Key facts
| Access control | Scoped API keys with rotation; enterprise SSO and RBAC options |
| Location separation | Separate keys per location, brand or franchise group |
| Deployment | Cloud, VPC, on-prem or air-gapped for payment-adjacent workflows |
| Auditability | Request, model and response logging for shift and incident review |
| Data grounding | Embeddings and RAG are live for menus, allergens and procedures |
| Structured output | JSON mode returns order and incident records in fixed schemas |
| Models | 30+ models behind one OpenAI-compatible API |
| Endpoint roadmap | Audio, images, files and fine-tuning are coming soon |
TL;DR
- Keep payment and guest data out of general assistants entirely.
- Give each location or franchise its own scoped key.
- Plan for staff turnover: short-lived keys and fast revocation.
- Log allergen and order-related answers at shift level.
- Require manager verification for allergen and pricing statements.
How it works, step by step
- Inventory AI use cases across ordering, support, scheduling, training and marketing.
- Classify data by guest sensitivity, payment content and location confidentiality.
- Choose deployment per class: cloud, VPC, on-prem or air-gapped.
- Issue per-location keys with rotation and short-lived credentials for seasonal staff.
- Define log fields and retention: request ID, model, sources, output, location, manager.
- Approve a model allow-list and ground answers in current menus and allergen sheets.
- Require manager review before allergen or pricing guidance reaches guests.
Try it yourself
Open the AI API key security checklist →
Guest, payment and location data
Restaurant data spans public menus, internal recipes and procedures, guest loyalty profiles, order history and payment references. Each class needs a handling rule, and payment data should never pass through a general assistant regardless of convenience.
Start with menus, allergen sheets and internal procedures, then extend to guest profiles only where loyalty terms permit it and the deployment keeps data inside the agreed boundary.
Keys, locations and least privilege
Issue a distinct API key per location, franchise group, application and environment. Store keys in a secrets manager, rotate on a schedule, and use short-lived credentials for seasonal or agency staff. Enterprise SSO and RBAC options keep console access aligned with the constant churn of shift staff, and revoke access the day someone leaves.
Never share a production key across brands or franchisees, and keep guest identifiers out of prompts where retrieval can supply only the fields a task requires.
Residency, retention and shift audit trails
Decide where processing happens and how long records live. Region selection covers many needs; VPC, on-prem and air-gapped deployment covers payment-adjacent or guest-data workflows with stricter requirements. Retention applies to prompts, outputs, logs and retrieval indexes, and incident records follow their own schedules.
Log enough to reconstruct an interaction: request ID, model and version, retrieved source identifiers, output, location and reviewing manager. See AI audit logs for a schema.
Model governance and allergen accuracy
Keep an approved model list with evaluation evidence and re-test when versions change. Ground answers in the current menu and allergen sheet with citations, and treat allergen guidance as safety-critical: a manager verifies before it reaches a guest. Pricing, refunds and complaint resolutions stay with named staff, and the checklist should state which outputs may be automated, such as training summaries, and which may not.
Honest comparison
| Control area | Plugsky capability | Common gap | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Location separation | Separate keys per location or franchise group | One key for all sites | IT |
| Identity | Rotation plus short-lived credentials for seasonal staff | Former staff retain access | Operations |
| Payment handling | Keep payment data out of prompts and retrieval | Card data in transcripts | Finance |
| Audit trail | Request, model, location and manager logging | Incidents not traceable | Area manager |
| Grounding | Embeddings and RAG over current menus and allergen sheets | Outdated allergen answers | Food safety |
| Review | Citations and structured output for managers | AI allergen guidance served directly | General manager |
Frequently asked questions
Does using Plugsky make us compliant?
No. Compliance is your program. Plugsky provides deployable controls - scoped keys, location separation, private deployment, logging - that you document and audit against your own payment and privacy obligations.
Can we use AI for allergen questions?
Yes, but ground answers in the current allergen sheet and require manager verification before giving guidance to a guest. Allergen accuracy is safety-critical.
How do we handle high staff turnover?
Use per-location keys, short-lived credentials for seasonal staff, and a revocation checklist tied to your HR process so access ends the day someone leaves.
Should payment data ever enter prompts?
No. Keep card and payment references out of prompts, retrieval indexes and transcripts, and integrate payment systems through their own scoped interfaces.
Can a small group use this affordably?
Yes. Self-serve plans are flat monthly with no per-token billing, and the free plan includes plugsky-micro and plugsky-lite with no card.
Are voice ordering features available?
Audio endpoints are coming soon. Chat, streaming, JSON mode, function calling, embeddings, RAG and agents are live today.
Where should a pilot start?
Pilot on public menus and internal procedures with the free plan, validate accuracy and logging, then extend to guest workflows on private deployment.