List of All Restaurants that Accept EBT

Before you are considered eligible to use the EBT card at restaurants, you must qualify for the Restaurant Meals Program (RMP), and your state has to offer the RMP for you to be able to buy food at designated restaurants. This article contains everything you need to know, including the list of all restaurants that accept EBT.

Lets get right into it. Here is a list of restaurants in the United States that EBT?

List of Restaurants that Accepts EBT

Click on your state below to view restaurants that participates in RMP and accepts ebt.

Please note: other states not mentioned above do not participate in RMP.

How to Identify Restaurants that Accept EBT

Locating a restaurant that accepts EBT is not hard these days. All you need to do is look for the signage that states “Participating Restaurant: SNAP Restaurant Meals Program” with the “Fork & Knife” logo displayed on the door or window.

Nonetheless, some of the fast-food restaurant vendors will keep a signboard with a writeup saying “We Welcome EBT” or something similar to that that, as you can see in the Pizza Hut signboard image below.

How does the Food Stamp Program work?

Also known as the SNAP benefit, the Food Stamps Program Benefits is a federally funded program run by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) but administered at the state level that offers nutrition assistance to millions of eligible, low-income individuals and families.

However, if you want to sign up for food stamps, you have to apply through the agency in your state that runs the program.

There are strict eligibility criteria and requirements that you have to meet to be approved for SNAP benefits, including income requirements.

But if you are successfully approved as a food stamp recipient, an EBT card will be issued to you, and as we stated earlier, the EBT card is just like a debit card that enables you to purchase foods that are on the approved list at any approved merchant locations.

What is Restaurant Meal Program

Since 1977, the Restaurant Meals Program has been an essential part of the Food Stamps program. It enables qualified elderly, disabled, and homeless SNAP recipients to buy food at authorised restaurants. Any state or county can enrol in the Restaurant Meals Program.

The purpose of the program is to help expand food access to those who do not have a place to store and cook food, who may not be able to prepare food, or who don’t have access to a grocery store.

Who is eligible for this restaurant meal program?

You can recall that we said that the Restaurant Meals Program is created for those who do not have a place to store and cook food OR who may not be able to prepare food or who don’t have access to a grocery store to gain access to food.

So, here are the set of people who are considered eligible for the program and what will qualify him/her for this offer;

1. Homeless

For a homeless person to be eligible, the person/household must lack a fixed and regular nighttime residence or be living in a shelter, halfway house, or a place not designed for sleeping.

This includes those who are temporarily staying in the home of another person (90 days or less).

2. Elderly

To be eligible, the elderly person or household must have only members who are 60 or older or an elderly individual and his or her spouse.

3. Disabled

To be eligible, the person/household must have only members who are designated disabled by a government entity or a disabled individual and his or her spouse.

3. Elderly or Disabled

To be eligible for the Restaurant Meals Program, the individual/household must have only members who are age 60 or older or designated as disabled by a government entity or an elderly or disabled individual and his or her spouse.

Products that You Can and Cannot Currently Purchase with SNAP 

Below are the lists of what you can currently buy with SNAP. So, If you are now receiving food stamps, you are allowed to buy food that you plan to take home and prepare at home to eat.

That excludes hot food or buying food at restaurants. However, there are exceptions, which we will explain below.

However, here is what you can buy with SNAP and what you can’t buy with it:

What You Can Buy: 

You are allowed to buy the following with your EBT card:

• bread and cereals;
• fruits and vegetables;
• meats, fish, and poultry; and
• dairy products.
• Seeds and plants produce food for the household to eat.

What You Can’t Buy With SNAP

• Beer, wine, liquor, cigarettes, or tobacco
• Nonfood items, such as:
  • pet foods
  • soaps, paper products
  • household supplies
  • Vitamins and medicines
• Food that will be eaten in the store
• Hot foods

Restaurants that don’t Accept EBT Food Stamps

Are you surprised? Oh, you should not. Because in every disciple, there must be a judas; likewise, in this case, there are fast-food restaurants that do not accept EBT, but they are also participating in the Restaurant Meals Program. These restaurants include:

1. A&W Restaurants
2. Arby’s
3. Chick-fil-A
4. Chipotle
5. Cinnabon
6. Dairy Queen
7. Dunkin’ Donuts
8. Einstein Bros. Bagels
9. Five Guys
10. Hardee’s
11. In-N-Out Burger
12. Krispy Kreme
13. Long John Silver’s
14. McDonald’s
15. Panda Express
16. Panera Bread
17. Qdoba Mexican Grill
18. Shake Shack
19. Starbucks
20. TCBY
21. Tim Hortons
22. Whataburger
23. Wingstop
24. WingStreet
25. Zaxby’s

How to Use the EBT CARD to Buy Food

To use your EBT card to buy food at a restaurant, they will have to swipe it or run it through the point of sale machine, similar to how it is currently used at a grocery store.

Electronic Benefits Transfer  FAQ

People usually ask questions about EBT. Below are some of the questions and answers

How do I know the eligibility criteria for the restaurant meals program?

The criteria are sky-high. The restaurant meal program mostly prioritises the less privileged, the elderly, and incapacitated people. For more information, kindly reach out to your local Department of Human Services office.

What are the qualifications needed for an EBT card?

There are certain criteria needed; everybody cannot qualify for the card. To qualify, your income will be checked according to the federal poverty level. But people with disabilities and the less privileged are mostly taken into consideration.

Is EBT safe?  

Yes, EBT is safe and secure, and your information is kept private.

Can the food stamp program access my bank accounts?

Yes, in situations where you lie about your assets and funds in order to swindle the federal government and state. So it is important that the information you give to the program is accurate.

Is EBT the same as a credit card?

An EBT card, also known as an electronic benefits transfer card, is a card containing a magnetic strip that is used to pay for benefits for programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Cash Assistance. EBT cards work similarly to debit cards in that recipients are given a monthly allowance based on their earnings and family size, and their balance drops with each purchase.

What are the EBT cash benefits?

Every month, a fixed amount of money is deposited onto the recipient’s cards, according to their earnings and family size; nevertheless, this cash can only be spent on certain things, based on the program. For example, SNAP payments only pay for foodstuffs for the family. It excludes liquor, cigarettes, pills, and multivitamins.

How do I use my EBT card?

• Swipe the card.
• Input your PIN into the electronic device at the checkout counter.
• You are the only person who ought to type in your PIN.
• Check and save all of your EBT purchase receipts.

Can you withdraw cash from an EBT card?

SNAP benefits are available exclusively for buying food items and can’t be used to withdraw money.

Does Amazon accept EBT?

Amazon accepts SNAP EBT in every US state aside from Alaska.

Will I be able to buy hot or ready-made food?

No, you cannot use your SNAP benefits to buy prepared foods or hot foods.