Subscription & Data Lifecycle Terms

The StaffApp™
Effective Date: April 15, 2026  |  Last Updated: April 15, 2026

1. Introduction and Scope

These Subscription and Data Lifecycle Terms (the “Subscription Terms”) govern your purchase, use, cancellation, and post-termination data handling for The StaffApp™ (the “Service”), a software-as-a-service platform operated by Chef Life Media LLC, a North Carolina limited liability company (“Chef Life Media,” “we,” “us,” or “our”).

These Subscription Terms are incorporated into and form part of the Master Terms of Service between you and Chef Life Media. In the event of a conflict between these Subscription Terms and the Master Terms of Service, these Subscription Terms control with respect to subscription, billing, cancellation, and data lifecycle matters. All other terms, including limitations of liability, intellectual property, and dispute resolution, are governed by the Master Terms of Service.

These Subscription Terms should be read together with the Privacy Policy, Data Processing Agreement, and Acceptable Use Policy, each of which is separately published and incorporated by reference.

2. Definitions

• “Customer” means the legal entity or individual identified in the Service account as the account owner or billing contact.
• “Customer Data” means all data, content, and information uploaded to, generated within, or processed by the Service on behalf of Customer, including but not limited to staff records, onboarding plans, manager check-ins, progressive discipline documentation, audit trails, and related artifacts.
• “Trial” means the 14-day no-cost evaluation period described in Section 3.
• “Subscription” means a paid recurring plan purchased by Customer under the tiers described in Section 4.
• “Billing Period” means the monthly recurring interval beginning on the Subscription activation date and renewing on the same calendar day each month.
• “Termination Date” means the effective date on which a Subscription ends, whether by Customer cancellation, non-renewal, or termination by Chef Life Media.

3. Free Trial

3.1 Trial Terms

Chef Life Media offers a 14-day free trial of the Service. No credit card or payment method is required to begin a Trial. The Trial provides full access to the features of the Subscription tier selected by Customer during the evaluation period. Every tier — Single Location, 2–4 Locations, 5–10 Locations, and Enterprise — is eligible for the Trial.

3.2 Trial Conversion

A Trial does not automatically convert to a paid Subscription. To continue use of the Service beyond the Trial, Customer must select a Subscription tier and provide a valid payment method prior to Trial expiration.

3.3 Data Handling at Trial Expiration

If Customer does not convert to a paid Subscription prior to Trial expiration:

• The account will enter a read-only state for 30 calendar days following the Trial expiration date;
• During this 30-day window, Customer may export all Customer Data via the in-app export tool at no cost;
• At the end of the 30-day window, all Customer Data will be permanently deleted from production systems, subject to the retention and legal hold provisions in Sections 12 and 13 of these Subscription Terms.

3.4 One Trial Per Customer

Each Customer is entitled to one Trial. Chef Life Media reserves the right to decline subsequent Trial requests from the same Customer, domain, payment instrument, or affiliated entity.

4. Subscription Plans

The Service is offered under the following monthly Subscription tiers:

All tiers include a 14-day free Trial. All tiers are billed monthly in United States Dollars. Annual billing is not offered at this time.

4.1 Location Bands and Overages

Each Subscription tier corresponds to a defined location band (for example, the 2–4 Locations tier covers up to four locations). If Customer’s operation grows beyond the band of its current tier — for example, by opening a fifth location while subscribed to the 2–4 Locations tier — Chef Life Media will notify Customer by email and in-app notification describing the overage and the next qualifying tier.

Customer will have 14 calendar days from the notice date to either reduce the number of active locations back within the current band or manually upgrade to the next qualifying tier through the in-app billing dashboard. During that 14-day window, the Service remains fully available and no price change is applied.

If the overage has not been resolved at the end of the 14-day notice period, Chef Life Media may, as a last resort and on additional email notice, move the Subscription to the next qualifying tier so that all active locations continue to be supported. Any price difference will be prorated for the remainder of the current Billing Period. Customer may downgrade again at any time in accordance with Section 7.2 by reducing location count below the prior band.

There is no overage charge based on staff count. Location band is the only sizing dimension that affects tier eligibility.

5. Billing, Fees, and Taxes

5.1 Payment Authorization

By providing a payment method and activating a Subscription, Customer authorizes Chef Life Media and its payment processor to charge the applicable monthly fee on the activation date and on the same calendar day of each subsequent month until the Subscription is cancelled.

5.2 Payment Processing

Payment processing is handled by Stripe as our third-party payment processor. Chef Life Media does not store Customer payment card details on its own systems. Customer’s use of the payment processor’s services is subject to that processor’s terms and privacy policy.

5.3 Taxes

Subscription fees are exclusive of applicable sales, use, value-added, or similar taxes. Customer is responsible for all such taxes assessed on the Subscription, except for taxes based on Chef Life Media’s net income. Where Chef Life Media is required by law to collect and remit tax, such tax will be added to the invoice.

5.4 Failed Payment

If a scheduled payment fails, Chef Life Media will attempt to re-charge the payment method. If payment is not successfully collected within 10 calendar days of the original charge date, the account will be suspended in accordance with Section 9.

5.5 No Refunds

All Subscription fees are non-refundable, including for partial Billing Periods, unused features, downgrades mid-cycle, or cancellations effective mid-cycle. Chef Life Media may, at its sole discretion, issue refunds or credits in cases of verified extended Service outages, billing errors, or Service discontinuation under Section 14.2. This provision does not limit any refund rights that may be required by applicable law.

6. Automatic Renewal

Subscriptions automatically renew on a monthly basis at the then-current published rate for the selected tier. Customer may cancel at any time in accordance with Section 8 to prevent further renewals. Because Subscriptions are monthly, advance renewal notices are not provided by default; Customer may consult the in-app billing dashboard at any time to view the next renewal date.

7. Plan Upgrades and Downgrades

7.1 Upgrades

Customer may upgrade to a higher tier at any time. Upgrades take effect immediately. The difference between the current tier and the new tier is prorated for the remainder of the current Billing Period and charged on the upgrade date. Subsequent renewals will be at the new tier’s rate.

7.2 Downgrades

Customer may downgrade to a lower tier at any time. Downgrades take effect at the end of the current Billing Period. No refund or credit is issued for the difference. Customer is responsible for reducing usage (location count or feature usage) to fit the new tier’s limits before the downgrade takes effect. Customer Data associated with features not available in the new tier may become inaccessible but will not be deleted.

8. Cancellation by Customer

8.1 How to Cancel

Customer may cancel the Subscription at any time through the in-app billing dashboard or by written notice to support@thestaffdevapp.com from the email address associated with the account.

8.2 Effective Date

Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current Billing Period. The Service will remain available through the end of the paid period. No prorated refunds are issued for the unused portion of the Billing Period in which cancellation is requested.

8.3 No Early Termination Fees

There are no early termination fees, cancellation fees, or minimum commitment periods. Customer may cancel at any time without penalty.

9. Suspension and Termination by Chef Life Media

9.1 Suspension for Non-Payment

If Customer’s payment fails and remains uncured for 10 calendar days, Chef Life Media may suspend access to the Service. During suspension, Customer Data is preserved but not accessible except for export requests submitted in writing to support@thestaffdevapp.com. If the outstanding balance is not paid within 30 calendar days of suspension, the account is deemed cancelled and enters the post-cancellation data retention timeline in Section 12.

9.2 Termination for Cause

Chef Life Media may suspend or terminate the Service immediately, with written notice, for any of the following:

• Material breach of the Master Terms of Service or the Acceptable Use Policy that remains uncured after 7 calendar days’ written notice;
• Use of the Service for unlawful purposes, including the documentation of individuals not lawfully employed by or affiliated with Customer;
• Conduct that poses a security, legal, or reputational risk to Chef Life Media, other customers, or the platform;
• Fraud, chargebacks, or misrepresentation in connection with the Subscription.

9.3 Termination for Convenience

Chef Life Media may terminate any Subscription for convenience upon 60 calendar days’ prior written notice, in which case a prorated refund of any pre-paid fees covering the post-termination period will be issued.

10. Customer Data Ownership

As between Customer and Chef Life Media, Customer retains all right, title, and interest in and to Customer Data. Chef Life Media acquires no ownership interest in Customer Data by virtue of Customer’s use of the Service.

Chef Life Media processes Customer Data solely as a data processor acting on Customer’s behalf as data controller. The rights, obligations, and permitted purposes for such processing are set out in the Data Processing Agreement.

Nothing in these Subscription Terms transfers ownership of employee or staff personal information to Chef Life Media. Customer remains responsible for the lawfulness of its own collection, use, and retention of employee data, including compliance with applicable employment, privacy, and recordkeeping laws.

11. Data Export

11.1 Self-Service Export

At any time during an active Subscription or Trial, Customer may export Customer Data through the in-app export tool. Standard exports include:

• Staff records, profile data, and role assignments in CSV format;
• Onboarding plans, check-in logs, and task completion history in CSV format;
• Progressive discipline documentation, including timestamped audit trails, in PDF format suitable for evidentiary use;
• A consolidated ZIP archive containing all of the above.

11.2 Post-Cancellation Export

Following cancellation or non-renewal, Customer retains read-only access to the export tool for a period of 30 calendar days (the “Export Grace Period”). Customer will not be charged during the Export Grace Period.

11.3 Export Integrity

Exports are provided “as-is” from the production system. Chef Life Media does not warrant that exported data will be compatible with any third-party system. Customer is responsible for verifying the completeness and usability of exports within the available export windows.

12. Post-Cancellation Data Retention

Following a Termination Date, Customer Data is handled according to the following timeline:

• Days 1–30 — Export Grace Period. Account is read-only. Customer may log in and export Customer Data. No Subscription fees are charged.
• Days 31–90 — Dormant Retention. Account is deactivated and Customer Data is retained in secured storage. Customer may not log in. Customer may request data export or account reactivation by written request to legal@thestaffdevapp.com; reactivation requires selection of and payment for a qualifying Subscription tier.
• Day 91 — Permanent Deletion. All Customer Data is permanently deleted from production systems, and purged from rolling backups within 35 days of deletion, subject only to the legal hold provisions in Section 13.

13. Permanent Deletion and Legal Hold

13.1 Permanent Deletion

Permanent deletion is irreversible. Once Customer Data has been deleted under Section 12, Chef Life Media cannot recover it. Deletion extends to production databases, primary storage, and rolling backups in accordance with Chef Life Media’s backup rotation schedule, which is complete within 35 days of deletion.

13.2 Legal Hold Request by Customer

Customer may request that Chef Life Media extend the retention period for specific Customer Data beyond the 90-day deletion window by submitting a written Legal Hold Request to legal@thestaffdevapp.com prior to the Day 91 deletion. A Legal Hold Request must:

• Identify the specific Customer Data or account to be preserved;
• State the reason for the hold, such as pending or anticipated litigation, administrative proceeding, or regulatory inquiry;
• Specify the requested duration of the hold, not to exceed 180 calendar days per request (renewable in writing);
• Be submitted by an authorized representative of Customer.

Chef Life Media may charge a reasonable administrative fee for legal hold services and for any data retrieval or production in connection with the hold. Customer remains responsible for any subpoenas or discovery requests directed to Customer; Chef Life Media will respond to valid legal process directed to Chef Life Media in accordance with applicable law.

A carve-out applies for Customers engaged in active litigation: where Chef Life Media has received a timely Legal Hold Request, the Day 91 permanent deletion will be paused with respect to the identified Customer Data for the duration of the approved hold.

13.3 Legal Obligations on Chef Life Media

Nothing in these Subscription Terms requires Chef Life Media to delete Customer Data where retention is required by applicable law, regulation, or valid legal process, or where retention is necessary for the establishment, exercise, or defense of legal claims by or against Chef Life Media.

14. Service Changes

14.1 Feature Changes

Chef Life Media may modify, add, or remove features of the Service from time to time. Material reductions in functionality that materially and adversely affect Customer’s use of the Service will be communicated by email with at least 30 calendar days’ prior notice, and Customer may cancel within that notice period without penalty.

14.2 Discontinuation

If Chef Life Media discontinues the Service in its entirety, Chef Life Media will provide at least 90 calendar days’ prior written notice to all Customers, during which export tools will remain available at no cost and prorated refunds of pre-paid fees will be issued.

15. Price Changes

Chef Life Media may change Subscription prices upon at least 30 calendar days’ prior written notice by email to the billing contact on file. Price changes take effect at the beginning of the first Billing Period following the notice period. Customer may cancel prior to the effective date of the price change in accordance with Section 8 to avoid the new pricing. Continued use of the Service after the effective date of a price change constitutes acceptance of the new price.

16. Survival

The following sections survive termination or expiration of any Subscription: Section 5.5 (No Refunds), Section 10 (Customer Data Ownership), Section 12 (Post-Cancellation Data Retention) through its applicable retention windows, Section 13 (Permanent Deletion and Legal Hold), Section 16 (Survival), and Section 17 (Governing Law and Venue).

17. Governing Law and Venue

These Subscription Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of North Carolina, without regard to its conflict-of-laws provisions. Exclusive venue and jurisdiction for any dispute arising out of or relating to these Subscription Terms lies in the state and federal courts located in Buncombe County, North Carolina, and the parties consent to the personal jurisdiction of such courts. This Section 17 does not override any alternative dispute resolution provisions that may appear in the Master Terms of Service.

18. Contact

Questions regarding billing, cancellation, data export, or legal holds should be directed as follows: