Fast Company

Inside the Minneapolis restaurant that has stopped charging for food until ICE leaves the city

February in Minneapolis is typically a challenging time due to the cold weather, but this year it has been particularly brutal due to the presence of thousands of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in the city. The Modern Times café, a staple in the Minneapolis food scene, has been affected by the unrest, with its owner, Dylan Alverson, finding ways to use his food to support the community. Alverson introduced the "People's Price" program, which allowed customers to eat for free if they asked for it at checkout, and the response was overwhelmingly positive. The program was later expanded to make the entire menu free for everyone, with the exception of ICE agents, and the restaurant was renamed Post Modern Times. The new model is based on donations, and the response from the community has been staggering, with many people coming to donate and show their support. The restaurant has become a symbol of resistance against the ICE occupation, and Alverson plans to keep the spirit of the project alive even after the siege has ended. He wants to establish Post Modern Times as a nonprofit wing of the restaurant, which will subsidize wages and benefits for the staff and provide free food for guests in need. The old system of doing business was not working, and Alverson is determined not to go back to it. The restaurant's future is uncertain, but one thing is clear: the old way of doing things is no longer an option. Alverson's decision to transform his restaurant into a community-driven project has inspired many, and it will be interesting to see how the model evolves in the future.
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Image for the article: Inside the Minneapolis restaurant that has stopped charging for food until ICE leaves the city