Automated fast food restaurant CaliExpress by Flippy opened in Pasadena, California, in January with much fanfare for its robot burger makers.

However, it also introduced an innovative payment method using facial recognition technology from PopID.

Customers register with a selfie and can then pay by having their face scanned for verification.

This technology is not unique to CaliExpress; in January, Steak ‘N Shake began installing facial recognition kiosks in its 300 locations for quicker patron check-ins, reducing the time from 20 seconds with a QR code or mobile app to just two or three seconds with facial recognition.

Biometric payment methods are gaining popularity. Amazon’s pay-by-palm technology, launched in 2020, is now in 500 Whole Foods stores, CNBC has reported.

Mastercard, partnering with PopID, successfully piloted face-based payments in Brazil in 2022 and is now expanding its Biometric Checkout Program to the Asia-Pacific region in collaboration with NEC.

Written by B.C. Begley