Dylan Alverson decided to stop charging for food at Modern Times, the south Minneapolis cafe he’s run for 15 years.
After watching what is happening in the USA and in states around the world, he posted on his social media account, “For the remainder of the government occupation, we will function as a free and donation-based restaurant.”
The original intent of the change was to stop paying sales taxes to a government he said was “actively inflicting daily harm on its citizens.” The pay-what-you-wish restaurant would also have a new name: Post Modern Times.
More surprising, though, is what ensued in the weeks and months that followed. Post Modern Times thrived, even as the number of customers who don’t pay for food now hovers between 40 and 50 percent.
“I have succeeded more than I ever did when I was running a conventional business employing 22 people,” said Mr. Alverson, who decided to make the change permanent. “I think that’s proof that something is wrong.”
“I’ve been fighting to make a profit for 15 years, and I don’t think it’s possible without taking advantage of people,” he said. “We’re stepping out of the system.”
What started as a workaround to paying sales tax has evolved into a business that verges on performance art: a restaurant that might offer a solution to a broken industry-wide business model as well as a critique of that model.
Article: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/08/dining/post-modern-times-minneapolis-free-food.html
After watching what is happening in the USA and in states around the world, he posted on his social media account, “For the remainder of the government occupation, we will function as a free and donation-based restaurant.”
The original intent of the change was to stop paying sales taxes to a government he said was “actively inflicting daily harm on its citizens.” The pay-what-you-wish restaurant would also have a new name: Post Modern Times.
More surprising, though, is what ensued in the weeks and months that followed. Post Modern Times thrived, even as the number of customers who don’t pay for food now hovers between 40 and 50 percent.
“I have succeeded more than I ever did when I was running a conventional business employing 22 people,” said Mr. Alverson, who decided to make the change permanent. “I think that’s proof that something is wrong.”
“I’ve been fighting to make a profit for 15 years, and I don’t think it’s possible without taking advantage of people,” he said. “We’re stepping out of the system.”
What started as a workaround to paying sales tax has evolved into a business that verges on performance art: a restaurant that might offer a solution to a broken industry-wide business model as well as a critique of that model.
Article: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/08/dining/post-modern-times-minneapolis-free-food.html