Self-dubbed “tech nerd” Jessica Ramirez said she’s excited to use Panera Bread’s palm scanner when the new store opens this year in Hesperia.
Panera Bread executives announced plans to use Amazon’s palm-scanning technology to identify customers with loyalty accounts, suggest food items, take payments and help employees greet registered visitors by name.
“The technology allows customers to create a personal biometric profile, allowing them to link their palm print to the store’s system,” said Ramirez, 27, who lives in Victorville. “It’s similar to the old Touch ID or Face ID on smartphones.”
More than 52 million people are in Panera’s loyalty program, which already allows them to order online, according to a company press release. Panera Bread’s goal is “frictionless, personalized, and convenient service” for loyal customers, said company CEO Niren Chaudhary.
Amazon’s hand-scanning technology at the company’s Amazon Go stores allows patrons to enter the store, shop, and exit without checking out with a cashier.
Go customers also have the option of linking their palm print to their Amazon accounts or using a credit card or app.
A frictionless future
Chaudhary said the company’s use of the palm technology is “a natural extension” of the tech-forward tactics already used in stores such as self-ordering kiosks, and an ordering and rewards app.
“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,” said Dilip Kumar, vice president of Amazon Web Services.
The software allows Panera employees to greet customers by name and suggest menu items based on their preferences, a company press release said. The goal is “frictionless, personalized, and convenient service” for loyal customers, said CEO Niren Chaudhary.
Go customers have the option of linking their palm print to their Amazon accounts, or using a credit card or app.
“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,” said Vice President of Amazon Web Services Applications Dilip Kumar. “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.”
Security controls
Guest participation is opt-in only and Panera does not store personal palm data.
Any private and personal data shared via Amazon One is securely stored and protected by multiple security controls, and palm images are never stored on the Amazon One device.
All images are encrypted and sent to a highly secure area custom-built for Amazon One in the cloud where palm signatures are created. Amazon One is an optional service. For more information, visit Amazon One’s website.
First-time Amazon One users can pre-enroll online or sign up when placing their Panera order in the bakery cafe.
Rage against technology
Amazon One’s use of biometrics has raised privacy concerns. Security experts believe the palm scanning technology could pose a threat because collected data is stored in a cloud, according to The Washington Post.
In 2022, Fight for the Future, a nonprofit music coalition, claimed victory in prompting Denver to drop Amazon’s palm-scanning technology at Red Rocks Amphitheatre.
The technology was opposed in a petition signed by 300 musicians including Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello and Bikini Kill’s Kathleen Hanna, the Denver Post reported.
The signed campaign open letter by the nonprofit called out the human rights and privacy concerns associated with palm scanning.
In 2019, over 40 of the largest U.S. music festivals, including Burning Man, Coachella, South by Southwest and Lollapalooza, responded to activists’ demands to reject invasive facial recognition technology at their festivals, the nonprofit said.
“Introducing this Amazon palm scanning option at venues is a slap in the face to fans and artists that have fought so hard to promote safety for everyone at live events,” nonprofit leaders stated. “It’s simply a matter of time before we hear of cases of palm scans misidentifying people in the ways that facial recognition has – often with violent and life altering consequences – but most concerning of all is the fact that this new technology will make the data of thousands of people vulnerable to ongoing government tracking and abuse AND malicious hackers.”
Hesperia Panera
The new Panera Bread bakery and cafe is being constructed between Quick Quack Car Wash and the AutoZone at the Mojave Plaza in Hesperia.
In early February, a construction crew began working on the retail pad located near the corner of Bear Valley and Mojave Fish Hatchery roads.
The new Panera Bread will join ALDI supermarket, Planet Fitness, Wendy’s restaurant, Pamper Me nails and In Cha drink shop.
The Hesperia Panera Bread is expected to open sometime in 2023.
The first High Desert Panera Bread opened in January 2013 on Amargosa Road in Victorville, followed by the opening of a Barstow store near Lenwood Road in October 2014.
During the opening of the Barstow store, Senior Real Estate Manager for Panera Bread Robert Kluger said the long-term goal is to have three to five High Desert locations.
Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227 or RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz
