There are seven states where food stamp recipients in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program can use their benefits to pay for meals at restaurants as part of the Restaurant Meals Program.

The restaurant program is designed to help low-income recipients who are not in permanent housing or otherwise lack the ability to make and prepare their own meals. In order to access the funds at authorized restaurants, the recipient only needs to bring their Electronic Benefits Transfer card and know their PIN.

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Through the meals program, restaurants that participate must offer discounted prices for the food. Participating fast food chains include McDonald's, Burger King, Dairy Queen, Subway, and Wendy's, among others. Sit-down restaurants such as Applebee's can also accept the benefits if the state it resides in does.

Each state has different rules and criteria for the meals program. California and Arizona are the most accessible through the program, but in states such as Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Rhode Island, and Virginia, the program is limited to certain cities or counties.

In New York, the other state that currently participates in the program, state social services agencies can apply for participation in the program, which would allow the agencies to implement the program on local levels, according to Marca.

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States that are interested in joining the meals program must demonstrate that certain segments of their population are not well served under the federally funded SNAP benefits.

Restaurants that want to join the program need to be located in a state that offers the program, obtain approval from the respective state, provide a signed agreement to the Food and Nutrition Service, and receive authorization from the FNS to accept SNAP payments.