Does Denny’s Take EBT?

Does Denny’s take EBT? I was shocked to learn that there are 77 Denny’s locations nationwide that can accept SNAP EBT payments through the Restaurant Meals Program in 2025. If you’re eligible and live near a participating location, you may be able to buy meals at Denny’s with your food stamps card!

Now, before you rush over to your local diner and order your Grand Slam, you need to understand how the program works and who is eligible for it. Not everyone who has an EBT card or gets food benefits can do this. You don’t want to be surprised by a declined card after your meal, so it’s important to thoroughly understand the rules before you try to use this program.

Does Denny’s take EBT?

Denny’s takes EBT at 77 participating restaurants in the United States. These locations are primarily located in California. Each individual location has to apply to participate in the Restaurant Meals Program and get approval from the federal government before they can start processing these payments.

Don’t be discouraged if your area is not on the list yet. The RMP is rapidly expanding to new areas and many other states are still developing their programs. It’s quite possible that there will be a Denny’s that takes EBT near you in the future.

What can you buy with EBT at Denny’s?

If you use your Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits at Denny’s, you need to know what you can and cannot buy. Typically, you can buy any edible food that can be eaten in the restaurant or taken home. However, you can’t buy any non-food items, such as promotional merchandise.

As part of the Restaurant Meals Program, restaurants have to offer a discounted menu or some value meal option for low income customers. This could be a cheaper menu that’s available to everyone or they could have exclusive meals that they only offer to EBT users.

It’s important to inform your server prior to ordering that you will be using your benefits to pay for the meal. This will make it easier to pay at the end, especially if you have to split the payment between multiple payment methods. They can also inform you of any additional rules or restrictions that the restaurant may have.

However, when you are ordering with EBT, you should be able to buy any breakfast, lunch or dinner item on the menu. You should be able to buy any food item on the menu. I personally recommend buying from their value menu, which often includes endless pancakes for just a few dollars. It’s an easy way to fill up on a hot and delicious meal without using all of your SNAP EBT benefits in one sitting.

Remember, the Restaurant Meals Program doesn’t give you any extra money. These meals can be expensive, and you need to budget accordingly. Use coupons, look for promotions, and do what you can to stretch your benefits farther.

Who can buy Denny’s with EBT?

Only very specific people can purchase Denny’s meals with EBT. You have to meet all the requirements of the Restaurant Meals Program.

In order to do this, ALL THREE of the following must be true:

1. You must live in a state with a Restaurant Meals Program.
2. You must be unable to cook your own meals at home because you are elderly, homeless or disabled.
3. You must purchase food from approved, participating locations.

If you meet these requirements, your caseworker should automatically enable your card to work at participating restaurants. It’s just a checkbox in the system. However, sometimes caseworkers miss this step so it’s important to verify that it was properly implemented.

Which Denny’s locations take EBT?

Finding an approved location can be difficult because not all Denny’s restaurants can process these payments. Each location must go through an approval process before they can start processing SNAP payments.

To help you find a participating location, we’ve combed through all of the state lists to compile our own list of every participating Denny’s in the United States. It’s organized alphabetically by state, county and city for your convenience. It’s never been easier to find a Denny’s that takes EBT near you!

All of the participating addresses can be found below:

Arizona

• Flagstaff: 2306 E. Lucky Ln, Flagstaff, AZ 86004
• Flagstaff: 2122 S. Milton Rd, Flagstaff, AZ 86001
• Globe: 1535 E. South St, Globe, AZ 85501
• Eloy: 16189 S. Sunshine Blvd, Eloy, AZ 85231
• Casa Grande: 1851 E. Florence Blvd, Casa Grande, AZ 85122
• Cottonwood: 2211 E. State Route 89A, Cottonwood, AZ 86326
• Fountain Hills: 17053 E. Shea Blvd, Fountain Hills, AZ 85268
• Kingman: 3255 E. Andy Devine Ave, Kingman, AZ 86401
• Page: 669 Scenic View Rd, Page, AZ 86040
• Payson: 312 S. Beeline Hwy, Payson, AZ 85541
• Phoenix: 4120 N. 51st Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85031
• Phoenix: 3205 E. Bell Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85032
• Prescott: 1230 Gail Gardner Way, Prescott, AZ 86305
• Show Low: 4471 S. White Mountain Rd, Show Low, AZ 85901
• Thatcher: 2875 W. Highway 70, Thatcher, AZ 85552
• Tuba City: 2 Legacy Lane, Tuba City, AZ 86045
• Tucson: 9220 S. Houghton Rd, Tucson, AZ 85747
• Tucson: 555 N. Freeway, Tucson, AZ 85745
• Tucson: 6484 E. Broadway Blvd, Tucson, AZ 85710
• Tucson: 5000 N. Oracle Rd, Tucson, AZ 85704
• Winslow: 400 Transcon Ln, Winslow, AZ 86047

California

• Bakersfield: 8710 Rosedale Hwy, Bakersfield, CA 93312
• Bakersfield: 4440 Gosford Rd Ste 201, Bakersfield, CA 93313
• Chula Vista: 2110 Birch Rd Ste 102, Chula Vista, CA 91915
• Claremont: 820 South Indian Hill Blvd, Claremont, CA 91711
• Clovis: 710 W Shaw Ave, Clovis, CA 93612
• Corona: 1833 W 6th St, Corona, CA 92882
• Culver City: 10700 Jefferson Blvd, Culver City, CA 90230
• Del Mar: 2203 Villa De La Valle, Del Mar, CA 92014
• Delano: 14390 County Line Rd, Delano, CA 93215
• El Cajon: 1202 W Main St, El Cajon, CA 92020
• El Cajon: 665 North Mollison Ave, El Cajon, CA 92021
• Fallbrook: 713 S Main Ave, Fallbrook, CA 92028
• Fontana: 17009 Valley Blvd Ste A, Fontana, CA 92335
• Fresno: 141 N Abby St, Fresno, CA 93701
• Fresno: 1121 N Parkway Dr, Fresno, CA 93728
• Fresno: 536 Academy Ave, Sanger, CA 93657
• Fresno: 1110 E Shaw Ave, Fresno, CA 93710
• Fresno: 530 S Clovis Ave, Fresno, CA 93727
• Glendora: 546 W Baseline Rd, Glendora, CA 91740
• Glendale: 5161 W. Thunderbird Rd, Glendale, CA 85306
• Gardena: 18620 S Western Ave, Gardena, CA 90248
• Hesperia: 13165 Main St, Hesperia, CA 92345
• Lancaster: 1028 W Avenue I, Lancaster, CA 93534
• La Mesa: 4235 Spring St, La Mesa, CA 91941
• Lakeside: 13584 Camino Canada, Lakeside, CA 92040
• Long Beach: 3123 Heather Rd, Long Beach, CA 90808
• Long Beach: 2860 N Bellflower Blvd, Long Beach, CA 90815
• Los Banos: 1491 W Pacheco Blvd, Los Banos, CA 93635
• Los Angeles: 3740 Crenshaw Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90016
• Los Angeles: 888 S Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90017
• Madera: 22717 Ave. 18 1/2, Madera, CA 93637
• Merced: 1491 W Pacheco Blvd, Los Banos, CA 93635
• Milpitas: 333 S Abbott Ave, Milpitas, CA 95035
• Murrieta: 25365 Madison Ave, Murrieta, CA 92562
• Murrieta: 36490 Winchester Rd, Murrieta, CA 92562
• Oakhurst: 40650 Highway 41, Oakhurst, CA 93644
• Paso Robles: 1310 24th St, Paso Robles, CA 93446
• Pico Rivera: 8600 E Whittier Blvd, Pico Rivera, CA 90660
• Porterville: 360 Montgomery Ave, Porterville, CA 93257
• Porterville: 1262 W Henderson Ave, Porterville, CA 93257
• Rialto: 1377 W Foothill Blvd, Rialto, CA 92376
• Reedley: 955 E Manning Ave, Reedley, CA 93654
• San Bernardino: 5975 Palm Ave, San Bernardino, CA 92407
• San Diego: 7676 Friars Rd, San Diego, CA 92108
• San Diego: 4280 Clairemont Mesa Blvd, San Diego, CA 92117
• San Diego: 7676 Friars Rd, San Diego, CA 92108
• San Diego: 6908 Miramar Rd, San Diego, CA 92121
• San Diego: 16686 Bernardo Center Dr, San Diego, CA 92128
• San Ysidro: 130 E Calle Primera, San Ysidro, CA 92173
• Santee: 140 Town Center Parkway, Santee, CA 92071
• Seal Beach: 2940 Westminster Ave, Seal Beach, CA 90740
• Tulare: 795 E Prosperity Ave, Tulare, CA 93274
• Tulare: 2332 S Mooney Blvd, Visalia, CA 93277
• Wildomar: 23857 Clinton Keith Rd, Wildomar, CA 92595
• Whittier: 11891 E Whittier Blvd, Whittier, CA 90601
• Whittier: 8425 Pioneer Blvd, Whittier, CA 90606

Why doesn’t every Denny’s take EBT?

Only 77 out of the 1,445 total Denny’s locations in America take EBT. Why not more?

Unfortunately, there are many people who are opposed to expanding this program. Politicians, health advocates and irate taxpayers have slowed or even stopped the progression of this program in some areas. Even restaurant owners sometimes refuse it because it requires so much burdensome paperwork, monitoring and compliance.

It’s definitely complicated, but the program does appear to be expanding to other areas so hopefully more locations will be added to our list soon.

How do I pay with EBT at Denny’s?

Paying with EBT is easy! When it’s time to pay, just swipe your SNAP EBT card at the Denny’s. You (or a household member or your authorized agent) must be physically present at the restaurant to swipe your card. You can pick your meal up or dine-in, but you cannot order it for delivery.

If you’ve ever bought groceries with EBT, the process is basically the same. Just swipe the card in the terminal, enter your pin, and you should be good to go! Your receipt should show your account balance, and you should not be charged tax or gratuity when you pay with EBT.

FAQs about Denny’s EBT Policies

This subject always raises questions because almost everyone has been told they can never buy hot food with EBT. That’s still the general rule, but this is an important exception. Here’s what you need to know.