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EBT now stands for restaurant meals
A sign in a market window advertises the acceptance of food stamps in New York City.
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Steve Chiotakis: There are some new signs luring customers into fast food restaurants around Los Angeles these days. No, they're not glossy close-ups of half-pound beef patties. They are plain white and blue signs, saying: "Now Accepting EBT" -- that's shorthand for food stamps. Reporter Vanessa Romo has more.
Vanessa Romo: Things weren't always so dire for Maria Ochoa. She once owned a beauty salon, a house, and a gold Lexus. But now she's at El Pollo Loco eating her one hot meal of the day.
Maria Ochoa: I always eat cold food, but I'm tired because sometimes we want some hot meals. And now that I know that they get the EBT, I come here and eat a hot meal.
EBT stands for Electronic Benefits Transfer. It's a debit card for food stamps.
Ochoa, a woman in her 50's with red permed hair and polished nails, is now living in that gold Lexus. Six months ago, she would have been hard-pressed to find a restaurant that takes food stamps. Now El Pollo Loco, Dominos and Jack in Box are part of L.A. county's Restaurant Meals program.
Lydia Erviti oversees the program, which includes more than 500 restaurants.
Lydia Erviti: Our goal is to provide healthy meals for the homeless, disabled and elderly participants. Especially the homeless because they don't have space to store food or cook.
Restaurant Meals is also paying off for those on the cooking end.
Joe Stein is the head of Strategy and Innovation for El Pollo Loco:
Joe Stein: I can tell you for 2010, just the way it's trending, we wouldn't be surprised if for company and franchise stores was over $2 million. From something that just started in August 09, that's pretty good size growth.
Good enough to interest other chains in joining the program, like Pizza Hut and Burger King. But food stamps still won't get you a Big Mac or Chicken McNuggets. Not yet anyway.
That's OK with Maria Ochoa:
Ochoa: With my blood pressure and my diabetic, I can not eat too much salt and greasy food. That's why I prefer to come here.
For now she's sticking with the grilled chicken.
In Los Angeles, I'm Vanessa Romo for Marketplace.
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To the woman making $700/month and receiving every welfare benefit on the planet. What happened to love and understanding? Look in the mirror and ask yourself that. Based on your income you work 15 hrs/week at minimum wage. That is all that you think you need to contribute to society? You think that the suckers out there working 40+ hrs/wk need to provide for themselves and you? You are a leech, you make me sick. You are the one who is uncompasionate to your fellow man.
I'm sorry but the EBT card should be used for store bought food ONLY! I work, I pay my bills, and I can't afford to take my family out for fast food or to a sit down restaurant. However, it's nice to know that my tax dollars are going to someone who is using the benefits to go someplace that I can't!
WOW...now we tell people who are homeless etc. what they can and cannot eat. They shouldn't have the dignity of being able to go into a restaurant sometimes and have a meal....they can't sometime take their kids out to eat....
I'm sorry about the person who was on foodstamps with a Pinto....but I hope people take notice that the person who earned enough and had a home and a business is now living in what is probably her paid for car...pay attention because there are more and more of them everyday and one day it may be your turn. Oh and many...very many of these people paid taxes as long as most of you and longer than some....thank God the stigma is removed at least in LA by the ebt card and not those stamps that you peel off ...they can swipe their cards like everyone else and not have to shudder that someone has seen them. Did anyone wake up with the idea of being homeless and on food stamps I doubt if there were many. Instead of judging do something...help somebody...make a deposit in your karma bank...one day you're going to need it!
My brother who is 30 and his girlfriend both are homeless and have been for many years. They both get food stamps about $170.00 each, per month. Both do drugs and have so for years.They have also been in taxpayer funded rehab and jail several times. He has 2 children and she has 3; being cared for by someone else receiving aide for that. They are not alone.
I'm a sgl. mom of 3 and working! But I did't ask to be w/o a dad for my kids. E. B. T. Helps me to buy fresh veggies, fruits, whole grains, lean meats, and dairy! The idea to fix good meals and have my selfrespect is important to me. I take care of my mother with cancer, pay rent, phone, cable, pg&e, & child care all on less 700.00 a mth. Medical and food I need help with. Don't judge! We don't all eat fast food & junk food! We all need to be Educated. We all see what we want. WHAT HAS HAPPEND TO ALL LOVE & UNDERSTANDING?
Restaurant EBT further removes the stigma of using food stamps. That stigma used to force people to move above that depressed state.
Isn't that what society is based on? Each of us expecting better of and for one another?
Poverty and hunger, we all can agree, is negative, but restaurant EBT removes incentives to improve one's situation. It normalizes the condition.
A better solution is to develop a culture that ensures people don't let themselves fall that far to begin with. If you're savvy enough to run a business and seek out a Lexus (with all markers of wealth and success entailed), then saving for a rainy day should be expected.
Excellent Story. I applaud LA County for trying something new. I grew up on food stamps for a while, but we had a place to cook. My mom bought mostly healthy food, in fact we ground our own wheat by hand for a while and baked from scratch. Don't judge based on the people you end up in line behind once in a while who pay with food stamps.
I can't imagine surviving out of a car with no home/stove etc on the food that's been traditonally allowed with food stamps.
Robert, It's great that you don't have to survive this way, but the Lexus reference falls flat. We drove a Pinto when I was on food stamps. Yep, there are scammers, but the majority of people on public assistance are just decent people who for whatever reason fell on hard times. That was my family's story and many more who I knew. It's a lot easier to fall on hard times these days.
The majority on the list linked above don't appear to be pizza and fried chicken to me, there's a big variety. There's subway, quality mexican, bakeries, delis etc.
It's reactions like that that can cripple our government agencies from trying anything new. Don't you think we should be trying new things? No solution to poverty and hunger is perfect, but I applaud them for trying. Great story Ms. Romo
Writing to confirm what Kathleen said above on 2/18. LA County has the greatest number of homeless without means to prepare food, so the restaurant meal program was developed to give people the chance to have a hot meal. Rush L. was wrong -- can't get beer or wine with food stamps.
These comments are from folks who did not really listen or hear- and they are prejudiced and judgemental to boot. Just FYI, folks:(1) the EBT restaurant program is ONLY for the ELDERLY, DISABLED and HOMELESS! (no slackers here) (2) EBT cannot be used to buy hot prepared meals EXCEPT through this restaurant program and (3) to Mr. Daly from Chicago- how high and mighty you are! You condescend to opine that "giving options is not helpful' for 'them' and that 'poor judgement plays a role in the situation they find themselves in'. You'd better hope you don't lose YOUR job or health, or in any way encounter a bump in the road that will render YOU homeless or poor, 'cause you'll have "some 'splainin' to do' then!
Okay, aside from the whole unhealthy living on a Big Mac angle...
I have a real problem with the financials. One of the first things that a family that has TWO WORKING PARENTS do to rein in expenses is to stop going out to restaurants to eat and instead clip coupons, shop, and prepare their own meals.
I am glad that people who are in need get food stamps, but I think it is reasonable to expect the recipients to be as frugal as possible, especially because this makes such programs a lesser burden on the hard working middle class who is paying for these folks to get fed out of their hard earnings.
You should get enough foodstamp money to buy staples like bread, milk, potatoes, spagetti, frozen peas, etc. All that is inexpensive and allows for good healthy meals.
You shouldn't be eating at restaurants just for frugality reasons. I hope a person on food stamps doesn't spend it all on TV dinners and Boy-are-dee Ravioli, but that's back to the health issue.
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