Minneapolis Restaurant Ends Unique Pricing Approach Amid Closure

Modern Times Café in Minneapolis, known for abolishing meal prices to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), has announced it will be closing its doors permanently by the year’s end.

Owner Dylan Alverson sought to run the restaurant as a “free and donation-based business” that welcomed everyone—well, everyone except ICE. Earlier this week, he shared the news of the closure on social media, stating that he’d tried for six years to keep the establishment alive.

He expressed, “I’ve exhausted every option without compromising the core fundamentals that make Modern Times what it is.” The decision to close wasn’t easy, but it seemed necessary. Alverson also mentioned wanting the next couple of months to be a time of celebration for the nearly 16 years the café has stood for ideals like creativity over cost and kindness over profit.

In January, Alverson took to Instagram to criticize the local immigration enforcement, calling it an “occupation.” This was spurred by the tragic deaths of protestors Renee Good and Alex Pretti at the hands of immigration officers. Following these events, he decided to abandon traditional pricing altogether.

He stated a clear rejection of capitalism, declaring that the restaurant would no longer generate tax revenue under the pretense of functioning as a profitable business sponsored by governmental policies. Consequently, he renamed the restaurant to “Post Modern Times,” reiterating that everyone was welcome except for ICE.

Despite this pivot, the café managed to stay open for six additional months, reportedly serving around 30,000 meals and receiving over 2,000 donations. However, Alverson later decided to close temporarily for some rest.

During a brief reopening in August, the restaurant introduced a “not tipping” policy while still providing 25 “free meals” daily.

In October, Alverson discussed a strategy of running with a “zero profit margin,” hoping it might inspire other restaurateurs. While he’d initially seen annual sales of $1.3 million, the restaurant still recorded a loss of $18,500 last year, even with measures like paying himself a modest salary of $23,000.

Switching to a donation-based system and offering free meals, he admitted that the approach had its challenges. Customers sometimes waited up to two hours for meals, half of which were free, leading to frustrations among his staff. Some neighbors raised concerns over potential exploitation by individuals experiencing homelessness or substance addiction.

Yet, Alverson maintained his earlier viewpoints when contacted for comments. Rather than defining the closure strictly by his unique pricing model, he pointed to broader issues facing independent restaurants.

“I think a bigger question right now is how many independent restaurants are close to collapse?” he remarked, reflecting on the challenges facing the industry.