Staff Reports
Modern Times — which briefly rebranded itself as Post Modern Times to run a donation‑based, no‑prices model — has announced it will close after months of trying to feed the neighborhood for free. The experiment served roughly 30,000 free meals and drew more than 2,000 donations. It also left the owner, Dylan Alverson, with heavy debt and a business he says he can no longer keep afloat. That should give pause to anybody who thinks nice intentions automatically make an economic model work.
How the donation‑based restaurant played out
The plan sounded good on paper. In response to a spike in immigration‑enforcement action in Minneapolis, the cafe took donations and removed prices. People noticed. Donors sent money — at one point organizers reported roughly a half‑million dollars in gifts — and volunteers served thousands of meals. The restaurant says it gave away about 30,000 meals. But goodwill and publicity don’t pay rent, restock the kitchen, or fix ongoing operational problems. The owner says the experiment piled up roughly $70,000 in debt and exhausted every option to keep the doors open.
What went wrong
Neighborhood strain, safety concerns, and reality
When large crowds gather around a free‑meal program, good intentions collide with real life. Neighbors complained about crowds, drug use, and discarded needles near the cafe. That forced the owner to pause the no‑price model, briefly reinstate prices, and ultimately decide to close. The move grew out of a protest moment tied to a law‑enforcement surge in the city, so the experiment had political fuel behind it. But politics can’t be a long‑term business plan.
What the Modern Times story really shows about socialism
Conservatives should not be smug, but we should be honest about lessons here. When private businesses are turned into ongoing charity projects without stable funding, they fail. That’s not a rant against compassion. It’s a warning about policy. Socialism and pay‑what‑you‑can pet projects sound noble, until someone has to balance the payroll and call the landlord. The wealthy and well‑connected can cheer from a distance. The middle class and local businesses pay the real price when experiments collapse.
Where to go from here
We need solutions that actually work for neighborhoods, not PR stunts dressed as social policy. If the goal is fewer hungry people and safer streets, fund treatment, housing, and accountable social services. Support small businesses instead of asking them to shoulder permanent charity. And hold up experiences like Modern Times as cautionary examples — not proof that compassion is bad, but proof that compassion needs structure, accountability, and sustainable funding. That’s how you help people for the long run, not just for a headline.
