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Restaurants that accept EBT

Regular SNAP benefits cannot be used for hot prepared meals at restaurants. The exception is the Restaurant Meals Program (RMP), a state option. It lets certain SNAP households buy prepared meals at approved restaurants.

Who can use it

You must be certified for SNAP in a state that has an RMP, and every member of your household must be one of the following:

• elderly (60 or older)
• disabled (receiving disability or blindness payments, or permanent-disability retirement benefits, from a government agency)
• homeless
• a spouse of someone who qualifies

The restaurant does not check this. Your state codes your EBT card, and the card is declined if you are not eligible.

Which restaurants take part

A restaurant must be in a participating state, be approved by the state with a signed agreement, and be authorized by USDA to accept SNAP. Each state decides how many and which restaurants can join. That is why a chain can take EBT at one location and not at the one down the street.

States that run an RMP

• Arizona
• California
• Illinois (Cook and Franklin Counties only)
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• Michigan
• New York
• Rhode Island
• Virginia

USDA page last updated 2026-08-07. Checked by us 2026-11-04, next check 2026-12-04. USDA Food and Nutrition Administration: SNAP Restaurant Meals Program (page text supplied by the editor)

To find participating restaurants, contact your state SNAP agency. Pennsylvania is not on USDA's list of states.