force and effect.
 
Entire Agreement
 
 The Terms of Use, our Privacy Policy and Terms of Sale or your other written agreement with us governing your purchases or transactions through the Website, constitute the sole and entire agreement between you and the Company with respect to the Website and supersede all prior and contemporaneous understandings, agreements, representations and warranties, both written and oral, with respect to the Website.
 
Your Comments and Concerns
 
 This website is operated by National Restaurant Association, 2055 L St NW, Suite 700, Washington, D.C. 20036.
 
 All notices of copyright infringement or other legal claims, including Notices of Claims, should be sent to legal@restaurant.org.
 
 All other feedback, comments, requests for technical support and other communications relating to the Website should be directed to: info@restaurant.org.