Palm-scanning devices coming to Panera will suggest your favorite menu items, know you by name

Panera Bread is piloting Amazon’s palm-scanning technology that will identify customers, suggest menu items, accelerate payments and help workers greet people by name.

Slated to start in the coming months, the fast-food chain announced its rollout of Amazon One – technology developed by the e-commerce giant that IDs customers using their hands.

The technology is deployed at select bakery-cafes in Panera’s hometown of St. Louis with plans to expand, Panera released in a statement this week. Panera is the first national restaurant company to use Amazon One for guests to pay and access their loyalty account with their palm.

Guests who link their MyPanera account to Amazon One "will enjoy the convenience of fast payments, as well as tailored meal recommendations from Panera associates based on their preferences and previous orders."

“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,” Niren Chaudhary, CEO of Panera Bread and Panera Brands said.

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How does it work?

After a scan of the palm, Panera associates will greet guests by name, communicate their available rewards, reorder their favorite menu items, or place another order of their choice, the release says.

When customers are done ordering, guests can scan their palm again to pay.

The release goes onto say that first-time Amazon One users can pre-enroll online or sign up when placing their Panera order in the bakery-cafe.

Natalie Neysa Alund covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on Twitter @nataliealund.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Panera palm-scanning, fingerprint devices: Chain partners with Amazon