Modern Times Café to Close at Year’s End

Overview

• Owner Dylan Alverson announced on the café’s social media that Modern Times will close by the end of the year after nearly 16 years in business.
• The announcement says Alverson spent six years testing alternative operating models and will explain the reasons and timeline for the closing in the coming weeks.
• Earlier this year the café rebranded as Post Modern Times and ran as a free, donation-based restaurant during Operation Metro Surge to support the local community.
• The business reopened in August under its original name with paid menus, a no-tipping policy, an “evolving tab system,” and 25 free meals per day but accrued significant debt after a temporary July closure.
• The closure highlights the tension between values-driven service and financial sustainability for small restaurants and may prompt local discussion about how such community-led models can be supported.