Can I use my CalFresh EBT at restaurants? Restaurant Meals Program (RMP) eligibility confusion

Your cousin is correct. What you're asking about is called the Restaurant Meals Program (RMP) and it's only available to specific CalFresh recipients: people who are elderly (60+), disabled, homeless, or the spouse of a qualified recipient. The program exists because these groups often have difficulty preparing meals at home. Not every county in California participates, and even in counties that do, only specific restaurants are approved. To qualify, you need to meet at least one of those criteria I mentioned, and it should be documented in your case file. The county verifies this when they set up your EBT card permissions.

I was suuuper confused about this too when i first got calfresh!! ur neighbor might be homeless or disabled and not mentioned it? or maybe shes on a different benefit program thats not calfresh/snap? regular calfresh cannot buy hot prepared foods from ANYWHERE including grocery store hot food bars btw... i learned that the embarassing way lol

To add some clarity here - the RMP program is specific to certain counties in California, and the rules are strict about who qualifies. Your EBT card is actually coded differently if you're eligible for RMP, so the system automatically knows when you swipe your card. Participating restaurants usually have signs that say "EBT Accepted" but that doesn't mean all EBT cardholders can use them. Common places include some McDonald's, Subway, Domino's, and certain local restaurants, but it varies by county. If you're not homeless, disabled (receiving SSI/SSDI), or over 60, then unfortunately you can't participate regardless of your work schedule.

Just wanted to add - my mom uses hers at restaurants because she's over 60, but what a lot of people don't realize is that even if you qualify, the RMP isn't available everywhere in CA. I think only like 10-11 counties have it? So your neighbor might be confused or maybe went to a grocery store deli (which still isn't allowed with regular CalFresh btw).

I had such a nightmare trying to figure this out when my dad (who's disabled) moved in with me. We spent HOURS on hold with the county trying to get his EBT card properly coded for restaurant use. After being disconnected three times, I found this service called Claimyr that got us connected to a real person at the county in about 10 minutes. Just went to claimyr.com and they called the county for us, then connected us when a real person was on the line. There's a video showing how it works here: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8 The worker confirmed he was eligible for the Restaurant Meals Program and updated his account. Might be helpful if you need to contact the county about your specific situation.

ANOTHER THING NO ONE MENTIONED - even if you qualify for RMP with restaurants, the prices are TERRIBLE value compared to cooking at home. My brother is disabled and uses it sometimes but you get way less food for your benefits. Like $15 for a basic fast food meal that would cost $3-4 to make at home. Just saying.

For reference, here's the official description from CDSS: "The Restaurant Meals Program (RMP) allows eligible homeless, elderly, and disabled CalFresh recipients to use their EBT cards to purchase prepared meals at approved participating restaurants in certain counties." If you're working long hours, I'd recommend looking into meal prep on days off or investing in a slow cooker - you can start it before work and have a hot meal ready when you get home, all while maximizing your CalFresh benefits.

Be careful listening to random people about where EBT works! My neighbor swore up and down that she used her CalFresh EBT at Burger King, but turns out she was actually using her cash aid portion of her benefits (CalWORKs), not the food portion. This confuses so many people! CalFresh and cash aid are different programs that can be on the same card.

side note but im still mad that calfresh benefits cant be used for rotisserie chickens at the grocery store... like how is that different from raw chicken??? its literally one of the cheapest healthy options for someone who cant cook! makes no sense 😤