ST. LOUIS — Panera Bread has announced its planned rollout of Amazon One as an identification for MyPanera, its loyalty program with more than 52 million members, and a contactless payment method.

The technology will debut at select bakery-cafés in the company’s hometown of St. Louis with plans to expand to additional locations in the coming months. Panera is the first national restaurant company to use Amazon One as both a way for guests to pay and access their loyalty account with their palm.

Guests who link their MyPanera account to Amazon One have access to fast payments, as well as tailored meal recommendations from Panera associates based on their preferences and previous orders. After a simple scan of the palm, Panera associates will be able to greet guests by name, communicate their available rewards, reorder their favorite menu items, or take another order of their choice. When they are done ordering, guests scan their palm again to pay.

First-time Amazon One users can pre-enroll online or sign up when placing their Panera order in the bakery-café. If a Panera guest has previously enrolled in Amazon One at Amazon Go, Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods Market or other locations such as airports and stadiums, they will not need to re-enroll at Panera. 

“Collaborating with Amazon Web Services to bring this service into our bakery-cafes is a natural extension of the tech-forward, guest-centric digital thinking that Panera is known for,” said Niren Chaudhary, chief executive officer of Panera Bread and Panera Brands. “Our philosophy has been centered around leveraging best-in-class technology to create a better Panera experience and using that to deepen our relationship with our loyal guests. Introducing Amazon One, as a frictionless, personalized, and convenient service, is another way we’re redefining the loyalty experience.”

“With one of the largest and most successful loyalty programs in the country, Panera wanted to make it even easier for its guests to access their rewards and have a more customized café experience,” says Dilip Kumar, vice president, AWS Applications. “We’re proud to collaborate with Panera on the rollout of Amazon One and elevate the guest experience by providing a simple, fast, and effortless way to complete their order so they can spend more time enjoying their meal.”