Panera becomes first national restaurant in US to use Amazon One for payments and loyalty

Panera is boosting its MyPanera programme with palm recognition service Amazon One’s newly launched loyalty linking capability.

Panera is the first restaurant chain to offer this.

Those who choose to enrol in Amazon One and link their MyPanera account hover their palm over the Amazon One device, and a Panera associate will be able to welcome them by name. Guests can choose to use the service for loyalty linking, payment, or both.

This is launching at two Panera bakery-cafes in the St. Louis area (Town and Country and Bridgeton locations), and will become available at additional locations in the coming months.

New collaboration with @PaneraBread will let customers, for the first time, use their palm to access MyPanera rewards and pay. One of the many ways Amazon One, our palm recognition service, is helping to remove friction from the customer experience. https://t.co/9kdXctk2hQ

— Andy Jassy (@ajassy) March 22, 2023

“We are excited to deploy Amazon One in our restaurants because we want to deliver a frictionless and personalised loyalty experience for our guests,” says Niren Chaudhary, CEO at Panera Bread and Panera Brands.

“Amazon One is a great option for guests who want a quick and convenient way to sign up for our MyPanera loyalty programme, redeem their rewards, and pay for their order with a simple hover of their palm over the Amazon One device, all while enjoying a highly personalised in-store experience.”

Online pre-enrolment

In addition to loyalty linking, Amazon One also has a new online pre-enrolment capability.

With an Amazon account, mobile number, and a credit or debit card, consumers can create their Amazon One profile online.

They can then complete the enrolment process at any location that offers Amazon One by scanning their palm and using the code they received during pre-enrolment.