Cookie Policy

Last Updated: May 27, 2026

1. Introduction

Welcome to Taco Time. We are committed to being transparent about how we collect and use data related to your browsing experience on our website, tacotime-meal.click. This Cookie Policy provides you with clear and comprehensive information about the cookies we use, why we use them, and how you can control or delete them.

This policy should be read alongside our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service, which together govern your use of our website and services. As a food service business operating in the United States, we comply with applicable federal and state laws, including the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA) where applicable, as well as Federal Trade Commission (FTC) guidelines on online tracking and consumer protection.

If you have any questions about our use of cookies, please contact us using the details provided at the end of this document.

2. What Are Cookies?

Cookies are small text files that are placed on your computer, smartphone, tablet, or other internet-connected device when you visit a website. They are widely used by website owners to make their websites work more efficiently, to provide better user experiences, and to deliver reporting information.

Cookies set by the website owner — in this case, Taco Time — are called "first-party cookies." Cookies set by parties other than the website owner are called "third-party cookies." Third-party cookies enable third-party features or functionality to be provided on or through the website, such as advertising, interactive content, and analytics. The parties that set these third-party cookies can recognize your computer both when it visits the website in question and also when it visits certain other websites.

2.1 How Cookies Work

When you visit our website for the first time, our server sends a cookie to your browser, which stores it on your device. Each time you subsequently visit our website, your browser sends the cookie back to our server, allowing us to recognize you and remember your preferences. Cookies do not typically contain personally identifiable information on their own, but when combined with other data we collect about you, they can be used to identify you.

Cookies can be either session cookies — which are temporary and are deleted when you close your browser — or persistent cookies — which remain on your device for a set period of time or until you delete them manually.

2.2 Similar Tracking Technologies

In addition to cookies, we may also use other similar tracking technologies on our website, including:

  • Web Beacons (Pixel Tags): These are tiny graphic images embedded in web pages or emails that allow us to track page visits, email opens, and similar actions.
  • Local Storage: This is a type of web storage that allows websites to store data locally within your browser, without expiration dates.
  • Session Storage: Similar to local storage, but the data is cleared when the browser session ends.
  • JavaScript Tags: Small pieces of code that collect data about how you interact with our website.

For the purposes of this policy, all of these technologies are collectively referred to as "cookies."

3. Types of Cookies We Use

We use several types of cookies on our website, each serving a different purpose. Below is a description of each category:

3.1 Essential / Strictly Necessary Cookies

These cookies are absolutely necessary for our website to function properly. They enable core functionalities such as security, network management, accessibility, and order processing. Without these cookies, certain features of our website cannot be provided. Because these cookies are essential to the operation of our website, they are always active and cannot be disabled through our cookie preference settings (though you can set your browser to block them — see Section 5).

Essential cookies are used to:

  • Remember items added to your shopping cart or order summary
  • Maintain your login session if you have an account
  • Ensure secure browsing and protect against fraudulent activity
  • Remember your cookie consent preferences
  • Enable load balancing to ensure smooth website performance

3.2 Analytics / Performance Cookies

These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our website. They help us understand which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around our site. All information collected by these cookies is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies, we will not know when you have visited our website and will not be able to monitor its performance.

We use Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google LLC, to help us understand how our customers use our website. Google Analytics uses cookies to collect information such as how often users visit the site, what pages they visit, and what other sites they used prior to coming to our site.

3.3 Functional Cookies

These cookies enable our website to provide enhanced functionality and personalization. They may be set by us or by third-party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies, some or all of these services may not function properly.

Functional cookies are used to:

  • Remember your location preferences for finding nearby Taco Time locations
  • Remember your preferred language or regional settings
  • Customize the website content based on your past interactions
  • Enable social media sharing features
  • Provide live chat or customer support functionality

3.4 Advertising / Targeting Cookies

These cookies may be set through our website by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant advertisements on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.

We work with advertising platforms such as Google Ads and Meta (Facebook/Instagram) to deliver targeted advertising to potential customers. These platforms use cookies to track your browsing activity across websites and serve you relevant ads.

4. Specific Cookies We Use

The following table provides detailed information about the specific cookies used on our website, including their names, purposes, types, and durations:

Cookie Name Provider Purpose Type Duration
_ga Google Analytics Registers a unique ID that is used to generate statistical data on how the visitor uses the website. Used to distinguish users and track sessions. Analytics 2 years
_gid Google Analytics Registers a unique ID that is used to generate statistical data on how the visitor uses the website. This cookie is used to distinguish users within a 24-hour period. Analytics 24 hours
_gat Google Analytics Used by Google Analytics to throttle request rate, limiting the collection of data on high traffic sites. Analytics 1 minute
_gcl_au Google Ads Used by Google AdSense to experiment with advertisement efficiency across websites using their services. Tracks conversions from Google Ads campaigns. Advertising 3 months
_fbp Meta (Facebook) Used by Facebook to deliver a series of advertisement products such as real-time bidding from third-party advertisers. Helps track visits across websites. Advertising 3 months
_fbc Meta (Facebook) Stores the click identifier from the last time the user clicked on a Facebook ad. Used for conversion tracking and advertising optimization. Advertising 2 years
cookieconsent_status Taco Time Stores the user's cookie consent preferences to ensure they are not asked for consent on every page visit. Essential 1 year
PHPSESSID Taco Time Preserves user session state across page requests. Essential for the functioning of the website's ordering system and user accounts. Essential Session
cart_session Taco Time Maintains the items added to your order or shopping cart throughout your visit to ensure your selections are not lost. Essential Session
user_preferences Taco Time Stores your selected preferences such as dietary filters, location settings, and display options to personalize your experience. Functional 6 months
location_data Taco Time Remembers your previously entered location or zip code to provide relevant local restaurant information and delivery options. Functional 30 days
__utmz Google Analytics (Legacy) Collects information about where the visitor came from, what search engine was used, what link was clicked, and what keywords were used. Analytics 6 months
IDE Google DoubleClick Used by Google DoubleClick to register and report the website user's actions after viewing or clicking one of the advertiser's ads, for measuring the efficacy of an ad. Advertising 1 year

Note: This list may not be exhaustive. The cookies active on our website may change over time as we update our services and third-party integrations. We will update this Cookie Policy accordingly.

5. How to Manage and Disable Cookies

You have the right to decide whether to accept or reject cookies. You can exercise your cookie preferences in several ways:

5.1 Browser Settings

Most web browsers allow you to control cookies through their settings. You can set your browser to refuse all cookies, to indicate when a cookie is being sent, or to only accept cookies from certain websites. Below are links to instructions for managing cookies in the most commonly used browsers:

Please note that if you choose to block cookies through your browser settings, some features of our website may not function correctly. Additionally, browser-based cookie controls typically apply only to the specific browser and device you are using. If you use multiple browsers or devices, you will need to apply your preferences on each one.

5.2 Third-Party Opt-Out Tools

In addition to browser-level controls, you can opt out of specific third-party tracking and advertising cookies using the following tools:

5.3 Mobile Device Controls

If you access our website through a mobile device, you may also be able to limit ad tracking through your device's operating system settings:

  • iOS (Apple): Go to Settings > Privacy > Tracking to limit ad tracking.
  • Android (Google): Go to Settings > Google > Ads to opt out of ads personalization.

6. Impact of Disabling Cookies

While you have the right to disable or restrict cookies, please be aware that doing so may affect the functionality and performance of our website. Specifically:

Cookie Type Disabled Potential Impact
Essential Cookies The website may not function properly. You may not be able to place orders, log in to your account, or complete transactions. Core security features may be disabled.
Analytics Cookies We will be unable to track website performance and understand how visitors use our site. This limits our ability to improve user experience and identify issues.
Functional Cookies Personalized features will not be available. Your location preferences, dietary filters, and other customizations will not be saved between visits.
Advertising Cookies You will still see advertisements, but they will be less relevant to your interests. You may see the same ads repeatedly without this form of targeting.

7. Do Not Track (DNT) Signals

Some web browsers allow you to send a "Do Not Track" (DNT) signal to websites you visit, indicating that you do not wish to be tracked. Currently, there is no universally accepted standard for how websites should respond to DNT signals. As a result, our website does not currently respond to DNT signals from browsers. However, you can use the opt-out tools described in Section 5 of this policy to limit tracking on our website.

If a universal standard is established in the future, we will update this Cookie Policy to reflect our response to DNT signals.

8. Cookies and California Privacy Rights

If you are a California resident, you have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA) regarding the personal information collected through cookies. Specifically, you have the right to:

  • Know what personal information is collected about you and how it is used and shared.
  • Delete personal information collected from you, subject to certain exceptions.
  • Opt Out of the sale or sharing of your personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising.
  • Correct inaccurate personal information that we hold about you.
  • Limit the use and disclosure of sensitive personal information.
  • Non-Discrimination for exercising any of these rights.

Some of the advertising cookies we use may constitute a "sale" or "sharing" of personal information under California law. To opt out of this, please use the opt-out tools described in Section 5.2, or contact us directly using the information in Section 10 below and we will process your request.

9. Changes to This Cookie Policy

We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the cookies and tracking technologies we use, changes in applicable laws and regulations, or changes to our website and services. When we make changes, we will update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page and, where appropriate, notify you by other means such as a banner notification on our website.

We encourage you to review this Cookie Policy periodically to stay informed about our use of cookies. Your continued use of our website following the posting of any changes to this Cookie Policy constitutes your acceptance of those changes.

If changes are significant, we will provide more prominent notice, including, for certain services, email notification of Cookie Policy changes.

10. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Cookie Policy or our use of cookies and tracking technologies, please do not hesitate to contact us. We are committed to responding to all inquiries in a timely manner.

Taco Time — Contact Information

For privacy-related requests, including requests to opt out of cookie-based data sales under the CCPA/CPRA, please include "Cookie Policy Request" in the subject line of your email to help us process your inquiry efficiently.