New Facial Recognition Payment Tech Debuts in Pasadena

With Californiaimposing strict restrictions to stem the spread of COVID-19, a number ofrestaurant and retail store owners in the city of Pasadena havequietly established the nation’s first dense “face-pay” network. Thesesmall business owners have embraced an advanced facial recognition technologythat lets their customers make secure, hands-free purchases using only theirfaces.

PopID, a Cali Groupcompany, announced Friday the city-wide deployment of its PopPay“face-pay” service following the successful roll-out of the company’sPopEntry facial recognition device that lets workers and students safely“scan-in” to their workplace and college campus facilities. Users cannow add a credit or debit card to their PopID accounts for hands-free alternativeto cash, credit cards or Apple Pay.  

The launchin Pasadena of a dense network of businesses and people using thePopID platform for both payment and entry kicks off a city by city rollout ofthe contactless payment service. “In each new city we enter, we initiallyfocus on installing PopEntry systems in the workplace and on local collegecampuses,” said John Miller, chairman of Cali Group and CEO of PopID.“As these communities grow comfortable using PopID to check in, we enlistarea restaurants and retailers to offer PopPay for transactions.”  

Some ofthe Pasadena restaurants and retailers now accepting PopPayinclude: 

• Again Café
• Arroyo Chop House
• BAN SUP refill
• Barcelona 
• Bubble Puff andTea 
• CaliBurger 
• Contessa ItalianFoods
• Daddy’s ChickenShack
• DogHaus 
• Fair OaksBurger 
• The Fit BarSuperfood Cafe
• Food Bar 
• Lêberry Bakery
• Lemonade
• MediterraneanGrill 
• Milkcow Café
• Monopole Wine
• Parkway Grill
• Pho Banh Mi CheCali 
• Real Food Cafe
• Space Bar WellnessCenter
• Smitty’s
• Sorriso
• Taste of Pace
• Tortas Mexico 

Customers can takeadvantage of PopID’s facial recognition payment service in one of a number ofways: at the drive-thru, at an in-venue kiosk, via a display screen affixed tothe sneeze guard at the counter, or tableside with a waiter scanning thepatron’s face using a hand-held Android device. Once recognized, the businesssimply draws from the customer’s PopID account before sending a text messageconfirming payment. PopID accounts also tie to loyalty programs for automatic creditwith every purchase. The user controls their account and can opt out ofthe service at any time.  

Over the last threeyears, PopID has been tested and adapted for payment and loyalty programs atregional and national restaurant brands throughout the country including Belcampo,Bojangles, CaliBurger, Dair-i-o, Deli Time, Plant Power, and Port of Subs.

PopPay follows thenational roll-out of PopEntry+, the combined facial recognition and thermaltemperature screening device now in use in private and government offices,factories, restaurants, assisted living facilities, sports venues and oncollege campuses. 

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