There is a unique system in the US called Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) that allows people who receive government assistance to pay for food using a plastic card, similar to a debit card.
So, if you are a beneficiary of this program and are interested in learning more, I urge you to keep reading.
In this article, I will discuss which restaurants accept EBT in 2025, so if you are a beneficiary of this system, you’ll know which restaurants to go to get a free meal.
Plus, I will include easy ways to get extra free meals at the end of this article if you want more than what EBT gives you access to, or if you live in a state where it is not available. So, let’s dive in.
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What is EBT?
If you do not know what Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) is, it is an electronic system that allows people who receive government assistance, especially through programs like SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), to pay for food using a plastic card.
The most common use of EBT is to distribute SNAP benefits, which help low-income individuals and families buy food. The way it works is that benefits are loaded onto the card each month. Then, the card can be used at authorized retailers to purchase eligible food items.
You can also use the card to pay for the meal you buy at certain restaurants, and this is called RMP or Restaurant Meals Program. This program is meant to help people who can’t prepare their meals (the disabled and elderly) or the homeless.
It can also be used in farmers' markets in participating locations, grocery stores, and online retailers like Amazon and Walmart (as long as you shop from one of the participating states).
As of the writing of this article, EBT is only available in these states:
- Arizona
- California
- Illinois
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- New York
- Rhode Island
- Virginia
So, if you don’t live in any of the states mentioned above, then you won’t be able to use EBT. This might change in the future, so just check and see if your state has opted into the program.
Restaurants that accept EBT
It goes without saying that the only restaurants that accept EBT payment are those located in the states listed above. You can easily tell if a restaurant accepts EBT payment because there will be a sign somewhere stating that it accepts EBT payments.
You can usually see the sign near the cash register of a restaurant or at the front door. Sometimes, it will also be displayed in the front window.
But just going around checking out all the restaurants is, of course, inconvenient. So, if you want to see a comprehensive list of restaurants that accept EBT payment, your best option is to go to your state’s website and look for the RMP section.
But to give you an idea of which restaurants usually accept EBT payments, here’s a short list.
- Burger King
- Carl's Jr.
- Church's Chicken
- Del Taco
- Denny's
- Domino's Pizza
- El Pollo Loco
- Great Steaks
- Jack in the Box
- Jamba Juice
- KFC
- Papa Murphy's
- Popeye's
- Pizza Hut
- Quiznos
- Rally's Hamburgers
- Subway
- Taco Bell
- Wendy's
- Wienerschnitzel
- 24th St Pizza & Gyros
- Blimpie
Just to remind you that these restaurants have to be located in one of the participating states for the EBT payment to be accepted. For example, no Taco Bell branches in Florida accept EBT payments because Florida is not a participating state.
Now, if you want to know the remaining balance of your EBT account, you can download the ebtEDGE app, which works on both Android and iOS devices.
Other ways to get a free meal
Now, if you are not qualified for the RMP, or if you live in a state that did not opt in to the RMP, or if you want more than you can get from the RMP, there are still ways you can get a free meal.
One such way is joining a Get-Paid-To (GPT) site so you can earn rewards that you can use to redeem a restaurant gift card. They are 100% free to join and use.
What’s great about these sites is that they are also a good way to earn some extra cash. You can earn by answering surveys, completing offers, playing games, and more. So, you just need to invest a bit of time and effort to earn enough rewards to redeem cash or restaurant gift cards (or many other gift cards for that matter).
8 sites to get extra free meals
Now that you know about GPT sites and how you can get extra free meals, let’s discuss the actual sites you can join to get these free meals. Take note that all these sites are available in the US, and they are free to join.
