Proposed Federal Bill Threatens Massachusetts SNAP Restaurant Meals Program

Massachusetts SNAP benefit recipients who are eligible to participate in the Restaurant Meals Program could lose those benefits under federal legislation proposed by Republican Representative Brandon Gill of Texas.

Gill has introduced the Ending Restaurant Purchases with SNAP Act of 2026 to end what he calls "a ridiculous loophole that allows taxpayer-funded SNAP benefits to be spent at restaurants, including fast-food chains."

"In just two years, more than $524 million in SNAP benefits were spent at participating restaurants," Gill wrote in a Facebook post. "In some states, SNAP dollars can even be used at chains like Popeyes, Burger King, and McDonald's."

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Who Relies on the Massachusetts SNAP Restaurant Meals Program?

The Massachusetts SNAP Restaurant Meals Program "allows older adults (60+), homeless individuals, and people with disabilities (who receive disability or blindness payments or receive disability retirement benefits from a governmental agency because of a disability considered permanent) to buy food at authorized restaurants/food trucks using their SNAP EBT card."

Massachusetts SNAP Recipients Could Lose Restaurant Meal Benefits

How Many Massachusetts Businesses Participate?

Only 13 Massachusetts restaurants and food trucks currently participate in the program, with the closest being Faneek's Coney Island in Fall River. Faneek's menu includes hot dogs, chilli fries, chow mein sandwiches, fish and chips, and clam cakes, among other things.

The Debate Over Federal Food Assistance and Restaurant Food

"SNAP was created to help struggling Americans put nutritious food on the table, not stick taxpayers with the bill for restaurants," Gill said.

Gill said his bill will get "junk food out of SNAP" while refocusing SNAP to help those in need rather than "subsidize restaurants." Massachusetts currently prohibits the purchase of most hot foods, such as rotisserie chicken, with SNAP benefits.

The Boston Herald reported that LaMar Cook, the disgraced former Western Massachusetts Deputy Director for Governor Maura Healey, admitted to using Massachusetts SNAP benefits while vacationing near Walt Disney World in Florida.