Old Times Kafe Will Close Without Community Support

You can find classic biscuits and gravy at a local restaurant.Photo byJodie MorganonUnsplash

It’s been a difficult couple of years for restaurants. With COVID shutting down restaurants for the better part of a year, sudden problems with obtaining essential ingredients, not to mention surging rents, and it’s hard to imagine a more difficult time period for eateries. Truly not since the Great Depression have restaurants run into so many financial problems, as production costs increase while average incomes remain stagnant. There’s been no shortage of restaurants around Tucson closing down for good, some of which have served the community for decades. And now, one of those very restaurants is reaching out to the city in hopes of raising money to remain open. 

Old Times Kafe has been slinging everything from classic breakfast food to fixin’s you’d expect to find on greasy spoon diner menus since 1986. In the nearly forty years since opening, the restaurant has carved out a nice niche for itself, welcoming generations of families into the fold. With its location inside of a former ranch house, it has built-in nostalgia. Like a worn-in pair of favorite jeans, the restaurant just seems to get better with age. But age has its drawbacks. 

In an 80-year-old building, upkeep can prove challenging. If you’ve ever known someone to move into a “vintage” house, you probably have heard stories of all the unexpected upkeep and repairs that spring up out of nowhere. That, along with the increased cost of utilities, rent, and food has pushed Old Times Kafe to the bring. 

Located at 1485 West Prince Road here in Tucson, the breakfast and lunch-only restaurant still offers some of the most affordable breakfast options in town. The two scrambled eggs with chicken fried steak and your choice of hash browns or home fries and toast still cost only $9.99. You’d probably spend more than that at a fast food drive-through. 

The restaurant wants to keep prices low, but it has made paying for necessary repairs and rent nearly impossible. It is why Old Times Kafe is reaching out to the community and asking for help. Via a GoFundMe set up by the restaurant, Dayton Brown, the owner, is hoping to secure $20,000 in order to pay for all the necessary upkeep and rental requirements to keep the restaurant open. Without the help, there aren’t many other options. 

After 11 days the restaurant has failed to raise $1,000. However, the restaurant did not put out much advertising for it. Like many business owners, it’s difficult to seek help from others. However, for anyone who has enjoyed their time at Old Times Kafe and hopes to see it stick around into the future, it might be worth donating a few bucks. 

At the very least, it is one of the few spots in town to order quality biscuits and gravy.