Modern Times Café to Shut Down After Six Years of Free-Meal Experiment
Owner Dylan Alverson announced that Modern Times Café will close permanently by year-end after years of operating without set prices.
Dylan Alverson posted on social media that Modern Times Café will cease operations by the end of the year after six years of trying to prove a price-free restaurant can survive. He explained that every alternative was tried without sacrificing the establishment’s foundational values. Earlier, the café had renamed itself Post Modern Times and operated on a donation basis, explicitly refusing service to ICE as a protest against immigration enforcement actions.
After a six-month period without prices, the shop reopened with a regular menu while still providing 25 free meals each day. Alverson described the venture as running at zero profit, aiming to serve as a model for other eateries, but acknowledged the strain on staff and long lines for diners. Local residents voiced worries that the free-meal policy could attract homeless and drug-dependent patrons. Alverson concluded that broader challenges facing independent restaurants remain a pressing issue.
