diff --git a/.changeset/tough-seahorses-learn.md b/.changeset/tough-seahorses-learn.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..f0b6bcb70a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/tough-seahorses-learn.md
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+---
+'@backstage/plugin-bazaar-backend': minor
+---
+
+**BREAKING** The bazaar-backend createRouter now requires that the `identityApi` is passed to the router.
+
+These changes are **required** to `packages/backend/src/plugins/bazaar.ts`
+
+The user entity ref is now added to the members table and is taken from the requesting user using the `identityApi`.
+
+```diff
+import { PluginEnvironment } from '../types';
+import { createRouter } from '@backstage/plugin-bazaar-backend';
+import { Router } from 'express';
+
+export default async function createPlugin(
+  env: PluginEnvironment,
+): Promise<Router> {
+  return await createRouter({
+    logger: env.logger,
+    config: env.config,
+    database: env.database,
++   identity: env.identity,
+  });
+}
+```
diff --git a/plugins/bazaar-backend/README.md b/plugins/bazaar-backend/README.md
index b7a08a2fb8..266841b26b 100644
--- a/plugins/bazaar-backend/README.md
+++ b/plugins/bazaar-backend/README.md
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ yarn add --cwd packages/backend @backstage/plugin-bazaar-backend
 
 You'll need to add the plugin to the router in your `backend` package. You can do this by creating a file called `packages/backend/src/plugins/bazaar.ts`
 
-```tsx
+```typescript
 import { PluginEnvironment } from '../types';
 import { createRouter } from '@backstage/plugin-bazaar-backend';
 import { Router } from 'express';
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ export default async function createPlugin(
     logger: env.logger,
     config: env.config,
     database: env.database,
+    identity: env.identity,
   });
 }
 ```
diff --git a/plugins/bazaar-backend/migrations/20220817150443_add_member_entity_ref.js b/plugins/bazaar-backend/migrations/20220817150443_add_member_entity_ref.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..79b80ef20c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/bazaar-backend/migrations/20220817150443_add_member_entity_ref.js
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2022 The Backstage Authors
+ *
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+
+exports.up = async function up(knex) {
+  await knex.schema.alterTable('members', table => {
+    table.string('user_ref').nullable();
+  });
+};
+
+exports.down = async function down(knex) {
+  return knex.schema.table('members', table => {
+    table.dropColumn('user_ref');
+  });
+};
diff --git a/plugins/bazaar-backend/package.json b/plugins/bazaar-backend/package.json
index 4aaaa73a2b..c08287fcb8 100644
--- a/plugins/bazaar-backend/package.json
+++ b/plugins/bazaar-backend/package.json
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@
     "@backstage/backend-common": "workspace:^",
     "@backstage/backend-test-utils": "workspace:^",
     "@backstage/config": "workspace:^",
+    "@backstage/plugin-auth-node": "workspace:^",
     "@types/express": "^4.17.6",
     "express": "^4.17.1",
     "express-promise-router": "^4.1.0",
diff --git a/plugins/bazaar-backend/src/service/DatabaseHandler.test.ts b/plugins/bazaar-backend/src/service/DatabaseHandler.test.ts
index e1a722016b..371d20ff13 100644
--- a/plugins/bazaar-backend/src/service/DatabaseHandler.test.ts
+++ b/plugins/bazaar-backend/src/service/DatabaseHandler.test.ts
@@ -75,6 +75,13 @@ describe('DatabaseHandler', () => {
         responsible: bazaarProject.responsible,
       });
 
+      // Add a member to the project
+      await knex('members').insert({
+        item_id: 1,
+        user_ref: 'user:default/thehulk',
+        user_id: 'Bruce Banner',
+      });
+
       const res = await dbHandler.getMetadataByRef('ref1');
 
       expect(res).toHaveLength(1);
@@ -85,6 +92,9 @@ describe('DatabaseHandler', () => {
       expect(res[0].end_date).toEqual(null);
       expect(res[0].size).toEqual('small');
       expect(res[0].responsible).toEqual('r');
+      expect(
+        res[0].members_count === '1' || res[0].members_count === 1,
+      ).toBeTruthy();
     },
     60_000,
   );
diff --git a/plugins/bazaar-backend/src/service/DatabaseHandler.ts b/plugins/bazaar-backend/src/service/DatabaseHandler.ts
index d8d975b7ed..352866b4b5 100644
--- a/plugins/bazaar-backend/src/service/DatabaseHandler.ts
+++ b/plugins/bazaar-backend/src/service/DatabaseHandler.ts
@@ -67,11 +67,17 @@ export class DatabaseHandler {
     return await this.client.select('*').from('members').where({ item_id: id });
   }
 
-  async addMember(id: number, userId: string, picture?: string) {
+  async addMember(
+    id: number,
+    userId: string,
+    userRef?: string,
+    picture?: string,
+  ) {
     await this.client
       .insert({
         item_id: id,
         user_id: userId,
+        user_ref: userRef,
         picture: picture,
       })
       .into('members');
diff --git a/plugins/bazaar-backend/src/service/router.ts b/plugins/bazaar-backend/src/service/router.ts
index a5248c2949..359945f298 100644
--- a/plugins/bazaar-backend/src/service/router.ts
+++ b/plugins/bazaar-backend/src/service/router.ts
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ import express from 'express';
 import Router from 'express-promise-router';
 import { Logger } from 'winston';
 import { Config } from '@backstage/config';
+import { IdentityApi } from '@backstage/plugin-auth-node';
 import { DatabaseHandler } from './DatabaseHandler';
 
 /** @public */
@@ -26,13 +27,14 @@ export interface RouterOptions {
   logger: Logger;
   database: PluginDatabaseManager;
   config: Config;
+  identity: IdentityApi;
 }
 
 /** @public */
 export async function createRouter(
   options: RouterOptions,
 ): Promise<express.Router> {
-  const { logger, database } = options;
+  const { logger, database, identity } = options;
 
   const dbHandler = await DatabaseHandler.create({ database });
 
@@ -53,7 +55,14 @@ export async function createRouter(
 
   router.put('/projects/:id/member/:userId', async (request, response) => {
     const { id, userId } = request.params;
-    await dbHandler.addMember(parseInt(id, 10), userId, request.body?.picture);
+    const user = await identity.getIdentity({ request: request });
+
+    await dbHandler.addMember(
+      parseInt(id, 10),
+      userId,
+      user?.identity.userEntityRef,
+      request.body?.picture,
+    );
 
     response.json({ status: 'ok' });
   });
diff --git a/plugins/bazaar-backend/src/service/standaloneServer.ts b/plugins/bazaar-backend/src/service/standaloneServer.ts
index e8a49fbf5d..a865a9875d 100644
--- a/plugins/bazaar-backend/src/service/standaloneServer.ts
+++ b/plugins/bazaar-backend/src/service/standaloneServer.ts
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ import {
   loadBackendConfig,
   useHotMemoize,
 } from '@backstage/backend-common';
+import { DefaultIdentityClient } from '@backstage/plugin-auth-node';
 import { Server } from 'http';
 import { Logger } from 'winston';
 import { createRouter } from './router';
@@ -54,6 +55,7 @@ export async function startStandaloneServer(
     logger,
     database: { getClient: async () => db },
     config: config,
+    identity: {} as DefaultIdentityClient,
   });
 
   let service = createServiceBuilder(module)