Cookie Policy

Last Updated: May 9, 2026

1. Introduction

Welcome to 4 Rivers BBQ. We are committed to being transparent about the technologies we use on our website. This Cookie Policy is designed to help you understand what cookies are, how we use them, what types of cookies we deploy, and how you can manage your cookie preferences.

This policy applies to all pages and services available through our website at 4rivers-bbq.rest. Please read this policy carefully. If you have any questions, you may contact us using the information provided at the end of this document.

This Cookie Policy should be read in conjunction with our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service, both of which are available on our website.

2. What Are Cookies?

Cookies are small text files that are placed on your computer, smartphone, tablet, or other internet-enabled device when you visit a website. They are widely used by website owners in order to make their websites work more efficiently, as well as to provide reporting information and enable certain functionalities.

Cookies are created by your web browser and stored on your device at the request of a website you visit. When you return to the same website — or visit a website that uses the same cookie — the website recognizes the cookie and your browser sends the information in the cookie back to the website's server.

Cookies set by the website owner (in this case, 4 Rivers BBQ) 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 a website (such as advertising, interactive content, and analytics).

2.1 How Do Cookies Work?

When you visit 4rivers-bbq.rest for the first time, our website sends a cookie to your device. Your browser stores this cookie in a designated folder. The next time you visit our website, your browser reads the cookie and sends the data it contains back to our server. This allows us to recognize you as a returning visitor, remember your preferences, and provide you with a more personalized browsing experience.

Cookies can be either session cookies or persistent cookies:

  • Session Cookies: These are temporary cookies that are deleted from your device when you close your web browser. They help our website function properly during a single visit.
  • Persistent Cookies: These cookies remain on your device for a set period of time or until you manually delete them. They are used to remember your preferences across multiple visits.

3. Why Do We Use Cookies?

4 Rivers BBQ uses cookies and similar tracking technologies for several reasons, including but not limited to:

  • To ensure the technical operation and security of our website
  • To remember your preferences and settings so you do not have to re-enter them each time you visit
  • To understand how visitors use our website through analytics, so we can improve our services and content
  • To deliver relevant advertising and marketing communications
  • To measure the effectiveness of our online marketing campaigns
  • To enable social media features and integrations
  • To comply with legal obligations and protect against fraud

4. Types of Cookies We Use

We use four main categories of cookies on our website. Below is a detailed explanation of each category:

4.1 Strictly Necessary (Essential) Cookies

These cookies are essential for the basic functionality of our website. Without these cookies, certain services and features cannot be provided. These cookies do not collect personal information that could be used for marketing purposes and do not store which pages you have visited. Because these cookies are strictly necessary for the website to operate, they cannot be disabled without significantly affecting your experience on our site.

Examples of what essential cookies do on our website include:

  • Enabling you to navigate through our menu, reservation, and ordering systems
  • Supporting secure connections (HTTPS) and protecting against cross-site request forgery
  • Remembering items you have added to an online order or inquiry form
  • Managing your cookie consent preferences

4.2 Analytics and Performance Cookies

These cookies collect information about how visitors use our website — for example, which pages visitors go to most often and whether they receive error messages from web pages. All information collected by these cookies is aggregated and therefore anonymous. We use this data to improve how our website works and to better understand our visitors' interests.

We primarily use Google Analytics for this purpose. Google Analytics generates statistical and other information about website usage using cookies stored on users' devices. The information generated is used to create reports about the use of our website. You can learn more about Google's privacy practices at https://policies.google.com/privacy.

4.3 Functional Cookies

Functional cookies allow our website to remember choices you have made in the past — such as your preferred language, your region, or your login information. The purpose of these cookies is to provide you with a more personal experience and to avoid you having to re-enter your preferences every time you visit our website.

For example, functional cookies may be used to remember your preferred location for restaurant directions, your dietary preference settings, or your saved menu favorites.

4.4 Advertising and Targeting Cookies

These cookies are used to deliver advertisements more relevant to you and your interests. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advertisement and to help measure the effectiveness of our advertising campaigns. They are usually placed by advertising networks with the website operator's permission. They remember that you have visited a website and this information is shared with other organizations such as advertisers.

We use Google Ads cookies to track conversions from our paid advertising campaigns and to re-engage visitors who have previously visited our website. We may also use cookies from social media platforms such as Facebook (Meta) to deliver targeted advertising based on your interests and online behaviors.

5. Specific Cookies We Use

The table below provides detailed information about the specific cookies used on 4rivers-bbq.rest, 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. Analytics 2 years
_gid Google Analytics Registers a unique ID that is used to generate statistical data on how the visitor uses the website. Used to distinguish users within the same session day. Analytics 24 hours
_gat Google Analytics Used to throttle request rate. Limits the collection of data on high traffic sites and prevents excessive data collection by Google Analytics. Analytics 1 minute
_ga_[ID] Google Analytics (GA4) Used by Google Analytics 4 to persist session state and identify unique user sessions across visits. Analytics 2 years
_gcl_au Google Ads Used by Google AdSense and Google Ads to experiment with advertisement efficiency across websites using their services. Tracks conversions from Google Ads campaigns. Advertising 90 days
_fbp Facebook (Meta) 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 90 days
_fbc Facebook (Meta) Stores last visit by the user. Used in conjunction with Facebook advertising campaigns to attribute conversions. Advertising 90 days
cookieconsent_status 4 Rivers BBQ (First-Party) Stores the visitor's cookie consent preferences to avoid displaying the consent banner on every visit. Essential 1 year
PHPSESSID 4 Rivers BBQ (First-Party) Preserves user session state across page requests and enables the website to function properly during a single browsing session. Essential (Session) Session
cf_clearance Cloudflare Used by the Cloudflare content delivery network to identify trusted web traffic and protect the website from malicious bots and DDoS attacks. Essential 1 year
__utmz Google Analytics (Legacy) Collects data on where the visitor came from, what search engine was used, what link was clicked, and what search term was used. Analytics 6 months
user_pref 4 Rivers BBQ (First-Party) Stores user preferences such as selected location, language settings, and accessibility options to personalize the browsing experience. Functional 30 days
cart_token 4 Rivers BBQ (First-Party) Maintains the user's online order cart contents between pages and visits so items are not lost during navigation. Essential Session / 7 days

6. Third-Party Cookies and Services

In addition to our own first-party cookies, we may also use various third-party services that set their own cookies on your device. We use these services to enhance the functionality and performance of our website. The third-party service providers we currently use include:

6.1 Google Services

We use Google Analytics, Google Ads, and Google Maps on our website. These services may set cookies that allow Google to collect information about your browsing activity. For more information about how Google uses data when you use our site, visit https://policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites.

6.2 Meta (Facebook)

We may use the Facebook Pixel on our website to track conversions from Facebook ads, optimize ads, build targeted audiences for future ads, and re-market to qualified leads. For more information, visit Meta's Privacy Policy at https://www.facebook.com/policy.php.

6.3 Cloudflare

We use Cloudflare as our content delivery network and security provider. Cloudflare may set cookies to identify trusted web traffic. For more information, visit https://www.cloudflare.com/privacypolicy/.

7. How to Manage and Disable Cookies

You have the right to decide whether to accept or reject cookies (except for strictly necessary cookies that are essential for the website to function). You can manage your cookie preferences in several ways:

7.1 Cookie Consent Banner

When you first visit our website, you will be presented with a cookie consent banner that allows you to accept or decline non-essential cookies. You can update your preferences at any time by clicking the "Cookie Settings" link available on our website.

7.2 Browser Settings

Most web browsers allow you to control cookies through their settings. You can set your browser to refuse cookies, delete cookies that have already been set, or to notify you when a new cookie is being set. Please note that restricting cookies may impact your experience on our website and limit certain functionality.

Below are links to cookie management instructions for common web browsers:

To find information about cookies for other browsers, please visit the browser developer's website or consult your device's help documentation.

7.3 Opt-Out Tools for Specific Services

You can also opt out of specific third-party cookies and tracking tools using the following resources:

8. Impact of Disabling Cookies

While you have the right to disable or restrict cookies, please be aware that doing so may affect your experience on our website. Below is a summary of potential impacts based on the type of cookie you disable:

Cookie Type Impact If Disabled
Essential Cookies Core website functionality may be impaired. You may be unable to complete online orders, access secure pages, or use interactive features. Some parts of the website may not load correctly.
Analytics Cookies We will be unable to collect aggregated data about how you use our website. This does not affect your personal browsing experience but limits our ability to improve our services based on usage data.
Functional Cookies Your preferences and settings (such as saved location, language, or dietary filters) will not be remembered between visits. You may need to re-enter your preferences each time you visit.
Advertising Cookies You will still see advertisements, but they will be less relevant to your interests. Disabling these cookies does not reduce the number of ads you see — only their relevance to you.

9. Do Not Track Signals

Some browsers include a "Do Not Track" (DNT) feature that signals to websites that you visit that you do not want to have your online activity tracked. At this time, our website does not respond to browser DNT signals as there is no universal standard for how DNT should be interpreted. However, you can use the tools and methods described in Section 7 of this policy to limit the tracking that occurs when you visit our website.

10. California Privacy Rights

If you are a resident of the State of California, you have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA). These rights include:

  • The right to know what personal information is collected, used, shared, or sold
  • The right to opt out of the sale or sharing of your personal information
  • The right to delete personal information collected about you
  • The right to correct inaccurate personal information
  • The right to non-discrimination for exercising your privacy rights

Certain cookies used on our website, particularly advertising and targeting cookies, may constitute a "sale" or "sharing" of personal information under California law. You may exercise your right to opt out of the sale or sharing of your personal information by using our cookie preference tool or by contacting us directly at the information below.

For more information about your California privacy rights, please refer to our full Privacy Policy available on our website.

11. Updates to This Cookie Policy

We reserve the right to update this Cookie Policy at any time to reflect changes in technology, legislation, our operations, or for any other reason we deem necessary. When we make material changes to this policy, we will update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page and, where appropriate, notify you via a prominent notice on our website or by email.

We encourage you to review this Cookie Policy periodically to stay informed about how we are using cookies and related technologies. Your continued use of our website after any changes to this policy constitutes your acceptance of the revised terms.

12. Legal Basis for Using Cookies

Our use of cookies is governed by applicable United States federal and state laws, including but not limited to the Federal Trade Commission Act (FTC Act), the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), and the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA). We process personal data collected through cookies based on your consent (where required), our legitimate business interests in operating and improving our website, and our contractual obligations to provide you with the services you request.

13. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Cookie Policy or our use of cookies and similar tracking technologies, please do not hesitate to contact us using the information below:

4 Rivers BBQ

We will endeavor to respond to all inquiries within a reasonable timeframe and no later than 30 days of receipt.