CalFresh EBT for fast food - why can my brother use it at restaurants but I can't?

Your brother is probably eligible for the Restaurant Meals Program (RMP). This is a special program for CalFresh recipients who are: 1) age 60 or older, 2) disabled, or 3) homeless. If he falls into any of these categories, he can use his EBT card at approved restaurants that participate in the program. The program exists because these groups might have difficulty preparing meals at home. If you don't fall into one of these categories, you won't be able to use your CalFresh benefits at restaurants - even if they're RMP-approved locations.

Oh! That makes sense now. He's technically homeless (staying with different friends) while I have an apartment. No one explained that to me when I signed up. Thanks!

yeah my mom can use hers at burger king and i cant either. its super annoying tbh like why cant everyone just use it for fast food sometimes? some days i dont have time to cook after work but im not 'disabled enough' i guess

It's because the Restaurant Meals Program is specifically designed to help people who can't easily prepare food, not just for convenience. If they opened it up to everyone on CalFresh, they'd probably face a lot of political pushback about 'wasting taxpayer money' on fast food instead of groceries. It's frustrating but that's the reality of how these benefit programs get designed.

I work for a community org that helps people with benefits, and there's often confusion about this. The Restaurant Meals Program (RMP) is ONLY available to CalFresh recipients who are elderly (60+), disabled, or homeless. Also important to know: RMP is not available in all counties in California! Only certain counties participate, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Santa Clara, Sacramento, San Diego, and a few others. So if your brother doesn't fall into one of those categories (elderly/disabled/homeless), he might be using his cash aid portion if he gets CalWORKs, not his CalFresh benefits.

Thank you for explaining! He definitely falls under the homeless category right now. Do you happen to know if there's a list somewhere of which restaurants participate? He mentioned Subway and McDonald's but I'm curious what other places are included if I ever qualify in the future.

Lol ur brother might be using the cash benefits part of his card not the food part. My cousin thought he was using his food stamps at jack n the box but he was actually draining his cash aid without realizing 🤣 might wanna check with him which part he's actually using

I asked him and he confirmed it's definitely the CalFresh part. He's in the Restaurant Meals Program because of his housing situation. But that's a good point - I bet some people do make that mistake!

This is a common point of confusion! To add to what others have said, if you look at the back of your EBT card, you'll see the Restaurant Meals Program logo on it if you're enrolled. It's a little plate with a fork and knife. If your brother is homeless, he should have been automatically enrolled when he applied for CalFresh and indicated his housing status. The system is designed this way because typically, CalFresh benefits are intended for purchasing groceries that you prepare yourself, while the RMP exception is for people who can't easily cook. Just a note that some counties in California don't participate in RMP at all.

Also, if you think you should qualify (if you're disabled, homeless, or over 60), but aren't enrolled in RMP, you can contact your county worker and request to be added to the program. Sometimes there are errors in how people are categorized in the system, especially if your situation has changed since you first applied.

A few people have already explained the Restaurant Meals Program correctly. One thing I want to add - if you're trying to reach your county worker to ask about this or other CalFresh questions and having trouble getting through on the phone, you might want to try Claimyr. I was trying to call my county office for THREE DAYS straight about an RMP issue and kept getting disconnected. Claimyr got me through to a real person in about 20 minutes. They have a short video that explains how it works: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8 and their website is claimyr.com. Saved me so much frustration!

Thanks for the tip! I don't need to call about this particular issue now that I understand it, but I've had trouble reaching anyone by phone in the past. I'll keep this in mind for next time!

does anyone know if the restaurant meals program includes like doordash or ubereats delivery? or do u have to physically go to the restaurant?

Unfortunately, delivery services like DoorDash and UberEats don't work with the Restaurant Meals Program. You have to physically go to the participating restaurant and pay with your EBT card in person. The delivery fees wouldn't be covered by CalFresh anyway, and these third-party delivery services aren't set up to process EBT transactions. For grocery delivery, some places like Amazon and Walmart do accept EBT online, but not for prepared restaurant food.

My sister went through something similar and was super confused about why her friend could use EBT at Jack in the Box. Turns out her friend was using the cash portion of her benefits not the food portion. Ask your brother to check his receipts - if he's using SNAP/CalFresh part it will say

I checked with him and he definitely falls under the homeless category for the Restaurant Meals Program. I never realized there were these special eligibility categories for fast food purchases. Learn something new every day!

To answer your question about which restaurants participate in RMP - it varies by county, but common ones include McDonald's, Subway, Domino's, Jack in the Box, Denny's, El Pollo Loco, and some local restaurants. Each county that participates in RMP maintains their own list of approved restaurants. You can usually find the list on your county's social services website, or call your county CalFresh office to request it. Participating restaurants should also display an 'EBT Accepted Here' or 'Restaurant Meals Program' sign in their window.

i saw on tiktok that some ppl in LA can use their ebt at popeyes too! i wish my county had more options tbh

I'm in Orange County and we don't have RMP here at all, which is really frustrating. I'm disabled and would definitely qualify if the program existed in my area. I've been advocating with some other folks to get our county to join the program but it's been slow going. For those of you who do have access to RMP - definitely take advantage of it! And for anyone who thinks they might qualify but aren't sure, it's worth calling your county office to check. Sometimes people don't realize they're eligible, especially if their circumstances have changed since they first applied for benefits.

Just wanted to add for anyone else reading this - if your housing situation changes and you become homeless or if you develop a disability, make sure to report that change to your county CalFresh office right away! You might become eligible for the Restaurant Meals Program. I learned this the hard way when I became temporarily homeless last year but didn't think to update my case for a few months. Once I did, they were able to add me to RMP retroactively, but I missed out on using it during some really tough weeks when I was couch surfing and had no kitchen access. The system isn't perfect but it can be a real lifesaver when you qualify and actually know about it!

This whole thread has been super helpful! I had no idea about the Restaurant Meals Program before reading everyone's explanations. I'm not eligible myself since I have stable housing and am under 60, but it's good to know this exists for people who really need it. One thing I'm curious about - for those who are eligible for RMP, is there a limit on how much you can spend at restaurants versus grocery stores? Like, could someone theoretically use their entire monthly CalFresh benefit at McDonald's, or are there restrictions to encourage grocery shopping too?

This thread has been so informative! I'm a new CalFresh recipient and honestly had no clue about the Restaurant Meals Program at all. My caseworker never mentioned it during my application process. It's really eye-opening to learn about all these different eligibility categories and how the program works. I'm fortunate to have stable housing and kitchen access, so I don't qualify for RMP, but it's reassuring to know these programs exist for people who genuinely need them. Thanks to everyone who took the time to explain the details - this is exactly the kind of real-world information that's hard to find in the official paperwork!

I'm so glad I found this thread! I've been on CalFresh for about 6 months and had the exact same confusion when I saw my coworker using her EBT card at Taco Bell. I thought maybe there was some secret way to unlock restaurant purchases that nobody told me about. Now I understand she's probably eligible for RMP - she mentioned having mobility issues that make cooking difficult. It's actually really reassuring to know that the system has these accommodations for people who genuinely need them, even though it can be confusing at first when you don't know all the rules. Thanks everyone for breaking this down so clearly!

This has been such an educational thread! I'm a social work student doing my field placement at a food assistance nonprofit, and I'm definitely going to share this information with my supervisor. We get questions about EBT restaurant use pretty regularly, and I realize now that I haven't been giving people complete information about the Restaurant Meals Program eligibility categories. It's really valuable to see how this confusion plays out in real life - clearly there's a need for better education about RMP during the CalFresh application process. I'm going to suggest we create some informational materials about this for our clients. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences and knowledge here!

This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm a college student who just started receiving CalFresh benefits last month, and I had the exact same question when I saw someone at my campus food court using their EBT card at Panda Express. I was so confused because I thought EBT only worked at grocery stores. Now I understand about the Restaurant Meals Program and the specific eligibility categories - it makes total sense that it's designed for people who genuinely can't prepare meals at home. Even though I don't qualify since I have access to a dorm kitchen, it's really good to know this program exists for students who might be experiencing homelessness or have disabilities. The whole CalFresh system has so many details that aren't well explained during the application process. Thanks to everyone who took the time to share their knowledge and experiences!

Wow, this whole conversation has been like a masterclass in CalFresh that I never got when I signed up! I'm a single parent working two jobs, and I've been on CalFresh for almost a year but had no idea about the Restaurant Meals Program until reading this thread. I always wondered why some people could use their cards at fast food places while others couldn't. It's actually really well-designed when you think about it - focusing on people who genuinely can't cook at home rather than just being a general convenience thing. I'm grateful I have a working kitchen and don't need RMP, but it's reassuring to know these accommodations exist for people who really need them. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - this is exactly the kind of practical information that should be part of the application process but somehow never is!

This thread has been incredibly enlightening! I'm a recent CalFresh recipient (about 3 months now) and I had absolutely no clue about the Restaurant Meals Program. I actually had a similar experience to the original poster - I saw my neighbor using her EBT card at KFC and when I tried it later, my card was declined. I was so embarrassed and thought maybe there was something wrong with my benefits. Now I understand she's probably eligible for RMP due to age or disability status. It's actually really thoughtful that the program exists for people who genuinely can't prepare meals at home, though I wish this information was explained better during the application process. I learned more about CalFresh from reading these comments than from my entire enrollment experience! Thanks to everyone who took the time to share their knowledge and experiences.

This whole thread has been such a game-changer for understanding CalFresh! I've been receiving benefits for about 4 months now and honestly thought my brother was just pulling my leg when he said he could buy meals at Subway with his EBT card. I even accused him of making it up because I was so confused! Now I realize he's probably eligible for RMP - he's been staying in a homeless shelter for the past few months. It's actually pretty amazing that there's a program specifically designed for people who genuinely can't access kitchen facilities to prepare meals. I feel bad for doubting him now! This is definitely information that should be covered more clearly during the application process. I had no idea these specialized programs even existed within CalFresh. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences and knowledge here - you've all been way more helpful than any of the official paperwork I received!

This thread has been so educational! I'm a CalFresh recipient who works with seniors at a local community center, and I'm realizing I need to spread the word about RMP to some of our participants. Many of the seniors I work with are over 60 and live alone, but I don't think they know they might be eligible to use their CalFresh benefits at restaurants. Some of them have mentioned struggling with cooking or having limited mobility, so this could be a real game-changer for them. I'm definitely going to bring this up at our next senior services meeting and see if we can get someone from the county office to come explain the program. It's frustrating that this information isn't better publicized - I bet there are tons of eligible people who just don't know this option exists!