Since we did our post on Subway locations that take EBT, we have received lots of questions about other fast food restaurants that take food stamps. In this post, we will answer the question – Does Taco Bell Take EBT? The short answer is yes. However, not all EBT Cardholders are eligible. We will provide a list below of Taco Bell locations that take food stamps.
This Post will Cover:
What You Are Allowed to Buy with EBT
Restaurant Meal Program
Where Does Taco Bell Take EBT Card?
Other Fast Food Restaurants that take EBT
What You Are Allowed to Buy with EBT
One of the biggest sources of confusion for EBT cardholders is what they are allowed to buy with their food stamps card. We get lots of questions on this topic and we want to clear the air.
The easiest way to understand the food list for EBT is to look at the reason behind the policy.
The United States Department of Agriculture, the federal government agency in charge of the food stamps program sets the guidelines for what can and cannot be purchased with EBT.
The main goal is to make sure that you buy food intended to be prepared at home and for home consumption. This eliminates hot food, deli food, and restaurant foods from the list of approved items.
However, there are exceptions to this rule, under the Restaurant Meal Program, which we will explain below.
For those that are not part of the Restaurant Meal Program, here is what you are allowed to buy with your EBT Card:
- breads and cereals;
- fruits and vegetables;
- meats, fish and poultry; and
- dairy products.
- Seeds and plants which produce food for the household to eat.
You are not allowed to use your EBT Card to purchase the following items.
- Beer, wine, liquor, cigarettes or tobacco
- Any nonfood items, such as:
- pet foods
- soaps, paper products
- household supplies
- Vitamins and medicines
- Food that will be eaten in the store
- Hot foods
Restaurant Meal Program
The Restaurant Meals Program is a special program by the United States Department of Agriculture which allows the elderly, disabled and homeless to use food stamps at approved restaurant locations.
The program is run entirely at the state level and not all states participate in the program. California, Arizona, Rhode Island and Florida currently participate in the program in some form.
Where Does Taco Bell Take EBT Card?
If you are elderly, disabled and homeless in Arizona or California, you may be able to use your EBT card to purchase food at Taco Bell. Here’s how:
Taco Bell Locations that take EBT in Arizona
Arizona offers the Restaurant Meal Program statewide and Taco Bell locations in the following cities accept EBT under the program.
Be sure to call the store to confirm before attempting to make a purchase.
- Coolidge
- Glendale
- Phoenix
See our list below for other restaurants that accept EBT in Arizona. For a complete list with address locations and phone numbers, click here.
Taco Bell Locations that take EBT in California
California offers the Restaurant Meal Program in the counties listed below. You can use your food stamps card at Taco Bell location in the counties listed.
To locate a Taco Bell near you, click here.
Counties in CA Where You Can Use EBT at Taco Bell
- Alameda County
- Los Angeles County
- Orange County
- Riverside County
- Sacramento County
- San Diego County
- San Francisco County
- San Luis Obispo County
- Santa Clara County
- Santa Cruz County
Other Fast Food Restaurants that take EBT
There are other fast food restaurants participating in the Restaurant Meal Program in California and Arizona. We have listed a few below:
Arizona
- 24th st Pizza & Gyros
- Blimpie
- Burger Shoppe
- Eegees
- Golden Corral
- Harris and Smith Coffee Company
- Helpings Cafe and Market
- Jimmy and Joe’s Pizzeria
- Moon Light Family Restaurant
- Smoke Dem Bones BBQ
- Speedy Street Tacos Corp
- Tasty Box
- Uncle Sams
- WaBa Grill
For a complete list with address locations and phone numbers, click here.
California
- Church’s Chicken
- Del Taco
- El Pollo Loco
- Great Steaks
- KFC
- Papa Murphy’s
- Quiznos
- Rally’s Hamburgers
- Wendy’s
- Wienerschnitzel
For a complete list, see our article here.
Our goal was to provide a detailed answer to the question – Does Taco Bell Take EBT? We hope you find our answer helpful.
If you have any questions or comments about using EBT at Taco Bell or other fast food restaurants, please tell us in the comments section below.
If you would like to share your experience about using your EBT card at Taco Bell or other fast food restaurants, we would love to hear from you in the comments section below.
Kwame Kuadey writes about personal finance and the social safety net. His career started in banking but he caught the entrepreneurial bug and has spent the last decade building successful businesses, including an Inc. 500 Company.
Kwame believes everyone has the power to improve their quality of life by seeking knowledge and taking action.
In 2012, Kwame founded Empower Media to help low-income households improve their financial situation.
His expertise is in topics relevant to low-income households, including government benefits and assistance, banking products, access to credit, plus tools & resources to help reduce income volatility and build wealth.
Kwame has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Entrepreneur, Inc. Magazine, Washington Post, ABC, and NPR.