‘It’s like Cheers:’ Local restaurant looks to community support to stay open [Video]

TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — The hiss of the crackling oil on the stove top rings through Old Times Kafe early in the morning hours. Owner and chef Dayton Brown stands with the spatula and his homemade chorizo. Potatoes, eggs and different kinds of bread surround Brown as he focuses on cooking his customers’ favorite dishes.

“I make everything from scratch from the soups to the chorizo,” he said. “I mean i make my own chorizo.”

He said cooking is his gift and he wouldn’t change his path for anything. The food and the customers bring him back to the restaurant each day. Customers like Bob and Anne Blizzard, who spend many mornings a week at Old Times Kafe.

“It’s almost like Cheers,” Bob Blizzard said. “The food is good and the people are friendly. We get breakfast here every morning. That’s our little treat to each other.

But the restaurant …