Panera, Starbucks, Chipotle To Use New Apple Pay

With the exciting announcement yesterday of Apple's upcoming iPhone 6, iPhone 6 plus, and the Apple Watch, comes a new virtual wallet feature: Apple Pay, where you'll be able to pay for your groceries, lunch, and more with just your (now slightly larger) iPhone. Already a bunch of partners have jumped on the Apple Pay bandwagon, including McDonald's, Subway, OpenTable, and Whole Foods. Most notably, from the time the new phones are released later this month until the end of the year, more and more fast-casual restaurants will be partnering with Apple to accept the brand-new virtual currency, including Panera, Chipotle, and Starbucks.  

"We're proud to be one of the first retailers to accept Apple Pay.... For us, it's a natural extension of Panera 2.0, which brings together digital ordering, multiple payment options and improved operational processes to deliver an enhanced guest experience," said Blaine Hurst, Panera's chief technology and transformation officer, in a statement. Panera will be using the payment option for mobile orders only.

So how does it work? Apple Pay will apparently be easier, faster, and safer than any of the other mobile payment options out there, and will use a one-time payment number, as well as a security code, a straightforward process that may render credit card numbers almost obsolete. 

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Joanna Fantozzi is an Associate Editor with The Daily Meal. Follow her on Twitter@JoannaFantozzi