A Minneapolis restaurant that experimented with eliminating prices and offering donation-based meals in protest against US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has announced it will shut down permanently by the end of 2026, Fox News reported.Modern Times Café, which rebranded as Post Modern Times earlier this year, had adopted a free and donation-based model in January, saying it would welcome everyone except ICE agents. Owner Dylan Alverson said he had spent the past six years trying to keep the business running but had exhausted all options without compromising its core principles.“For the last six years, I’ve been trying to prove that Modern Times can continue to exist,” Alverson wrote in a social media post on Saturday. He said he would spend the next two months celebrating the restaurant’s 16-year history and exploring ways to sustain similar businesses in the future.“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,” he added.
Restaurant adopted donation-based model amid ICE protests
In January, Alverson announced that the restaurant would stop charging customers, saying he no longer wanted to generate money for a government he accused of harming citizens. The decision came amid heightened opposition to federal immigration enforcement operations in Minnesota, following the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.The restaurant operated without fixed prices for around six months before temporarily closing in July. When it reopened in August, it resumed charging customers but continued offering 25 free meals daily.Alverson told The New York Times in October that he was operating the restaurant with a “zero profit margin” and hoped its model could inspire other establishments. However, the arrangement placed considerable pressure on staff and reportedly resulted in customers waiting as long as two hours for meals, about half of which were provided free.Some neighbours also raised concerns that the offer could attract homeless people and those struggling with drug addiction.Speaking to Fox News Digital, Alverson stood by his earlier comments and pointed to the broader challenges facing independent restaurants.“I think a bigger question right now is how many independent restaurants are close to collapse?” he said.Alverson said he had spent years attempting to find a way to keep the business operating without abandoning its principles. He now plans to use the remaining months to celebrate its legacy and discuss possible ways to ensure similar establishments can survive.