Modern Times Café to Close by Year-End After 16 Years as Donation Model Proves Unsustainable
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Oct 21
Modern Times Café to Close by Year-End After 16 Years as Donation Model Proves Unsustainable
2 articles · Updated · Fox News · Oct 21
Summary
Modern Times Café said it will shut permanently by the end of 2026, with owner Dylan Alverson saying he had exhausted options to preserve the Minneapolis restaurant’s core model.
Six months of operating as a free, donation-based restaurant strained the business: after dropping prices in January, it briefly closed in July and restored prices in August while still offering 25 free meals a day.
By October, Alverson said the café was running at a zero-profit margin, with waits stretching to two hours and about half of meals typically given away.
The pricing overhaul began as a protest against ICE operations after the killing of Alex Pretti, but the closure also underscores Alverson’s broader warning that many independent restaurants are nearing collapse.