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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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.
#1 - Pawns
Payout methods: Gift cards for Applebee’s, Burger King, Chipotle, Chili’s, Domino’s, and more Payout threshold: $5 More information:Read full Pawns review
Short summary: Pawns is a unique platform that lets you earn by sharing your unused internet bandwidth. You can also earn by answering surveys and playing games.
You can get paid via PayPal or Payoneer. You can also convert your earnings to Bitcoin, prepaid Visa cards, or gift cards.
As for restaurants, it offers gift cards for Applebee’s, Burger King, Chipotle, Chili’s, Domino’s, Buffalo Wild Wings, IHOP, TGI Fridays, Subway, KFC, and more. You just need to earn $5 to redeem and get a gift card.
Payout methods: Gift cards for Walmart, Applebee’s, Bubba Gump Shrimp, Burger King, and more Payout threshold: $5 More information:Read full Branded Surveys review
Short summary: Branded Surveys is a survey site that lets you earn by answering surveys. It has a good number of surveys available, and it offers other ways of earning. And the more active you are, the higher rewards you get.
You can get paid via PayPal or bank transfer, but you can also redeem various gift cards. As for the restaurant gift cards you can redeem, you will see options for Walmart, Applebee’s, Bubba Gump Shrimp, Burger King, California Pizza Kitchen, Chili’s, Chipotle, Dunkin’, Papa John’s, Starbucks, Taco Bell, and more.
Payout methods: Gift cards for Uber Eats, JustEat Payout threshold: $5 for PayPal, $0.25 for crypto More information:Read full Freecash review
Short summary: Freecash is a GPT site that lets you earn in many ways. You can earn by answering surveys, completing offers, playing mobile games, and inviting people to join the site. It is one of the highest-paying GPT sites when it comes to paid games.
You can get paid via PayPal, or you can convert your earnings to crypto, gift cards, or game credits. The restaurant gift cards that are available on this site are Uber Eats and JustEat.
Payout methods: Gift cards for Walmart, Uber Eats, Burger King, and many more Payout threshold: Depends on the reward More information:Read full HeyPiggy review
Short summary: HeyPiggy is a survey site that will allow you to earn rewards simply by answering surveys. It has a mobile app that works on both Android and iOS devices.
You can get paid via PayPal, bank transfer, or Venmo. You can also convert your earnings to various gift cards or a prepaid Visa card. It also offers several restaurant gift cards for Walmart, Uber Eats, Burger King, and many more.
The threshold you need to reach will depend on the reward you want to redeem. Once you redeem, you get paid immediately.
Payout methods: Gift cards for Chick-fil-a, Pizza Hut, Denny’s, Olive Garden, etc. Payout threshold: $5 More information:Read full PrizeRebel review
Short summary:
PrizeRebel is another GPT site that offers a lot of different ways to earn. To earn rewards, you must answer surveys, complete online offers, invite friends, play games, and more.
You can get paid through PayPal, crypto, or choose between many gift cards. You can redeem Chick-fil-a, Pizza Hut, Denny’s, Olive Garden, Longhorn Steakhouse, and DoorDash gift cards. Plus, the payout processing is very fast, so you will receive your earnings quickly.
Payout methods: Gift cards for Applebee’s, Buffalo Wild Wings, Burger King, and more Payout threshold: $1 More information:Read full HeyCash review
Short summary: HeyCash is a fairly new survey and GPT site compared to some of the others on this list, but it gives great opportunities to earn extra cash. It has many paid surveys and paid offers, so you can earn regularly from
It offers payment via PayPal, and you can also redeem various gift cards. Some of the gift cards you can redeem are for Applebee’s, Buffalo Wild Wings, Burger King, and more.
The payout threshold depends on your chosen reward, but it starts at $1. Once you request a payout, you will get paid more or less immediately.
Payout methods: Gift cards for Domino’s and Uber Eats Payout threshold: $1 More information:Read full Prime Opinion review
Short summary:
Prime Opinion is a paid survey site that is worth joining because it offers many surveys you can answer, so you can earn rewards regularly. You will also get a great joining bonus.
It is very easy to use, and you can get a joining bonus if you join through the link below. Also, it has great payout methods as you can choose to get paid in cash in several ways, like PayPal, Venmo, and bank transfer.
You can also choose to redeem different gift cards or prepaid Visa cards. Some of the gift cards you can redeem are for Domino’s and Uber Eats. Once you request a payout, they process the payment within 30 minutes, which makes it one of the fastest-paying survey sites.
Payout methods: Gift cards for Rainforest Cafe, Landry’s, Papa John’s, Chili’s Grill and Bar, and DoorDash Payout threshold: $1 More information:Read full Swagbucks review
Short summary: Swagbucks is one of the most popular GPT sites today. The reason for this is that it offers many ways to earn, like watching videos, surfing, playing games, taking online offers, getting cash back for shopping online, and more.
The payout threshold starts at $1-$2 for gift cards and $5 if you want to get paid in cash via PayPal. You can redeem gift cards for Rainforest Cafe, Landry’s, Papa John’s, Chili’s Grill and Bar, and DoorDash.
That sums up this guide on which restaurants accept EBT payments. Always keep in mind that this benefit is only available in certain states, so it’s not for everyone. If you want to learn more about this program, you can check out your state’s official website.
But you don’t have to worry if RMP/EBT is not available in your state because there are other ways to get a free meal. You can just join several of the GPT and survey sites I have mentioned above, so you can earn rewards that can let you redeem gift cards for various restaurants.
If you have any comments, questions, or know of any restaurants that accept EBT that you think belong in this guide, I would love to hear from you in a comment below.
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