Eligible CalFresh EBT recipients can purchase hot and prepared meals at participating restaurants. Not all fast-food and restaurant locations take EBT cards but those that participate in the EBT Restaurant Meals Program do accept EBT payments. Here is how to find the restaurants that accept EBT near you.
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What is the CalFresh EBT Restaurant Meals Program?
The Restaurant Meals Program (RMP) is a program for eligible CalFresh recipients, also known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and formerly California Food Stamp. RMP enables eligible individuals who are homeless, disabled, or elderly (ages 60 and above) and receive CalFresh EBT benefits to use their Golden State Advantage (EBT) card to buy hot, prepared food from participating restaurants in California.
States that operate a Restaurant Meals Program include Arizona, California, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New York (coming soon), and Rhode Island.
CalFresh Restaurant Meals Program Eligibility
- Adult aged 60 or older
- Person with a disability
- Spouse of an individual that belongs to one of the above categories, or
- Homelessness
The RMP program does not apply to CalFresh recipients who do not meet the criteria listed above.
For more information, call the CalFresh Information Line at 1-877-847-3663 (FOOD) or visit your local county social services office in person.
Restaurants that Accept EBT
To locate participating restaurants near you, see the list of Participating Restaurants that Accept EBT locator. Also, be on the lookout for the “Restaurant Meals Program” sign in the window of participating restaurants.
A sampling of dine-in and fast food restaurants that accept EBT payments include Burger King, Denny’s, Domino’s Pizza, Carl’s Jr, Del Taco, El Pollo Loco, Jack in the Box, Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, Popeyes, Taco Bell, Subway, Waba Grill, Wendy’s, Wienerschnitzel, Wingstop, Yoshinoya. Please note that EBT payments are only accepted at specific approved locations, and not every restaurant chain location on this list will accept EBT payments.
Approved RMP Restaurant List by County
See the following official EBT restaurant lists of approved participating restaurants by county in the RMP program.
- Alameda
- Butte
- Contra Costa
- Fresno
- Glenn
- Imperial
- Kern
- Kings
- Los Angeles
- Madera
- Marin
- Mariposa
- Merced
- Nevada
- Orange County
- San Bernardino
- Riverside
- Sacramento
- San Bernardino
- San Diego
- San Francisco
- San Joaquin
- San Luis Obispo
- San Mateo
- Santa Barbara
- Santa Cruz
- Shasta
- Solano
- Sonoma
- Stanislaus
- Sutter
- Tehama
- Tulare
- Ventura
- Yolo
- Yuba
You can also use the California EBT locator to find participating restaurants near you.
Source: California Department of Social Services
Take & Bake Pizza Loophole
Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards cannot be used to purchase already prepared food including prepared pizza unless they are part of the Restaurant Meals Program. However, take and bake pizza restaurants such as Papa Murphy’s are exceptions as they are not considered hot, prepared food. Therefore, if a take and bake pizza restaurant accepts EBT, any EBT recipient can use their EBT card to purchase pizza.
