# Restaurant data ownership crisis

> Restaurants must ask vendors: Do you own our customer data?
- Title: Restaurant data ownership crisis · Nation's Restaurant News
- Summary: Restaurants must ask vendors: Do you own our customer data? Restaurants should demand vendors allow full data portability to avoid losing customer…
- Keywords: customer data, restaurant, loyalty program, data ownership, thanx, ccpa, vendor, data portability, food, business, data, ownership
- Source: Nation's Restaurant News — https://nrn.com/expert-opinions/the-questions-that-operators-should-ask-every-vendor
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: customer data, restaurant, loyalty program, data ownership, thanx, ccpa, vendor, data portability, food, business
## Data ownership crisis
Loyalty programs used to be about points but now focus on customer data scale and quality.
## Marketplace data control
Third-party delivery apps own customer relationships and data, even when sharing with restaurants.
## Data ownership risk
AI tools learning from restaurant guest data could become competitors if not controlled.
## Thanx data strategy
Thanx shut down its consumer app in 2025 to give restaurants full data ownership.
## Data portability
Thanx offers full data portability: import and export customer history with any vendor.
## CCPA framework
California's CCPA requires the business that consented to guest data to control that relationship.
## Vendor data questions
Restaurants must ask vendors: Are you a service provider or owner of their customer data?
## Data transfer test
If restaurants leave vendors, they must get all data and vendors must delete their copy.
## Data ownership stakes
Vendors who own data can market other restaurants to guests and sell data to competitors.
## 2026 data reality
In 2026, restaurants either own their customers or they don't, no middle ground.
## Critical data questions
Restaurants must ask vendors: What can you do with their data? If they leave, can we take all data?
## Data ownership test
Vendors who answer 'yes' to both data transfer questions are service providers, not owners.
## Data ownership solution
Restaurants should demand full data portability to avoid losing customer relationships.
## Key takeaway

Restaurants should demand vendors allow full data portability to avoid losing customer relationships.