Modern Times Cafe gave away free meals during Operation Metro Surge — now it’s shutting down

Modern Times Cafe, the south Minneapolis restaurant that drew national attention for offering free meals during Operation Metro Surge, announced Saturday that it will close at the end of the year. After taking over nearly 16 years ago, Owner Dylan Alverson shared the news in a Facebook post, saying he spent the last six years proving the restaurant can operate “without compromising its core values.” The closure follows a year of major changes. What changed? In a Jan. 26 Instagram post, Alverson announced that Modern Times would stop operating as a traditional for-profit business during Operation Metro Surge. The restaurant rebranded itself as “Post Modern Times” and began operating as a free, donation-based restaurant. The restaurant said it made the change because it no longer wanted to make a profit while the immigration operation was underway. Months later, Modern Times changed its model again. In an Aug. 19 Facebook post, the restaurant announced it would reopen u