Panera Tries Out Amazon’s Palm-Reading Technology

Amazon announced on Wednesday that Panera is the first restaurant to test out its palm-reading payment and loyalty system known as Amazon One. Customers will be able to pay and access Panera’s loyalty program all with the scan of their hand.

According to TechCrunch, Panera currently has Amazon One as a payment method for customers in two locations in St. Louis, but will expand the technology to additional locations in the coming months. Additionally, Panera anticipates having 10 to 20 locations operating with Amazon One by the end of the year.

“Each time you use Amazon One, you’ll need to intentionally scan your palm for it to work – you get to decide exactly when and where to be recognized,” Amazon explained. “Our service means that after signing up, you won’t have to touch anything to use it.”

Although there have been some security concerns about Amazon One, Panera Chief Digital Officer, George Hanson told CNBC that the franchise chose Amazon’s technology for three reasons: it’s contactless, customers have to opt in, and a person can’t be identified by their palm alone.

“All of those things are the reasons why we think this particular technology solution is safe, secure and very guest centric,” he explained.