Panera Bread Partners With Amazon To Allow Payments Via Palm Scanning

Palm-scanning technology is headed to Panera Bread restaurants thanks to technology helmed by Amazon.

Amazon One, the palm-reading payment technology created by the mass shopping platform, will be used in the famed bakery chain. According to The Verge, customers will be able to link their MyPanera loyalty membership to their Amazon One account. Upon arriving at the locations, each visitor will use their palm to be greeted. They can even make purchases by applying just their palm print to the machine. This limits interactions with staff members altogether if the customer chooses.

Panera Bread will be the first restaurant to utilize Amazon’s cutting-edge technology. Customers will have the choice of using Amazon One only for payments or just for loyalty rewards. However, Amazon promises fully linking the accounts will guarantee customers a “highly personalized experience.” Anyone with an Amazon account can sign up for Amazon One and begin having their palm read when it’s time to grab lunch.

As of now, the palm scanning capabilities are still within their testing phase. Therefore, don’t expect to see the devices in every Panera Bread you visit. Only two St. Louis locations are offering the devices, which are housed next to the cash registers. However, Panera Chief Digital Officer George Hanson confirmed to CNBC that they are looking to expand the test to at least ten cafes, hoping to have at least 20 locations participating in the testing phase.

Panera took a chance on the high-tech invention despite criticism regarding Amazon One’s safety. Last week, it was revealed that the e-commerce site was facing a lawsuit after it allegedly failed to disclose to Amazon Go shoppers that they were being monitored by facial recognition technology. While the hand readers aren’t memorizing faces, they are still an identity recognition tool, which could come with its own set of issues. Nevertheless, the trial run will determine whether or not it’s worth the headache.