Between June 2023 and May 2025, $524,000,000 in taxpayer funds were spent through the Restaurant Meals Program overall, of which $475,000,000 funded Restaurant Meals Program meals at fast-food establishments, and California accounted for more than 90% of national Restaurant Meals Program funds during that period.
May 31, 2025
high
temporal
Reported spending levels and geographic concentration of Restaurant Meals Program funds over a specified two-year period.
A 1977 policy change created the Restaurant Meals Program (RMP), a state opt-in program that allows homeless individuals without kitchens to purchase prepared meals using SNAP benefits, with eligibility later expanded to include disabled individuals, the elderly, and their spouses.
January 01, 1977
high
temporal
Creation and intended purpose of the Restaurant Meals Program as an exception to SNAP's hot-food restriction.