Woke Minneapolis restaurant that had no prices and fed people for free is closing down, surprising no one

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Diomande, A. (2026, October 20). Woke Minneapolis restaurant that had no prices and fed people for free is closing down, surprising no one. Daily Mail. https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16224307/Woke-Minneapolis-restaurant-no-prices-fed-people-free-closing-surprising-no-one.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490

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Daily Mail · collected 2026-10-20 · by Aisha Diomande

Quick Summary

Dylan Alverson, owner of Post Modern Times in South Minneapolis, a pay-what-you-wish restaurant operating for nearly 16 years, has decided to close the establishment by year-end. Following the deaths of George Floyd and others, Alverson removed prices from his menu for six months, feeding customers for free using public donations. About 85 percent of his clientele consisted of people experiencing homelessness or addiction issues. On October 17, Alverson announced the closure on social media, citing difficulty in maintaining core business principles without compromising them financially.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-20, using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the same event (that is the story summary below).

AI analysis runs on qwen2.5:14b, locally

Story summary

Dylan Alverson, the owner of Post Modern Times restaurant in South Minneapolis, has announced the closure of his establishment after nearly 16 years in business. The decision follows six months of operating a pay-what-you-wish model, which began shortly after the deaths of George Floyd, Renée Good, and Alex Pretti at the hands of local police. Alverson's restaurant fed guests for free with donations, focusing on serving those experiencing homelessness or addiction. Despite its noble intentions, the business faced financial difficulties, leading to its closure. Approximately 85 percent of the restaurant's clientele were individuals facing significant challenges accessing food services.

Written for “Woke Minneapolis Restaurant Closes Down” on 2026-10-20, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
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The article's own words the score was based on. Each is quoted verbatim and was checked against the article text before being stored, so you can find it in the original.
Reading Leans left (beta estimate) Confidence medium
Leaning: leans left for article 94681 (medium confidence, 1 verified quote) · logged 2026-10-20

Story

📰 Woke Minneapolis Restaurant Closes Down
Politics · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

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Claims extracted
23
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
4%
1 of 23 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
Leans left
of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate
Publisher signals
64/100
Daily Mail's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
Politics
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-20 · how these are computed

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Publisher

Daily Mail · 6547 article(s) · 15 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 15 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Aisha Diomande
44 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 For the first month of his unconventional business model, Alverson took prices off of every item the restaurant sold, making Post Modern Times a 'for-profit business that had zero prices.' Alverson told journalists of Cocktails & Capitalism: 'It's been successful in all the ways that we intended, which is feeding people for free with public donations as long as we could.' Nearly 85 percent of the restaurant's clientele consist of 'people experiencing homelessness or addiction or some form of problem that has given them limited access to restaurants or food,' according to Alverson.
🔮 During the off-season, Polar Caves will assess the site to determine appropriate next steps.
🔮 Word of the barn owl family didn’t get around until last week, when Elisabeth Williams, an Upper West Side resident, notified a local news outlet on October 6.
🔮 ‘We never imagined we would have to ask for help under these circumstances,’ the family wrote, adding that any donation, share or prayer would help them through the difficult period.
🔮 After 119 years in business, New York City’s crown jewel, the Plaza Hotel, located in Midtown Manhattan, is set to close for at least four years for renovations.
🔮 'I definitely saw him before he left, and he just waved at me, and together with his friend Joe, they were here together, and who would have known that was the last time he'd be in church,' Rev Santos Castillo said.
🔮 'The absence of a warning may itself be probative,' attorneys said, while acknowledging that it could be relevant to the man's pre-existing knowledge and state of mind.
🔮 ' Liam's funeral will be held on Wednesday at Holy Trinity Catholic Church at 10:00 am.
🔮 Mickey Visit did not report a solution-based response from Disneyland representatives One user claimed they had to put their fingers over their ears when encountering evangelists Evangelist content creator Jonathan Perde upset some Disney-goers with his public preaching on what he called 'the word of Christ.' Perde yelled out: 'Hey, I want to let you guys know that this might be a magic kingdom.
🔮 Although the fraternity’s national leadership notes that individual chapters will continue to manage their daily operations, it ultimately decides whether to place chapters on probation or revoke their charters for policy violations.
Also by Aisha Diomande
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 44 articles by Aisha Diomande →

Topics

Cocktails & Capitalism Minneapolis Modern Times Post Modern Times South Minneapolis

Subjects

Alverson PERSON · 10× Post Modern Times ORG · 7× Minneapolis GPE · 4× Modern Times ORG · 4× Alex Pretti PERSON · 2× Dylan Alverson PERSON · 2× George Floyd PERSON · 2× Renée Good PERSON · 2× Cocktails & Capitalism ORG · 1× South Minneapolis GPE · 1×

Narrative

A generous business owner is closing down his restaurant of nearly 16 years after feeding guests for donations in exchange for prices for six months Alverson's business idea came shortly after the deaths of George Floyd, Renée Good and Alex Pretti, which all took place in nearby neighborhoods of Minneapolis at the hands of deadly force by police In an Instagram post, Alverson stated: 'For the last 6 years, I’ve been trying to prove that Modern Times can continue to exist.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-20
🔮 For the first month of his unconventional business model, Alverson took prices off of every item the restaurant sold, making Post Modern Times a 'for-profit business that had zero prices.' Alverson told journalists of Cocktails & Capitalism: 'It's been successful in all the ways that we intended, which is feeding people for free with public donations as long as we could.' Nearly 85 percent of the restaurant's clientele consist of 'people experiencing homelessness or addiction or some form of problem that has given them limited access to restaurants or food,' according to Alverson.

Claims (23 extracted, 1 hedged)

After nearly 16 years in business, a woke restaurant owner has been forced to close his doors, despite having spent six months feeding customers for free in an unusual act of generosity. asserted
owner → force → generosity
Dylan Alverson was once the proud owner of a pay-what-you-wish restaurant named Post Modern Times, located in South Minneapolis. asserted
you → pay → Minneapolis
His unconventional business idea came shortly after the polarizing deaths of George Floyd, Renée Good and Alex Pretti, all of which took place in nearby neighborhoods of Minneapolis at the hands of local police. asserted
all → come → police
Alverson decided to take food prices off the menu at his eatery and ran a menu-free restaurant for six months in support of the protests against the injustices faced by Minneapolis citizens. asserted
Alverson → decide → citizens
For the first month of his unconventional business model, Alverson took prices off of every item the restaurant sold, making Post Modern Times a 'for-profit business that had zero prices.' Alverson told journalists of Cocktails & Capitalism: 'It's been successful in all the ways that we intended, which is feeding people for free with public donations as long as we could.' Nearly 85 percent of the restaurant's clientele consist of 'people experiencing homelessness or addiction or some form of problem that has given them limited access to restaurants or food,' according to Alverson. uncertain
that → take → Alverson
On October 17, Alverson took to social media to regrettably announce his decision to close up shop. asserted
Alverson → take → shop
Dylan Alverson is the owner of Post Modern Times, which is a pay-what-you-wish restaurant located in South Minneapolis asserted
you → pay → Minneapolis
A generous business owner is closing down his restaurant of nearly 16 years after feeding guests for donations in exchange for prices for six months Alverson's business idea came shortly after the deaths of George Floyd, Renée Good and Alex Pretti, which all took place in nearby neighborhoods of Minneapolis at the hands of deadly force by police In an Instagram post, Alverson stated: 'For the last 6 years, I’ve been trying to prove that Modern Times can continue to exist. asserted
Times → close → years
'I’ve exhausted every option without compromising the core fundamentals that make Modern Times what it is.' 'Because of this, we have made the choice to close at the end of the year. asserted
we → exhaust → year
This has been an incredibly difficult decision and one that did not come lightly,' Alverson continued. asserted
Alverson → come → ?
'I announce this decision now, with the hope that we can spend the next two-plus months celebrating the nearly 16 years that Modern Times has stood for creativity over cost, kindness over profit, and uncompromising values as a business in this country. asserted
Times → announce → country
Users took to the Post Modern Times Instagram page to voice their thoughts on the pay-what-you-wish business motto. asserted
you → take → motto
One user commented: 'Minnesota seems insufferably woke.' asserted
Minnesota → comment → ?
Another user wrote in support of a saying: '6 months. asserted
user → write → saying
Post Modern Times is taking a brief pause to breathe, rest and re-center. asserted
Times → take → pause
I'm joining the team to fundraise for the rest of the year - it only costs $25 per meal! asserted
it → join → meal
You can pay it forward at givemn.org/postmoderntimes.' asserted
You → pay → givemn.org/postmoderntimes
Alverson decided to take food prices off the menu and ran a completely free restaurant for six months in support of the protests against the injustices faced by Minneapolis citizens Nearly 85 percent of the Post Modern Times clientele consist of 'people experiencing homelessness or addiction or some form of problem that has given them limited access to restaurants or food' asserted
that → decide → restaurants
Another user commented, 'Good intentions but what does free food have to do with police brutality?? asserted
food → comment → brutality
Another user said, 'Performative business model.' Still, Alverson admitted that he had 'never regretted feeding someone paid or unpaid' asserted
he → say → someone
'I’ll start to explain how we got to this point and what the next couple months will look like,' he wrote on social media. asserted
he → start → media
'The only way for places like Modern Times to exist in the future is to actively challenge the reasons why it can no longer exist.' asserted
it → exist → reasons
The Daily Mail reached out to Post Modern Times for further comment. asserted
Mail → reach → comment
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