With California imposing strict restrictions to stem the spread of COVID-19, a number of restaurant and retail store owners in the city of Pasadena have quietly established the nation’s first dense “face-pay” network. These small business owners have embraced an advanced facial recognition technology that lets their customers make secure, hands-free purchases using only their faces.
PopID, a Cali Group company, announced Friday the city-wide deployment of its PopPay “face-pay” service following the successful roll-out of the company’s PopEntry facial recognition device that lets workers and students safely “scan-in” to their workplace and college campus facilities. Users can now add a credit or debit card to their PopID accounts for hands-free alternative to cash, credit cards or Apple Pay.
The launch in Pasadena of a dense network of businesses and people using the PopID platform for both payment and entry kicks off a city by city rollout of the contactless payment service. “In each new city we enter, we initially focus on installing PopEntry systems in the workplace and on local college campuses,” said John Miller, chairman of Cali Group and CEO of PopID. “As these communities grow comfortable using PopID to check in, we enlist area restaurants and retailers to offer PopPay for transactions.”
Some of the Pasadena restaurants and retailers now accepting PopPay include:
- Again Café
- Arroyo Chop House
- BAN SUP refill
- Barcelona
- Bubble Puff and Tea
- CaliBurger
- Contessa Italian Foods
- Daddy’s Chicken Shack
- DogHaus
- Fair Oaks Burger
- The Fit Bar Superfood Cafe
- Food Bar
- Lêberry Bakery
- Lemonade
- Mediterranean Grill
- Milkcow Café
- Monopole Wine
- Parkway Grill
- Pho Banh Mi Che Cali
- Real Food Cafe
- Space Bar Wellness Center
- Smitty’s
- Sorriso
- Taste of Pace
- Tortas Mexico
Customers can take advantage of PopID’s facial recognition payment service in one of a number of ways: at the drive-thru, at an in-venue kiosk, via a display screen affixed to the sneeze guard at the counter, or tableside with a waiter scanning the patron’s face using a hand-held Android device. Once recognized, the business simply draws from the customer’s PopID account before sending a text message confirming payment. PopID accounts also tie to loyalty programs for automatic credit with every purchase. The user controls their account and can opt out of the service at any time.
Over the last three years, PopID has been tested and adapted for payment and loyalty programs at regional and national restaurant brands throughout the country including Belcampo, Bojangles, CaliBurger, Dair-i-o, Deli Time, Plant Power, and Port of Subs.
PopPay follows the national roll-out of PopEntry+, the combined facial recognition and thermal temperature screening device now in use in private and government offices, factories, restaurants, assisted living facilities, sports venues and on college campuses.
