Full Breakdown
Modern Times Café Closes After Free-Meal Protest Against ICE
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event: End of a Donation-Based Restaurant
Modern Times Café, a Minneapolis eatery that operated without set prices for six months, announced it will shut down permanently by the end of the year. Owner Dylan Alverson said the decision follows an “exhausted” attempt to keep the model alive without compromising its core principles. The restaurant had reverted to using prices after reopening in August but continued to serve 25 free meals per day.
Background & Context: Experiment, Protest, and Financial Strain
In January, Alverson rebranded the venue as Post Modern Times and declared it a “free and donation-based restaurant” that would refuse service to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. The move was framed as a response to ICE operations in Minnesota, including the killing of individuals identified as Renee Good and Alex Pretti. The experiment lasted roughly six months before a brief closure in July, after which the café reopened with a hybrid pricing model while maintaining the daily free-meal quota.
Official Statements & Responses
Alverson told The New York Times that the café was operating on a “zero profit margin,” hoping the model could become a template for other independent restaurants. He later emphasized to Fox News Digital that the broader issue is the precarious financial health of many independent eateries, asking how many are “close to collapse.” Neighbors voiced concerns that the free-meal policy might attract homeless individuals and those struggling with drug addiction, though no specific incidents were documented.
Criticism & Opposition
Local residents expressed unease that the unrestricted free-meal offering could be exploited, potentially straining neighborhood resources. Staff members reported that the model was taxing, with customers sometimes waiting up to two hours for a meal, half of which was typically provided free of charge.
Verbatim Quotes
- “The only way for places like Modern Times to exist in the future is to actively challenge the reasons why it can no longer exist,” — Dylan Alverson
- “We absolutely cannot go on as we have. I am sick of generating money for the soldiers in our streets and for a government that won’t protect us — a government who is actively inflicting daily harm on its citizens,” — Dylan Alverson
- “If I can create a fundraising mechanism that can raise money to provide hospitality, we can take that program and add restaurants to it,” — Dylan Alverson
- “I think a bigger question right now is how many independent restaurants are close to collapse?” — Dylan Alverson