EBT is an electronic system that offers Supplement Nutrition Assistant Program (SNAP) participants to purchase food via using SNAP benefits. But the SNAP rules and regulations only allow the participants the staple and frozen food items so one would take and prepare them at home. EBT cards cannot use to buy hot and prepared food at the moment and, most of the time, the problem arises for the elderly, homeless, disabled people, and those who cannot cook nor have the means to handle the groceries at home. The SNAP participants faced a huge problem and needed the food to survive, that’s why SNAP offers a program which is called Restaurant Meal Program (RMP), which helps them to purchase hot and cooked food instantly. Thus, pizza and other hot food are sold at Little Caesars via EBT cards under the SNAP restaurant’s Meal Program. But very few locations of Little Caesars accept the EBT in other states, which may be less than seven, that offers in the Restaurant Meal Program.
Why do all locations of Caesars not participate in RMP?
It is because every restaurant has to apply individually to get the sanction by the SNAP agencies, so they can offer hot and cooked food to the qualifying recipient by SNAP funds but, unfortunately, many restaurants haven’t been approved yet, that’s why they can’t serve dine-in pizza or HOT-N-READY.
RMP Eligibility Criteria
For those people who have difficulty cooking meals or storing food at home, RMP aims to offer food choices for them. But there include whole criteria, if someone meets even at least a single following criterion, receives Supplemental Nutrition Assistant Program (SNAP) benefits.
There are some following criteria to require:
Over 60 years oldHomelessReceiving DDSD medical benefitsReceiving veteran’s Administration disability benefitsReceiving Railroad Retirement benefitsReceiving CalFresh benefits
If any person meets the criteria which are above noted, can easily use EBT cards for purchasing food in restaurants and he doesn’t need to apply separately for the RMP. And if someone doesn’t meet the above criteria, it means he doesn’t qualify for the RMP. He can only use EBT cards to purchase frozen and unprepared food from the stores.
Why does Little Caesars accept EBT cards in a few states of California?
To understand the cause behind the acceptance of EBT in just a few states, we have to look precisely at them:
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)The Restaurants Meals Program (RMP)
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
SNAP is a program who has that aims to fight against hunger by supplementing the food budget for less privileged groups or those families who have less income to survive around. It is a federal program that works under the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to make sure that those people can get healthy and nutritious food, so they can get ahead in life in a better way.
It has many advantages as we have seen but there are a few disadvantages for SNAP recipients as well. We look at both of them thoroughly.
Advantages:
It is a federal program and it has been managed at the state level for better administration and broader reach for the SNAP participants. SNAP agencies qualify the recipients and then open an account under the individual’s name where every month SNAP food stamps are reloaded and receive SNAP benefits. An individual can issue the EBT card for easy access to the SNAP funds without fretting upon the visit banks or ATMs
Disadvantages:
SNAP EBT card only allows an individual to purchase the staple, frozen and uncooked items, to carry and prepare at home. Most restaurants don’t accept EBT which is the biggest problem for SNAP participants. Most of the restaurants serve hot, prepared food which is not eligible for the SNAP recipients and Little Caesars is one of them.
But for those recipients who are disabled, homeless, elderly, can’t cook, or don’t have the means to carry food at home, SNAP offers them a new extension The Restaurant Meal Program, here it comes.
The Restaurant Meal Program (RMP)
The RMP is a SNAP extension, for disadvantaged recipients, which provides the facility to eat out in restaurants. However, there is no compulsion for the state to take part in the RMP by federal law. That’s why, most states don’t partake in it, plus, only a couple of Little Caesars accepts EBT in select cities.
Conclusion
With almost 4200 locations across the 50 states, Little Caesars is a place to enjoy HOT-N-READY pizza but only a couple of restaurants, less than even 7, of Little Caesars, only allow purchasing through EBT cards. It’s because most states don’t participate in RMP, if any state does, restaurants do not. Plus, the delivery partners of Little Caesars don’t accept EBT for delivery or pick-up packages. That’s why; in this case, alternative methods of payment consider using.
